Hey everybody Im the owner! I rescued Sage 5 years ago and two weeks after bringing her home she attacked my 10lb multi/poo and my dog training journey began. Started with a local trainer that had a hybrid sit means sit method but throughout the years I have nearly tried every method in the book. The more I studied and practiced and learned to read Sage, it became more obvious how effective/ineffective some methods were over others. I became very passionate about dog training and considered transitioning out of performing in vegas to train dogs full time. Until about a year ago. My son is crawling around the house and Sage would get the cackles stiffen up. Fastforward to when he is walking, she checked him a couple times right in front of me. Growl when she is laying down and he enters her bubble. Note that we have been HEAVILY managing this situation but I began to feel so defeated. "How bad of a dog trainer am I that I can not even "train" my own dog?" There is a huge difference between train and fix. Sage is a very obedient dog, heel, sit, place, recall off a rabbit in the desert etc. However, there is a fine line in dog training in how much can you fix/rehabilitate in a dog. Ever since he could walk we would go on pack walks together. I would have him hold the slack of the leash and Sage would be sandwiched between us. When she is laying on the ground in the house (when she would growl if he comes into her bubble by himself) I hold his hand and we walk into her space and make her yield. Counterconditioning with my son as the treat source. I have tried everything I know. I needed a more experienced set of eyes. I found Joel Beckmen based in California. He was doing a similar thing to what I saw Tyler Muto doing years ago on youtube socializing troubled dogs with his personal dog Lobo. (**NOTE**) All credit to the walking behind method goes to Tyler. The session went so much different than what I expected. I have had sessions with 4 different trainers over the years and each time I go in thinking this is the secret sauce to solve all the problems. This session in the video opened my eyes as to how much work I have put in and I am not a failure at training dogs. Unfortunately, I have a difficult dog and I am now faced with what to do next. My family's safety and well being is number one. I can manage the reactivity with dogs but the unpredictable behavior with my son has made me strongly consider finding her a new home. No one is putting out free high level content on RU-vid like Joel! I have learned so much from you, Thank you! Although the our session was not rainbows and butterflies as I had optimistically envisioned it to go, it opened my eyes. You reassured me of how much passion, dedication, and hard work I have put in to working with Sage. Going into a session feeling like a failure as a dog trainer to then being asked if I wanted a job was a special moment. Watching the video back I didn't say anything in that moment but I was processing what had just happened up until that point. YES Im highly considering the job! Joel is a fantastic human from the little time we have spent together. He has a beautiful property that serves as the perfect controlled environment for training and socializing dogs. Highly Highly Highly recommend! Thank you Joel!
I hope everything goes well, you are doing great. It’s not always the owner, sadly! Some dogs just have issues that take a long long time to fix! I know this from my own experience too. We have a bully breed, also difficult. He’s making slow progress and I’m thankful.
I love his show and thisjust summarizes and lays out all of the basic methods he uses on the show. What i love about this guide ru-vid.comUgkxKkYeOoCV_w2vPX0CSyVWkhew2c4FYk0d is that you don' need to read the whole book cover to cover ... You can skip to the chapter (lesson) you want to read about. The book is arranged almost as a problem-solving guide ... Here is the problem and here is what you need to know/do to correct it. This man knows his stuff ... But more importantly knows how to teach people how they can work with their pups themselves!
You know what's amazing about Mr. Beckman? He didn't feel threatened or intimidated by the fact that the owner's method early on was a little more effective for this dog. Instead, he sought information to help expand his knowledge. That says something. RESPECT!!
Definitely. But also props to the owner, who sought help after having the feeling he didn't know how to proceed. He is also a fellow dog trainer, which is more impressive.
"The person who thinks they know everything, knows nothing." True Knowledge requires the absence of the "ego". This is what you see here. Its not about "hes better" but what is he doing that works better. What has been figured out and why does it work. Science used to be this way... Its grown further and further from finding "universal truth" these days....
Agreed. We also have to take into account the relationship the owner has already built with the dog. The dog is more trusting and respectful to the owner. Sure he brought her to the dog trainer for help, but this dog does not know the trainer at all and she is learning his behavior as well. The dog has seen this method with the owner before and has accepted what he is communicating with her. It is good to see the owner and trainer working together to come up with a solution to the issue though, rather some magical dog trainer that can every dog to the perfect dog.
The issue is, that method only works if the guy is trying to get the dog to meet another dog. It's not practical and clearly not working for everyday life with that dog. Walking the dog becomes a huge pain in the ass if you live in an area where a bunch of people walk their dogs.
Which, to be fair, is why he took him to get further training. He has no control over the dog in every day real life applications without having to pause everything and do this walk-you-down method. You gonna walk through Home Depot backwards? Tough dog for sure
@@FreshManny209 I take the her to Home Depot all the time no problem. Walk on the strip passing by dogs it tight pathways no problem. I’m not walking backwards the whole time lol. Turn around and check in if needed. Coming to close, distraction causing arousal, i turn back. Sometimes that’s all it takes, sometimes i step in. Reset. Keep going. I have one dog on my right off leash and Sage on the left on leash both about 2-3 feet behind me. Now that my son walks i added him on the left side holding the slack of sage’s leash and still manage encountering dogs on walks. It works for me in my situation and I manage just fine. I would actually say the exact opposite that Joel’s method is better socialization because the dogs are able to get close and you are standby waiting if a correction is needed. With what I’m doing you can only get so close. Maybe a hybrid mix of both could be something to experiment with.
Dobies and socks. I dont know what it is. Mine was like that as well. Eventually made that work in my favour. I would have him find my missing socks and bring them to me.😂
It's disarming. It has a friendly lilt to it. Hurley goes down a few notches when I say it as he makes eye contact with another dog. I say it a lot when we meet up with other dogs he knows & has played with pawsitively. Associations can be good builders.
Great job by the owner. Seriously impressed at the bond he has formed with his dog and the mad respect the dog has for him with this difficult dog. I also love how beckman is humble enough to not be afraid to acknowledge another mans skillset and tell him so. That also is impressive and his willingness to learn from another although already an expert in his field. This owner is the perfect owner for him and hope they can make it work
Very interesting. Up to 4mins in, she was tail up. Dominant and trying to lead. After 4mins when the owner stepped in and physically blocked her, tail down. Almost immediately. 👍 Putting himself between her and the 'potential threat' gives her the assurance that he is in control of the situation therefore she can relax. That's my interpretation.
@@lisat9707 I've been being taught something similar. I wonder if doing it enough gives the dog the idea that you handle all situations. They can drop their guard, because they know you can handle it. I think there are multiple ways to the same goal, so I'm not saying there's a right or wrong way.
He really reads her well. And she's really well trained. Way different than the other folks we see on here. ❤ I always train my dogs to a good "Leave It" best command ever. Second IMO is a great recall. (But I'm not a dog trainer - Better at equines.)
First...I cannot emphasize how impressed I am, Joel, that you are open enough to continually learn and adapt to new/alternative methods. It takes a big mind ahead of ego to do that...knowing you have earned the confidence of your audience as an expert in your field. Secondly, in my amateur opinion, maybe what we’re seeing is the “relationship” factor....something I know you don’t take great stock in, but could that account for some difference?
I was thinking the exact same thing, maybe relationship with the dog is what makes the difference, as Joel probably met the dog only a couple of hours before this footage
@@TheLeonard185 To be clear the shock collar was introduced with the first trainer I went to after I brought her home and she attacked my dog. Thats when the journey began. The collar was used for obedience and levels at her working level. There was no Jeff Gellmen level 100 zaps for punishing bad behavior. This method of training didn't even last long as the more I studied and trained other methods it becomes obvious what was effective and what was not. The only time I use the collar now is in the desert for recall work.Did I make mistakes along the way? Absolutely! I was very ignorant in the beginning but I was sooooooo dedicated to learn, study, practice, evolve, and find the right method for Sage. Most others don't put in that kind of work. Not me : )
@@aceofbass06 it's clear you have her best interests at heart. That is a big strong dog. I have a bully x Labrador. He's a handlful. People call me out on walks all the time for correcting my dog. You have to consider you know your dog better than strangers. The relationship that is demonstrated in the vid its undisputable that you've done your research and the dog is happy learning and improving!
Princey sneakily running away with the sock was too good... 😂😂 His technique was interesting but I don't know if it would work on most other dogs... only cause she knows him really well and they've worked together
Yes I noticed that this method works with my dog but only if I or my husband does it. He ignores my mom completely. I do it with the other dogs on the property along with just saying 'Heyyy' and they back off and go back to peace mood, never really have them be reactive with yard workers after this is done unless something scares them. They will react and go into pack mood but if I call out from inside they settle. Thankfully most ppl here are familiar with dogs so they aren't intimidated by most dogs. Idk if it is part of the reason it never got dangerous. However, my biggest concern is always having the dogs attack a person but if we are in danger, I want them to attack so idk how best to 'manage' them.
@@mitsyrage2233 it sounds to me like you’re doing the right thing. They’re a little reactive, but can be disrupted, and if anyone attacks you good luck for them lol, sounds like your dogs love you a lot.
@@dev_ilmoon That's always my biggest concern, others safety. My dog is a barker but I notice he reacts more to others because my mom picks him up to 'keep' him from ppl. He's the 'hold me back' meme, one of the reasons I think he walks over her. She makes him feel like he runs the show. The other dogs are just dogs who started coming around when we got him. A male and two females, they belong to the neighbors but when we noticed they were around most of the day we started feeding them also. They just naturally started staying in our yard and being protective of us. One even had her pups in our yard and brought me to see them and take care of them. I was shocked because she would growl at her 'owners'.
You are correct. I noticed her behavior when the owner took the leash. From reading his post, the dog fears/respects the owner, and may just suppress the action she wants to take. The cue here is her behavior when he is present and when he is not. One of the "tricks" we, as dog (and people) trainers know is NO one-size-fits-all training/conditioning exists. I have seen other trainers work with many dogs marked as aggressive, need to be PTS get diagnosed and treated by true experts, and not people with a free business card with the words "dog trainer" on it. These dogs become 1000% better and the owners are trained as well. I call what I do "Baseline Behavioral Modification" I don't train dogs (to do tricks). I work at identifying issues, and coming up with a way to correct it, or at least mitigate it to a high level. Not all dogs are super social, but to get their aggressive lunging and biting reduced to a back up and bark with no advancing and or biting and they move away is still a big win. (especially when the dog continues that when the owners take the reins) Of course, that was just three sessions. but they had to leave back home. Lots of work for the owners, since THEY have to deal with it and make progress, not just me. I have a dog that took a year and a half of near daily training to get her to be better. She still spooks, barks and has her ticks, but they are SO MUCH MORE under control and she responds and recovers super fast now.
I think when he stands between the dogs he’s signaling to his dog not to attack. I noticed that when he’s obeying a command he’s able to control himself like when he was commanded to leave it & when he was commanded to sit. Whereas when you had the leash he’s in front of you & is making his own decisions. He wasn’t obeying a command when he was in front of you. I have a rescue Bullmastiff that was aggressive when I got him. I found that if he was obeying a command, like a sit or stay or even a look command, his instinct to fight was overruled by obeying a command. And I think that’s what happened with the owner’s blocking technique. Commands don’t have to be verbal.
You are exactly right. I was screaming at the screen, because he is standing between them and she feels protected. Thanks for adding your comment, it’s hard to watch the neck corrections when they are not needed , a more sensitive approach to the dogs point of view is the answer
@@sek3ymisek3ymi - I have experience with really big, dominant breeds & I know the value of hard corrections when the dog is acting up. It’s exactly how dogs correct their young. They punish bad behavior in their puppies. They certainly don’t try to use positive reinforcement to shape alternative behaviors. That said, I consider myself a proponent of positive reinforcement training. It’s the correct way to teach new behaviors whether it’s simple obedience commands or if it’s used to teach hunting dogs how to work a field or how to run an agility course.
@@joelhansen7373 absolutely agree. I fell in love with Rottweilers , and I have raised 7 wonderful pups in my time . My boy wears a neck chocker and corrections are necessary and appropriate. That said , the dog in the video did not need the corrections clearly . Other forms of training would be more suitable, before you ask her to go face to face with a dog . Also , maybe your dogs are like mine , they will not befriend a dog behind a fence, they will with a proper introduction. If the dog is not ready for introduction it’s not time or it’s not the right dog for it to meet . Dogs are like people in that they get along with some better than others … My point is that this is sloppy training and I’m on board with corrections and the power of the dog matters of course.
Your last sentence is right on the money. Dogs don't speak, so verbal commands are actually not something a dog would react to in a "dog" world. They have verbal reinforcement growls, barking, to thier natural body language cue. Personally I believe that a persons body language, and non verbal energy mean way more to a dog than the verbal commands. The verbal is like just a fine tune to behaviors that your nonverbal energy is either allowing or not.
Sage was focused on her owner. That was pretty much the "magic" of his technique. I don't know what he did in the past with her to get her to this point, but their bond is stronger than Joel's and Sage and, to me, that was pretty much it. When the owner got Sage close to Prince, he was between the two and Sage was focused on the owner and didn't seem to care as much about Prince.
This is what I like about Joel, he's confident in his training skills and strong in his beliefs. But at the same time he gives other people their due credit and acknowledges when his least favourite tools have done some good. 👍👏
Pitt bulls are horrible dogs this guy gave her up because she would attack people pitts account for over 60% of fatal attacks on people and over 80% for bites to people other animals.
2:46-2:55 She has her head turned to the side every step she takes towards Prince at this proximity, and lunges the second she looks up. And in general, after a correction or walking away, she doesn’t seem initiate steps back towards Prince. She looks like she’s trying to avoid eye contact unless being led closer, and then lunges/starts stalking when fear kicks in at an uncomfortably close distance. With her owner, she seems to be looking up at him with every step closer to Prince. She seems fearful of Prince, but really trusts her owner, so feels safer with him as a barrier.
I LOVE him being willing to work through the owner's technique and admit that the owner did better than he did. Also the follow up discussion genuinely trying to learn what it was that happened that worked and working out what the pitties motives might be...
Prince is an awesome dog. He sensed her attitude from the beginning and really wanted no part of it. True respe t to this owner for knowing the power of his dog and pitting in the time and responsibility of training her so well. Too many ppl are uninformed and don't invest in the time & energy to correct their dog.
People fail to realize how much effort it takes to keep the calm and assertive face on. I love it when you have to shake yourself out or take a deep breath. It makes the situation real and gives more tentative people some confidence that this doesn't come without effort.
I saw Sage get scared and do a little cower at the gate going down into the pool area. It was very quick. That pairs with something the owner said about Sage being fearful, even though we didn't see it against Prince or the other dogs. I don't know how this factors in...
Shes so obviously scared ... I think Joel missed the cues on this one. Also, when she was just showing signs of curiosity and playfulness, he was hard correcting which would just lead to more confusion and anxiety. She really seemed like a really sweet dog.
Looks to me like the dog trusts her owner more than Joel (understandably) because her body language looks so relaxed when he is backing her up - her tail and ears are relaxed. Joel just needs to teach the owner what to do, and he will probably succeed. Great that we can all learn from each other this way!
The "Leave it" was one of the first commands I taught my rescue because he had a bad habit of putting various things in his mouth during our walks (poo, rocks, etc). Granted, I found him when he was really a young puppy, but he learned quickly. I also use the command now to get my dog or other dogs to not go after other animals, people or things when the situation arises. It can be a life saver.
After always having good dogs I just didn't realize people had all these problems with dogs. I have owned 7 or 8 through the years. Maybe I just have good instincts with training even without me being trained. Great job Joel.
It’s because your a good owner, some dogs are aggressive because of fear, maybe they didn’t have the best time with a dog(getting attacked and injured). And sometimes a lot with pit bulls, they just want to kill or hurt a dog, but if your dog doesn’t have that drive they will be a good doggo.
Most dogs aren't like this. This is a super game pitbull. Most pitbulls aren't even like this, except unfortunately the genetics that influence (not cause) this behavior still do remain in the pitbull gene pool.
@@davidbarry2837 I wouldn't call of unfortunate for the people that actually want to retain those qualities when they breed pits (not for fighting, but just gameness in general). It's just that the average person should know what they're getting into when they get one of these dogs
You don’t really know what you’re getting when you rescue a dog. Have to commend Sage’s owner for sticking with her. I’d bet that Sage was exposed to dog fighting. No barking, growling or posturing like you see in most dogs. imo Sage moves like she was trained to attack.
I just love it when the owner learn his dog, his behaviour, his character. Deffinetly you can see that the owner is doing awesome job training her. Awesome job from both!
That kid gets it, hats off to him, well done sir, eye contact and all. That dog isn’t fuckin around. Badass Pitbull!! He should do sports with that dog. Wall Height jumping, distance jumping, that dog is a athlete.
It’d be interesting to know where he rescued her from. He mentioned he thought he was fear reactivity but Joel disagreed cause of the dominant behaviour and excitement. But the one moment that had me think the owners right was when they walked into the pool area and she flinched like she was claustrophobic as the walked together through the gate. Potentially the behaviour is trauma based, like it’s the only way she knows how to interact with dogs from her past. The owners amazing, the dedication to train a dog like that. I love that Joel took on board the method too with such positivity.
Based on her drive to keep going for prince in the beginning I was thinking she may have been either fought or “trained” to do so at some point. My heart hopes not But humans are truly some of the cruelest animals.
very good point. when dogs are not socialized in their youth with other friendly and well behaved dogs, it creates this problem. her history with other dogs is probably very slim, and the times she has interacted with one, its been hostile. that experience, or trauma, becomes so engrained in your psyche that it is extremely difficult if not impossible to overcome. doesnt make her a bad dog, and obviously the owner has a great relationship with her, it just means she needs to be managed properly (which she seems to be!)
@@DaveDEF82 it’s a rescue, who knows what happened to the dog before he adopted her. It’s irrational fear but letting her stay aggressive is no solution.
@Pack Of Spartans AHHAHAH glad you said it! Im the owner. Aversive's.....how many aversive's did you see in the video? By having her walk behind me and I control the space there is no tugging etc. ohhhhh Dave....
This was very insightful and timely to watch. I’m about to adopt a bully breed mix and I train dogs for a living. My background is in animal sciences from Cal Poly and let me tell you nothing is more educational than direct experience with as many dogs and animals as possible. My dream is to meet Joel and work on a case on my family’s land. Been studying with many trainers and part of the No Bad Dog army. The good work never ends! Keep evolving.
I really like that you took the time to learn from the owner. Seems like together you can get her to a place where she will be better around other dogs.
This is my dog currently, he hits the end of the leash and just wants to get to the other dog. I started using a head collar recently with much better results, he calms down much quicker then on a pinch collar. Thanks for the videos
Interesting and valuable insights. Also interesting that Prince isn't agressive with all dogs who challange him, he would rather ignore, the reluctant obedience with the over the fence interaction was kinda hilarious. To have a Doberman that based but also able to correct under provocation. Im impressed.
I had a high energy pit like this. The only way I was able to properly socialize him was to have the pit pace me on a bicycle for a short 8 mile trot before interacting with new dogs. No joke.
I deal with the exact same problem with my pit she is is bullheaded and the prey drive is so strong with others but is ok with our other dog. I have tried this once or twice with a bike and she enjoys it, also keeps her mind from wondering. Was it very successful?
@@Chris_123rie yea it worked, but I had to keep on top of his exercise daily. No matter what, I got up early morning for a two mile jaunt to keep him balanced in home with my second dog. However, before I would take him to the dog park, that is when I'd cruise with him another 5 miles or so along side me on the bike to tire him before meeting new dogs. This helped him do very well. I continued that for a many weekends which conditioned and allowed him to give into other dogs to freely sniff and play.
@gahboe thanks for the reply. I will definitely give it more effort. It's very difficult because I don't believe she's fearful or intimidated but actually dominate and will challenge any dog after 2 bad encounters she's had. Even walks have been a great risk due to people not leashing there dogs up.
@@Chris_123rie people not leashing there dogs up is the absolute worst. I actually almost got shot over an altercation at a dog park where I was working sage around the outside of the dog park and I see a dog bee lining it to me off leash. I immediately 180 and start walking away, look back, the dog is 15 ft from us. I pick up sage while still moving away to create distance screaming “get your F%#K|}G Dog!” To the owner. The owner clearly had no control of even a basic sit in distracted environments let alone a recall, I was spinning circles holding sage trying to get away from this dog while it is not biting at sages feet. A swift solid kick to the dog to create distance, put sage back on the ground and trot away. Not long before the owner catches up and starts going on About how I kicked his poor small 20lb dog for no reason. I ignored and went back to our training spot to moments later get ambushed again by the owner again in the street. The poor guy just couldn’t understand, I kept saying it was for safety, the reason I kicked your dog was for safety. I thought he was going to leave as he was waking back to his truck but turns out he reaching for something in the drivers side door. I immediately started shouting that if I didn’t pick up my dog and let it all unfold your dog would be dead and that would have been your fault because your the jackass that let your dog run of leash with no control as the owner. I don’t want an altercation with you but I can’t promise that she won’t bite you, and if she does, she will not let go. …….. guy hops back in the truck and leaves……. My heart was beating a mile a min for the next hour an a half……. Not fun….. since then I have revised my method when encountering these situation in the future with a more grounded basis. These people are ignorant. They have no idea what it is like to own/hand/train or let alone manage a walk with an aggressive dog. If I can manage a “loose dog incident” quickly and safely without aversive measures to the other dog. Have a calm, yet assertive conversation with the owner to enlighten them to the reality of the situation they are putting their own dog through by letting them off leash with no proper recall. Long reply but something that still drives me absolutely nuts and I have just reconsidered the best method to approach those situations to avoid getting shot in the rare case I encountered.
Man this dog is beautiful. Even though she has a big problem. It is pretty clear to me that she is aware of her "problem" and was trying to work along with the corrections!! You see with how she hesitated several times right before lunging. With how happy she was to be told she was a good girl the first time she stopped herself properly. Animals are really amazing!
Prince is such a show stealer! fun fact - it's Prince that's the head master trainer at Beckman's Dog Training - everything Joel knows he learnt from Prince and Bosco lol
I am familiar with that method of blocking. It is re-centering of the dog’s attention to you, instead of what is heightening their behavior. It works great with most dog’s. Make’s me wonder if this dog was pulled from the mother dog too early and was never put in her place. Hope her issues are resolved.
Literally comparable to attachment wounds and attachment trauma that happens to humans that often results in the specific form of trauma responses we call personality disorders.
I’ve watched your videos before. I think I left you a comment and it wasn’t exactly favourable. I can’t remember exactly. But i just wanna let you know that I eat my damn words. The way you can humbly accept that this dude even though he isn’t a trainer, had success with his method and not being too proud to say “hey that worked well, let’s give that a go” is really great. I’ve come across a lot of trainers that simply cannot accept any method but they method they taught the client. You’re not like that. The other thing I wanted to say is that you’re right about purely positive trainers and not having experience with dogs like these (or very rarely, and rarely shown). Owners with dogs like this don’t have the luxury of waiting months and months to positively reinforce good behaviours and redirect bad ones when their dog is lunging and picking fights with other dogs. The owners entire lives will be on hold until they get success. I think purely positive training is great, and I do it with my dogs. Because I haven’t been in the situation where I’ve needed to do anything but that. So I just wanted to touch base and say that my impression of you was wrong, and I think your no bullshit attitude with the more harder cases will save lives. It’s easy for us in the purely positive camp to condemn other methods when we have the luxury of not working with or owning dogs that have such intense issues. That was a long winded comment, I apologise. And I hope this finds you well.
Those of us who have worked with dogs that have required balanced training appreciate that you were able to post this. I truly believe that the all-positive trainers who feel a need to defend their stance do so in large part because they have not taken on a challenging dog. And often, when they do take on a dog that needs balanced training, they will tell the owners they can’t help them, which is, at the very least, honest.
Out of everything captured in this video, the dynamic at the end (17:30 on) provided the best clue to me for a productive direction with Sage. The owner was interacting with Prince, clearly showing Sage that Prince is his friend. The owner has established respect and leadership; at least in this position where he puts himself between Sage and the dog Sage is targeting. I would have liked to see what would have happened if the owner had continued to draw Sage closer to Prince. It appeared that was where the owner was heading until you instructed him to walk away as the video ended. Up to that point Sage was completely focused on her owner and exhibited no sign of arousal or intent to look for the right moment to launch an attack. This does not appear to be fear based. It is possible that it is based on an unbounded motivation to protect ... not protect herself, but to protect her owner from other dogs. This could explain the effectiveness of the owners technique. This technique clearly tells Sage that Prince is not a threat: (i) his back to Prince indicates Prince is nothing to worry about; (ii) his position in between says "I'm in charge here, I've got this ... this is not your job Sage." If this were my case, I would continue socialization/desensitization progressing on this bit at the end. Sage does not know how to interpret body language of other dogs and needs experience. Simultaneously, I would work hard on finding a new job for Sage. Sage has a powerful working drive. Sage needs a productive job to fulfill her spirit. Obedience definitely should be part of this job since she exhibits an obedience aptitude. I would shy away from a protection type job; do not want Sage to broaden her protective instincts to include people. Some dogs respond well to learning a structured tug game, but I would not choose that for Sage because Tug simulates strike and kill, even if you teach a reliable out. My first choice would to teach Sage to retrieve. I would emphasize a soft hold and a crisp, clean release (out). Ultimately, this could be combined with "leave it" with regard to nearby dogs, followed immediately with a directed retrieve in the opposite direction of the other dog. This retrieve is both redirection and reward. I think you might call this DRI or DRO or DRA? Just an opinion. Thoughts, Joel?
Your comment sounds logical to me. I would interduce her to physical work like agility. Climbing a ladder, slides and even jumping onto low hanging tree branches. She has those muscles and needs to use them. She would be good for Parkour. Just my thought. She is with a great owner.
@@terridavis9278 Great ideas! Joel didn't say exactly what kind of performance the owner does, but maybe he can involve Sage in some aspect of his training.
Absolutely great insight! I have considered if it’s territorial, barrier frustration, fear based, game crazy mental. The interesting point about the method I have had the most success with is that when we walk around the neighborhood she is walking 2-3 feet behind me. If we come up to a dog let’s say in front of us I turn around and walk backwards to check in. Things good I turn back and keep going. Ears raise, forehead crinkle, freeze up. Step in reset. Any dog we pass I give space, we get close then I take a slight move from a foot to 5 feet away from the dog to release the pressure. I don’t make her stay on one side or the other as she is a couple feet behind me. And what is most interesting is that when I do passes back and forth on the street where a dog is sitting behind the gate of a house she will then make the choose herself to create space by moving to my right side (still behind me) in the dog is on my left. This make me believe that she is not game but I don’t know. I have never actually seen a dog officially labeled as game. I love your tips and I’m putting them in my notes. I appreciate the feedback!
Woah! Great owner, has he tried exercising her to exhaustion? Taking her on a long run before meeting dogs to help her chill out with them? That’s the only way I’ve been able to socialize my husky is by running him several miles before introducing him to new dogs. Helps him be nice and calm for them
Omg the video I have been waiting for! I am dealing with the exact same thing with my female pit! We have tried everything! A leash pop will not change focus at all!
Yikes, that's my dog. The hard-headed determination to hit the other dog, harrass, but add in hysterical barking too. All the leash pops, yes; Gentle Leader, yes: still exhausting behavior. I'm getting so I'm dreading the walks. I need to see more of this dog and whatever modification you can produce. Thanks to you and the great owner and tell that dog she lucked into a great life.
Your dogs breed? Ever tried the pack method? Or maybe forcing your dog into submissive/lying down position, while other dogs smell him/her? Or maybe the scientific/holistic approach where you use other dogs to correct your dogs aggression? There's a lot of methods you can choose from. If you have a more serious breed, try going around RU-vid for more natural training methods, these soft/positive/standard approaches usually don't work on aggressive dogs of more serious breeds. Where are you from? You could also try and look for conservation centers and rehabilitation centers in your country and see if there are ones who do behavior corrections where they use wolves to correct the aggression issues out of dogs who are considered ''impossible cases'' - these work like miracles. You can also try electric or vibrating collar approach... Father used to have an aggressive (really aggressive) Persian Mastiff which he got from a farmer in Iran (we suspect the litter his dog was from, was from game lines, but we never got that confirmed) and for 3 years nothing worked, until we tried muzzling and tying him to a short lead and letting another dog ''check'' his disrespectful behavior. We had our friends very well trained dog to approach my fathers dog, my fathers dog tried to attack but quickly got pinned down to the ground because he was on a tight lead and was muzzled, then he tried to fight back but he couldn't and my friends dog just had him in a submissive pin for like 3-4 seconds and then it was all over like nothing happened and my fathers dog acted like he was never aggressive before. The whole thing, the whole encounter lasted maybe like 15-20 seconds, if even that long. He was like a completely different dog after that happened. It was like he just decided to not be aggressive anymore after that. He still was territorial but he never tried to randomly attack another dog. Not even once. It is weird and hard to try to explain it over the internet or put in words but yeah... You could try that if nothing else works, just like we did.
Yeah this is my dog but with people... came a long way with her now I can walk her without worrying about people passing too close to us... but she still loses it if a stranger tries to engage with her or me directly. It's tough to manage, but you can't give up!
@@tribeking5 thanks for the encouragement, and congratulations on the improvement you've been able to get for your dog around approaching strangers. Good luck.
@@nogerboher5266 My rescue dog seems to be German Shepherd/Mastiff mix, 2 1/2 years old now. Your idea about a pack for her to experience is a dream, I wish! I never thought of holding her in a down and having other dogs smell her. I'll have to see if I can come up with a dog I could work that with, good idea, I'll think it over. My dog is 70 lbs of pure muscle, so it's dramatic. Thanks for telling me in detail the story of how your father's aggressive dog got taught and changed so dramatically by the competent balanced dog. I am glad to have new ways to consider, I felt pretty disheartened. Thanks again!
@@nogerboher5266 thank you for sharing this experience, I’ve had someone tell me the same with my girl, to let another dog (or pack) correct her behavior. Thanks again for sharing
The all knowing “RU-vid algorithm” fed me your videos a day or two ago. Seeing this video secured the subscribe. The fact that not only were u willing to stop and ask the owner ab his method but that u still included it in the video and shared it with ur community speaks volumes. My personal opinion as to why Sage was different with the owner is because she obviously sees him differently. U can literally see the way she watches him. Granted he “saved” her and has undoubtedly put in the work, as I’ve seen from his interactions and comments. The bully or pit Bull breed, in particular in my opinion, has an insane drive to please. This can be both productive and counterproductive depending on who she’s aiming to please.
I totally respect that the trainer handed the leash over to the owner to watch his method. That is also the method I was taught by a pro trainer when working at a open yard dog daycare and board facility. It works almost everytime and it doesnt hurt the dog as correction can. If the dog has such a strong drive like this one does then pain is not going to stop her from getting her target. That's just how it is. I hope the trainer took that experience and used it in future trainings over the leash correction. Because when you look at it from the viewers angle, when the dog lunges forward and you bend your knees and lurch forward to anticipate the snap of the leash it kind of looks like a possible misleads the dog into thinking you're running behind her so she doesnt get the que to stop until after her head is snapped back from the leash. When you are in front of the dog and using your body as a barrier the communication is clear to the dog. Dog doesnt move forward unless the owner moves forward. That's how I believe you should train a dog to approach another dog or person without lunging. I hope this makes sense.
I’m seeing some more difficult dogs on your channel lately. I haven’t been subscribed/watching terribly long, but I’m enjoying seeing you working with greater challenges - and hopefully succeeding in making these dogs more sociable, and I hope happier as a result.
I really like you and your videos to begin with, but I gained a whole other level of respect for you as a trainer. I'm a K9 handler/trainer and I'm still constantly learning and constantly feel like I don't know enough. I love seeing you keep the learning process for all parties involved in the video.
up to like minute 12.. thought of a couple things. if shes a rescue, by her lunging shes most likely been taught to fight. she might actually be surprised as to why prince doesnt fight back. hence the insistant lunging. it might be the only way shes known how to interact with dogs and or dogs outside her "pack" (dog at home/owner). by her reaction at 8:37 shes definitely been hit/abused, most likely trained with hitting. also from what ive seen with terriers, pits and staffs, they seem more hierarchical than most pet dogs, meaning that they will super focus on their pack and pack leaders and totally disregard other people/dogs. that might also be why she completely responds to the owner and his method. theyre also pretty numb to pain/physical stimulus when theyre on alert like this one, which might be another reason why she doesnt respond to the leash thing. i dont support the positive reinforcement people but i think she needs a whole bunch of affection, positive experiences, the understanding that humans will not randomly hurt her. idk if youve tried protecting her from other dogs. being first line of defense between her and what she may perceive as a threat. seems shes had it rough. shes beautiful though. awesome dog shes a sweetheart no doubt :) enjoyed your vid, as always. thanx after reading the owners response im not sure if maybe shes just grown up way too traumatized. when theres kids involved and a powerful unpredictable dog idk man.. tough call. he seems like a really nice guy though so i wish him the best with her. great job putting in all that effort. hope you find a way
I think that's my daughter's dog. She's a rescue, but likely treated badly as there are bald areas around her neck where collar used to be. Difficult for me to walk as she lunges alot outside. But very sweet and meek when indoors. I hate that the abuse happened.
This is a good one, finally get to see him work a pitbull with game and drive. They have to be one of the most stubborn breeds to work with due to drive aka the real aptb aka bulldog.
I use that same blocking method with my GSD it works great if I need to make a statement I put my hand up he just knows I am ready to be done with his behavior and he sits. I love watching, I have learned some great training tips! Thank You!
Those eyes. That’s what the old guys would call a game dog. That’s pure DNA driving it to do what it was basically built to do, unfortunately I don’t know that you can train that out of her.
Blues aren’t “game dogs”. They are the trendy, overbred variety of Pits of the moment. She was probably rescued as an adult with horrible previous owner. God Bless
That’s not a game dog game dogs are 30-55 lbs American pitbull terriers. This is a bully or amstaff. A reactive dog, but it probably wouldn’t try to kill the other dog.
@@harrymolloy823 Pit bull terrier, bull terriers, Staffordshire terriers, American bully, American bulldog: all are game-bred and were developed for similar purposes.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for showing the difficult training sessions. My first trainer for my dog didn't really commit to his training. I found another one very similar to your style and even the setup but in another country. My dog is there now getting desensitized and a recent session with me working with my dog and the trainer we worked with Jessy (like your Prince) it was awesome. It took me a really long time to find them though. Also there is absolutely no running out the door and we're working on him jumping on me. I have really been trying to embody the attitude and not freaking out which I have to admit was a challenge for me with the jumping.
Another great vid🙏 Thanks for helping dogs and owners that may not have access to skilled professional trainers with your passion, expertise and commitment.
It’s kind of like he puts himself in between the pit and prince to have the pit redirect and think twice. It’s like he is letting the dog see him and say hey make a decision. Either she fears him or must really love him. I do the same thing with my beagle greyhound and mix this method with your methods and it’s golden. She used to lunge at other dogs on walks and now she just gets excited but continues on walks. Love these videos.
I love seeing dog owners who have figure out communication with there dog. It can be tough, but once you figure it out both you and your dog live a much better life!
The blocking is like herding which is something dogs do other dogs as well as sheep cattle etc, most dogs understand herding and body blocking, and it's a great way to get their attention back on you. I use herding and body blocking to teach dogs boundaries and not to charge the door when the doorbell rings, and to keep them in certain rooms without having to close the door or install baby gates. Exercising the dog ahead of time can help as well, engaging their mind as well as their body during the walk will drain their energy more efficiently, the less energy they have, the less they will fight what you are trying to teach them, and the process can go more quickly. Something else that works for me is taking both dogs on a walk together. Start off far apart and slowly close the gap over time, during the walk. Also if Say Prince was in the lead, that will also help the pit to see prince as the pack leader, and help the pit to except him more quickly. Whoever walk in front is the pack-leader, whoever goes in and out the door first is also the leader. After a while maybe 10 minutes maybe an hour of walking, the un-socialized dog will except the other dog as a pack member. This dog may have been rescued from someone who was training her to be a fighting dog, but maybe not as there was at least that one sniff.
High drive pits like that aren't in fear or "defense" that's 100% prey. Fighting is probably fun for her. Not saying that's a bad thing, but that's the mindset of a bully breed as I've heard from all the people I've known that work bulldogs.
Yep, lots of pits "suddenly turn aggressive" once they're 2-3 years old - dog aggression is an innate trait that needs to be managed responsibly. Doesn't mean they're bad dogs, they're just doing what we bred them to do.
honestly people should stop breeding them as pets. I'm not calling for destroying current pits, just ban their breeding. Yesterday I was in the dog park with my border collies and everything was nice, there was an old Dashhoud with his parents, we were chatting nicely, dogs playing. Enter a family with 3 pits, fully chained, big prongs, dogs slovering and growling and pulling like they want to kill something. I told my husband maybe we should go... called my dogs.. it took 30 seconds and the old dashhound was almost teared apart by 2 of the pits, their family screamed and pulled, there was blood and screams. THe dashhound walked out kinda ok. I'm sure there are lovable, good pits , but their natural drive is DANGEROUS on the hand of dumb people. its not the same having a bad behaved chihuahua/poodle, they can hurt you or your dog, but a pit doesn't let go until it shreds their prey to pieces.
@Pack Of Spartans nah they shouldn't have brought dog-aggressive pits to a dog park - that's a no brainer. If you're that dumb to bring untrained/unsocialized/out of control fighting breeds to a public place where dogs are off leash then you shouldn't have that breed.
@Pack Of Spartans No... ppl who have aggressive dogs should not take their dogs to the park not the other way around. If someone has a good well trained dog then they by all means should get the dogs to socialize with other dogs at the dog park. Let ppl and their good dogs enjoy. It is not their problem that other ppl have dogs with crappy temperaments. You are preaching to the wrong audience my friend.
Many people talk about fearful reaction on reactive dogs. But we also need to take into consideration that some dogs....ENJOY the fight. Some genes raises arousal under pressure, which makes the ideal fighter for dog rings.
This is why pits are not for everyone. I wish animal shelters would require owners who adopt this breed to take special training like noted in this video. Most people will not take the time to train their pits as well as Joel and this owner, setting up the poor dogs up for failure. This is why so many folks/animals are bitten/mauled by pits (in the US). It's our failure to train them properly.
I had a female Catahoula just like that years ago. I live out in the country. Our property is fenced. A neighbour allowed their dog to roam free (large shepherd, very friendly). I didn't understand fence fighting/barrier frustration at the time until it was too late. Started out as a game racing the fence. The page wire openings were large enough for my dog to stick her head through the fence. This happened one day after it had escalated very bad and her head got chewed up. Her head was through the fence and the shepherd mauled her. She was never a fearful kind of dog but after that, she looked just like this dog towards every other dog. Great video.
That dog is really good looking but wow, what a challenge! Interesting to see her reactions working with her owner vs Joel. Prince is a rock star, haha stealing your sock! Also, I so love the swimming pool and wish I had something just like that!!! Wondering how often the filters have to be cleaned? With so many dogs enjoying it, it must get a lot of dog hair in it.
This reminds me of our Amstaff rescue when we first got him. Same energy. It took us quite a lot of training and a prong collar but we finally succeeded
for a moment i tought that the client was Jon Bernthal and i was like wooow thats so cool Joel teaching the Punisher shit.... then i realized the Punisher was the dog :D Jokes aside, well done by Joel, really a job well done, thats why you are one of my favourite trainer that does youtube, you give the no BS perspective, you use the NO BS technique, you give props when props are deserved, you are still willing and able to learn from others, thats all traits i admire and try to replicate in my training of my dogs or when i train someone elses and is a good approach.
I love E collar work, it saves dogs lives. What I see here seems crazy, because most people can’t do this and it seems to me it is not a reliable cure for this problem. This dog will never be cured- it will always have to be carefully managed.
This is what I have recently come to grips with which is so tough to swallow. So much work went into training her but I was trying to fix her. Cant fix everything
Second this! I would be SUPER interested seeing someone like Richard Heinz work with this dog. E-collar work is not lazy when done correctly. Any training method can be done lazily and poorly. E-collars CAN be gentler than constantly jerking a dog around with the leash. How is a pinch on the neck with an e collar worse than a giant jerk/pull with a flat collar? Some dogs are so incredibly strong willed that an e-collar is the only thing that breaks through to them. Saves dogs with major aggression issues.
@@jonv570 Yes, I read that too. It sounds like they have exhausted all their options. Just wish there was something that could help. Wishful thinking on my end. I guess my point was, I'd love to see a bunch of different trainers with different approaches give their opinion on her and try their methods. It sounds like the owner has done that, but of course it wasn't taped. Very interesting case. I feel bad for the owner.
Best thing that ever happened to my dog is another dog bit his leg fairly badly. His behavior around other dogs is night and day. A dog teaching a dog boundaries works really well. Thanks for sharing 👍.
I've watched a bunch of your videos. Would love to see a short video of you and your dogs, out and about just having fun, getting ice cream or playing on the beach. Just need to see them and you RELAXING. You all deserve it.