The Right Way to Introduce Dogs and Control Excitement 

Check the full lesson and so much more at: robertcabral.com

"Be careful with the petting, that's gonna release him." Every. Damn. Time. I remember that when I'm already petting him.

I had a solid black, perhaps the only all black Akita, I acquired him when he was 2 years old. He was an owner-surrender at the shelter I worked at. He failed the temperament test and was unadoptable. However Because I worked there, and had some akita experience at a dog training center I had worked at before the shelter, I was allowed to work with him and I ended up adopting him. Like Robert had mentioned in a prior video, most people get Akitas because they are beautiful, and I am guilty of that, because he was the most stunning dog I had ever seen with his gold eyes, jet black coat. He was like having a beautiful, emotionless pet rock who never had his tongue hanging out, never was silly. He just had a serious look all the time. He was smart, though. I believe he was too busy thinking about quantum physics and philosophy to be able to play. He died in 2019 at the age of 15, in my arms. ❤

“Watch out for the petting, its gonna release him… thats what i thought” Nice call

Best explanation of why to use a 'place' platform or mat.

the praise timing and frequency can make a big difference; so easy to spot the missed opportunities when watching; it is so much harder when you are the handler, i keep telling myself “look to praise”.

I can just hear the positive only group squawking about the leash pops. Great lesson. Thank you!!

Watching this with my unneutered 17 months old male akita. Hes like, "Dad, change the channel. I dont want you to get any ideas. I run the show". Great dogs. Just wish more people knew what they where getting into before getting one. Amazing relaxed body language on this Akita. You know its gonna be difficult when they tense up or start to prowl like a big cat.

Great video, exactly what I'm dealing with in our puppy. He just gets too excited when he sees new dogs or people. Appreciate all you do!

Awesome! Shows clearly how hard it is to train the owner. :) The guy was trying, though, and his dog was trying too. Fun to watch.

Mr. Robert, I Love these Videos on Saturday morning. I learn so much. Helps me save Dogs at my shelter on Saturdays. I am praying to god to be The best trainer I can be.Thank u for skills you have taught me God Bless 🙏

Wow, this is exactly what I need. My dog always over react whenever she meets other dogs so most of old dogs or small dogs don’t like her jump on them, only similar age dogs like jump together with her so they would have fun playing. I should do some this kind of exercises with my dog. I want my dog meet any dog calmly.

Great vid! I would love to see more of training Max the Akita, there are not may videos out there with Akitas. 7 months ago I rescued a 2 yr old Akita who had no name or training at all. Hes come a very long way in 7 months. Akitas are so incredibly smart but he can be just as stubborn. Very good! work your vids have helped me so much so far. Thank you.

What a Beautiful dog❤. I love how you're explaining to the owner need to tell the dog he's good.

The full video was great as Max is not an easy dog to train. Thank you.

Thanks for training this guy, Robert. He makes me uptight! Lol. Kudos to the guy for learning on camera.

Wow… this was so perfectly executed! Best training I have received to date… now let’s see if I can pass it on to my dog. :) Thanks

I've been training my dog to ignore sheep, chickens, horses, etc, and he's been making great progress. I've picked up several things in the last year: Markers are essential. I use 'yess' with a sharp s. You gotta train it first so the dog knows that a treat is coming. Being able to get really close to 1 flock of sheep does not immediately transfer over to the next flock of sheep. You have to work multiple situations regularly to really drive it home. But, doing so does exponentially improve my dogs' progress. Having him hungry when training helps a lot, and I train with his regular kibble. Not a revolutionary method, but still worth mentioning for the people who believe they have to use the best treats all the time. Keep those for jackpots, when the dog does really well. Tiring him out next to the bicycle helps some. When he's overstimulated, I move back to where he's able to focus. Then I throw down some kibble and/or treats, and make him search for them. Making him use his nose for something else than the animals calms him down tremendously, and I'm then able to quickly move up to 2/3rd of the distance he was overstimulated just a couple minutes ago. I've been making incredible progress in the last 3 sessions since I've started implementing this. I don't have access to e- or prong collars (banned in my country). The gentle leader is not a great tool for heavy corrections, but it makes handling the dog a lot easier. My heavy correction is reeling the dog back in, grabbing him by the throat and getting up in his face growling 'no.' I don't recommend anyone doing that with a dog they haven't developed a trustbond with yet, but it's effective for my dog. And another classic that you can't hammer down on enough: _always_ end on a win.

Great video! My akita gets really excited about playing with other dogs when they are nearby. For some reason, she does amazing when playing with other dogs off leash, but sometimes I see aggression when she is on leash when allowed to meet dogs up close.

AMAZING video. Such a great show of what's good or not good. I wouldn't have praised/rewarded a few of those things but you explained why it's good to at first and then build later. I think I got too restrictive and hardcore at first and it made the reactivity worse instead of better. I'm using more calm energy and backing up slightly with my expecations and it's been giving my dog better chances to win and improve.

The fabled Sable

The time the 2 dogs are together in the beginning is building or can build tension I can see it in the black dog

If people would just train their dog it would reduce the number of dogs going to the pound.

I'd love to see this exercise with a dog like mine (5 year old female GSD), who would might have reacted with a lung, and barking. Fearful dog, and possibly some reasorce guarding (me), but not sure. Shelter said she was dog tested, but after 3 months with her, I don't trust this. Thought the reactivity was limited to the front yard, and dogs going by, but has shown serious concern with a dog (walking with owner) that we see on walks. Stops, stares, gets real tense. Wasn't able to see if the other dog was staring at my dog. Apparently this rescue is extremely fearful. For this reason, I'm going to have to get with a trainer. I'm afraid watching videos isn't enough, with my limited experience. I can't afford to mess this up.

He's beautiful.

Thank you. Going to try this with my cockapoo puppy. Only ever had German sheps and collies - and feels like I have never trained a dog in my life. She has a 30 sec attention span mmmm.

I can attest my female Akita Luna would have a hard time not going after the toy 😆 Would be interesting to see how she would do.

What kind of collar is being used with the Akita?

Human seems to be struggling with basic directions. Dog is great!

that was a hard pop on Dwayne, a bit too hard. That must have hurt his trachea......these dogs were really very close to each other

Would you recommend this type of distraction training always in the beginning? I recently took on a 1 year old female shepherd and her dog reactivity is a bit out of control. We’re in a group class but I feel that throwing her in a group of other dogs immediately is too much for her when I can guarantee she was not socialized properly. I correct her but I feel like she doesn’t understand what I’m correcting her for.

what is meant by "target" when it says that using a raised platform "creates a target?"

🤙🏾🇺🇸🦅

It’s the dumbest thing I have ever seen with the stuffed animal

Why does almost everyone use treats all day walking their dogs? Praise and a toy are all you need and a clicker.

Beautiful dog!