If you are working toward dog training without physical corrections or intimidation, there will be moments where your dog does something you did not expect.
Maybe your dog has their paws on the counter. Maybe they are chasing something outside. Maybe they are so interested in what is going on around them that you feel like they are not hearing you at all.
And in that moment, it can feel unclear what to do next.
What I have found is that these moments are not about the dog being wrong. They are information.
The first thing I want you to think about is stopping the reinforcement your dog is getting at that moment. Then look at what has been taught and the environment your dog is in.
Dogs are always doing the best they can with the education we have given them in the environment we have asked them to perform in.
That moment, where things do not feel clear yet, is what I call “the gap”.
What the “Gap” Really Looks Like
The gap shows up in real life moments.
I remember a student of mine whose dog jumped into a pond and grabbed another dog’s toy. She just stood there… frozen. She didn’t want to correct her dog, but she also didn’t know what to do.
And honestly, that’s where so many people struggle in dog training.
You’ve left behind blame and punishment, but you haven’t yet built the clarity and confidence to handle those unexpected moments.
Positive Dog Training Is Not Permissive Dog Training
This is where I want to be really clear:
Positive is not permissive in dog training.
We absolutely have expectations for our dogs.
But here’s the key: we have to earn those expectations.
If your dog ignores you outside, it’s not because they’re stubborn or “blowing you off.” It’s because the environment is more valuable than the education you’ve provided.
That’s not failure. That’s feedback.
What to Do When You’re in the Gap
When you find yourself in that moment where your dog is doing something you do not want, there are two things to focus on.
1. Stop the Reinforcement
Look at what your dog is getting from the behavior.
If your dog is barking at other dogs, watching those dogs move may be reinforcing. If your dog is on the counter, the food is reinforcing.
You need to stop that reinforcement.
That does not mean punishment. It means stepping in and removing access.
If your dog is on the counter, you take them off. If your dog is getting reinforced by the environment, you change the environment.
Ignoring the dog while they are being reinforced does not work. The reinforcement is still there.
2. Recognize Your Role
The second step is to look at your part in what just happened.
When something goes wrong, instead of blaming your dog, ask:
What did I not teach clearly enough?
Or what environment did I put my dog in too soon?
This is not about guilt or judging yourself. It is about observing what has been happening, without judgment, so you can look at how to make things clearer and easier for your dog moving forward.
Dogs are making choices based on what they have learned.
And that means we can look at the training and the environment, rather than correcting the dog for getting it wrong.
Why Your Dog “Doesn’t Listen”
One of the most common frustrations in dog training is this:
“My dog listens perfectly at home… but outside, it’s like they go deaf.”
But think about it this way…
At home, there are fewer distractions. Outside? There are smells, movement, wildlife, everything your dog loves.
If we haven’t built enough value for working with us in those environments, why would they choose us?
This is why great dog training isn’t about control, it’s about transferring value.
We take what the dog loves most and build that value into working with us.
Build First, Then Expect
When I start with a new dog, I don’t test them in high-distraction environments right away.
I build value for working with me and I build understanding in different environments.
Only then do I raise my expectations.
Because expectations without education? That’s where frustration lives.
But when expectations are earned, something incredible happens:
Your dog wants to make the right choice.
The Big Picture
Dog training is about clarity.
It’s about understanding what is reinforcing your dog.
It’s about the environments you choose.
When you see your dog make a choice you do not like, it’s information.
It tells you what needs to be trained and where.
When you look at it that way, the gap becomes something you can move through instead of something that stops you.
Gratitude
Today, I’m grateful for every moment in the gap, because that’s where learning happens. It’s where we grow, where we get clearer, and where we build a better relationship with our dogs. And I’m especially grateful for the dogs who remind us, every single day, that kindness and clarity will always take us further than blame ever could.
Thankyoufor this. It is what I am trying to do when my dog suddenly remembers how much fun it is to tear up and down the fence barkink at passing cars or the geese flying overhead. It has reasures me that I am doing the right thing when I take him out of that environment and play one of the great games I have from my Recallers course . Thank you for giving us confidence in ourselves and our dogs.
it is helpful to look at this issue with regularity and take the feedback our dog is giving us and plan our training differently.
I love your course Recallers and the tit your choice summit,
I work on these to improve refine and continue to build my mechanics and understanding of my dog. we have lots of fun work and play to do over our lifetime together.
thank you for your work, I am grateful that I found your program.