Proofing Recall Around Distractions: The Kit
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The squirrel is paying better than you are. That is the whole problem with a dog that sits perfectly in the kitchen and goes deaf at the park, and it is not a memory failure. This kit gives you a harness that will not turn a session into a wrestling match and two tiers of reward, so the easy cues still get cheddar and the hard ones get something that can compete with what the dog is staring at.
What proofing actually asks of you
Short sessions, close to a distraction, paid well, ended early. The method is in our guides to proofing recall around distractions and working with a second handler, and neither of them needs repeating here. What they assume is that you have a reward the dog wants more than the distraction, and most people do not.
A harness, a pouch and a treat for each half of the session
The EcoBark teal harness goes over the head and secures around the chest with adjustable straps and a non breakaway buckle, built from double padded soft mesh with plush piping. Sizes run from 4 to 5 pounds at X Small up to 48 to 65 pounds at XX Large, so it covers most dogs that are not giant breeds. EcoBark describes it as an eco friendly, no choke harness that stays breathable during long walks. In a proofing session the reason it is here is simple: a dog that lunges at a passing dog should meet even pressure across the chest rather than a jolt at the neck, because you want to be able to keep working afterwards. EcoBark Pet Supplies items are sold and shipped by EcoBark Pet Supplies through Shopify Collective and arrive separately.
Our freeze dried cheddar cheese bites handle volume. One ingredient, 8 ounce bag, crude protein listed at a minimum of 34 percent and about 153.7 kcal per ounce. These are the treats for the first half of any session, the part where the distraction is a hundred feet away and the dog is finding it easy. Small pieces, quick delivery, no stopping to break anything in half.
Scallops are the tier that competes. One ingredient, one 2 ounce bag, crude protein listed at a minimum of 68 percent and about 76.2 kcal an ounce, and soft enough that an older dog chews them without trouble. A scallop comes out when the other dog is close, or the squirrel moved, or the cue was hard and the dog chose you anyway. Paying that repetition in cheddar is how proofing stalls, because the dog is doing more work for the same wage.
The Colie pouch from Pink Papyrus Co. holds both tiers plus keys and cards, in one compact hands free piece with a waste bag holder built in. One size. It is small, which is the point for neighborhood proofing where you are out for fifteen minutes rather than a morning, and it keeps the scallops from sitting in the same pocket as your phone. Skip it if you already wear a pouch you trust, because this one wins on size rather than on capacity. Pink Papyrus Co. items are sold and shipped by Pink Papyrus Co. through Shopify Collective and arrive separately.
What we left out
No head halter. A halter gives you physical control of where the dog's nose points, and there are dogs that need one, but it does nothing to change how the dog feels about the distraction. This kit is built to change that feeling by paying for the choice, and a tool that overrides the choice would work against it. We also left out a clicker, since one hand is holding a leash and the other is delivering food.
A fifteen minute session
Pick your distance, then halve your ambition. Stand where the dog can see the distraction and still eat, which is further away than you think, and pay cheddar for every check in. Move five steps closer only when the dog is eating easily and looking back at you without being asked. Scallops come out at the new distance for the first three repetitions, then you drop back to cheddar. Finish before the dog fails, walk away while it is still winning, and do it again tomorrow rather than for another ten minutes today.
What this replaces
A pocket of biscuits and a louder voice. The two tier approach is the real change here, because one treat for everything gives you no way to mark that a repetition was hard. The harness replaces a flat collar as the attachment point during sessions, which matters when the dog does get it wrong and hits the end of the leash.
Questions
People working on this usually ask about distance and about the second treat.
How close should I start?
Close enough that the dog notices the distraction, far enough that it will still take food. If your dog spits out a scallop, you are too close, and the session has already told you what to do.
Why two different treats instead of one good one?
Because the good one stops being good if it turns up for everything. Keeping scallops for the hardest repetitions is what gives the dog information about which choices mattered.
Do I need a water bowl for this?
For a short neighborhood session, you will not need one. On a warm afternoon or at a training field, the Onyx Heart collapsible bowl from Pink Papyrus Co. holds up to 1.5 cups and clips to the leash. Pink Papyrus Co. says to run it on the top rack of the dishwasher and dry it fully before storing.
Related guides
Proofing sits beside the rest of the training kits, all indexed on the bundle guides hub. When scallops stop being the strongest thing in the pouch, Explore filters our freeze dried dog treats by protein and format.
