How to Teach Your Dog an Emergency Stop (First Session), by Tarik (Taz) Jayousi on YouTube. 1 min 3 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 3 s
- Time to do it
- 5 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Choose one short cue word, such as stop or brake, and one marker word like yes. Say the cue once only, never in a stream.
Start indoors with no distractions. Cut treats into pea sized pieces so your dog swallows them fast and keeps working.
Stand a step or two from your dog and let it walk toward you. Say your cue once as it moves.
The instant your dog pauses, mark with yes or a click, then give a treat right where the dog stopped.
Repeat five or six times, then toss a treat away so your dog resets and walks back to you for another go.
Build speed only when the stop is reliable at a walk. Move to a jog, then a slow run, one level at a time.
Add distance a single step at a time. If your dog misses twice, go back a step and make it easier.
End the session after one or two minutes while your dog is still succeeding. Short and often beats long and tiring.
Tips and common mistakes
Never say the cue twice in a row, or your dog learns that the first word is just noise.
Practise on a long line in open spaces so a missed stop never puts your dog near a road.
Pay every stop generously in the first weeks, even the slow ones, so the cue stays strong.
Do not use the stop cue to end play or call your dog away from fun, or it will start to predict bad news.
Questions
How long does it take before the stop works around distractions?
Most dogs need several weeks of short daily sessions before the stop holds outdoors. Build distance, speed and distractions one at a time rather than all at once.
What if my dog ignores the cue?
It usually means the step was too hard. Go back to a slower pace, less distance or a quieter place, and reward the smallest pause.
Is this the same as recall?
No. Recall brings your dog all the way to you, while the emergency stop asks for an instant halt wherever the dog is. Teach recall first, then add the stop.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
