It's more than just "find better treats and train more". These are the biggest moments from the 40 minute masterclass on MK9Plus: why dogs lose motivation, and how to build the kind that lasts.
The complete 40 minute version lives on MK9Plus, along with the food motivation and toy motivation lessons that unlock absolutely everything.
Because when life improves, new questions arrive: off lead training, socialising, recall in the real world. MK9Plus has answers for all of it, plus 1-to-1 email support directly with me, weekly lives and Zoom calls.
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Everything you just watched is broken down visually belowโ
Because you have already tried that, haven't you? And you still have a dog that knows exactly what you are asking... and just won't do it.
Value matters, and there is a whole lesson on finding what your dog loves most. But if the treat were the whole answer, chicken would have fixed your dog months ago.
"They'll learn to love it." They won't. Repetition without the right ingredients just teaches the dog that this game is long, boring and worth ignoring.
If your dog isn't motivated to do something, one of these three is missing. Every time.
Is the reward genuinely valuable to your dog? Not to dogs in general. To yours. Value is discovered, not assumed.
Is your dog in a state to consume food, to give that thing up, to think? Too aroused, or not aroused enough, and motivation disappears no matter what you offer.
Does the dog truly understand what you are asking? And is there a reinforcement history behind it? Do they see the point of doing it at all?
That's a bribed dog. And it has a very simple fix: the words out of your mouth must become the only clue that good stuff is coming.
The treat pouch, that corner of the kitchen, that time of day. Training sessions tell your dog: "this place, this time, all the good stuff. Everywhere else? Question mark."
Walk past your dog, say the word, throw food, walk off. Two or three minutes tops, one or two reps, then everything's gone. Zero context. The word becomes the whole game.
Write a list of your dog's least to most distracting environments, then work up it with your random mini-sessions. Responds several times in a row? Move up a rung.
And don't test recall at the top of the ladder before your dog is ready. In the crazy environments, keep the long line on and keep building. Always start easy, then get harder.
Recall the dog, hand over a treat: fine. Recall the dog, scatter a handful across the grass: now they are being paid in food AND searching.
Layer one: the word predicts good stuff. Layer two: the food predicts an experience. Catch it, chase it, hunt it. This is exactly why toys build such fierce motivation, a toy IS an experience.
When teaching something brand new, keep rewards quick or the reps take forever. As the dog gets good and the reps get fewer, start throwing food behind, scattering, rolling. Ask "what can I get the dog DOING with this?"
You've seen it: the session starts brilliantly, then somewhere in the middle the dog just... fades. It is nearly always one of these four.
Working, warm, and eating dry treats. Keep water around, offer a break, and watch the dog switch back on like you flipped a switch.
Sometimes it looks like faffing around. It is processing. A short break, not even a drink, just a moment, and suddenly they come back and just get it.
Progress got messy and untidy? You stepped up too fast. Staying there and hoping they figure it out drains motivation. Step back down, then climb slower.
Some things just aren't thrilling to learn. So make the learning fun: how you deliver the treat, the praise, the affection, the breaks, the movement. Make it work for the dog.
Thirteen topics in the complete 40 minute masterclass. You've unlocked five today. Look at what's still sitting in this ONE lesson.
Five down, eight locked. And that is just this one lesson.
Your membership also unlocks all of this, from day one:
The two lessons that unlock everything: fussy eaters, toy-indifferent dogs, and finding what yours truly values.
The most valuable lesson on the platform. Find the behaviours that get YOUR dog going, and pay with those.
Off lead training, socialising, scent games, jobs. The problems you'll have when life gets better, already answered.
Stuck on a plateau? Message me directly and get a plan for your actual dog.
Rotating Q&A, topic deep dives and Zoom calls. Recordings and notes uploaded.
Themed rooms for questions, progress and weekly advice, plus the odd challenge.
Start with a 7 day free trial. Then, after a defined period on the platform, if you would not pick up poo with your bare hands to stay a member, you do not pay a penny. Money back. Plus you can cancel anytime and even pause your membership if life gets busy.
Training becomes the favourite part of both your days, and it never fades, because you built it on the right ingredients.
You tell me this sucks within your guarantee period, get your money back, and keep everything you learned. At no cost.
Either way, the only thing guaranteed not to help is walking away today and going back to what you were doing before.
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See how their lives have changed and what they really achieved. People here don't just get little wins. They're life changers. Because why would you want anything less?
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Join MK9Plus today. The full masterclass, food and toy motivation, the Predatory Motor Pattern lesson, and me alongside you. All free for 7 days.
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