Visit us at shapedbydog.com

This or That games create a decision-making blueprint that helps your dog learn to make brilliant choices. In this episode, I share the five stages that grow simple choices into confident everyday decision-making. You'll also discover the common mistakes that can take choice away from your dog and how to know when they're ready to progress, so you can grow a confident decision-maker who knows how to choose well, even when life gets exciting.

🎉Join the free ItsYerChoice Summit and be added to the waitlist for the Recallers Archetype Series event coming in late August: https://dogsthat.com/y/332/iycsummit

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why there can be a big gap between teaching behaviors and expecting good decisions around distractions.
• How your dog's behavior gives you feedback about what they actually learned.
• Why This or That games pair one well-understood response with another.
• The five stages of This or That games: Spotlight Choices, Choice Pairs, Choice Challenges, Choice Chains, and Choice Living.
• How Spotlights are used to create clarity, with examples of the ones I use ("cook," "search," "chow," "strike," and "bring").
• Why I make failure inexpensive for dogs.
• How Buzz's love of swimming became a game of waiting for permission to enter the pond.
• How to know when a dog is ready to progress in the 5 Stages.
• The common mistakes that can remove clarity or sacrifice joy as the games progress.
• How to join the free ItsYerChoice Summit and the waitlist for my Recallers Archetype Series event.

Get Crate Games Online:
https://get.crategames.com/ - https://get.crategames.com/

Learn ItsYerChoice & Join The Recallers Archetype Waitlist:
Join The ItsYerChoice Summit & Recallers Archetype Waitlist - https://dogsthat.com/iycsummit-join/

Resources:

1. DogsThat YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/dogsthat
2. Podcast Episode 331: This Or That's: Why Most Dogs Never Become Decision-Makers - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/331/
3. Podcast Episode 327: Beyond "Yes" And "Good": Why Your Dog Needs "Spotlights" - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/327/
4. Podcast Episode 245: Make Dog Training Easy! Quick Guide To Antecedent Arrangements - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/245/
5. Podcast Episode 174: Dopamine In Dog Training: Anticipation, Rewards, And The Transfer Of Value - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/174/
6. Podcast Episode 89: Why Dogs Should Not Tug: The Truth Revealed - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/89/
7. Podcast Episode 224: Unleashing Fluency In Dog Training: Cracking The Canine Communication Code - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/224/
8. Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube - https://youtu.be/NTldhunMtrA

Visit us at shapedbydog.com

What if most dogs never become great decision-makers because decision-making is one of the most overlooked skills in dog training? In this episode, I introduce the philosophy behind my This Or That games and share why the choices dogs rehearse every day become the ones they rely on when it matters most. You'll discover what creates a "decision deficit" and how giving dogs opportunities to make choices builds the confidence, understanding, and reliability we all want in real life.

🎉 If you've been thinking about training with us, now's a wonderful time to get started. Save 35% to 85% on many of our online programs through midnight PT on July 16. Explore the Joy of Training Celebration here.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why teaching decision-making may be one of the biggest missing pieces in modern dog training.
• What a "decision deficit" is and how it develops.
• Why the choices dogs rehearse become the ones they rely on when it matters most.
• The difference between controlling choices and teaching dogs how to choose.
• Why inexpensive mistakes are essential for building confidence and better decision-making.
• Two real-life stories that reveal what great decision-making looks like.
• The philosophy behind This or That games and how they prepare dogs for real-life success.
• Why everyday opportunities to choose can lead to more confidence, freedom, and reliability.

Resources:

1. Podcast Episode 155: 10 Ways To Teach A Sit WITHOUT A Food Lure! Unreal Results For Puppies And Dogs Of All Ages - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/155/
2. Podcast Episode 145: 10 Ways To Teach A Dog To Lay Down And How To Shape It Without Luring - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/145/
3. Podcast Episode 302: The Recall Myth: Why Your Off Leash Dog Isn't Coming When Called And How To Fix It - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/302/
4. Podcast Episode 6: The Art of Manipulation - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/6/
5. YouTube Playlist: Puppy Training with Susan Garrett - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy2SggplHx3uEWAjXOL9hI21&si=RAxbn9IDYUBjfZpG
6. Podcast Episode 78: How to Train a Rescue Dog with Behavior Problems - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/78/
7. Podcast Episode 175: Food Luring VS Shaping In Dog Training: How Science Changed How I Teach Dogs - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/175/
8. Podcast Episode 198: What Does "Positive Is Not Permissive" Really Mean In Dog Training? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/198/
9. Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube - https://youtu.be/-u4ToWBhfNI

Visit us at shapedbydog.com

Is dog training about to change? In this episode, I'm sharing why a recent conversation about reinforcement-based dog training gave me something I haven't felt in a long time: hope. Looking back at an agility discussion from the mid-1990s, I reflect on how dog training shifts happen, why curiosity creates more clarity than blame or punishment, and why great results are not reserved for "special" trainers. We're talking about reinforcement, intrinsic motivation, meaningful change, and why dogs are always doing the best they can with the information we've given them in the environment we're asking them to work in

In this episode, you'll hear:

• About a conversation that gave me a glimmer of hope for dog training.
• Why I've been feeling discouraged about the direction of dog training.
• A mid-1990s agility story about weave poles, punishment, and clarity.
• My thoughts on hearing "That might work for Susan Garrett, but not for the rest of us."
• What I noticed listening to a balanced dog training podcast where my training was discussed.
• The subtle shift happening in reinforcement-based dog training conversations.
• Why ideas no longer being dismissed is a meaningful sign of change.
• Karen Pryor's stages of change and how progress begins.
• Why amazing results are possible for everyday dog owners.
• Why great dog training is built through clear systems, not "special" trainers.
• My reflections on asking myself: "Is it possible that I'm wrong?" as a dog trainer.
• Why love in dog training means clarity, fairness, and understanding.
• The difference between building understanding and building pressure.
• Why clarity creates confidence while pressure creates compliance.
• Why dogs are doing the best they can with what they understand.
• How to replace blame with curiosity and better questions for our dogs.

Resources:

1. Podcast Episode 313: Are You Learning Or Looping: What To Do When Training Your Dog Stops Being Fun - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/313/
2. Podcast Episode 146: Balanced Dog Training: Does It Really Exist? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/146/
3. Podcast Episode 114: Dog Agility Training: 3 Big Mistakes All Dog Owners Should Avoid - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/114/
4. Podcast Episode 78: How to Train a Rescue Dog with Behavior Problems - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/78/
5. Podcast Episode 94: How the Best Professional Dog Trainers Use Reinforcement - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/94/
6. Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube - https://youtu.be/-YyJwfvyyhM