How our plans are made

What a plan is built from

Every plan is assembled from our knowledge base (version 2.0, research dated 17 October 2026). It has two parts: 20 consensus training routines (ordered steps, when to move on, common mistakes, session guidance, age notes, troubleshooting) and a difficulty and suitability matrix covering 45 breeds, 5 mixed-breed size groups and 10 FCI breed groups, at 4 age stages (puppy, adolescent, adult, senior), for each of the 20 skills.

When you ask for a skill, we look up the row for your dog's breed or size and age stage. That row sets the difficulty, any cautions and how many weeks the email series lasts. If the skill is a poor fit, we explain why and propose a safer alternative.

Which sources we use and how they are weighted

Each source gets a weight from 1 to 5: the average of its renown in positive-reinforcement training and behaviour, and the evidence quality of that specific page or paper. Roughly: 5 for peer-reviewed papers and professional-body position statements (for example AVSAB); 4.5 for renowned positive-reinforcement trainers with explicit learning-theory methods (Karen Pryor Academy, Susan Garrett, Kikopup, Ian Dunbar, Fear Free); 4 for AKC articles, Dogs Trust, Victoria Stilwell, Zak George, PDSA; 3 to 3.5 for veterinary hospital and shelter handouts; 2 for retail or secondary pages. Sources that were not actually read get weight 0 and support no claim.

In total 94 web pages and papers were registered (70 read at key passages, 17 only machine-scanned, 7 not retrievable), plus 168 YouTube transcripts, of which 44 are cited. No books were read.

How the consensus is computed

• A step goes into a routine when at least two independent sources state it, or one source of weight 4.5 or more states it and none contradicts it.
• Where sources choose differently (for example luring versus capturing the first sit), each option's support is the weighted share of the sources that took a stance. The leader is used; if it has under 60% support or only one source, the disagreement is shown on the skill page and the plan offers both options or the safer one.
• Each skill gets a source-agreement score from 1 to 5, based on how many readable sources it cites and how many carry weight 4.5 or more, lowered by hand where agreement is only partial. It measures agreement between sources, not proven effectiveness.

How breed and age change the difficulty

• Breed adjustments are capped at one difficulty level either way, because breed explains only about 9% of behavioural variation. Your individual dog matters more than its breed.²
• Adolescent dogs get a small increase for sit, down and name response, because dogs were less responsive to their carer at about 8 months than at 5 months.³
• Seniors are not penalised for learning cues: found no age-related drop in trainability. Senior adjustments apply only to physical and sensory skills.⁴
• Every row carries an evidence tier: A, a sourced physical or welfare limit (for example no repetitive impact before growth plates close,; heat and exertion limits for flat-faced breeds); B, a sourced direction without an exact size; C, a generalisation. Most rows are C, and the skill pages say so.^5,6,7,8,9

What the evidence does not show

• We found no peer-reviewed trial comparing training protocols for any specific skill. The routines reflect expert-practice consensus among positive-reinforcement sources.
• Agreement partly reflects shared lineage, since many trainers follow the same traditions, so it overstates independent confirmation.
• Breed-specific difficulty numbers are generalisations; only group-level trends are sourced.
• Some channels are over-represented among the video sources, and the routines come from English-language sources.
• Decision stances were coded by one coder. A review by a certified positive-reinforcement trainer is pending.

Where AI is used

The research behind the knowledge base was gathered and coded with AI assistance; every step names the sources that state it, so you can check them. Your plan is then assembled automatically from the knowledge base, and your free-text request is matched to our 20 skills automatically. We show you how your request was understood before anything is sent.

The Spanish text of the routines is a machine translation that is still awaiting native review.

Safety rules that always apply

• Positive reinforcement only: no shock, prong or choke collars, leash jerks, 'alpha' or 'dominance' methods, or intimidation.¹
• No repetitive impact or jumping until skeletal maturity: about 7 months for small dogs, 10-14 months for large dogs and up to about 18-22 months for giant or early-neutered dogs.^5,6,7
• Flat-faced breeds: cool, short, low-arousal sessions; stop at noisy breathing.
• Long-backed breeds: no jumping, stairs or standing on hind legs (a generalisation from back-disease risk).
• Growling, snapping or biting, resource guarding, panic when alone, fear or phobias, compulsive behaviours, pain, sudden changes or a relapse in house training: see a vet first, then a certified behaviourist.