Stage Two: Second Alert Training

Training Plan

For Second Alert training, set your collar’s Feedback Mode to Alert 2 in the app. Make sure Training Mode is on, and activate your boundary. Put SkyShepherd on your dog.

With your dog on its leash, walk your dog around the perimeter of Safe Zone in one 15-to 20-minute session. Allow your dog to enter Second Alert Zone between 3 to 5 times in that session.

Each time your dog experiences Second Alert Zone feedback, immediately guide it back to Safe Zone until Safe Tone sounds.

Dogs’ reactions to Second Alert vary, from showing very little perceptible response to jumping up and yelping. All these reactions are normal but try to keep your own reaction calm; your dog will feed off your response. Act normal and give immediate guidance back to Safe Zone when Second Alert feedback happens. Praise your dog when Safe Tone sounds and continue on as usual.

You want to continue to reinforce Safe Zone as a comfortable, relaxing, Safe place for your dog to be. Spend 5 to 7 minutes with your dog in Safe Zone before allowing it to experience Second Alert Zone again.

Once your dog experiences Second Alert feedback, it may be hesitant to go that far again for a while. That just means your dog is learning. Still, your dog needs further experiences with Second Alert to solidify learning. You shouldn’t drag your dog back into Second Alert, so you have to gently coax it on-leash to walk along with you into Second Alert. Once your dog eventually does venture into Second Alert feedback again, immediately guide them back to Safe Zone until you hear Safe Tone.

Troubleshooting

If, after six sessions, your dog is still unwilling to move into Second Alert Zone again, then you can move on to long-leash testing.