Dog Train-O-Matic

Dog Train-O-Matic

Most dog behavior problems are under-exercised instinct in the wrong outlet — a Border Collie herding children, a Beagle digging up the garden, a Husky demolishing the couch. This skill generates a personalized training program that pairs obedience work with breed-appropriate instinct outlets, sized to the dog's age and the owner's available minutes per day, then tracks progress and adjusts the plan weekly.

Overview

scripts/dog_trainer.py combines three knowledge bases:

1. Breed drive profiles — what each breed group was bred to do (herding, hunting/scent, retrieving, guarding, sledding, companionship), what "enough exercise" means for that group, and which games satisfy the instinct (a Flirt Pole for sight-hound chase, nose-work puzzles for hounds, treibball-style pushing for herders)
2. Behavior problem protocols — evidence-based, positive-reinforcement progressions for the 12 most common problems: leash pulling, jumping on guests, recall failure, barking, digging, chewing, counter-surfing, nipping/mouthing, separation anxiety, crate training, pulling toward dogs (leash reactivity), and house soiling
3. Age-aware structure — puppy socialization windows (<14 weeks), adolescent regression (6-18 months — the age most dogs are surrendered), adult consistency, senior adjustments

It outputs a week-by-week plan with specific 5-minute exercises, success criteria for advancing, and a progress tracker that regenerates the plan when exercises plateau.

Methods: positive reinforcement / force-free only. No shock, prong, or alpha-roll — the modern veterinary-behavior consensus (AVSAB position) is that aversive methods increase fear and aggression long-term.

When to Use

• "My dog pulls on the leash / barks at everything / jumps on guests / won't come when called"
• "Help me train my puppy" — especially the socialization-window scheduling
• "How much exercise does my breed need?" and "why does my dog DO that?"
• Building a multi-week plan with tracking, not one-off tips
• Rescue dog first-30-days structure (decompression period)

Don't use for: human-directed aggression with a bite history, severe separation anxiety (self-injury, escape injuries), or any fear presentation beyond mild — those need a certified behaviorist (CAAB/ACVB/CSAT) or vet behaviorist, possibly with medication. The tool flags these red flags explicitly and refers out.

How It Works

1. Profile the dog: breed or mix, age, sex, problem list (pick from the 12 protocols), owner minutes/day, kids/other pets in home.
2. Map breed → drive profile → daily exercise needs (minutes × intensity), instinct outlets, and expected problem predispositions (a Jack Russell will dig; that's a feature).
3. Select protocols for each reported problem; each protocol is a 3-6 step progression with success criteria and per-session script cues.
4. Compose the week: the plan alternates protocol steps with instinct-outlet games and rest, sized to available minutes. Puppies get socialization checklist items; adolescents get "regression is normal" guardrails.
5. Track: log sessions (log command); when a step fails 3+ sessions or plateaus 5+ sessions, plan --adjust regenerates with remediation (easier criterion, more reps, added management).
6. Red-flag screen: every plan generation screens the problem list for professional-referral triggers.

Quick Start

# A plan for an adolescent husky mix that pulls and howls
python3 scripts/dog_trainer.py plan --breed "siberian husky" --age-months 10 \
  --problems leash-pulling,barking --minutes 30

# Puppy socialization schedule (the 8-14 week window)
python3 scripts/dog_trainer.py plan --breed "golden retriever" --age-months 3 \
  --problems puppy --minutes 20

# Breed insight: what is this dog, really?
python3 scripts/dog_trainer.py breed "border collie"

# Log today's session and get tomorrow's
python3 scripts/dog_trainer.py log --step 2 --result success --note "loose leash 80% of block"
python3 scripts/dog_trainer.py today

# End-to-end sample
python3 scripts/dog_trainer.py demo

Steps (Agent Workflow)

1. Collect the profile: breed/mix, age, problems, minutes/day available, household (kids? cats? second dog?).
2. Run breed first for the drive profile — it frames everything (a barking husky needs exercise, not a bark collar).
3. Run plan; read the red-flag screen with the user — refer out if triggered.
4. Walk the user through week 1 sessions explicitly: exact cue words, treat timing (mark within 0.5s), and the management changes (non-training environment edits).
5. On follow-ups, run log + today; use plan --adjust on plateaus.
6. Reinforce: 5 minutes daily beats an hour on Saturday. Consistency of cues across household members is the #1 variable owners control.

Output Shape

TRAINING PLAN — Luna (siberian husky, 10 months, problems: leash-pulling, barking)
Red-flag screen: CLEAR (no aggression/fear triggers)

BREED PROFILE: SLED/WORKING
  Exercise floor: 90+ min/day mixed cardio; under-exercised huskies howl & destroy
  Instinct outlets: flirt pole, bikejoring, snuffle mats, structured fetch with cues

WEEK 1 (sessions are 5 min; do 2/day; total daily load ≈ 30 min incl. outlets)
  Mon  Protocol leash-pulling step 1 — 'Silence check' before door opens...
        Success: 4/5 door approaches with all-four-paws calm
  Mon  Outlet: 10 min flirt pole with obedience breaks (drop, wait)
  Tue  Protocol barking step 1 — identify triggers, log 3 barking episodes...
  ...
  Management (today, not training): front-clip harness; window film for
  passers-by; frozen KONG during work calls

ADJUST RULES: advance after 2 consecutive green sessions; if a step fails 3
sessions, drop back one criterion and double reps.

Common Pitfalls

1. Training instinct out of a dog. You don't train a Beagle to stop sniffing; you give sniffing a job. Plans that only suppress behavior (bark collars, yelling) fail and worsen welfare. Always pair protocols with outlets.
2. Missing the socialization window. Puppies older than ~14 weeks have closed the easiest socialization period. For young puppies, socialization exposures outrank obedience drills in priority.
3. Treating adolescent regression as failure. The 6-18 month regression (previously solid recall evaporates) is developmental and temporary; plans mark it and hold criteria instead of punishing.
4. Inconsistent cues across humans. "Off", "down", "no jump" from different family members for the same behavior = dog learns none. Plans assign ONE cue per behavior; the whole household must use it.
5. Sessions too long. 5 minutes of focused reps beats 30 minutes of diminishing returns, especially for puppies. If the dog disengages, end on an easy win.
6. Poisoning cues with frustration. If "come!" predictably ends the fun (leash goes on, party's over), recall degrades. Protocols enforce: 8 of 10 recalls end with release-back-to-play.

Verification Checklist

• Red-flag screen run and shown (aggression/fear/severe anxiety → refer out)
• Breed profile consulted before protocol selection
• Plan sized to actual available minutes (not aspirational ones)
• One cue word per behavior, agreed household-wide
• Management changes listed separately from training steps
• Progress logged; adjust rules explained to the owner

One-Shot Recipes

"My 8-month corgi nips my kids' heels when they run"

python3 scripts/dog_trainer.py plan --breed corgi --age-months 8 --problems nipping --minutes 25
# → herding-drive outlet + kids-as-feeding-robots protocol + manage: no
#   unsupervised chase games for 3 weeks

"Golden puppy arriving next week — what do I do first?"

python3 scripts/dog_trainer.py plan --breed "golden retriever" --age-months 2.5 --problems puppy --minutes 20
# → socialization checklist scheduling (window closes ~14 wks), crate
#   foundations, name game, potty log structure

References

• references/breed-drives.md — breed group profiles, exercise floors, instinct outlets
• references/protocols.md — the 12 behavior protocols with step criteria