Ep285 - The $10,000 bet with Brent Dry

Panos is joined by Brent Dry from The K9 Company for a conversation about skill acquisition, generalisation and reliability in dog training.

What does it actually mean for a dog to know something?

Teaching a behaviour is only the beginning. In this episode, Panos and Brent unpack the process of taking a newly learned skill and developing it into something the dog can perform across different environments, distractions and situations — and ultimately, something the owner can rely on when it matters.

They discuss the difference between acquisition, generalisation and reliability, why a dog performing perfectly at home doesn't necessarily mean the behaviour has been fully learned, and how repetition, experience, feedback and appropriate levels of difficulty shape dependable behaviour.

The conversation also goes beyond the dog. Panos and Brent explore skill acquisition from the trainer and owner's perspective — how timing, handling, observation and decision-making develop through experience, and why knowing the theory of dog training isn't the same as possessing the practical skill to execute it.

A conversation about learning, practice, experience and the process of turning knowledge into genuine capability — for both ends of the leash.

Brent Dry — The K9 Company

Website: https://www.thek9company.com.au

Panos' book - The Nooch's Pooches Method: A Comprehensive Guide to Training and Living with Your Dog https://amzn.asia/d/f1wzLQK