#172 The Trainer Who Helped Rebuild My Protocols | Drive, Genetics & Off-Leash Obedience Breakdown

He looked at my training program and told me I wasn't rewarding my dogs enough, and that my training programs were too short — and that one conversation reshaped how I train every dog I work with today. In this episode of Pack Talk Podcast, I sit down with John Smithhart of K9 Good Manners in Greenville, SC — a USAF K9 handler veteran and the trainer who helped fine-tune my protocols early in my career.We get into what's actually genetic versus trainable when it comes to drive, what real-world off-leash reliability actually requires, and John shares a story from handling a military detection dog that puts the word "obedience" in a completely different light.Recommend Training Equipment: 📖THE ULTIMATE LEASH TRAINING MANUAL : https://amzn.to/4papdHo 🐕Check out our Amazon Store : https://www.amazon.com/shop/caninerevolut🔥 What You'll Learn:✅ Why genetics decide part of a dog's trainability✅ How to build real off-leash reliability✅ The reward mistake many balanced trainers make✅ What a military detection dog teaches about obedience✅ How drive and genetics shape training outcomes✅ Why longer training programs build more reliable dogs✅ How working dog standards translate to pet dogsOff-leash reliability isn't something you get from a single session or a single command — it's built the same way any working dog's obedience is built: through structure, real distraction-proofing, and consistency that doesn't stop just because the leash comes off.❓Questions answered in this video:- What is the difference between genetics and training in dogs?- Can a dog with low drive still be a good working dog?- How long does off-leash training take?- Why does my dog ignore me around distractions?- What is threshold training in dog training?- How are military and police dogs trained differently from pets?- What does a K9 handler do in the military?- Is balanced dog training compatible with reward-based training?👀WATCH NEXT:▶️ Understand Dog Body Language: https://youtu.be/GeFzkht6mzw▶️ Get Your Dog To Listen To You: https://youtu.be/AOi4jVC446w▶️ Stop Leash Pulling: https://youtu.be/raqpQq1x9FA▶️E Collar Beginner's Guide: https://youtu.be/BJYHZEkNTnQ#DogTraining #OffLeashTraining #WorkingDogs #BalancedDogTraining #K9Handler #PackTalkPodcastTRAIN YOUR DOG WITH OUR TEAM! 👇https://www.caninerevolutiondogtraining.com/📖THE ULTIMATE LEASH TRAINING MANUAL: https://amzn.to/4papdHoBoard & Train ProgramsPrivate LessonsVirtual Training🐕Check out our Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caninerevolutEverything Canine Revolutionhttps://linktr.ee/CanineRevolution