Pattern Games (McDevitt) for Reactive Dogs — Control Unleashed Protocols

Last updated: May 23, 2026

What Pattern Games Are

Pattern Games are short, predictable behavior loops designed by Leslie McDevitt as part of her Control Unleashed curriculum, first published in 2007 and revised significantly in the years since. The animating insight is that reactive arousal is largely driven by unpredictability. A reactive dog who cannot predict what will happen next must stay vigilant; a dog who can predict what comes next can let some of the alert energy go. Pattern Games install that predictability through small, repetitive loops the dog learns to run on cue, even in arousing environments.

The most widely taught Pattern Games are Up-Down, Whiplash Turn, Look at That (LAT), Re-orient, and 1-2-3 Pattern. Each is a small game in isolation, and each is also a building block that snaps together with the others to form a working reactive-dog field kit. McDevitt’s framing is that pattern games give the dog “rituals” they can fall back on when an environment becomes overwhelming — a kind of behavioral first aid kit the dog can self-administer with the handler’s support.

Positive reinforcement is the default recommended approach. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) Position Statement on Humane Dog Training and AVSAB’s Position Statement on the Use of Punishment for Behavior Modification in Animals both state that reward-based methods produce fewer fallout effects than aversive methods. The Control Unleashed curriculum is taught by CCPDT, IAABC, KPA, and APDT-credentialed trainers globally, and the protocols sit comfortably inside the LIMA hierarchy as the consensus ethical framework.

Up-Down — The Foundation Pattern

Up-Down is usually the first Pattern Game taught and the one most owners use most often. The mechanic is simple: the dog looks up at the handler (eye contact), the handler marks and drops a treat down to the ground; the dog eats the treat, looks back up at the handler, and the loop repeats. Up. Down. Up. Down. The pattern is rhythmic, predictable, and easy for the dog to run even at moderate arousal.

What Up-Down does behaviorally is keep the dog’s head moving in a small, contained pattern that includes regular handler check-ins. The handler check-in is the work; the treat-on-the-ground reset gives the dog a momentary head-down that breaks visual fixation on triggers in the environment. In a moderately busy environment, an owner can run Up-Down continuously for thirty seconds to a minute and pass through a small cluster of triggers (joggers, scooters, a dog on the other side of the street) without the dog crossing threshold.

Whiplash Turn — Emergency Orientation

The Whiplash Turn is the “sharp orient to handler on cue” pattern. The cue (often the dog’s name or a chosen verbal like “with me”) triggers a fast, clean head turn from whatever the dog is looking at, back to the handler, on which the dog earns immediate reinforcement. The behavior is shaped from soft, low-stakes practice in a clean environment first, then gradually proofed against increasingly distracting triggers.

Whiplash Turn is the pattern you reach for when something unexpected appears at close range and you need the dog to orient back to you faster than reactive arousal can build. It is not a substitute for threshold management — you should never be regularly relying on a Whiplash Turn to bail out of over-threshold situations — but it is an honest insurance behavior worth building.

Look at That — McDevitt’s Formalized LAT

Look at That, often shortened to LAT, is the pattern most owners have heard of even outside Control Unleashed circles. The structure: cue the dog to look at the trigger (“look at that!”), mark when the dog orients to the trigger, deliver a treat. Repeat. Over enough repetitions, the trigger becomes a cue for “look-and-get-paid” rather than a cue for arousal escalation.

LAT works because it gives the dog explicit permission to engage with the trigger visually. Reactive dogs often experience the world as full of forbidden objects they must somehow not look at, which is impossible. Giving the dog explicit permission to look — and reinforcement for doing so calmly — converts the trigger from a tension point into a reinforcement opportunity. Our existing Look at That guide covers the protocol in more detail.

1-2-3 Pattern — The Walking Game

The 1-2-3 Pattern Game is the workhorse Pattern Game for moving forward through environments. The handler counts out loud as they walk — “one, two, three” — and on “three” the dog receives a treat (delivered to the dog’s level, so the dog does not have to jump). The count restarts. Walking continues at whatever pace works for the dog.

What 1-2-3 does is install a regular reinforcement rhythm into the walk. The dog knows that every few seconds, a known good thing happens at handler level. The dog’s attention naturally drifts back toward the handler periodically, and the counted rhythm itself is reassuring. In moderate-trigger environments, many handlers walk past joggers, other leashed dogs, and street noise with the dog calmly tracking the 1-2-3 cadence instead of fixating on triggers.

Re-orient — The Default Pattern

Re-orient is the “default check-in” Pattern Game. The dog learns that orienting back to the handler — without any cue from the handler — earns a low-key marker and small treat. Over enough repetitions, re-orientation becomes a habit the dog defaults to when something interesting or potentially worrying appears in the environment.

Re-orient is the pattern that fills the gaps between the more structured games. Where Up-Down and 1-2-3 are explicit, handler-driven patterns, Re-orient is a dog-driven default behavior: the dog notices something, the dog checks with the handler, the handler reinforces. Over time, the dog builds an automatic “noticing-without-fixating” pattern that is the behavioral signature of a well-rehabilitated reactive dog.

Threshold Rules for All Pattern Games

Every Pattern Game is a sub-threshold game. The dog needs to be able to run the loop without crossing into fight-or-flight escalation. If your dog cannot run Up-Down at a given working distance from a trigger, you are too close, and the game won’t work no matter how good your timing is. The right move is always to add distance, regroup, and start the game again from further out. See our threshold training guide for how to read the early warning signs.

The other binding rule is to practice each pattern in clean, no-trigger environments first until it is automatic before deploying it in real-world reactivity contexts. A pattern that hasn’t been built to fluency in calm settings will collapse the first time you really need it. Most owners underestimate how much foundational practice each game needs — usually two to four weeks of daily clean-environment practice per game before adding triggers.

The Control Unleashed Curriculum

McDevitt’s full Control Unleashed curriculum extends well beyond Pattern Games. It includes confidence-building exercises (Give Me a Break, Off-Switch, Mat work), arousal-regulation tools (LAT, deeper Pattern work), and structural advice on session design and handler mindset. The curriculum was originally developed for “Control Unleashed Sport Dogs” — dogs with talent but reactivity issues that kept them out of agility — and has since been generalized to pet-dog reactivity, fearful dogs, and rescue/shelter populations.

For most pet owners, the path to a working Pattern Games practice goes through a credentialed instructor who has done the Control Unleashed teacher’s training. CCPDT, IAABC, and KPA instructors who list “Control Unleashed instructor” in their credentials have done the formal teacher track and are well-positioned to coach the games in person.

Where Pattern Games Sit in the LIMA Hierarchy

LIMA hierarchy orders behavior interventions from least to most intrusive: medical workup first, then antecedent arrangement (management), then positive reinforcement of differential alternatives, then extinction and negative punishment, then negative reinforcement, then positive punishment as a documented last resort. Pattern Games sit firmly at LIMA Tier 3 (positive reinforcement of differential alternatives). The games reinforce specific alternative behaviors — handler check-in, look-and-pay, walking rhythm — with primary reinforcers.

There are no leash pops, no e-collar stimulation, no “no” used as feedback in any McDevitt-original Pattern Game. Trainers who add corrections to Pattern Games are not running McDevitt protocols, regardless of what they call the resulting hybrid. The original protocol is fully force-free and is endorsed by every major force-free credential body.

Pre-Workup and Referral Routing

Before starting any structured reactivity protocol, your dog needs a thorough medical workup. Pain, thyroid dysfunction, neurologic disease, and sensory loss can all present as “behavior problems.” Your primary vet is the first stop. A DACVB-credentialed veterinary behaviorist is the appropriate referral for cases that combine reactivity with anxiety or fear-aggression and might benefit from a medication overlay (fluoxetine, clomipramine, or situational-use trazodone or gabapentin, prescribed and dose-calculated by the behaviorist or your vet).

For Pattern Games specifically, look for a CCPDT, IAABC, or KPA-credentialed trainer who has completed Control Unleashed instructor training. These instructors will know how to set up clean introductions of each game and how to sequence them into a working program for your dog. See our group class vs private trainer guide for help deciding which delivery format fits your dog and budget.

Stacking Pattern Games With Other Protocols

Pattern Games stack cleanly with almost every other credentialed force-free reactivity protocol. With Suzanne Clothier’s Engage-Disengage Game, Pattern Games often serve as the warm-up structure and the emergency-fallback structure surrounding Engage-Disengage loops. With BAT and CAT, Pattern Games fill the spaces between structured functional-reinforcement repetitions.

The balanced training community uses corrections; it is legal in most jurisdictions but is not endorsed by mainstream credentialing organizations. AVSAB’s position is explicit, and owners should evaluate the credential pledge of any trainer they hire. Owners ultimately choose; we recommend the credentialed-positive-first path while honoring reader autonomy and respecting balanced trainers who operate in good faith.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Pattern Game should I start with?

Most credentialed Control Unleashed instructors start owners with Up-Down because the mechanics are simple and the game is highly portable. Build Up-Down to fluency in clean environments first, then add 1-2-3 for walks, then add LAT and Whiplash Turn as you need them. Re-orient develops naturally alongside the explicit games.

How long does it take to build a Pattern Games practice?

Plan two to four weeks of daily five-to-ten-minute clean-environment practice per game before deploying it in real-world reactivity contexts. Most owners need three to four months to feel confident running a full Pattern Games toolkit in moderately busy environments. Severe reactivity cases often need a longer runway plus a DACVB-supervised medication overlay.

Do Pattern Games work for puppies?

Yes, in fact Pattern Games are excellent puppy foundations. Up-Down, 1-2-3, and Re-orient all install handler-focus habits before reactivity has a chance to develop. The Control Unleashed Puppy Program (McDevitt) is a formal curriculum specifically for young dogs.

Can Pattern Games help with separation anxiety or noise phobia?

Pattern Games are not a primary tool for separation anxiety or noise phobia; those conditions need their own protocols (and frequently medication overlay). However, the handler-focus habits that Pattern Games install can be supportive — a dog who reliably checks in with the handler tends to recover faster from noise events and from arousal generally.

What if my dog stops engaging with the Pattern Game in a triggered environment?

That is your dog telling you the trigger is over threshold. Add distance, regroup, and start the game again from further out. If the game still doesn’t work at any distance you can practically achieve, the dog probably needs a structured counter-conditioning protocol first, possibly under DACVB supervision with a medication overlay.