Start bridging!
Practice applying the concept of the Intermediate Bridge, until you are proficient and comfortable so that you can use this powerful tool to turbocharge your training.
Rules, Tools, Fools, Drools
Rules:
When teaching:
Cue…Immediately start IB, leading to TB (Terminal Bridge)
You can drop it at any time, as the animal gains proficiency and confidence
When you see hesitation:
Immediately reinstate the IB to bolster the animal through distraction, challenge, confusion, uncertainty.
It costs nothing. It requires nothing except your proficient readiness.
In emergencies:
Use the IB to anchor the animal to calm, quiet behavior, to help them through dangerous situations. I will even demonstrate a nuance here: The Doppler Modulation.
Anchor without modulation: guguguguguGood
Anchor with modulation: guguguguguGUGUGUGUGUguguguguGood
The IB can be a lifeline. Use it.
Tools:
Directions:
First IB: Choose a sound: a sharp, crisp consonant sound, like x, gu, d, k, or tck
Practice reciting this in a string (see cadence tool, below)
Second IB: Choose a second sound, with same features as the first. Your tongue will fatigue sometimes, so be ready to seamlessly switch to the second sound. Develop your own proficiency.
Teach your animal the first and second IB. Animals seem to understand and respond appropriately to the IB without even being taught about it, but teach it anyway.
Video showing how to teach the IB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKQlC3F7hT0
Now use your IBs to support your animal’s success.
To hone your IB skills, use this tool made for us by Jamie Dolan:
Cadence tool: http://synalia.com/cadence-tool
If you like, you can record your results and send on to me for review and feedback. Directions to do this are on site on the Cadence Tool.
Fools:
You don’t want to look the fool by making this ridiculous sound in public, right?
Wrong! This is such a powerful tool that once you understand and master its use, you would be a fool NOT to use it.
The story: “Kayce, we hate the IB”
A group of certified trainers were together, and a lady spoke up “Kayce, we hate the IB.”
“Why”
She told this story:
They had gone to a horse training seminar and the trainer did not give the horse any information - he just stood in judgement, waiting for the horse to ‘offer’ something. The horse was getting frustrated. The SATS trainers saw the frustration. They were not used to seeing such frustration. They were used to seeing animals flow into successful, almost errorless, learning. They realized something was missing here. There was no information, and there was no encouraging feedback or guidance.
They sidled closer to the horse. They knew what the teaching trainer wanted. They started the IB to guide the horse to success. Amazingly, the horse picked up on it. He calmed down. He started moving to success.
These trainers were convinced, and amazed. It worked even though the horse had not been trained to understand the IB.
This is a feature of the IB: it is intrinsically reinforcing. It still amazes me. This will be the subject of a future podcast.
Drools:
Your tongue can fatigue. Be ready to change sounds, as described previously. Here is a video that lets you hear how I bridge, and what the bridges sound like.
Various bridges: https://youtu.be/AYvTxlLbkYU
Sounds like mmmmm, lllll, and some others can make your lips buzz, or worse, and they don’t make the best bridges. Use a different sound.
The pay-off
Surisia recall, Sylwia Matulewska
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1220174373474209
Leads to other training advances:
https://synalia.com/2026/08/18/13-uses-of-the-intermediate-bridge/
