This whole "dominate your dog" movement

[Joe Anne]

G. Festerling.....Ditto and well said

[maggiesmommy]

Just wanted to mention that I got Control Unleashed in the mail yesterday and I bought her a front-clip harness last week. I think she is still capable of pulling me over even with the harness, but she's better-trained than she was a few months ago so it will probably suffice. I haven't had a chance to really crack into Control Unleashed yet, but I'm looking forward to the read. Thanks for the recommendation.

[mum24dog]

If you didn't know who Jack was it might be easy to misunderstand the correction.

 

Sometimes when a dog is just being a jerk just one strong correction will do the trick. But you have to know what you are doing.

 

Jack's dogs are always so well behaved. Mine, on the other hand, could probably use a few corrections when they are just being rude.

I don't care who Jack is. Whacking a dog you don't know is not on.

 

If you don't know the dog how do you know what you are doing?

 

And I don't disagree with the principle that some dogs are just being jerks because their owners are ineffectual and can be reminded that their behaviour is not acceptable.

 

What I particularly object to is someone who claims to be a Professional Trainer clearly considering that such treatment is acceptable on a public forum, regardless of the damage that can be done if that treatment is meted out by someone who doesn't really understand the possible consequences.

[juliepoudrier]

And so we come full circle.

 

Pam,

Are you objecting to the fact that someone reading this might consider whacking an acceptable alternative or are you objecting to the fact that a trainer with more years of dog and livestock experience than most of us saw a problem and chose to correct it in the way that would be most effective? If the former, then I can agree with you, because I have seen people with poor understanding and poor timing try to replicate those techniques without success (naturally). If your complaint is with the latter, then we will continue to disagree.

 

Do you absolutely not believe that it's possible for someone who has decades of experience working with this particular breed to understand the breed, dogs in general, and recognize particular behavior for what it is (and thus be able to correct bad behavior effectively without having some prior interaction with the dog)? If you don't believe that, then how do you explain all the successful stockdog clinicians, horse clinicians, etc., out there? Are they all making a BIG MISTAKE by reading animals on the spot and then correcting (and by correcting I don't necessarily mean whacking, but rather taking some approach to resolve a perceived problem) the issues?

 

If you go to a clinic with a top agility trainer, do you expect that trainer to spend a great deal of time getting to know your dog first, or do you expect that the trainer's knowledge and abilities (which is what, presumably, you're paying for) allow that trainer to assess your dog "on the go," as it were and offer suggestions and solutions in the framework of the amount of time you have with that trainer on that day?

 

J.

[Pam Wolf]

If I go to a trainer for help with my dog, I accept that he/she might discipline my dog. If I don't like what I see or feel it is abusive I can simply leave. And I have left a clinic because of an abusive instructor , but that was years ago. I'd still leave if I thought it abusive.