09/08/2025
Yesterday I met with a very nice young lady and worked with her and her twelve pound Shih Tzu, the training went very well and after this one time meeting, nothing else is needed....
Some background, this lady adopted this young adult Shih Tzu from a local rescue, she was told that the dog was adopted twice before and returned because of behavioral issues, the dog barked excessively and acted out on other dogs while out walking on a leash, sure enough the little dog did exactly those things with the new owner...
Now it was planted in her mind by the rescue [people that this dog had some sort of mental problem and would need a behaviorist, so this lady finds a "Dog Whisperer" in the Saratoga area...
The dog whisperer charges this well meaning lady $4000.00 for a two week board and train, money paid up-front......
Two weeks later the dog is returned, acting scared and terrified, and with the original issues unresolved, turns out that this idiot dog whisperer muzzled this little Shih Tzu and repeatedly zaps him with an electric shock collar, and of course the $4000.00 isn't returned..
So to her credit the lady doesn't want to give up on the little guy and calls me, I meet with her at the Crossings in Colonie, I find a typical little Shih Tzu, I didn't find any behavioral issues at all with this little dog, I explained that this particular breed of dog barks a lot, it's written right in to the AKC breed standard when describing the dog, I often advise people to research the breed you're interested in, if you don't want to deal with a yappy little dog, you don't want a Shih Tzu....
So I demonstrated proper leash control, showed the lady how to distract her little dog away from on-coming dogs and within a short time we were walking through the park as natural as can be, the lady actually cried being so relieved to know that her little dog wasn't at all deranged or dangerous.......
I will never, ever, stop speaking out and warning people about these e-collar board and train scams..
Thank you......Ronald McLaughlin