Dog Trainer Mark

27/08/2025

A little wet out at the Kennels construction site. Hanoi is currently receiving a lot of rain due to the typhoon, with many locations around the city flooded. Where I live, not flooded thank God.

02/08/2025

Still looking good for September opening.

16/07/2025

For those that are interested in following the progress of our new dog boarding and training facility currently being constructed in Hanoi, and information on all our current and upcoming services, please follow Victoria Falls page. 🙏

https://facebook.com/VictoriaFallsHanoi

For those that followed the previous link... Go to this one.

Hanoi’s premier dog boarding & education centre.
Offering premium boarding, board & train programs, behavioural rehabilitation, private lessons, group classes, and specialised workshops in a calm and structured environment.

13/07/2025

ℍ𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕚'𝕤 𝕟𝕖𝕨 𝕓𝕠𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 & 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕔𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕖 - 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕟𝕚𝕔𝕖𝕝𝕪 - ℕ𝕠𝕥 𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕟𝕠𝕨!

27/06/2025

𝕌𝕡𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕂𝕖𝕟𝕟𝕖𝕝 & 𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℂ𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕖 𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝕚𝕟 ℍ𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕚

Things are coming along nicely! We’re looking at another 8 to 10 weeks before construction is finished. Cameron (the owner/manager) is still working on the logo and branding, which should be ready in the next couple of weeks. So we’re holding off on announcing the business name until that’s all locked in. Same with the exact location—we’ll share that as we get closer to opening.

You’ll see in the video we’ve added a Dog Education Centre. It’s not shown in the main kennel layout at the end of the video, but you can see where it will be at the start of the video. This is where I’ll be doing behavioural consultations and offering indoor/undercover training.

The swimming pool will be in-ground and built with different depths to suit all types of dogs.

As for the dog social/play area—this won’t be filled with agility equipment. We’re keeping it minimal and more natural, with some basic equipment. That said, we’re looking at adding a dedicated agility zone in Phase 2 for owners and dog clubs to come and train. More on that down the track.

Looking forward to seeing it all come together. I’ll post another video update in a couple of weeks!

24/06/2025

“𝘿𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙢𝙮𝙩𝙝.” 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮?

If you believe that, chances are you don’t truly understand what dominance is—and that’s largely due to the influence of the positive-only, force-free movement, which pulls on emotional heartstrings to sell a Disneyland-inspired version of reality.

In every social species—including humans—dominance is a natural and essential behaviour. When an individual controls space, access to resources, or influences or corrects behaviour within a group, that’s dominance in action. It can be expressed subtly or overtly, depending on the situation. Without it, there’s no structure—only chaos.

So why has dominance become such a taboo in dog training?

Because this emotionally driven ideology cherry-picks from learning theory—clinging only to the parts that support their emotionally driven subjective beliefs, while intentionally ignoring or denying anything that doesn’t fit their feel-good narrative. And if it doesn’t fit? They label it abusive, or as they will push, "dominance in dogs is a myth".

It’s not just misleading—it’s dishonest. And in my professional opinion, it’s one of the major reasons we’re now seeing such an epidemic of emotionally unstable dogs, and dysfunctional dog and owner relationships.

Understanding what true leadership is, and why its so important for your dog.

28/05/2025

🚨 𝕊𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔸𝕞𝕒𝕫𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕚𝕤 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 ℍ𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕚 — 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝔻𝕠𝕘𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝕆𝕨𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕤!🐾

We’re excited to announce that construction is about to begin on our brand-new ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 𝘿𝙤𝙜 𝘽𝙤𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 & 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙚 — the first of its kind in Hanoi!

💥 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗲’𝗹𝗹 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿:

🐶 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀

* Comfortable, secure boarding for all breeds
* Board & Train programs including:

* Obedience (4 progressive levels)
* Behaviour rehabilitation (aggression, reactivity)
* Poison bait & snake avoidance training
* Specialist training (scent detection, tracking & more)

🎯 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀

* Private obedience lessons
* Puppy & adult socialisation sessions
* Agility training
* Group obedience classes
* In-home & on-site behavioural consultations
* Seminars, workshops & training events
* Large training grounds available for hire

🏗️ 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱-𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀

* 24/7 on-site, professionally trained staff
* Individual indoor/outdoor kennels for medium & large dogs
* Separate small dog accommodation with private runs
* Spacious exercise yards for play & social time
* Swimming pool for fun, rehab, and enrichment
* Dedicated agility, training & socialisation zones
* Expansive training field for events & classes
* On-site café for dog owners to relax and connect
* Lots of dog community events are planned
* 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣: A secure dog swimming lake (shown in video) with shaded social area for owners and their dogs

📍𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 — 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘪.

👉 Follow us for progress updates, opening dates, and early booking offers!

"𝙒𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 — 𝙬𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙤𝙜𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚. 𝙒𝙚’𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩."

https://dogtrainermark.com

20/05/2025

Watch what happens when an insecure dog full of false bravado unsettles the group — only to be calmly and confidently put in its place by a dog with real authority. But sure… dominance in dogs is just a myth, as it has been debunked right?😂 Also watch the large black dog that instantly adjusts its body language as the white dog trots past it to restore order. Also notice how all the dogs instantly back off as he approaches.. They know, this dog means business.

That’s a clear consequence for unacceptable behaviour — something many positive-only and force-free proponents struggle to accept or come to terms with. It won’t take long for this dog to become more socially balanced within the group after an experience like this.

Not my video, downloaded from X.

20/05/2025

𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕚𝕔 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘?

"𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦."

Yes — that’s the kind of language often used by the more extreme voices in the “positive only” and “force free” training camps. They describe modern e-collars as “shock collars,” refer to them as “barbaric tools,” and claim they “burn,” “electrocute,” or “inflict pain to dominate and control.” These are emotionally charged descriptions designed to scare people — not educate them. The truth is far less dramatic. A modern, high-quality e-collar delivers a brief, adjustable 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, similar to the mild zap you might get from static electricity. When applied properly — with timing, clarity, and at the lowest effective level just above the dog’s threshold of discomfort — it becomes an incredibly effective and humane tool for interrupting dangerous behaviour and conditioning avoidance and saving lives.

This is the level of irrationality many diehard “positive only” and “force free” trainers have reached. In their eyes, even the most precise, humane, and life-saving use of a mild aversive is somehow more unethical than allowing a dog to die a slow, preventable death. Their ideology is so deeply rooted in emotional sentiment that any use of discomfort — even for the dog’s own safety — is automatically condemned.

If you live in a snake-prone region, or in areas where poison baits are commonly left out for rodents — or worse, deliberately placed to intentionally harm dogs — these ideologues would still rather see your dog suffer the consequences than acknowledge that a well-timed, low-level aversive could condition the dog to avoid the danger altogether. Their ideology places emotional comfort for the human above practical safety for the dog.

I openly challenge 𝙖𝙣𝙮 “positive only” or “force free” advocate to demonstrate, with clear, verifiable, and repeatable results, how their methods alone can condition a dog to reliably avoid snakes or poison baits — particularly when the dog is off-lead and outside direct supervision. Not in theory. Not in carefully controlled setups. But in the real world, where these threats are unpredictable, unforgiving, and often fatal.

Until that challenge is met, their position remains a feel-good belief system that collapses when confronted by real-life dangers. And in clinging to it, they fail the very animals they claim to protect.

17/05/2025

𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙪𝙥—𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙤𝙜𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢.

As professionals, we have a duty to be honest and transparent—not only with our clients, but with the wider dog-owning community. That means calling out unethical practices, challenging misinformation, and speaking up when ideology overrides reason and evidence. If you've witnessed emotionally driven narratives that are doing more harm than good—whether in person, online, or through clients or acquaintances—say something. Share your experience, your professional knowledge, and the facts.

This industry is flooded with judgement and division, often fuelled by ideologues who believe there’s only one way to train a dog. If you've worked with clients who have been harshly judged, criticised, or publicly ridiculed for their use of certain training tools or methods—even when those tools were helping their dogs—you have a responsibility to stand by them. These owners need our public support. Remaining silent allows false narratives and emotional rhetoric to take deeper root, leaving good people feeling isolated or ashamed for making informed, responsible decisions in the best interest of their dogs.

Too many dogs—and their owners—are being forsaken due to the rigid limitations and ideology of the positive-only and force-free movement. These approaches are often marketed as the only ethical way to train a dog, while all other methods and tools are labelled abusive, harmful, or outdated. Owners who are struggling are told firmly not to explore alternatives, even when their dogs are suffering. Tragically, these same owners are then left with dogs who remain behaviourally unstable, anxious, or aggressive—often psychologically distressed. And when the training fails, they are frequently steered towards psychotropic medications as a last resort, numbing the dog’s mind and masking the symptoms without ever addressing the root cause. This is not welfare. It’s avoidance dressed up as compassion.

Balanced trainers, in particular, are relentlessly targeted on social media by these same communities. Sweeping generalisations are made, branding all balanced trainers as cruel or abusive, regardless of their skill, ethics, or results. These attacks rarely come from a place of understanding—they are rooted in emotion, ideology, and a refusal to acknowledge nuance.

One of the most vocal influencers pushing this narrative is "social media influencer" Zak George. He publicly accuses balanced trainers of abuse on a daily basis in his social meda posts, often using inflammatory, emotive language with no evidence to support his claims. When challenged by experienced professionals who point out the inconsistencies and propaganda in his messaging, he refuses to engage in any open or respectful dialogue. In fact, numerous trainers have invited him to public discussions—on podcasts, live forums, or in-person sessions—even after being offered significant financial compensation for his time. He has declined every one.

He has also rejected offers to observe real-life training sessions involving severe behavioural cases, or to allow other professionals to observe his own training. And to date, he has not demonstrated any credible work with truly difficult dogs—those with complex behavioural problems requiring more than food, praise, and redirection. Instead, he continues to push an emotionally driven narrative that any method or tool outside his belief system is inherently cruel—despite having no experience with those tools himself.

This is why it is so important that we, as professionals, speak out. Not to argue emotionally, but to present facts, evidence, and professional insight. Dog owners deserve better than viral slogans and emotionally manipulative posts. They deserve truth, options, and real help. They deserve to know that there 𝙖𝙧𝙚 other methods—humane, balanced, thoughtful methods—that can help both them and their dogs when everything else has failed.

So to every trainer who has remained quiet while misinformation spreads: your silence helps no one. Speak up—for your clients, for your colleagues, and most importantly, for the dogs who can’t speak for themselves. The integrity of our profession, and the welfare of the dogs entrusted to us, depends on it.