01/05/2025
What bothers me about dog training is that ANYONE can call themselves a trainer and take people's money in the name of training. What bother me MOST is that there are "trainers" out there quite literally abusing these rescue (or worse - owned!) dogs...in the name of training. I do not speak up much, but the more I see of the two particular Milwaukee "trainers", the more disheartened I am. One of them especially posts all sorts of videos shocking fearful, shut down dogs and one of his latest videos is when he "teaches" people how to do a nail trim - the dog is muzzled, hung up on tight leash, has an electric shock collar on and he admits he will shock the dog if the dog tries to bite. The dog is shut dog, scared, and I cannot believe any owner or rescue (because there is one affiliated with him) would EVER allow this. These "rescued" dogs are put through more torture...why? The other "trainer" has 20in choke chains on tiny yorkies, "correcting" them for barking and bragging about his "training" skills while bullying and resorting to prepubescent name calling to anyone who tells him there are other ways of achieving better results.
So...here's my response: If your "trainer" needs a remote control or aversive training collar they are NOT actually teaching your dog. No learning of the desired behavior is actually occurring - only suppression. The vast majority of these "trainers" cannot even deliver a reward on time and so should NEVER be correcting a dog. It's like someone putting a gun to your head - you hope that they won't pull the trigger if you do what they say, right? If they keep holding the gun, you keep doing as they say...but what happens when the gun is removed and they go away? Did your long term habits change for the better?
I CHOOSE not to hurt dogs for a living. I wish people would stop paying others to hurt their dog.
Oh, and for the naysayers of "it cannot be done"...just because YOU cannot do it, doesn't mean others cannot. I can't fly a plane, but I trust that others can when I get on one. Education matters. Skill set matters. Dog Training is not a career for everyone.
Here's a proper nail trim on a truly modified dog, who now lets several people touch his feet and trim his nails when he used to require a muzzle, several people restraining, then tried to bite, lunge, and alligator roll. Then, they asked for help and after a few sessions...look at him now - NO equipment required and true behavioral modification. See the difference?
Choice matters. You should be asking: would YOU choose to learn using the methods that are being done to your dog?
We started out with a thrashing, mouthing, very anxious dog who needed people to try and "hold him down" for nail trims, while he lunged, snapped, and feared...
