NOBS - Motivational Handler and Dog Training

07/03/2025

27/02/2025

Dogs generally pull about 60 per cent harder on a leash when wearing a padded harness compared with a collar, even when the equipment is marketed as “anti pull” – putting the people walking them at risk of injury.

Some dogs – especially smaller breeds – pull with a force more than twice their body weight on the collar, potentially damaging their throats, says Erin Perry at Southern Illinois University.

“It’s really very shocking,” she says. “The dogs are almost choking themselves on that collar repeatedly. But the harnesses in our study just didn’t inhibit pulling in any way, and that’s definitely a wake-up call – especially because of the risk to owners.”

Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2459747-dogs-pull-harder-on-the-leash-when-they-wear-a-harness-than-a-collar/

Image: CBCK-Christine/Alamy

27/02/2025

Welcome to the latest TWC podcast, where we challenge one of the most controversial and misleading documents in the dog training industry: the AVSAB position statement on training methods. Force-free trainers often uphold this statement as the ultimate authority, claiming it represents a scientific consensus that should dictate the industry’s practices. But we believe this statement is not only flawed but also dangerous and unethical. Today, we got together to examine its weaknesses and set the record straight!

Joining me are three exceptional experts with unparalleled experience in dog training, breeding, and behavioral science:

First, Stephanie Cottee, an animal behavior and welfare scientist, researcher, and co-owner of Black Kraken K9. Stephanie combines her scientific expertise with practical experience as a working German Shepherd trainer and breeder, bringing a unique perspective to the conversation.

Next, Dr. Stewart Hilliard, a behavioral neuroscientist with a PhD and 45 years of experience in training and breeding working dogs. Much of his career has been devoted to military dog training, establishing him as one of the foremost authorities in the field.

Finally, Michael Ellis, a legendary trainer with 45 years of experience. In the past Michael has spent over a decade giving seminars for police, sport, and search-and-rescue dog handlers. He’s the founder of the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers, which he has run for 15 years, and a breeder of exceptional Belgian Malinois.

Together, we dissect the AVSAB position statement, reveal its contradictions, and discuss the true science and ethics behind effective dog training.

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27/02/2025

Michael Ellis - Brilliant trainer too.

27/02/2025

27/02/2025

ABSOLUTE TRUTH!!

For years, fluoxetine (Prozac) has been pushed as the answer to behavioral problems in dogs. Veterinary behaviorists and force-free advocates love to cite “science-backed” studies to justify long-term medication use. But here’s a big problem, most of these studies are flawed, biased, and rely almost entirely on owner-reported data.
Take, for example, the 2009 study on fluoxetine for compulsive disorders in dogs (Irimajiri et al., J Am Vet Med Assoc). It claimed fluoxetine helped, yet the only improvement came from owners’ OPINIONS, not actual behavioral measurements. When researchers looked at objective data the dogs’ actual behavior logs they found NO SIGNIFICANT difference between the medicated and placebo groups. But guess which result gets cited?🤫
How about the 2007 study on fluoxetine for separation anxiety (Simpson et al., Veterinary Therapeutics). The conclusion? Fluoxetine was effective … but only when paired with a structured behavior modification plan. And yet, thousands of dogs are medicated without any meaningful training, as if a pill can replace actual learning.
Sad reality is that Dogs are being drugged, not rehabilitated.
Ask any serious trainer what happens when they get a dog that’s been on fluoxetine for years. They take the dog off the meds, implement a sound training plan, and SHOCKINGLY the dog improves.
Not because fluoxetine “worked,” but because the dog finally got what it needed: clarity and proper training.
Yet, the AVSAB keeps pushing these medications while dismissing legitimate training as “aversive” or “outdated.” They’d rather chemically suppress behavior than actually address it.
The real question isn’t whether fluoxetine has some effect but why so many dogs improve when you REMOVE the drug and train them properly?!!!
Behavioral change comes from learning, not sedation. It’s time to stop pretending otherwise.
I know I am not the only one noticing that dogs on fluoxetine don’t get better - they just get dull.
The dog isn’t learning or adapting, just becoming more passive.
This can actuallY DELAY proper rehabilitation, because the dog’s emotions and responses are chemically suppressed rather than modified through learning.
Thinking about making a solo podcast to talk about the dog I have in training right now, one of the many that end up euthanized after YEARS of being on SSRI’s and the pandemic of prescribing psychotropics like flea medication

27/02/2025

The Real Facts About Science Based Dog Training: A Training Without Conflict® Podcast

27/02/2025

27/02/2025

11/01/2025

11/01/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GsqmR6emD/

11/10/2024

Who would change the meaning of the word "ALPHA" to imply - force, fear or pain - and WHY would they do it?
Could there be a hidden agenda?

Lets start by finding out where the word "alpha" comes from and what it ACTUALLY means.

ALPHA is the name given to the first letter in the Greek alphabet. The Greek alpha comes from the Hebrew and Phoenician ALEPH, a form (pictograph) of the word for "ox," aleph, possibly because the character resembled an ox's head. (Head of the family)

“the alpha star in a constellation is the brightest or main star”

Synonyms:
important, of import, of great significance or value

The alpha male usually wins his position not because he is physically stronger, but because he leads a large and stable coalition.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

(In the animal kingdom, the ALPHA position is EARNED by building TRUST and RESPECT - Rules, Boundaries, Structure)

11/10/2024

SPOONFEEDING TIME AGAIN.
From Dr David Mech's own mouth...
To the entire "force free/fear free/pain free" cult.
Listen with particular attention from 9:05 onward.
The original study was done on an "un-natural" pack, not a "family pack". Those wolves were unrelated. You do the same thing (throw unrelated animals together in an artificial "pack" you will get the same thing. (Alpha positions and dominance hierarchies).

Your ideology is an absolute lie.
Your BUSINESS is MISREPRESENTATION.
Many are only "behaviourists" to make money - not to solve "problems" quickly and effectively.

These people cause unnecessary suffering and unbelievable harm to innocent animals and human families.
SHAME ON YOU.

Get ready to have your mind blown as Dr. David Mech joins me on Episode #43 of the "Ask the Pack Leader Show" with Steve Del Savio to debunk some of the most...