halti and gentle leader dog harnesses

[Brindlebtch]

Quote:
It was a couple of guys in a class I took with my very first dog. I don't think re-evaluate ever entered in to the picture.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Quote:
It was a couple of guys in a class I took with my very first dog. I don't think re-evaluate ever entered in to the picture.

I have also seen lots of poor handling in classes...a lot of it, unfortunately, by the instructors. I guess we all have to see bad things when we deal with animals as a passion in our lives. I have seen my fair share of horrors. I also can't say I have always been fair to a dog, however I have never injured one. I have some stories I could tell about when I was in my schooling, the head trainer at this school was a holy terror to both other trainers and clients. I watched her "fixing" a dog I was having issues with one time, during the training session I looked at the owner of the facility (who watched the whole thing) and said loudly "don't ever expect me to do that to a dog, its not worth it". And I absolutely meant it.

 

[Brindlebtch]

Quote:
It was a couple of guys in a class I took with my very first dog. I don't think re-evaluate ever entered in to the picture.

I have also seen lots of poor handling in classes...a lot of it, unfortunately, by the instructors. I guess we all have to see bad things when we deal with animals as a passion in our lives. I have seen my fair share of horrors. I also can't say I have always been fair to a dog, however I have never injured one. I have some stories I could tell about when I was in my schooling, the head trainer at this school was a holy terror to both other trainers and clients. I watched her "fixing" a dog I was having issues with one time, during the training session I looked at the owner of the facility (who watched the whole thing) and said loudly "don't ever expect me to do that to a dog, its not worth it". And I absolutely meant it.

I had recall problems in the ring that were caused by my first instructor. I knew what was happening, but she was supposed to be a big AmStaff poobah, so I figured she knew what she was doing. Turns out she didn't.

At a fun match she came up behind my dog on the other side of the baby gate right after I had set up for a novice recall. I turned around after I had gotten to the other side of the ring and was horrified she was there and getting ready to terrorize my dog. My poor dog was all hunched up and terrified. I finally had had enough and bellowed "Don't do it don't you dare do it!" while thrusting my finger at her in the middle of this large, 4 ring fun match. It was in a building that had great acoustic qualities so EVERYBODY heard.

I would like to say that I didn't know what was happening with this trainer, but in my heart I did. I was just intimidated by authority because I was young and didn't have the guts to assert myself until then. I was very fortunate that my first dog was very very stable and practically bomb-proof. Which I didn't appreciate until later.

I don't think anybody can be 100% fair all the time. People get tired, put out, frustrated, etc - and so do dogs.
I have seen trainers who are totally harsh and made dogs totally useless and trainers that go all the way to the other end of the spectrum so as to be totally ineffectual. I always figured there was a happy middle ground somewhere.

 

[mekasmom]

Quote:
I think the problem is that from childhood we are always taught to obey whoever seems to be an authority when in truth, not all that many people really are authority figures. We let too many people speak into our lives about things they really have no authority over.