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@glorygirl16 Yeah anecdotally, I work with ex-racing greyhounds, so a large percent are males that are neutered around 4 or 5 years old. The only outward behavioural changes I’ve ever observed is far less conflict in multi-dog dynamics, and the ability to be placed into same sex resident dog...

@monk58 We have the same here, aesthetic alteration is illegal, which I am so glad about :) but Dobes in general are fairly rare, so most people's perceptions of them are from media/American shows where you see them with the cropped ears. Honestly anyone who mistakes a greyhound for a doberman...

@sunnyd228 T H I S. Also, one thing people seem not to take into account is how high drive dogs are genetically predisposed to overstimulation, purposefully. Working breeds like collies/shepherds generally express hyper arousal through vocalisation and chase behaviours (along with nipping and...

@inneed1012 Never once did my comment note dogs should be allowed to engage in behaviours which are anti-social or unsafe. I'd much rather a dog who is curious and confident, an engaged and motivated learner because they are allowed to offer a variety of behaviours and working with me as a...

@christiantonyb My most favourite type of morons are the ones who mistake my greyhound for a doberman (happens when he has his very good hunting ears on) and will literally follow me trying to give me unsolicited advice. I’ve been berated for the high crimes of, “having a dangerous dog on a...

@nadinepeony None of those articles contain sources to any studies or scientific data, they appear to be opinion pieces written by trainers whose qualifications I wasn’t really inclined to research. I do really appreciate you taking the time to share, but I will certainly take those links with a...

@sheamusofcountycork Firstly, am I correct in seeing that you’ve only had him a few days? It’s super early days! This sounds like a bit of anxiety around the routine and environment. I work in rescue/rehab for ex-racing dogs, and freezing is a really common behaviour for when they are feeling...

@inneed1012 The great thing is, "boundaries" are a completely made up concept in dog training to denote desirable behaviours for humans, and that looks so different in every single home I have ever worked with. I prefer to use terms like good guidance, clear communication, reliable handler, as...

@nadinepeony Treat luring is a behaviour, not a training method :) positive reinforcement is a collection of behaviours like luring, shaping, and capturing using rewards such as food, toys, space, play, and anything else the dog finds super motivating. There is no "pleading" or "coaxing", simply...

@nadinepeony As someone in rescue and rehab, no dog "requires correction" to learn, however inexperienced trainers do often require it to teach because they lack the necessary skills to properly perform positive reinforcement - those people should definitely not be working with animals though...

@godspurpose07 I am honestly so heartened reading your responses in this thread. I just wanted to say your dog is really lucky to have you - thank you for being a handler who is not only measured and ethical in their approach, but also respectful and kind to other humans!

@cathya I wouldn’t necessarily call it a great design, 2 hounds are blacklisted gear by most of the rescues in my local area, and my rescue’s physio considers them one of the most poorly designed items on the market in terms of freedom of movement. Great marketing, but definitely not the best...

@imagebeastmarkbeast I'm responding to a whole train of conversation about content in general, but I don't really know how else to explain "presentation of training one dog" (content warning, this link contains highly aversive techniques via Upstate Canine Academy) vs. "technical presentation of...

@pastorjustin So the singular case "before and after" works really well as a marketing tool for aversive trainers (hello TikTok Tom). The formula usually goes: goad the dog into a series of super flashy reactions (bonus points for doing some real dramatic slow mo content), choke them into...

@onefootinheavenoneinhell I understand your frustration, but here’s the rub: not every environment is actually conducive to the individual needs of each dog, and ethical handling is also about assessing if you are able to meet those needs within your current circumstances. It’s really important...

@mellowesile How do you know when/if it is time for BE? I personally think this is a question to chat through with a qualified professional and determine what long term management looks like for you, the risk of management failure, and what management means for quality of life (both for the dog...

@ruzou Omg let me retrieve my eyeballs from the back of my skull they've rolled so hard, haha. There are so many dudes who get dogs that are extensions of their fragile egos and every time they take those poor dogs out it's like they need to prove something to everyone around them, exhausting...

@chiere And thank you for the polite discourse, it’s always nice to talk from either side of the fence without things getting heated or argumentative :) I do think that leaving personal experiences aside, science says aversive training causes a dog stress. A recent study found that with dogs...

@chiere If you’re curious, there’s lots of great resources online. You’re mixing two different concepts together, I’d recommend doing some reading on classical conditioning vs operant conditioning :) also if you’re on Insta; dogminded, thelivesofwilddogs, and bravodogtraining are great accounts...

@jaxosk26 At first it was just a lot of desensitising, opening it while he wasn't around and then leaving it in a corner of the room for him to explore at his own pace, once he was pretty comfy with it as an object we worked on popping it up and making it rain treats at home in spaces he...