@deelo00 Just to add a different perspective on issues people have with Zak George: he's more of an influencer than a dog trainer.
That means he's recommended to all kinds of people who would be better off following more advanced training when it comes to high drive breeds, sports training, or behaviour modification.
And to be clear, that's not a reference to the R+/balanced argument, because there are plenty of positive (or shaping)-focused trainers who do advanced training, like Denise Fenzi or Susan Garrett.
@christian_violet Susan Garrett is the bomb!!! World title holder, trained multiple "problem" shelter dogs, behavior genius, etc... Her programs and podcasts are amazing for all dog breeds. I've even used her techniques on my grandkids lol
I was really lucky with my covid boy as far as just training obedience and stopping herding. Once the vet told me to approach it like he is a full ACD because he has every trait, I made progress fast. He is very well behaved. I am actually glad I didn't try to follow any online trainers
The real issues came in first when I had a major seizure with him with me, and he had to go with strangers while I was taken in an ambulance, and then he was attacked by a loose dog in our yard. ACDs are prone to reactivity anyway, and things have been really rough with fear reactivity since. Especially with dogs. Even after private training, though that did help me a lot.
@mykell All I think when I watch these videos from dog daddy is how much the owners are damaging their relationship with their own dogs. Saw so many times the dogs looked up to the owner for help/guidance and they just let this clown guy in a tracksuit choke them out with a slip lead til they gave up. Thank you for going to protest, I stopped commenting and watching his videos cause I swear some of those people are brainwashed and stuck thinking hes a great “trainer”. I think something terrible is going to happen one day with a client and thats the only thing that will get this guy off his high horse unfortunately.
@spacedog I don’t get that when I watch Dog Daddy. I’m not a dog so I don’t know how they think however packs submit to a leader who shows dominance and that is what I see. I don’t see abuse, abuse is allowing your pet to be out of control aggressive. I would say watch before you judge. People that have gone to him claim to have tried other options. From what I can see the directions with the leash to get them under control are not for long. How does it work in the animal kingdom. Or are you all proposing you have a good talk with the aggressive barking dog. I’d like to see some of his naysayers address a reactive aggressive dog along side him.
I don’t get abuse vibes I get pack leader vibes. Just what I observed. And I like animals better than humans for the record.
@mykell Thank you for showing up. My excellent dog trainer organized a protest when he came to our city to hold one of his sessions. I don’t think people really how abusive and scammy this ah is until people call it out. He is preying on the desperate.
@mykell Thanks for sharing! I’ve been following this for a while and hope people are seeing how terrible Dog Daddy is.
It’s been fascinating to see people’s responses to this and what they are saying. (And no, Zak George is not the same thing on the other side at all. He may not be what I would consider to be a very good or effective dog trainer but he is not remotely on the same abusive and damaging level as Dog Daddy whatsoever.)
Unfortunately punishment is extremely reinforcing to the punisher - it feels good to many people do deliver a punishment and see “immediate results,” that’s why places like bark busters or even cypress arrow k9 who faced charges for abuse and who we have videos of whipping dogs with riding crops have 5 star reviews from customers. So it’s not surprising that many people who take their dogs to Dog Daddy are happy with it. It’s why it’s important to take reviews with a grain of salt in these situations.
I try to take heart in fact that both good R+ and balanced trainers alike generally say that Dog Daddy is The Worst sort of trainer.
@joshuawithmartin This! I remember Cypress Arrow and watching the video of that poor dog being whipped by the riding crop. And the trainer saying it was necessary or something Do you know what came of that?
@mykell I've followed him for along time. This is like his 4th or 5th name. He's moved all over the place, trashed all types of places, houses, and has even moved out of the country amd trashed places there, etc. Run breeding and his animals mysteriously disappear and people get super sick puppies. The list goes on. I think there's an fb group about him that has been running for years.
@dkteel Yeah I didn’t mention any of that for sake of brevity. It highlights how terrible he is.
The FB group has some videos of the class from the protesters and spectators. It’s not as gruesome as other classes and he did bring out treats, so that’s something. Can’t overlook the high pitched yelps after corrections and the fact that dogs are trying to escape him though.
@mykell Just reading the description of this person’s methods made me sick. This is beyond anything I’ve heard or seen other “balanced” or aversive method trainers do. Thank you for going to the protest. I totally agree there needs to be better regulation in the dog training space as well.
@mykell It's always horribly sad to witness the dog parents who see their dogs shut down in response to aversive techniques and think that it is a triumph.
On the flip side, it's uplifting when you see all the people who just want to help educate others and get dogs into a safer place overall. I'm really relieved that in coming to Reddit for information about reactive dogs, I've seen an abundant community that believes in treating animals with compassion and respect.
Thank you for your hard work. It sounds like a very draining day, and it might not seem like you are making a difference, but what you are doing matters.
@mykell If he's operating within the law, then would it not be more effective to try and get the government to change the law? Otherwise you're just harassing a guy doing his job and thousands more like him can continue doing the same thing?.
Do you know what came of that?
bummer you missed it