Our mission is quite simple – to get dog trainers either educated on true behavioral psychology – or to vacate the behavior arena. Dog trainers are not qualified to call themselves behaviorists. They can’t define the word “behavior” – but they claim to be experts in behavior – and there is no such thing. If you claim to be an expert in something – shouldn’t you be able to at least define the bloody word? They can’t – they won’t – that’s reality.
What you call “dog training” is IGP dog training – formerly known as Schutzhund. IGP is the dog training sport of obedience, tracking and protection. Most have never heard of IGP dog training – but you’re trying to apply it – and it’s not working very well is it? IGP dog trainers don’t belong in the behavior field, they don’t care about behaviors. When all you have is a hammer – everything has to be treated like a nail.
Don’t believe me? Go ask your dog trainer, your behaviorist or your vet behaviorist to define the word behavior. Especially if they are telling you to euthanize your dog for behaviors. What causes aggression and reactivity? When they can’t answer you? They won’t be able to give you a response – cause once you define the word behavior? Trainers are forced to admit to fraud and exploitation. There are many vet “behaviorists” that need to lose their medical licenses for blatantly lying to dog owners. And these vets know full well that they are lying to you. Oh, the rabbit hole goes deep.
What dog owners need is the science of B.F Skinner – the very man that dog trainers blame for all the garbage they spew. It’s called Behavioral Psychology and you only need the basics. Skinner is dead, but he would sue the lot of them for what they are blaming on him. I keep asking dog trainers… Skinner openly opposed the use of punishment – so how are you blaming him for the punishment quadrants. Skinner wasn’t a dog trainer – he was a human psychologist. He did experiments on dogs, pigeons, rats etc to understand the human animals’ behaviors – we were the target of his research, not the dog.
But go ask any dog trainer, any behaviorist or any vet behaviorist — especially any IGP trainer to tell you about Konrad Most… There is the Achilles heel. Konrad Most – the very name that they won’t dare talk about – the father of IGP/Schutzhund – which is dog training. The Sport of obedience, tracking and protection. Not behavior.
Would it surprise you to know that those treats, toys, prongs, ecollars, muzzles, crates etc are all tools of IGP dog training too? That they don’t belong in your hands – and nowhere near your dog? And no – your dog doesn’t need to locked in a box. See the scam? If dog owners would understand some basic behavioral psychology – then you realize dog trainers are not on your team, they are not on your side. You don’t need “dog trainer” to deal with behaviors – it is very simple, and you can do it on your own.
Aggression and reactivity are symptoms – the outcome of a problem. Cesar Millan has been saying that all of his career but people missed the message – and he is right. Something is causing your dog to show aggression – what is it? This is causality, cause and effect – the effect is the behavior. Why are trainers all focused on the behaviors – the symptoms? Shut it down – stop the behavior – use our treats and tools! I don’t care about behaviors – I can see those same behaviors from any emotional train wreck that is the dog. Or human – it’s called fight and flight. I need to understand why this dog is so angry, so scared, so anxious?
And more importantly I want to meet the dog when they are calm. How is your so-called “aggressive” or “reactive” dog when in a calm state. Bigger question, does your dog even know or have they experienced a truly calm state? Most never do, always on alert.
But if you don’t address the reason for the emotion that’s driving the behavior – and you keep trying to suppress those effects? The cause will start growing heads in trying to express itself. That’s why suppressing behaviors is the most dangerous thing you can do. It will eventually bite you in the ass – and when that happens – trainers will be telling you “don’t blame us” – you didn’t follow through. The trail of destruction left in ‘dog trainings’ wake is long, hundreds of billions of dollars. Millions of dead dogs killed by a group of people that can’t even define the word behavior. How many dog owners have had the lives destroyed, financially raped. And how many dog owners are living like hostages in their own homes – living in fear of their dog and for their dog?
If you think you’re alone in that destruction? Oh no, there is a large swath of the dog owning population in the same boat. Dog owners after spending $10k, $20k, $30k on dog training, behaviorists and vet behaviorists all chirping the same song to kill the dog. But I rarely ever read about the damage done by dog trainers to dog owners. When they try to speak in these different dog training venues, they are ridiculed, spat at – don’t blame dog trainers. And so far, i don’t see any remorse and I don’t see any accountability for the amount of destruction they caused.
And for any dog owner that is willing to go that distance? My hat is off to you – all that money pissed away and you’re further behind most times.
Anyone out there telling dog owners to suppress their dogs behaviors – are idiots. Do you understand why trainers say “aggression is for life”? Cause they never address the cause – what’s causing the behaviors?!?! Emotions – yes, your dog has a whole slew of them as well – and it’s emotions that drive your behaviors to fight and flight – and you do that through displays of aggression or being reactive – ready to run away. But we are killing the dog for it? Make it make sense.
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