Maybe the owner is a first time owner and although didnt like what was happening allowed it to happen because they thought it was the right thing to do, I would be worried that the owner might copy this at home though.

Wow, that is a shocking thing to happen. Poor Thomas.
Dont think I would want to go back to that class let alone, let that barbaric monster anywhere near one of my dogs.
The pindown should never have happened, if trainer did that for Thomas having a drink, what the hell would he do for a more serious misdemeanor?
If this training club is registered can you not complain to the governing body ie PDTA?

In 30 years training dogs that are considered dangerous (bite training) i have never used an alpha roll. So there is no reason do do that with a puppy

Disgusting. What are these people doing? They are telling more and more people that this is the right way to train a dog. It is very worrying ;-(

I'd complain to whomever runs the training. That's tantamount to abuse.
Becky

That's awful....But as others have said maybe the owner is a first time dog owner and we do tend to bow to people in authority don't we. My trainer would never dream of doing anything like that. Last week we had a very boisterious dog that was upsetting the class he got away from his owner and proceeded to romp around playing. cyril just ignored him and the poor owner was chasing him round the field. In the in Cyril just walked over to the gate with the owner and of course the dog followed...job done, no shouting, and certainly none of that pinning down. I wouldn't have been able to keep my gob shut, but that's me...gobby mare.

I would report him if that was my dog.

elaine x

Hi Laura, I'm afraid I would have had to speak to the trainer at the end of his class, something on the lines of 'Do you mind of I ask if you belong to any recognised training organisation if so which one , what you did to that dog is the sort of thing good trainers just don't do' !

These are methods which must not be used by APDT trainers...
I would certainly report this trainer to any organisation to which he belongs and to the person in charge of organising the classes .

Yes, it's the well known Milgram Effect unfortunately...

Wys
x

I'd love to know the logic behind the trainer's beliefs - was it that the dog dared to pull on the lead? because the dog made it to the bowl and so was "dominant" over the owner?

Do they not even know the basics, ie that the dog will have NO IDEA what it was being punished for????

It makes me so mad.

Also, a trainer in the States did a similar thing to a GSD adolescent - ie kept it down - and it ended up dying. The trainer literally killed the dog by keeping it down.

It makes me furious and so, so angry.

I agree a complaint should be made for many reasons, one being that people will start to think that's what one does to train dogs, and so it will continue. That trainer needs to be stopped and preferably to lose his or her job.

As an aside, my own dog is very well trained but I do let her do things like pull me over for a drink or take a break for a drink (or I may just ask for a quick sit first, then release) - she is a living creature not an automaton.....



Wys
x

Too true.....I always give a little speech at the beginning of my courses telling them all if they are worried about ANY of the methods I use or the exercises we do to TELL me....so far no-one has...although they do question why we do the exercises which is nice.

Maybe have a word with Thomas' owner...