i am going tru this as well, thankfully with a smaller dog

you have lots of great advice here espech wys and c and d

a couple of things i have noticed

i find it much better not to put them in a situation where they will react, i stop when i see dogs in the distance and reward her for being calm, then walk away before she is too pressured

if i get in a situation that she cannot cope with and she reacts then it is my fault, i dont tell her off, she is having the equivalent of a panic attack and cannot learn anything then so i just get her out of the situation amd then reward her when she can calm down then i reward her for being calm

i know she is getting stressed when she cannot break eye contact or snatches treats so i move her away before she gets too stressed

and it does work, sometimes now if she is given the time to be calm and see the other dog comming then it can pass her by without a reaction.

dont stress yourself worrying about dominanceor whatever, get a health check and then train the behaviours you do want

and dont blaime yourself, with a good behaviourist who understands what is going on things will improve

Hi

Could you possibly PM me too as im in Northumberland.

Ali

Dear Wy,
Thank you VERY much for your reply and for the information: The member that I talk about advertises herself as a "(BA Hons) Cert Applied Animal Behaviour, APDT 728 Experienced Clinical Animal Behaviourist and Trainer." her BA is from her college days and it was in People Sociology yet she leads absoultely everyone it is in dogs!!! Yes, she has suggested prozac on sooooo many dogs, I know because I've had to help these owners after her visit. She has on at least two occassion that I am aware off, brought (different vets) dogs and got them PTS because of what she claims as aggressive behaviour. Beleive it or not, some of these owners have been reduced to tears because of her methods. I looked at the code of practice and she uses water pistols and cans filled with stones and uses these until the dog cowers in fear. When she leaves, the dog doesn't do the behaviour hence, she has accomplished the rehabilation.

One of the problems I am finding these clients do not know how and where to complain or how to even how to get their money back. (She wont tell them) She charges £75.00-110 per dog! A few years back I wrote a letter to the APDT to make them aware of what was happening and was told by mail and phone because I wasn't her client they wouldn't look into it. Some of these clients had taken up to another year to get some help as they were not impressed by dog trainers/behaviourist and did not "Trust" this profession. Therefore she is given others a bad name.

She uses her own qualifications and hands out a cxxp photo copy piece of paper as a certificate for bronze, silver and gold awards and those who test the class are not even qualified. She used to be a member of the KC but they struck her off within a year of becoming a trainer!!! I wonder why? Any further suggestions would be helpful.

If what you say is correct, and definitely not hearsay, I'd speak to the owners/clients concerned and get them to complain to the APDT themselves. If a complaint is made by a client it is taken seriously nowadays

Some of what you say seems as if she is doing behaviourals, and this doesn't come under the remit of the APDT as far as I know - however training does. If she's a member of any behavioural organisation as well then I'd suggest reporting her to them too, although few organisations are likely to listen (but glad the KC stopped her membership, presumably that was as part of the KCAI scheme?)

Hopefully most people would know a BA is arts not science related, however interestingly I believe one school is now offering a BA in canine psychology!

I wouldn't be concerned about her using her own version of bronze, silver etc as some very good trainers do that, as long as they are not actually pretending they are KC Good Citizens that is quite OK, but I do feel more concerned about the water pistols, rattle cans and cowering dogs etc. as yes, that is not APDT practice in classes and is not good practice anyway, and agree it makes others look bad esp. perhaps others in that organisation (in which there are some cracking good trainers by the way ).

I hope you get something sorted, good luck

Wys
x.

Thank you. I Appreciate all of your advice, it has been most helpful.

I do have a very high respect for all trainers who really enjoy and thrive in the work that they do with dogs in a positive manner. Weither they have qualifications or belong to an organisation or not. I work with different dog trainers and organisations where I live and every time I learn something new. My attitude is, I love networking with others, meaning, if I can't help then I hope I can pass you onto someone who can. Dog obedience isn't for all dogs but maybe I know of someone who can help train your dog in herding, search and rescue, agality, assist dog etc. No-one can claim that they know everything in dog training/behaviour but it doesn't mean we all can't work together, after-all we all share the same joy in dogs.

This member, has been mentioned in many places, now, I do understand there will be complaints about us all, for whatever reason. But, it has been too many times, at least that's what I think. I do apologise to all if my post were strong but sometimes my love for dogs is stronger than my head. (noted) Therefore I have, and do suggest to do your homework when finding a trainer. If you don't like one for whatever reason, please don't stop. I offer all owners a list of other dog trainers in the area and what work they do with dogs.

No-one likes complaints aganist oneself, that's perfectly understandable. All I was trying to do was bring awareness, I didn't expect the response. I wrote with respect and brought awareness that clients of such member are not informed that they can write letters of performance to the organisation they are associated with. Thus leaving dog owners feeling all-sorts and no-one to turn too. Maybe it is something that we should think about, good letters would certainly be welcomed.

I hope I haven't offended anyone, as this particular dog forum is a great source of information, the variety of topics offered is vast and the people who responsd to the threads have a huge amount of knowledge to offer. Some I take with a pinch of salt, some I practice, but there have been some good sugestions. Thank you.

ALI-I have emailed the class and waiting their response for a day to pop down on a one to one basis with Katie. Thanks again for that information.

Fabi- Your advice has been very valuable to me and I thank you once again!
So sorry to hear you lost your little one! Its wonderful though that you both seemed to give one another such a lot! You appear to have done some remarkable work with him and you clearly gave him a wonderful life. He was lucky to have you, as you were him!

Ben McFuzzyylugs (what a fantastic name!Lol )-Thanks for your post. I will try some of the advice you gave!

Thanks WYSIWYGW for your comments.

I ll try to answer a few of your questions:

I tend to tell Katie off during the behaviour and then afterwards.....but your right, she probably does think Im joining in! (FABI suggested something similar on an earlier post-that Katie may think Im barking too!) I had never thought of things like this, but they all make sense!

I always take Katies ball on walks and we have a good run and play (when were alone on the field!). I interact with her on walks, yes, with occasional training, but I have since, started to do more training when we get a free field!

Thank you WYSIWYGW for your advice, and yes, please do send me that information you mentioned in a PM.


I walked Katie with my husband the other day and she was fine with him holding the lead. I tagged behind a bit (Im sure someone mentioned to do this (FABI?)....just so I didnt project my fear of what might happen into the situation)....and wow! She walked fine.....no lunging or barking. All she did was pull slightly after the dog had walked past to try and sniff him!

My dog just thinks Im pathetic! Im waiting the reply of a dog training school and will see how things go there, as I am clearly a significant part of this problem!

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS POSTED AND OFFERED ME AND IM SURE OTHERS, SOME EXCELLENT ADVICE! XXX