Thats really good advice!!

I'll just discuss the three highlighted points

If they sort out the dog's mind why do they take the dog from you to do this ? CM's control is gained by those very thin slip leads placed as high up the neck as possible under the ears or a pinch collar similarly placed for harder dogs. Why does this give him control ? because of the pain this inflicts on the dog, there are so many nerves that are in this region that tightening the "noose" or collar inflicts a very high level of pain & so to lessen the pain the dog complies. If JF is so good can you explain why one of her GSDs could not be handled at Crufts & was excused from the ring ? The judge insisted on a loose lead & collar & the poor thing laid on the floor trembling, this is not third party heresay, I saw this happen as my friend's dog was next to be seen & he won the class. JF obviously doesn't practise what she preaches if her methods work on every dog.

Hyper or dominant-this is where the erroneous dominance theory falls down, dogs are aware that humans are not dogs so why would they need to "dominant" them answer is they don't, they might behave in ways that humans find unacceptable, but to them it is natural behaviour & as such needs to be modify by training & not token eating etc etc. A dog being hyper & then being to experience pain as used by CM will stop the behaviour to stop the pain QED

Her methods are good are they ? they work with all dogs do they ? Sorry no this is not the case they rely on the dog being compelled to conform & in many dogs this doesn't happen. She "cured" a local cocker that was extremely aggressive, she left the owners with directions on how to handle this dog. They had never to have any eye contact ever, they were never to handle it without first putting a muzzle on & it was only to be groomed at the groomers under sedation. Yes this did work for a while, but sadly one day the dog got the muzzle off & attacked the husband putting him in hospital in the ICU for a week & the dog was PTS-turns out the dog had a brain tumour(my vet friend did the PM) They should have first been advised when the dog became aggressive to have it thoroughly vet checked & my vets always do a full screening & head X ray & this would have revealed the medical condition & the poor dog could have been PTS & relieved of the dreadful constant pain the massive tumour would have been causing. How do I know this ? The owners came to our Dog Training club(so hated by JF BTW)with a new puppy & got chatting to me. The husband had horrific scars & blamed himself for not going down the full vet screening before wasting over £1000 on JF. She was told what had happened & wrote back saying that she could not be blamed for this & it was the owner's fault !!!(saw the letter BTW)

Yes JF plagiarizes other people's work(word for word in some cases) claiming it to be original, but if you quastion her as I wickedly did at Crufts & she had no answers other than "I need to visit & see the dog"(@ £350 a time + mileage) !

I have to say I really enjoy watching CM & I have to say I would implement bits of his methodology.

I know not everybody is an experienced dog handler but surely most people have the cop on to take what they need from any type of training session/instruction. What I mean is not to take the trainer/listener's word as gospel. Try learn what you can & take what works for you.

It's a personal choice what methods to use, but why not go out & research as many as you can.

There is no such thing as a one size fits all training(imo),every dog, like every person has different traits/triggers & responds differently to certain approaches.

Learn what you can & use what you want, but most of all enjoy your dog & please don't focus only on the bad bits of your dogs behaviour.:smt001

What i would do is use your money on your self.What ever the problems with you and your dog.You will get more advice and help from us all.P.s. and its free.Plus other people can learn.

Trouble is Joe Public who have never trained dogs properly take these people's word as gospel because they are on TV

I hope the collar under the ears isn't one bit of his ideology you use nor the Alpha rolling which isn't "normal"in the Canine world-even the wonderful CM got badly bitten trying to dominant a bulldog doing this maneuver. Someone came to our club with a young puppy after watching CM & had a slip lead up under the ears & said that it was the only way she could stop the puppy pulling the puppy was 16 weeks old The poor thing was absolutely terrified of the lead & was robot like in it's behaviour due to the pain. I put the slip lead around the owners neck in the same position as she had it on her dog & pulled tight just as CM does. The message got through & the puppy now has a normal collar & lead & doesn't pull at all

i dont 'do' the behaviourist bit. they are getting high sums of money from people who are 'desparate' and this is what they play on.

to get a better bond with your dog you need to spend time with them ..training them to do thing that you want with fun. same as you would with a child, fun being the operative word.

training classes are a good start. these can lead to other activities ie:- agility and flyball, both fun activities that both you and your dog will enjoy.
they are also cheaper.

dont go with fads, even my vet wanted me to see a behaviourist because one of my dogs supposidly had a problem. i told him that no way would i pay loads of money to be told what i already knew!

tell us the problems your having and we will try and help you out without you taking out a second mortgage.

I'll save you some time (and money) with a quick summary of what JF or a Dog Listener will advise...

Your dog is dominant and thinks it is pack leader.

Always eat before your dog. Allowing Fido to eat first is a cardinal sin and you will spontaneously combust if your dog ever has a morsel before you do.

Never, ever let your dog go through a doorway before you. This is the first step to world domination. Today it's your living room, tomorrow a small Eastern European country. Where will it end?

Never allow your dogs on the furniture. A dog on the sofa does not recognise you as 'alpha'. Throw it on the floor immediately and pin it on its back until it submits. He now understands his place and is not at all confused by what just happened.

Never acknowledge your dog on returning from work/school run/whatever. An enthusiastic greeting is indicative of a dog that does not respect you. He will steal your credit cards (to pay for an appointment with a proper behaviourist, hopefully).

There. Are we feeling more bonded to our dogs yet?

Now, with the time I have saved you, go and play with your dog. He'll thank you for it

Can you tell I'm not JF's biggest fan? Although I do admit her books have their place in most homes...propping open a door or steadying a wonky table maybe

Now, on a more helpful note...

I have found clicker training just for fun (she was already fairly obedient) great for improving my bond with a dog that was much more focused on my OH than me. She now responds to me better and actively seeks me out whereas I never used to get a look in if he was around. Clicker training worked for us but any activity that means you spend time with your dog that you both enjoy will help your bond without resorting to paying for a behaviourist whose techniques seem to discourage bonding

Funniest thing ever but the most perfect of summing up!!
Wheres the clapping smiley when i need it

Excellent :smt041

Here here !
Any good activities trainer utilises the behaviours of each dog individually, [ and positively ], to guide owners on training and bonding, tailored to suit that dog and owner team.
Agility lessons with me cost £4 a session - same for private one to ones - behaviour help thrown in free - as is the case with any experienced trainer who cares about the dogs and the owners more than building a bank balance because of owners struggling in any way


Now this has to rate as the most perfectly put post I have ever read on the subject of that woman
:smt038 :smt038 :smt038 :smt038 :smt038
:smt038 :smt038 :smt038 :smt038 :smt038

Wow, that's one way to get the message across Hope they didn't sue you for ABH or some other fatuous claim