Firework "training"

kassidybc

Experienced Member
That's horrible! Those dogs looked terrified, and I don't see how that helped them at all! Actually, probably all it did was give them a less reliable stay, because next time there owners put them in a stay like that, they might be expecting that to happen again!
 

srdogtrainer

Experienced Member
Wow...that was torture for those poor dogs. Scare them half to deaf and then yell at them for jumping up. The one dog that panicked, slipped out of his collar and bolted was probably severely traumatized for life! Why would you go out of your way to terrify your dog. This is exactly how you teach a dog to be afraid. That is way over threshold and especially for the dog that was closest and facing away from it, that was not fair at all. I'm sorry, if fireworks are going off that close to my dog I want him to get farther away! I would not at that point be fighting to get him back to where he was and I definitely would not be yelling at him for getting up.
 

Linda A

Experienced Member
That is not training, that is torture! And to punish a dog so severely is cruelty. Even if this technique would work why would you put the firecrackers so close to the dogs? This guy is insane!!

The best thing any of us can do for our dogs is to desensitize them to loud noises. The younger the better. Don't be so quiet! Make a point of thumping on the wall as you walk down the hallway. Let the pots and pans make some noise when you are putting them away. Make a game out of it!

We play the 'what is it' game. If I notice the dogs jump at some noise I have made, I make the noise again and say 'what is it?' They come to check it out and I make the noise again a time or two or three. They get all happily excited and then I bang on something else near by. The game is on!
 

southerngirl

Honored Member
Got the video to work.
Oh My Gosh What the hell is wrong with those people! How on earth could they do that to their dogs!! They are yanking them down very forcefully and yelling at them. The poor dogs are TERRIFIED!! Those idiotic so called "owners" need those dogs taken from them they have no right to own a dog or any other living thing for that matter. They are torturing those dogs and have mentally scarred them!
 

brody_smom

Experienced Member
Wow...that was torture for those poor dogs. Scare them half to deaf and then yell at them for jumping up. The one dog that panicked, slipped out of his collar and bolted was probably severely traumatized for life! Why would you go out of your way to terrify your dog. This is exactly how you teach a dog to be afraid. That is way over threshold and especially for the dog that was closest and facing away from it, that was not fair at all. I'm sorry, if fireworks are going off that close to my dog I want him to get farther away! I would not at that point be fighting to get him back to where he was and I definitely would not be yelling at him for getting up.
That is the exact same way Brody reacted to a dog that came running at him off leash. He tried to get away from the dog, but I was holding him tight on leash and the other dog was relentless. Brody eventually backed himself out of his collar and took off running all the way home, about a mile away and across a large intersection. I was following on foot, calling his name, asking everyone I met along the way if they had seen a black dog. They all said he was like a blur tearing down the sidewalk. Thank God he made it home safely, but I guess that was the beginning of his problems with other dogs on walks.
 

MaryK

Honored Member
I'm feeling sick, sick, sick!!!!!!!!! Horrific!!!!!!!!!!!!! I agree, the owners should have those poor dogs taken away and rehomed with loving, caring people. And they should NEVER be allowed to own any animal again!

That's sheer torture to the dogs and the dog who escaped did appear to be wearing a prong collar. You've all expressed my thoughts perfectly. '

I have a awful feeling I've seen other 'training' videos by that man and been just as horrified, but this is the worst I've seen. Another CM!!!!!!!!!

I use Linda A methods of training my dogs to accept loud, unusual for them noises, it's a great way to train, make a game of the noise. And my results have been good, as I said on another post, I've been able to take one of my Sheppies to a Fireworks display (huge one with music and massive crowds) and she genuinely LOVED every moment and went each year, but ONLY after a load of very careful, step by step training, I'd NEVER subject a dog to that torment!

Have to wonder. Would they treat their kids like that too?
 

threenorns

Well-Known Member
the guy's name is Warren Diffey - supposedly he trains patrol dogs.

that is absolutely nothing like Cesar Millan - yelling? screaming at the dogs? strangling the dogs? no - not right.

flooding, okay - i actually do agree with flooding IF other methods have failed or IF it is imperative that the dog be snapped out of it asap for whatever reason. sometimes you don't have time to "fix" or "cure" the dog - you just need him to push through it (the "suck it up" approach we use when our kids need to have blood tests or x-rays or dental work or similar frightening but crucial experiences - when your child has to have surgery, you can't have the surgical team sitting around with their thumbs in their ears waiting for your child to decide they're not going to be scared any more).

but these dogs weren't there to be treated for fireworks phobia but i can guarantee they've got one now!

keeping them still is absolutely stupid - cesar's method is you walk and keep the dog engaged. like humans, dogs can only focus on one thing at a time. if you keep walking while the fireworks are popping overhead; keep acting in a calm, reassuring manner; and keep the dog's hearing protected (yes, i walked with dandy, all hunched over, hands over his ears!), the dog will process the experience on his own and will learn that there is nothing to be afraid of.

this DID work and dandy is not at all afraid of fireworks, backfires, balloons popping, gunshots, etc - yes, he'll startle, but he won't go into a barking frenzy - it's "what was that!?? what was that!?? oh... balloon.... sniff, sniff.... blech"

it also worked for thunderstorms and horses (they kept the horse walking and i kept myself between dandy and the horse allowing him full sight and scent but by being between him and the horse, the threat quotient was reduced).

it didn't work for camels, though. he still freaks out and tries to hide under the car when he sees camels.
 

MaryK

Honored Member
Yes that's the man's name, I remember now, seeing some other horrific videos of his so called 'training'.


I don't want to open the whole CM debate again, there's a thread on this forum already about him. But, have to disagree that his methods are all that different. He too has been videod yanking on a German Shepherd's choke collar so hard that the dog's tongue was BLUE!!!!!!!!!!! This was certified by vets from very well known and highly recognized organizations, not just some 'do gooders' and there other many other videos, most removed now, which show him 'flooding' dogs to a point where they go into resigned submission.

The German Shepherd had to subsequently be euthanized, and many former clients of his are breaking their NDA and speaking out about his methods, and how their dogs have ended up either being euthanized or with major issues much greater than the original one he was supposed to 'rehabilitate'.

I don't agree with flooding at all, there is always a kinder way to handle the situation. You used children as an example, well I've seen doctors and nurses using love, patience and kindness and getting much better results, a child who is not going under totally traumatized, which can cause problems during the operation. So, the same applies to dogs.

We shall have to agree to disagree on this subject:)
 
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