Training part 3: Dog forums place to meet

MANY years ago dog forums were the place to meet on the internet. I met many wonderful trainers from around the world including Grant Teebone over 30 years a police dog handler and instructor from Australia and Dick Russell running Dog Training in Baton Rouge, LA who trained dogs professionally for over 50 years.

It was his craft and his life. For more than 30 of his last years, Dick helped Baton Rouge Metro Area dog owners turn their animals into the pets they dreamed of. Dick was aware through my writings that I did not believe in anything other than teaching dogs to walk to heel, sit and stay and most important to come back when called.

I was also letting dogs off leash to sniff and play and go on walks. Dick bless him used to call me the ‘Mad Dog Man’ until he received a video from me showing him my free socialisation. From that moment on he changed his complete approach and was ‘then’ the first dog trainer in the western hemisphere to offer Large Field Socialisation.

Dick came on my radio shows and always claimed I changed his life. Unfortunately Dick died a few years ago and I lost a great friend I had never met.

Any form of aggression used towards aggressive animal results in a negative causing so many problems. Now another new approach is the Tedlington Touch known as the TTouch. Sarah Fisher a friend and expert in all sectors of the Canine and Horse world uses this and can be seen on the Internet and certainly gives excellent results.

In conclusion lately a term being used in the USA, UK and Spain is ‘Force Free Training.’ This literally means passive training which a number of trainers have been using for over 30 years. Over the past few years harnesses in all shapes and colours have been appearing. Harnesses were designed for working dogs, tracking, the blind and handicapped air sea rescue etc. In my opinion the harness needs to be fitted by an expert and then shown how to use it but of course owners do not go down this street!