I received this e-mail, last week. I don’t know this guy– nor do I know anything about his methods. Therefore, I cannot recommend his approach. A quick glance at his web site would suggest some minor confusion over the difference between “punishing” a dog and “correcting” a dog. Although I
guess it depends on whether you’re using the confusing academic
lingo which incorporates concepts such as, “positive and negative
punishment.”
In any event, you’ve gotta admire this guy’s sense of humor! I think that this e-mail is especially important for anyone who’s thinking of becoming a professional dog trainer. If you think that you can go through a 6-week mail order course and become a “certified professional dog trainer” and this should make you think twice.
Here’s the e-mail:
” Wow!! Well, after 30 years of working with dogs that try to rip me apart (I am a trainer that specializes in the treatment of unwanted dog aggression) I finally lost a finger. I turned my back at the wrong moment and WHAM! The moment I put my guard down, the dog jumped me and off came the finger.
Funny thing, I always thought it would hurt much more, but it didn’t. It felt as if my hand had been suddenly hit with a blast of cold air. You can imagine my horror when I saw that my finger was gone.
After a day in the hospital, the bloody doctors caused me more pain than the dog, I have returned to work and have every intention to rehabilitate the savage dog that took my finger. So, as you can imagine, I am no stranger when it comes to dealing with problem dogs.”