27/10/2025
🐶 The Day a “Force-Free” Trainer Met Reality 😂🇦🇺
Alright, buckle up, this one’s gold.
Years ago we had a “force-free” dog trainer come visit our Dog Training kennels Facilities at Narangba. — you know the type.
All rainbows, fairy dust, and “positive vibes only.”
Apparently, you can fix anything with treats, a clicker, and a TED Talk on empathy.
She’s against all forms of correction. No choker chains, no pinch collars, no e-collars — nothing “mean.”
I’m thinking, “Righto, let’s see how that goes in the real world.”
Normally I don’t waste my time with ideological loonies but I always was very accommodating and it was awesome for my own amusement. Over the years we’ve had 100’s of trainers visit our facility for education purposes including people employed as police, RSPCA, Rangers, Animal control, collages and clubs.
🪄 Act 1: I gave her a Rottweiler x on a flat collar that was in to fix high level animal aggression towards other dogs.
We give her a Rottweiler cross, for her to take the dog into the training ground.
She goes out on the field, fully kitted out — treat bag, gadgets, the works.
Thirty bloody minutes later she’s still giving the dog treats to sit.
So, I said to the other trainer to bring out one of the other dogs and stand behind the training yard fence.
Within half a second, Rottie’s gone full Tasmanian Devil at the other dog, barking, defensive aggression, lunging, the whole show.
And Miss Force-Free?
Before you could say “positive reinforcement,” she’s YANKING that leash like she’s starting a whipper snipper.
Correction after correction after correction on the flat collar and it had zero effect on the dog.
Total time it took the anti correction and adverse training force free trainer to use corrections.
Zero point five seconds.
That’s how long it took for her to discover that the dog had no interest in Scooby snacks and maybe she should take up grass skiing.
I asked what happened and she tells me the dog is way to strong for her and we will have to do weeks of training to get him under control. I said the dogs in for a three day course for animal aggression and that will be long enough.
🦴 Act 2: The Pinch Collar Argument.
Next, I say, “Alright, let’s use a pinch collar on the Rottweiler x so you can at least hold him back.”
She nearly had a stroke.
“Oh no, that’s cruel!” she says. I explained how they work and showed her by putting the pinch collar around her arm.
If you had this dog in public he would drag you to another dog and attack or kill it, isn’t that the cruelest thing that can happen.
So how about we clip the Rottweiler cross to a police lead — one end to the leather collar, one to the pinch collar. I convinced her to give it a go and only use the collar side but the pinch is a back up.
I then said maybe I should bring the other dog into the training ground and all you have to do is stop the dog from getting away from you. She didn't feel comfortable so I agreed we will bring the dog out behind the fence again.
Off she goes again in the training ground with the same Rottweiler x.
The handler brings the dog out.
BANG — The Rot x explodes again with high aggression and starts dragging the force free ideologist towards the fence.
And what does our force free trainer do?
After attempting to hold the dog back on the flat collar and getting dragged across the field, in desperation she grabs the pinch collar end of the lead and gives a few solid corrections.
Dog stops pulling and aggression weakened and she got the dog to sit with no hotdog bribes. I yell out to keep the dog in the sit and if he goes to break give him a small pop on the pinch collar.
Well she did then she reenforced it with the flat collar and the dog was now sitting calmly with another dog close by. The Rottweiler x was still intensely staring at the other dog but was much calmer and not pulling at all.
Then she starts hand-feeding the dog like nothing happened and the dog then started to show more interest in the food and not the other dog.
I said, “You just corrected the dog with the pinch collar a few times and it worked.
She goes, “No, no, he’s too powerful and I still don’t agree with the use of adverse tools.”
⚡ Act 3: The Bark Collar Miracle
Then she refuses to walk the dog back through the kennel past several other dogs in pens — “too aggressive,” she says.
So, we chuck on a bark collar and I told her I will walk through with you.
I opened the door and all the dogs started going off and immediately the Rottweiler started barking and before the intensity escalated he got his first pulse and he stopped. I said to her keep walking and the dog growled and he got the second pulse then stuck close to the handler. The force free trainer was then able to walk the dog past several other dogs and place him in his kennel.
She tells me “I still don’t believe in corrections, but some dogs may need them”
I told her that as a professional dog trainer, we just saved this dogs life or another dog from injury, or the dog been restrained for life or on meds for life or euthanasia.
You’ve just used all three leash correction on a flat collar and pinch collar and taught the dog not to aggress on a bark collar — in one day, but also as part of the training you also used treats, praise and pats and its all of these combined that will get you the best results.
🐕🦺 Moral of the Story:
It only takes half a second for a “force-free” trainer to discover the power of corrections —
and a lifetime for them to admit it even if the dog has to die for their force free ideologues.
Some people would rather risk a dog kill another dog than admit they were wrong.
But hey — as long as everyone’s feelings are safe, right?
Always seek an experienced professional dog trainer not a brain washed force free ideologist.
