18/05/2026
This is my stance too, and I stand by every word!! It’s a democracy not a dictatorship 😊
More and more dog owners are telling me about previous forceful training experiences - their dogs being choked, bobbed, pushed down, made to wear a prong collar… Forced into helplessness, forced to obey, humiliated. Owners who questioned the methods often got shamed as too soft, too emotional, showing weakness to a dog that is “dominant”.
Their dogs were not being dominant, manipulative, stubborn, ... They were just triggered by contexts they could not manage because their needs were ignored, their gentler requests unheard. So they got punished into good behaviour. Taught that they cannot ask, cannot speak up for themselves, that they do not have any control over their lives.
This is what force-based training (including “balanced training”) does. It is based on fearing negative consequences from the handler. It teaches dogs to fear their owners, trainers, families. Owners watch while their dogs are abused and watch while their dogs ask for help - trusting a professional they are paying while they are those that should protect their dogs.
This is not humanising dogs. This is about the type of relationship we want with our dogs. This is about trainers and owners that choose to justify pain, fear, and discomfort to “fix” their pets while totally ignoring the causes of “misbehaviour” that often lay in the dog’s insecurities.
It talks a lot about the need that some human have of demonstrating absolute control over another creature, a creature they chose to take in and look after. It talks about our fear of losing control. We justify punishment over a dog that we will never justify over another human - and we call “training” this abuse.
Please, choose your trainers carefully and remember that, no matter how much you pay them or how well recommended they are, you are the only person that can speak up for your dog and rescue them from abuse. When you choose to train your dog, is your objective “fixing” them to have the perfect dog or is it your dog’s wellbeing?
