03/08/2026
Force-free training is a con. It manipulates "science-proven methods" to label balanced trainers as abusive.
Meet Zeke, who was failed by multiple force-free trainers and put on medication with virtually no progress. He was so human-aggressive that his owner was scared of him, even after a six-month board-and-train with a force-free trainer.
His journey has been incredible to watch, all achieved through balanced training using TWC methods.
There are countless dogs failed by this butterflies-and-rainbows ideology. When the drugs don't work, they'll often tell you to euthanise your dog before sending it to a balanced trainer, because apparently it's kinder to be dead than to ever tell a dog "no." Or they'll tell you to keep your dog on a leash for the rest of its life because using an e-collar and allowing it the freedom to run, play, and do zoomies at the beach is considered abusive.
But what about the dog's fulfilment? What about spending your entire life on a leash, never being able to run freely or play with other dogs? Which is truly the lesser of two evils? Weigh up the pros and cons.
It's an incredibly misunderstood, brainwashed approach to dog training—working around problems instead of providing clear, direct communication.
Build trust, rapport, and a relationship first. Then, when appropriate, use aversives at a level the dog understands and can control simply by changing its behaviour. That isn't abuse. It's communication. It stops unwanted behaviours and creates opportunities to reinforce good ones.
It also allows you to build authority, so you can verbally tell your dog to drop a live rabbit—as I did yesterday—or recall them out of full-speed zoomies because an off-leash dog is approaching.
It means dogs like Zeke, who once controlled people through aggression, get to live happy, fulfilled lives. His owner is no longer afraid of him, he's no longer heavily medicated, and he gets to enjoy the freedom and fulfilment every dog deserves.
Balanced trainers don't just use aversives. They can use everything force-free trainers use, alongside aversives when they're genuinely needed. There are four quadrants of operant learning. Force-free trainers choose to limit themselves to only two. Balanced trainers have access to all four.
We're not limited by ideology. We train the dog in front of us using the tools that best suit that individual dog.
Imagine raising your children without ever being allowed to say, "No, that's wrong." They hit another child, and all you can do is distract them with something they find more rewarding, like ice cream, or keep them away from other children forever.
Balanced trainers can simply say, "No, that's wrong. Don't do that." Clear communication. Clear boundaries. Fast results.
Go and play with the other kids—just don't hit them.
See the comments for more of Zeke's journey.
https://fb.watch/IMNn9vL294/?mibextid=wwXIfr&fs=e
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1G86B7czcW/?mibextid=wwXIfr
