PlayTrain Positive Dog Training Inc.

10/23/2025

I'm pleased to announce that I will be moving my group training classes to a new location. Starting November 8th, the PlayTrain Puppy Kindergarten and Basic Doggy Manners group classes will be held at Weston Road Animal Hospital in Weston at Dykes & Griffin roads. Basic Doggy Manners will be held Saturdays at 2:00 PM and Puppy Kindergarten will be Saturdays at 3:30 PM. The Puppy Kindergarten will be indoors. For more info click here:

We offer fun and effective group training classes to Broward County pet parents and beyond. Discover the various classes we offer in a safe and controlled environment to help your dog puppy build on their skills amidst distraction

10/16/2025

I'm trying to see clearly between the tears as I write this. My youngest dog, Nala Varela died yesterday of acute liver failure. She was only two and a half years old. Just a few days ago she was happy and playing and running, and yesterday after 5 days in ICU I had to say goodbye. They did every possible thing to save her, as you can see from the picture of her hooked up to the machines: antibiotics, plasma, fluids, a nasal feeding tube, oral meds, etc., but nothing made her liver improve and she was suffering. Those of you that knew her from Varela, or playdates, know she was a fun, affectionate little dog whose tail never stopped wagging.

I'm writing this to warn you, my friends, clients, and colleagues of the dangers of 1) lethal toxins and 2) Leptospirosis. By process of elimination, the medical staff felt it was a toxin, and named common culprits such as: Sabo palms (any part of the plant, even one seed can kill a dog), Tylenol, rodenticide, certain mushrooms (jack-o-lantern is particularly poisonous and common in soFL). They also suspected Lepto, even though she was vaccinated and their in-house test came back negative, they sent another out. I had to wear a gown and gloves to visit her until they ruled it out. My point here is that the horrible symptoms she suffered from acute liver failure looked the same whether from a toxin or Lepto- so please everyone make sure your yard and house is clear of toxins at dog-level and that your dog is vaccinated for Leptospirosis.
I hope as time goes by I can remember her like she appears in this video running through the yard enjoying her life here with me, and not hooked up to all those machines.

10/01/2025

Thank You Jane Goodall, for dedicating your life to building understanding between humans and animals and for teaching the world about Habituation. Implementing the concept of Habituation has helped me as a dog trainer in many of my fear cases. I always tell my clients to just "Be Jane Goodall."

08/01/2025

What's wrong with electric fences?

Let’s talk about how many of us have seen that dog behind the electric fence.

08/01/2025

Pets and Their People View this email in your browser Pets and Their People Please Say, "Nooo!" to Electronic Containment Systems for Dogs Debbie Sheridan • August 1, 2025 Let’s talk about how many of

05/18/2025

Any Zak George fans? See what he has to say on the matter. https://www.facebook.com/TheZakGeorge/videos/660575556959317

05/18/2025

The CCPDT had one job - protect dogs from harmful training practices. Instead, they've just created a policy that allows trainers to shock dogs with separation anxiety.

They didn't just fail to ban these tools. They literally created a system that GUARANTEES they'll be used on the dogs who will be hurt most by them.

How, well there are fundamental problems with the policy (aside from the fact that it’s 2025 and a major credentialing body still thinks shock is okay…)

* The first problem: "Pain is fine sometimes" *

The CCPDT could have taken a stand. These pain tools are outdated, unnecessary and harmful.

Instead they basically said "These tools are fine just fill out the right forms and make sure you say you’ve tried other methods first."

This supposed “last resort” approach alone puts every single dog at risk.

To me, when tools designed to cause discomfort or pain remain an option, no dog is ever fully safe. Who defines when other methods have been "exhausted"? How skillfully were those other methods applied? Does this clause truly prevent a trainer predisposed to using aversives from reaching for them prematurely? These are critical, practical questions.

* The second problem: Vulnerable dogs get ZERO protection…ZERO!!! *

This is where it gets really bad.

The policy says shock collars are not allowed for "addressing anxiety, fears, or phobias."

But there's a massive problem they don't address: Who gets to decide if a dog is anxious or supposedly “stubborn” (or whatever inaccurate or sloppy label a trainer decides to use)?

The answer? Any trainer with CCPDT letters after their name.
• No need for behavior credentials
• No actual criteria for making this call
• Nobody checking their work
• NO requirement to consult with a vet behaviorist
• NO requirement to refer to a certified behaviour consultant
• NO need for a second opinion AT ALL

They can just decide on their own that a dog isn't anxious and reach for the shock collar. Whenever. However. Easily and readily.

Let's see what this means for a dog with separation anxiety

Picture this: A family's dog howls, barks, and scratches at the door when left alone. They call a CCPDT-certified trainer for help.

Scenario 1: The trainer recognizes separation anxiety. Great! They can't use a shock collar.

Scenario 2: The trainer either isn’t skilled enough to spot anxiety ORor they chose not to. They can now say "This isn't anxiety. This is demand barking because you've reinforced it. The dog is manipulating you." Or the dog is “just frustrated”. Green light for the shock collar!

Now with the CCPDT's blessing they recommend:
• A bark collar that shocks the dog every time it cries out for help
• The dog panics more but silently
• The barking stops (because the dog is now too terrified to make noise)
• The trainer declares success
• Meanwhile the dog's emotional state gets WORSE
• The underlying anxiety is still there, just suppressed
• The dog develops other symptoms like self-harm, pacing, drooling

This is NOT theoretical. I've spent years helping dogs recover from exactly this scenario.

* This is already happening all the time *

I've worked with anxious dogs for 15 years. I've seen so many cases where fear gets called defiance, anxiety gets labeled manipulation, and panic gets punished as disobedience.

Now the CCPDT basically validated all that through these giant loopholes.

* This gets even weirder *

The CCPDT requires trainers to have advanced behavior credentials (CBCC-KA) just to teach about separation anxiety.

But according to this policy, any certified trainer without those credentials can diagnose it's NOT anxiety and shock the dog.

Make it make sense!

*This hurts all dogs *

This policy fails EVERY dog by allowing tools that hurt and scare them.

But it REALLY fails anxious and fearful dogs who will get shocked and pronged for behaviors that come from emotional distress while trainers claim they're being ethical.

We need better standards now

Let's be real. Tools that hurt dogs don't belong in professional training. Period.

We don't need fancy policies about when it's "ok" to shock dogs. We need to stop using these tools altogether.

Our dogs deserve better. Our professional orgs should know better by now.

If you care about this speak up. Share this. Read the policy yourself. Make some noise.

Because dogs shouldn't get shocked for being scared. And this policy means they will. That's not training that's just wrong.

05/18/2025

Our industry continues to advocate for the banning of electric shock in any form, for training dogs. However the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers has chosen to lower its ethical standards and rationalize the use of these devices against all experts' best practices in the field. There is now a plethora of research that shows these devices cause both physical and emotional harm and have no advantage over evidence -based, reward-based training methods. They are banned in 10 countries. We look forward to the day they are banned in the USA. Please read the petition and sign if you agree.

Certified Trainers Demand Humane Standards: End CCPDT’s Support of Harmful Tools

04/29/2025

If your dog has been injured physically or behaviorially due to the use of shock collar products, you may be able to join this class action suit. Read for more details:

By Niki Tudge

04/08/2025

Gonna give an opinion here. Yes, these wolves are drop-dead gorgeous and this is kind of cool, BUT, they are bigger and stronger than the gray wolves and so if released into the Yellowstone/Grand teton ecosystem, they would probably overtake the limited gray population, which has been delisted from protection, and are currently hunted the second they step a toe outside Yellowstone. As would these gorgeous creatures be. So they would doom their species.

Scientists working for Dallas-based biotech company Colossal Biosciences claim to have brought the dire wolf, which went extinct about 12,500 years ago, back to life.

04/07/2025

another great article from the Pet Professional Guild blog for Pet Owners. I highly recommend my clients subscribe to this free blog.

When a family recently submitted a puppy training application, I looked for key words to gain insight as to their relationship with their pup. 

03/07/2025

The Whole Dog Journal is a reliable source for behavior and training information. Here's their latest article on e-collar vs. R+ training.

E-collar dog training isn't a good training option. Aversive training measures cause stress and pain rather than building a bond with your dog.