Dog "Trainer" Brad Pattison (negative style dog training)
I just got an email from Drae. Although she lives in the city of Calgary, she comes out to volunteer for our Cochrane Humane Society.
Here's a chance for this fellow and the TV Station to hear from a few more people. Thanks!
ETA: You can Google Brad Pattison, Calgary Canada. I was just reading through one newspaper story that seemed fine...on page 3 it said the dogs are expected to learn to sit, stay, walk beside their owners without verbal commands.:confused:
ETAAgain(sorry): the more I read...anyway, there's a good lesson in not believing everything you see on a dog-training TV show - catch the guy live: http://www.ipdta.org/#Caesar_Milan_and_Brad_Patterson
Brad's Website: http://www.endofmyleash.com/
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Hello friends!
Not too long ago I had sent many of you an article from the paper about dog “trainer” Brad Pattison. Well, Brad strikes again. This time he was on Breakfast Television. To watch it, please see the link below:
http://videocalgary.citytv.com/?fr_c...cd2fd953&rf=bm
Although MUCH of the segment bothers me, I almost jumped out of my chair at 5 minutes and about 55 seconds when Brad actually corrects the puppy while he his lying on the ground quietly. He actually pops his leash!
If this segment bothers you even half as much as it does me, I very much encourage you to use the link below to contact Breakfast Television and tell them about it. There’s a drop down menu where you can select which department your comments reach. Choose the one for Breakfast Television.
http://www.citytv.com/calgary/3876_contactus.aspx
I’ve also added my own letter to BT below. Feel free to read it and use any part of it you wish in your comments to BT:
Good Afternoon,
I'd like to comment on BT's segment with Brad Pattison. I have just finished watching this and am fuming. I'd like to suggest to BT to bring in a Positive dog trainer. First off, it's always important to have 'both sides' of the story, yes? Brad says that by using treats in dog training, you are negotiating with the dog. Look at it this way: would you go to work if you did not receive a pay cheque? No, of course you wouldn't. While a positive trainer is teaching [teaching, NOT maintaining] a new command or behavior, treats act as motivation and reward for the dog's hard work. Much like money acts as motivation and reward for a human's hard work.
Brad talks about interrupting unwanted behavior. Positive trainers do that too. Not by yanking on the dog's neck of course, but by asking the dog to do something else, something desirable, and rewarding the dog for THAT behavior. With this approach, the dog realizes that certain behaviors are much more rewarding than others, and will choose to do them more often in place of the "bad" behaviors.
I was appalled as I watched Brad. At approximately 5 minutes and 55 seconds into the segment, you can see the dog calmly lying down. Brad picks up the leash and pops it. He just gave that dog a physical correction for lying down quietly. A very desirable behavior. The dog is likely wondering what he did to deserve that jerk on his neck. He may begin to think that it is NOT a good thing to lie quietly. Notice how the dog moves further away, not wanting to be near Brad after that correction?
Anyone watching that segment who knows anything about dog body language would've been able to see that the poor pup there was stressed.
I have personal experience with "both" sides of training. I have a small rescued shepherd who was very fear aggressive. He would lunge at any dog or person in his path. He was assessed by a trainer with exactly the same approach that Brad takes. That trainer said to put the dog down. Said there was no hope for him. I sought out a second opinion. A POSITIVE trainer did an assessment on the dog and concluded that he was simply terrified of everything. Through lots of patience, hard work, praise and, yes, treat rewards, we were able to finally walk that dog through a room full of people and other dogs. He did great. Why? Because rather than hurting or scaring the dog to try and change his behavior, we took it slow and encouraged and nurtured every step the dog took in the right direction. Kindness DOES go a long way.
Through that very emotional and very hard experience I learned that trainers like Brad will only work with dogs they know they can scare into submission.
I would be thrilled to see an episode of BT where they look at the positive side of dog training. Not only would it be helpful to your viewers, and allow them to make the comparison themselves and make the best decision for their families, but I think it would look good on BT to ensure they told 'both' sides of the story.
Sincerely,
Drae Fitchett
