Some inspiration about how you should live your life and train dogs

My guess is this is Helen Woodward. They are ridiculous. They did not want to give us a 90-pound lab-rotweiller because we wouldn't let it sleep at the foot of our bed. We explained that the dog is large and our bedroom is small. The dog can sleep in the living room. So we had to send someone else in to get the dog and give it to us because they absolutely refused to give us the dog. We adored her and had for 12 years after we got it from Helen Woodward.

I agree with your philosophy,, but have one major objection to your techniques. WHY OH WHY do you not use shock collars, one of the most effective tools for dog owners that exists? They are fantastic for communicating with your dog remotely. WHY are you playing the middle of the road between positive only and being able to so NO to your dog?

Had this happen at a friends house. Their dog was like a ping pong ball around the house. When it jumped on me I just nudged it off with my knee gently and it was totally surprised. Didn't jump on me again the rest of the day.

In the 80s a rolled up newspaper was the only training method LOL My grandmother used to hit me with it all the DAM time! hahaha.
Don't let the morons get you down, have a great Labor day.

These are the same people cry about how they can not re-home a dog. They would rather put the dog down than use a technique to actually help the dog. Then to top it off they want to charge a huge amount of money.. I bet their kids are the wild ones screaming and throwing food in restaurants.

Hey, i just watched a video by SolidK9training or some such. The guy actually bonks the dogs on the head with a wrapped towel. That seems to be kind of dumb. What is your take on it? Love your channel btw.

I never done the knee thing but 6 weeks ago I had to stop 2 dogs from fighting broke 2 of my fingers horrible pain now I started doing the knee thing sometimes I still feel guilty thank you sir you're awesome

YES! I couldn't agree more with what you said.

Let's filter out some hidden assumptions of the all-positive approach from this story:
1. an animal should never in their life experience an unpleasant sensation, however temporary, they need to be protected from that, them experiencing any kind of discomfort is equivalent to torture.
2. it is OK for the dog to touch humans in ways that are uncomfortable to the human
3. it is NOT OK for the human to touch the dog in the way that is uncomfortable to the dog, regardless of intention or stakes for the dog
4. it is OK for the human to yell at, humiliate, threaten or cause other types of discomfort to another human
5. implied consequence: it is better to euthanize a dog for aggression than to let it experience transient discomfort in the process of changing the behavior and giving it a chance to have a nice life in a home

Let's take a look at these in turn:
1. this assumes that living beings are incredibly fragile and would be traumatized by discomfort. Discounted by the first proper nature documentary anybody watches. Living beings have been adapting to dealing with difficult circumstances, pain, hunger, discomfort and threat of death for some 4 billion years now. They have amazing resilience and can overcome much more extreme circumstances than a pop on the leash.
2. So the dog is treated either as a morally higher being, who does what is "natural" and therefore "good", or an incompetent creature incapable of understanding rules and boundaries communicated by another creature and incapable of controlling their own behavior and making prosocial choices unless they get bribed with a treat - pretty low opinion on dogs, IMHO.
3. the human has less right to be protected from unpleasant or painful sensation than a dog does
4. the human who caused the smallest discomfort is a bad person and therefore it is not only acceptable, it is actually necessary and morally just to cause extreme discomfort to them in return, many times more than what the dog experienced.
5. Somehow they believe killing a dog means doing less violence to it than giving it some leash pops.

I rest my case.

Great video. Sorry he was banned from that shelter, but there are so many others. When he finds his forever dog, he'll be a great owner. Thanks Joel!

I’m no expert, but I don’t get it! I don’t get the hostility. Do they think it’s harming the dog?

Banned from the animal rescue shelter? Boy, tough town. 😼

So called "expert" volunteer and "expert"manager. You have to show your pet the right way, just like children. Who wants a "hooligan"
Pet or child ? Ashamed society regressed to this ...look at the world of "entitlement"... how that is going
Thank God for your ideas on training!. ❤ Something that works and is NOT cruel in any way...true discipline and care!!

Thanks for talking about what to say to people whose dog jumps on me. This just happened as my roommate has a dog visiting. So helpful to just say "sorry guys but i can't let a dog jump on me" I've binged watched your videos Beckman. I used to think i could train a dog and i did well with house training and some heeling for an Alaskan Malamute in the past. But, looking back now I could have made that dog so much more comfortable by establishing a clear and comfortable set of enforced rules. No dog right now but I appreciate what I'm learning. Thanks!!

Your super effective self correcting is a super power mate, love your work especially the but flip dance lol

If i only used positive reinforced methods my pitbull traced back to jeep cherokee would murder every dog i showed it they do not get any gamer then my Rebel and no spike collars just pack leadership has mine on lock l, they are never scared of me and know they are respected, Beckman stop worrying about these positive reinforced technique people they bring their kids up the same and are all little entitled arseholes, just do you mate you all over it, I only listen to you and myself no one else now i have exceptional sisters that enjoy life all day everyday

Joel, I really like your balanced approach. I volunteer at a shelter as a dog walker and believe me I have been pulled all over the place by all kinds of dogs. They use harnesses for the big pullers such as pit bulls, huskies etc. They really don't allow leash "popping" so instead when they pull me I just stop and go a different direction or I just stand there until the leash pressure is gone and repeat. Some dogs get it and some don't but it's the best I can do.

We can see how much the positove reinforcement works, the guy goes to take a dog trained with positive reinforcement and dog jumps on him.

You sound like a big baby yourself. Did you really have to tattle tale on the shelter trainer and use her name. I would have been more impressed if you had been more discreet about the whole thing and less bragging on yourself.

This POV is no different than what you would tolerate from your own children, if you can’t behave at the dinner table at home, your not going to eat out in public IMO. It’s all about what you accept, if you don’t like the behaviour, make sure the animal is aware of it and give them a chance to figure out what you are asking then be prepared to follow through with the consequences. 😊🇨🇦

@Joel ALSO, be aware..
I would be very careful of CONTRACTS at dog rescues. Many if not most RETAIN OWNERSHIP RIGHTS to the dog, including the right to come onto your property and confiscate your dog at any time by their SOLE DISCRETION. Read the fine print. I won't deal with anyone or any organization who does this. I ask to see the contract before even considering a dog and I walk out if I don't like the contract. I will look on Craig's list or at sheriff's shelters and will consider traveling out of state, to a breeder, or a backyard family litter way before EVER signing away my rights to my family member. They can keep THEIR dogs.

I'm giving up positive reinforcement , tonight my dog won't be getting dinner and tomorrow her breakfast will be earned not given

WTF has happened to the world of dogs with all this crap? It's really bizarre. It's like a load of hysterical women have taken it over.
Can't push a dog off you. Can't pull a dog's lead. Can't even shout "NO!". Yet they're feeding their dogs with meat...meat from cows and chickens raised in cages and brutally handled and killed. Unless they're all vegan I can't see that they're not all complete hypocrites for starters. And anyway, it's not remotely cruel in the first place.

I guess these idiots that believe in only positive reinforcement are really dumb. All you do is teach discipline that is not harmful to the dogs at all and is the only way to to teach discipline! Can’t teach discipline with treats.😊

Great advice thank you

Actually thanks to one of your videos on “correcting pulling” my fisted dog is doing amazing. Your technic within 10 minutes I tried and it worked!!!

The leg corrections are very helpful and most dogs get it. Using an only positive training style with a wild animal, which the pack and their moms do not use only positive corrections, is insanity. There is a balance to everything and every dog is different.

Have you ever seen dogs use positive reinforcement on each others bad behaviour? The positive only people are a bunch of brainwashed clowns

I notice the way he pop the lease, he does it side way. So he won’t hurt the dog. Btw, no method is gold standard, one must adjust to different dogs and situations.

I would've loved to rescue a dog but these shelters are their own worst enemy with all their red tape😑

Most rescues I know of where I live would do the same. (Yes I know I’m blocked). Finally figured how you have almost only positive comments. You block all but your bots.

I know a woman whos obsessed with positive training has had/got two reactive dogs (dobermanns) and has never stopped it, i used beckmans method on my rescue dobe and shes now fine

I have a good friend w 3 dogs living nearby. We talk about our dogs, yes. I NEVER accidentally mention how I've untrained some new devious naughty behavior if it doesn't align w her positive reinforcement principles. It's akin to discussing religion, politics & (these days) COVID vaccination status 😂😮😅

Wow. You just explained why I interact with dogs the way I do!

You should have a new series Joe. Name it 'Story Time With Becky'

I got a 60 lb boxer from Ohio boxer rescue, only met him in the backyard with my dog. The dog was horrible once we got him home. I had a doberman and everything was fine until the second day. My house has a lot of stairs found out he couldn't use them then started attacking my other dog cuz she wanted to play. Well I took him to the vet come to find out he had hip dysplasia and arthritis, he was 6. Put on pain meds and arthritis meds. He needed a $6000 surgery. So I called to the rescue to take him back 2 months later, they did because they lied, they knew. They denied knowing what was wrong with him. I tried again a year later and was denied because the boxer was returned. Not only paying $600 for him and $2500 in vet bills these fk'rs banned me and so did hand me down dobes. They work together for donations from pity on the dogs, now that I know how they work I will never try again. Edited to say this. They have standards and pages of paper work that are ridiculous it's like a power grab.

I feel force free or “positive only” motto is death before correction -
I was going adopt an 2 year old Akita/Husky that had been running loose chasing buffalo his whole life. I was supposed to sign a contract pledging I would only ever use a harness. This dog was going to top out around a 100lb - I am 5’2”. Needless to say I did not adopt this dog. My husband also got in trouble for tapping his butt to learn to sit. The poor people that finally adopt are going to miserable Akitas aren’t the easiest dog to train in first place,

I was helping misplaced dogs after Katrina and used yours and Cesar methods when I had a wild large one and was corrected by the organizer- no cruelty/ pain was involved

The only thing I don’t like about ANY dog trainer, positive, balanced, triangle, whatever, is the massive egos they all have.

That's correct Beckman !! You're not kicking the dog.. Just lifting your leg. ....

I understand the lifestyle argument but for the sake of the life of the dog I think it's better to just let it go while you're at the pound and start correcting the behaviour at home. You are saving these dogs' lives, don't forget it.

Some people would rather see a dog in a kennel, or worse in a bag, rathen than with someone that is able to give them the discipline that they need.
The feelings over reason mentality has ruined our society.

Show me a force free veterinarian

I've seen the same thing happen at the local rescue I volunteer at. It's the reason only work with cats instead of dogs.

You're not allowed to correct a dog or even teach the dog commands. Every dog gets a harness and you're not allowed to pull back or lead the dog, which drags people around and injures shoulders and backs. If a dog jumps on you, you're not allowed to provide any correction, only offer a treats. This positive reinforcement DOES NOT WORK.

Positive reinforcement only cements bad behaviours in dogs and causes humans to get hurt. It's not good for anyone involved.

Positive Trainers care more about their training methods than the dogs life!

It's a sad world that the shelter won't allow you to adopt a dog because your training methods don't align with theirs. They are seriously making this somewhat like a political thing. Same dog will be killed soon because nobody will adopt.

I love your techniques, but sometimes you have to read the room. If you want to adopt a dog from the shelter you have to just shut up and do what it takes to get the dog, then everyone is a winner. These people have their own rules, agendas, and ideas, and there is a time for resting on principle and a time for doing what is right for your end goals, which is to get the dog and give it their best lives.

Lots of hills to die on, this one, for this person, is not one of them - you won't change their minds, and you won't win !

I've used Joel's methods with my Bernese Mountain Dog. I've had her since she was 8 weeks. She's a year old now and yesterday a woman asked me who the trainer was because she was the best 1 year old dog she'd ever seen. I told her about videos and that I trained her. Not 1 cent to professional trainers. She couldn't believe it. The proof is in the pudding, Joel's methods work.