An Appeal for an Open Conversation

This is a part of Michael's reaction to the methodologies and tools debate currently raging in the dog training community.

[@bernadettetibazi7893]

Yes! Thank you! You are a Master trainer and I always learn so much from your posts. -‘Othering’ is an epidemic.

[@akikoyoshida5074]

It is so going against of flow & current of the tings out there to shut things down in 2025. Everything on the face of earth have " a set of their own uniqueness " . So there is no way as to " one way, one size fit all" . We all should taking advantage of this era of internet , stay educated & keep on moving🙏🙏🙏🙏 Negativity is strong always. Don't give it more power than they have already. There is always a better outcome when we united. Thank Mr. Elis for all the things he does 💕💕💕

[@E1VM]

Micheal is the best.

[@Jlo_dogs-v6w]

Both sides were articulate and polite, but the nature of such opposing views can make the conversation feel quarrelsome, which might hurt feelings. I think most new dog owners listening to this radio show would likely have sided with the woman, given her strategy of replacing the e-collar with tools like the whistle she mentioned. However, Michael’s thoughtful analogy about discomfort in the sun adds an important layer to the discussion, reminding us that discomfort, while unpleasant, can serve a valuable purpose. Ultimately, it’s a nuanced conversation, and both perspectives offer valuable insights. Thanks for bringing this conversation to a wider audience, especially for those outside California.

[@naufeltajudeen3769]

Othering is definitely the problem. Trying to actually address where the misunderstanding would at least be productive Our love and fascination of dogs is where we all start

[@burrt]

Where can we find this radio show conversation recoding? Also, might as well reference episode 269 of the canine paradigm podcast.

[@burrt]

"State of the Bay Emeryville Mayor John Bauters / E-Collar Ban for SF Dogs? / Author Sarah Ladipo Manyika"

[@FluffyDog303]

I think he is talking about a radio show a few years back…. The ban proposal failed.

[@gmelliot19]

I disagree with this message. Yes we need to have OPEN discussion about ETHICS. But this isn't possible if one side of the dog training world consistently misleads the public about the SCIENCE. Before we can have open discussion of ethics people need to have honest discussion about advantages, limitations, costs, risks of different training approaches/methods/tool. I think *ethical* and *science-based* balanced trainers need to go "on the offense" and counter the misinformation that is propagated about aversive methods/tools. Many force free trainers are totally incompetent and they blatantly lie to or emotionally manipulate owners. I've seen this first hand many times. That's not to say there aren't trainers that overuse/misuse/abuse aversive tools.

[@CharlieTheCaneCorso]

We combat poor quality ideas with better quality ideas

[@dogwalkrehab150]

I find most dog training a scam. Unnecessarily over complicating their program, to justify the ridiculous price tags