Reacting to My Most Controversial Video Ever

Reacting to the last episode which was a little controversial. Here is the original video: • My Dog’s First Time at...
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[@zakgeorge]

Hey guys! Thanks for the feedback on everything and I really appreciate your support! And regarding the paintings in the background, they are straight! Haha! It’s just the slightly distorted camera angle!😜🤔

[@JacquelineRPrice]

Include the mistakes. I guarantee you that I'll make them and I hope to learn from how you handle them.

[@YoloMasterGamerTag]

Thumbs up to you on how you decided to make this video! I still think people don’t understand what you are doing with your dog and they want to put their two cent like they did and know like you said the experience of her history.

[@MsCandycorn]

Yes, lol. I noticed that too, the camera angle. Please don't change your videos, they are so honest and real, and we learn just as much if not more from your mistakes! Thank you so much for everything you do!

[@Chloe_does]

Who painted them?! They are brilliant

[@ajhlh7]

You are a great trainer and i really appreciate your videos. They are super clear and you show us the highs and lows of training in real life. I think you did good. Please keep doing this ! When you show us things didn't go well it helps us to feel we are doing okay when our own puppy training is not on track. When trainers show sunshine and rainbows its misrepresenting how training really is. Thats why so many dog owners give up and settle with poorly trained dogs thinking my puppy wont get it they never will. Training takes a long time and a lot of effort. It is never perfect as you are working with an animal who doesn't know what that means.

[@ritzenhoffbv]

He presents training in 7 days. Each of 7 items are commands that he believes a dog should know. They are presented in part ii of the book kzbin.infoUgkxK8-VQWpYThx4IC6MiIvb6VS1ebTzzdxq . The parts of the guideare divided: part i know your dog part ii the seven commands part iii cures for 7 behavior problems. Each chapter presents a topic, a dog's story, and a "what to do". It was written simply and you can jump from chapter to chapter to review anything as needed.

[@alnitty1142]

I would say sit, stay lay down.

[@bossDmaster]

Keep showing us “mistakes”. Real life isn’t perfect and especially not when working with animals. I am new to training and seeing how you react in certain situations is extremely helpful when I am trying to figure out what to do with my dog. For what its worth, I didnt see anything that bothered me. I found the video extremely helpful especially for me as I am trying to figure out how to deal with an anxious dog in public. Some of the best content I’ve seen on KZbin. Keep it up.

[@daphnefokes8593]

I agree with this 1000%! I remember in his early videos with Inertia, that people were asking if the training always went as well as it did during the 20-30 minute video. They were asking to see "mistakes", to know and be reassured that things don't always go smoothly when training your pup/dog.

[@tash2166]

Exactly... That's what I was saying.... But you said it better lol

[@paullane8798]

The mistakes make this series enjoyable and informational. Glad you did a reaction video on a controversial topic. Might be helpful to do a video on reactiveness vs aggression and how dogs communicate. Having a plan in the case of reactiveness, to fall back on will help.

[@alexyes4290]

This is the real life, you’re doing a great job and helping a lot of people. Thanks for sharing and expose yourself to the comments of all these perfect people who never make mistakes 😏

[@melissabaskin8371]

This 🙌🙌🙌

[@avtircaritas8229]

I thought she had actually bitten another dog. She didn't. She warned another dog off. Big difference. You and Inertia did fine. The owner of the other dog did the right thing, too.

[@spiritualjoy721]

Me, too. I almost didn’t watch the video because I feared a dog fight or bite. This is regrettable but normal and taught me not to overact if I face a similar scenario. I also thought there were a few instances when I would have left but Zack explained why he chose not to and I learned from that. Overall, good teaching video.

[@dundalis]

You can absolutely know how your dog will react in any situation by reading their body language (Inertia was clearly scared out of her mind well before they even went into the park, the quick lip licking and head twitching is not relaxed or even normal excitable behaviour) and by having fully trained cues into them which should have happened waaay before 6 months of age. If you can’t get your dog to sit, pay attention when you call or give constant eye contact even without any real distractions around, they simply don’t recognise you as a leader. How a professional trainer struggles with that after 6 months is mind boggling. And it’s not about simply being imperfect, these are literal basic behavioural canine commands that dogs will pick up within weeks if properly reinforced. If any of this was true for inertia, she would have been 10x more relaxed at that dog park, because she would have taken comfort in her owner as a leader taking charge of any situation. Even nervous dogs with a strong leader will not act like that. You don’t even need to be a professional to know this stuff.

[@powersmile012]

if it was a dobbie, rot, gs, those nip will punch a hole on the *most muscular strong human you can see

[@parkermaccrate5969]

@@powersmile012 I’m pretty sure that’s a bite not a nip, nips don’t break skin, a bite has a very clear definition

[@parkermaccrate5969]

There is literally a grade scale

[@fihja9399]

Honestly it's more frustrating training a dog when you see someone else do it "perfectly"

[@elvinlee7592]

It's the beauty of video editing.or the facade of "being perfect". A person only willing to show a story of perfection is an insecure person.

[@allysoncashion2268]

Absolutely!!!! We have a 2 year old lab. My husband and I were looking up all these training videos and all these dogs were responding perfectly. Therefore, when we tried the same things with our extremely playful distracted lab, we were like uh....what? (After like 10 minutes and nothing had worked) so yes! I appreciate you showing us mistakes and real life situations!!!

[@Lassie_W]

100% agree with you @fhja and it's because nearly all other dog training videos on KZbin are contrived. Reiterating what a lot of people have said about zack and his training, is that it's the mistakes that are made that make these video's so relatable and enjoyable to watch because they are REAL!

[@tanyaroberson9394]

That's so true. When you watch a lot of youtube videos where trainers dogs do everything perfectly you start to feel like there's something wrong with yourself and your dog.

[@stephaniehancock4437]

Even “perfection” has its moments.

[@jordangunther1819]

The mistakes are one of the main reasons I value this series so much.

[@smadworld8515]

Ok

[@Cherry-jz8ee]

Same

[@demarcusjhonson3997]

Is it because your a mistake

[@Cherry-jz8ee]

DeMarcus Jhonson dang way to be mature. It’s not funny, you look like you need sympathy.

[@kyleruss2949]

That’s cinda dry

[@katherinemercer2950]

I hope you leave ‘controversial’ stuff or ‘mistakes’ in. Showing the reality of dog training is a part of your goal for the series, and importantly, it’s a picture of what happens in the real world. You’re awesome, Zak!

[@sherimichaelmay2776]

I find your honesty refreshing, dogs and dog training is not a perfect science. You dont hide the absolute truth, its unfortunate that not everyone can handle seeing it, most don't get to.

[@amay4203]

Everyone has already said it thousands of times (literally) but your training videos are incredibly helpful, you're obviously a lovely guy and you actively empower dog owners. No mistakes seen.

[@Nanito354]

No, don’t omit the mistakes. I rather see the reality and ups and downs of training and life. I actually respect you a lot more for this. Thank you

[@maryrk0904]

I love seeing the mistakes. It drives me bonkers when I see trainers do one move and all of the sudden the dog is “fixed.” It sets an unrealistic expectation when working with animals and causes a lot more frustration between owners and dogs when they portray training as one and done. Keep up the great work, I know I sincerely appreciate the honesty!

[@GrandisSilva]

Sometimes they also talk about the training like it's *easy* too, which really bugs me. Yes, the concepts are often simple, but the actual training process takes care and time! I love that Zak talks about that, and all the variation needed to solidify skills.

[@elvinlee7592]

@@GrandisSilva lots of time and repetition! You hit that nail on the head and drove it home!

[@Magicme79]

“You can’t reinforce fear by comforting your dog.” I used to believe that myth when I had my first dog and that is definitely one of the training mistakes that I regret. My current dog has only been scared once, during a thunderstorm. I spent some time hugging and comforting him (he likes to be held) and then he was suddenly brave enough to go look out the window at the weather.

[@Nado_89]

You can't reinforce the feeling, but sometimes we are reinforcing the behaviours created by the feeling. Conditioning happens in moments, so it's impossible to always be reinforcing or not reinforcing the behaviours we want.

[@dsds7903]

It is always better to be safe than sorry though and opportunity to play is a dime a dozen. Relax and chill out.

[@AnimalEmancipation]

Aww thanks for sharing ❤️

[@AmyWildAdventures]

I think the tricky part in the 'comforting your dog is bad' "myth" is that some people are prone to attempt comfort with either "it's okay, it's alright, you're okay" spoken in a very anxious tone, which communicates to the dog that actually yes there's something to be afraid of - and thereby promotes fear. Or secondly they pat or otherwise actively reward their dog while exhibiting inappropriate behaviour e.g. barking out of control. Calmly removing your dog from a fearful situation is completely different and totally okay, as is rewarding your dog when it's nervous but showing impulse control by not barking/running etc. Nothing is so simple when it comes to those sweeping statements, I find!

[@LyLy-ct9ib]

I found nothing wrong with the interaction. The other dog literally ran straight into her. She “told” the dog not to do it again. She didn’t attack him. I feel that would translate into a human interaction like someone runs at you on purpose and you say “wtf? Knock it off!” We, and dogs, are allowed to have boundaries and to defend them without being accused of “attacking”.

[@Slothth]

Exactly. She got bulldozed by an larger, more intimidating dog and defended herself when she felt unsafe. She was never mean to any other dogs, because none of the rest scared her. It looked similar to when a cat reacts to a dog being too rough.

[@lisawalker5607]

I couldn't have said it better!

[@katiemccloskey9630]

Ly Ly I 100% agree with you. My puppy is now 4 months old. There have been times when other dogs have played way too roughly with her and knocked her over, or completely squished her. In this situations she might give a little bark and a few air snaps as a warning. This isn’t her being aggressive. It’s her saying hey please don’t do that, I didn’t like it and please back off. I think people need to understand there’s a difference between being scared and sending a warning and actually being aggressive and attacking.

[@josephpedone9147]

Just a normal correction. People want dogs to be perfect but people to get “ aggressive” when they do. It’s crazy.

[@tylerminard]

You're half right and half wrong.. Yes she was defending her boundaries, however her response was and is still inappropriate. Inertia isn't at fault as early on she exhibited signs of a flight response and clearly showed she was overwhelmed and afraid. As a professional he really should have read the warning signs well in advance and have prevented this from happening. From the beginning you can see that Inertia is lacking confidence and is a bit overwhelmed even before she gets into the park. When she is in the park her body language is reeking of fear and she is cornering herself, this appears to be defensive as she is limiting the directions the dogs can come towards her however it is also extremely overwhelming because her flight response absolutely can not happen as she has nowhere to run. He continued to overwhelm her by keeping her in the park even though she was given more space, she was above threshold and eventually it led to her hiding under a bench. All of this is stacking fear response, increasing the cortisol in her blood (stress hormone), and ultimately leading to a fear-aggressive response as she cannot run away from the other dogs. These types of situations can escalate very quickly and can be very traumatic for the dogs involved on both sides. While you could throw a bunch of dogs together and hope for the best there are definitely things you can do to have more control over the environment and variables present and ease her into it to ensure that these kinds of things don't happen. He should have spent more time trying to desensitize her, get her comfortable, and build a gradual positive association instead of running into the deep end. I don't think either dog was at fault here, yeah the dog may have been RUDE and OVERWHELMING however this should have been handled appropriately and it should have been prevented as it was being monitored by a professional. Zak misread the situation completely and the proof is in Inertia's reaction and the end result. I also am a professional dog trainer and I admire Zak and what he's trying to show here and spread the word about positive dog training and everything, however he simply made a mistake that he shouldn't have. Mistakes happen though and I hope Inertia is doing well and it doesn't set her back on socialization too much.

[@AllieKatt11]

Good lord! Just goes to show you, it doesn’t matter how good you are if you make the smallest mistake the internet will tear you apart. You have helped me so much with my dog. I appreciate you.

[@HenryRob]

We ordered thissince we are planning to get a dog and we've watched dog lover on tv many times. The book kzbin.infoUgkxGQVgV21bQ7B9b9duQ1ByImyT9xHbjOKq is a simple read and easy to understand. I like that it gives examples. We haven't put it into practice yet, so that will be the true test.

[@yogogoyogirlyogogoyo]

If someone ran me over like that I’d be throwing down too!

[@lena9378]

Lol I actually did bite someone when i was younger for doing shoving me off the bars Inertia behaved so much better than me

[@dundalis]

Good thing dogs aren’t like humans. A more appropriate translation of behaviour here would be closer to someone talking loud and another person being so scared and nervous they threw a punch. The nervous, scared dog is almost always the most dangerous dog in an altercation like this. But people think it’s the confident dog because it translates directly to human behaviour. Nope

[@reneeh2050]

Videos where things go “wrong” are 100x more valuable to me then watching editing that makes everything “right”. I am training my 16 month Aussie with a similar personality. Just walking him can be a challenge as it’s winter & people let their dogs out their front doors unleashed to do their business. A couple times a week random dogs will run out at my dog - the owner being at their door with a pile of snow between us. I’ve never seen any dog trainer show how to handle these situations. Real life isn’t a perfectly edited video. I appreciate what you’re doing & find it very helpful

[@TheAmyOrtiz]

I agree. Plus it helps me regain my confidence and get my head back in the game when I make my own mistakes and later start questioning myself.

[@ItsViolaRose]

Can you give me any advice on toilet training with snow? Please DM me if you can! My puppy keeps eating snow and peeing so much in the house...she’s trained when there’s no snow!

[@paigegamer7769]

Again here is a responsible owner with her dog on a leash being harassed by neighbors dogs. Be a responsible owner. Don't let your dog harass another at home or in the dog park. If you don't have recall, you can't let them out off leash. It's not fair to everyone else. And don't let Zak tell you that not training recall is ok. He doesn't have it and won't get it with his bad techniques. Inertia doesn't heel on leash either. He won't get that with his poor techniques. Learn something somewhere for real, people!

[@paigegamer7769]

@@ItsViolaRose keep her on a leash when on the pee run and tell her "leave it" and quick snap the leash to get her attention. Do it til she gets it. If snow had poison in it what would you do? Also, make sure winter dryness from the heat inside isn't making her dehydrated and that's why the snow eating.

[@bornofhecate4698]

@@paigegamer7769 why are you watching these videos then? Do you enjoy bashing people's techniques? I think it's important to watch alot of videos, go to seminars, puppy school, many different resources to get this information, his videos are just one source.

[@jamesdoxsee7957]

I love his show and thisjust summarizes and lays out all of the basic methods he uses on the show. What i love about this guide kzbin.infoUgkxKkYeOoCV_w2vPX0CSyVWkhew2c4FYk0d is that you don' need to read the whole book cover to cover ... You can skip to the chapter (lesson) you want to read about. The book is arranged almost as a problem-solving guide ... Here is the problem and here is what you need to know/do to correct it. This man knows his stuff ... But more importantly knows how to teach people how they can work with their pups themselves!

[@jaimeebell5815]

it is so refreshing to see even a professional dog trainer have the same struggles everyone has, it makes me feel less like a failure as a dog owner with a nervous dog

[@sunyalmazan3819]

Jaimee Bell yes!! I enjoy his videos and learn much more his videos because I can actually see his struggles.

[@wertroline]

Exactly! Sometimes I almost cry, because I can't teach my dog to stop pulling on leash when he sees other dogs. I get so frustrated because it looks so easy at some other trainers videos. They just take already trained dog and it looks so easy, but it just make you feel even worse about yourself and you feel you will never succeed

[@ianglenn5905]

@nulnul, you say you almost cry because you can’t teach your dog to stop pulling on leash when he sees other dogs. Is that after having watched Zak George’s videos on dog training? If so, does that not tell you something, namely that these videos are more for entertainment/marketing than for educational purposes?

[@wertroline]

@@ianglenn5905 I've watched many many other trainers videos as well. I'm also in contact in real life with professional trainer, who trains police and assisting dogs. My dog is still a young puppy ( he will be assisting dog in the future, I'm a volunteer who takes care of a dog for a year, then he goes on professional training) and I know I need to be patient and consistent, but sometimes it's hard to believe it will end one day. So even if the advices in many channels are good, it's nice to see sth else then just already trained dog who does all the tricks and makes it look so easy

[@klq3836]

I love the rawness of this series. Raising a puppy isn't always easy and I appreciate seeing a trainer experience and deal with everyday situations like this. When I brought my pup to a local trainer everything was just "too perfect" like her dogs never made any scary mistakes. Thank you Zach and don't change a thing. You and Inertia are in a exciting journey and you totally rock!!

[@skoog7091]

There is an old martial arts quote that works here. "The master has failed more than the student have tried". Please show us more mistakes.

[@robertdickens1975]

So 1 dog corrected another dog, the problem here is what exactly?? It’s normal dog behaviour

[@Luculencia]

She was too fearful before she even went into the park - he set her up to fail and gave her a bad experience at the park. That's the problem in a nutshell.

[@jimmybuckets2663]

Luculencia it wasn’t a bad experience they did not fight and yes she was nervous. My dog was the same way now he has fun in all social situations and understands how he and other dogs should act. A dog is like a person the best way to learn how to do something is to do it. They aren’t machines or slaves, they’re companions.

[@paulabolender6646]

Luculencia did you even watch the video? He explained everything!! 😂 he literally said that she’s usually shy/a bit scared in the beginning but then opens up, that’s y he went in with her! Plus if someone was randomly attacking you I don’t think you would just stand there and not say anything 🤷‍♀️

[@miciahsingleton7369]

yeah but apparently all positive trainers don't believe in corrections at all.

[@xandrathetibetanmastiff1779]

Yes. That dog was acting inappropriate getting in her face and she was setting her boundaries. I don't think the whole experience was bad. She obviously looked relaxed and curious in much of the video. The pup seems a little on the nervous and uncertain side and sometimes you need to put them in those situations so they can take it in and grow some confidence.

[@kymma2589]

I don’t know you but I can tell you have a great heart dude. You love all animals and have shown several times you know what you are doing. You literally gave people a real scenario that people need to be aware of. Ignore what the haters say. Keep making great content .

[@janetweeks5069]

Payton Ashley You just took the words right out of my mouth. Showing mistakes shows that none of us are perfect. It is best to be aware of what could happen in order to TRY to prevent it . Like you said, “ignore the haters”. Their opinions don’t count. Perhaps if they took the time to observe and provide a better solution they could have their opinions respected,, but until that time I have no respect for them. I love this program and have learned a lot from the excellent training.

[@CUniqueTheOneAndOnly]

I am much more hands on then he is. I have an incredible female pitbull. The fact he draws people like me proves how talented he is. Our training styles are nothing alike but I appreciate his work. He is one of the BEST socialization trainers. I love how incredibly patient he is and how consistent he is and how great he is about socialization. Even though we are very different I enjoy watching his technique because he is VERY good at socializing dogs. He never claimed to be a balanced trainer. I think some are confused. He's clearly a positive trainer doing what he loves to do and he's good at it. I don't agree with everything balanced trainers do...but I'm not bashing either. 🙂

[@WideAwakeSpiritually]

I love that all your training is positive and based on creating a bond with your dog. You have nothing to apologize for. There are always people that find wrong in everything. Like you said it’s like raising a child. Each dog is unique as their training has to be also. She is your dog and at the end of the day if people don’t like it they can watch a different video. Lol So it’s very easy to criticize from afar but to have the guts to put yourself out there and be open for criticism speaks very highly of you. Keep making great videos. We certainly need the help training our four legged kiddos. Great job! Thanks again Zak !

[@mikalamccoy1351]

This is exactly how I felt watching this video. You can tell Zak really cares about how his audience feels about his methods. He always seems like such a genuinely nice guy, but it really came through in this video. You could tell this was really tearing him up and I almost felt bad for him watching this. I always refer people to this channel when they ask for training advice. Such a great resource.

[@benjaminp9628]

Agreed, I’m responding to increase the chance he sees your comment and these replies. There’s a really good community in Zak’s subscribers and I’m glad to learn from him and all of you!

[@MissMeganM0810]

Okay, look, I’ve watched the “controversial” video, read some comments, and listened to you try to defend yourself, your thought processes, and your operating style when it comes to KZbin, and I know I am VERY late to all of this, but I wanted to drop my 2 cents in. I don’t think you did anything wrong, and nor do I think Inertia did. With Inertia’s history of being cautious and then warming up, I can understand how you would think she’d eventually be okay. If that bigger dog had run over my pit mix like they had with Inertia, she wouldn’t have been as nice as Inertia was. Inertia was basically saying, “WtF, man?! Back off,”and there is nothing wrong with that in the least. I first discovered your Inertia series when my pit mix (Amy Pond) was, I think, 12wks old. She was continuously play biting with us, and I hadn’t realized at the time that’s what she was doing, and I was frustrated and angry about it. It wasn’t until I discovered your channel and started watching your series, that I understood what was going on and I adapted and became more patient with her. You and Inertia helped me so much in training Amy, and I appreciated seeing all the things that went “wrong” or the instances in training where Inertia didn’t do it right the first time because it showed me how things were likely to go and you showed the best way to react to it. I’m now rewatching the series because we got another puppy (Luka, 10wks old), and I need refreshers. I, honestly, couldn’t be more grateful for you and your channel. Don’t ever change, and don’t apologize for how you do things. ❤️🤗

[@danarzechula3769]

The principal of desensitization is to put the animal close to the feared situation but far enough away it doesn't trigger fear. The mistake was dumping her all at once into a complex social situation she wasn't prepared for. To remove her was right. Then you could introduce to a couple very laid back dogs first. Then return to the outer edges of the park wherever she is not triggered. Possibly a different park. Nothing bad was done just she needed to be more prepared.

[@SusanaDiasAcores]

Respect! You’re the only trainer I’ve seen so far with the balls to show what it’s really like to train a puppy. Kudos and please carry on doing what you’re doing!

[@gang3576]

You must be blind, go look up real trainers like ivan

[@machone539]

Yep. Training puppies.

[@sabinewimmer4540]

I keep being impressed by how level-headed you are and by how professional you are handling this. No need to apologize for anything. It's really too bad that people are harsh on the internet sometimes, however you seem to be approaching it with such great spirit. Please know that I think of your work as important. There is a massive amount of people gaining a lot of knowledge from it.

[@newash101]

It’s like with children. You don’t always wanna always automatically interject

[@nanciannwoodward6530]

Zak...I’m super bummed that you felt you even had to make this reaction video. You are an incredibly talented and patient dog trainer, and it is so refreshing to see the bumps along the way. We just adopted a rescue border collie mix to keep our very active 2 year old Goldendoodle company, and I am always referring back to your videos when we encounter a training challenge (some of which are with the OLDER dog!). I am so grateful for your skillful advice, and I love that you keep it real by leaving in the times when something doesn’t quite go as planned. You are a gift to new and o,d dog owners!

[@eleanormcgill8190]

I own a very anxious dog and when she's pushed, she can appear 'aggressive' to uneducated dog owners. I completely empathise with your situation with Inertia as I've had many situations similar myself! Please keep showing your mistakes, they're really encouraging for all of us who don't own perfect dogs (so literally everyone lol)

[@daisyelmir1289]

Eleanor I hear you. I have a rescue Shepherd/Husky. She was definitely abused...took her 2 years to fully trust me. She's very high strung and protective. I'm 57, had dogs my entire life, she's been my most challenging. 🌼🐕🌼

[@gooddogtrainingservices5351]

Eleanor McGill but he’s feeling into and causing the anxiousness and putting her in situations she clearly isn’t ready for. Even in his house he’s not following basic training protocols

[@eleanormcgill8190]

@@daisyelmir1289 aw bless her! Yeah Skye's a collie and she's been anxious since birth. She's been very challenging but she has my heart and I do my very best with her x

[@eleanormcgill8190]

@Jessica Lang yeah of course I'm very cautious with her and I've gotten to understand her triggers so I'm able to support her

[@eleanormcgill8190]

@@gooddogtrainingservices5351 I can't speak from a qualified dog training perspective but as an owner of 2 dogs (one being anxious) I understand that no one is perfect - both dogs and humans. You can't control all the extraneous variables that affect your dogs behaviour at any given moment. I appreciate his honesty and personally enjoy his videos ☺️

[@smoskira329]

Even the best of us make mistakes. Dogs can be unpredictable sometimes and break their own patterns. And you are awesome for owning up to your mistakes. Don’t feel bad, you’re a great dog owner!

[@XuHqT]

smoskira Yeah hes great for an owner. Terrible for a trainer.

[@willowg792]

@@XuHqT Let me ask what qualifications you have in dog training to be making all these clout chasing videos about Zak and invading the comments throwing insults because you have no real valid response to his reasoning because he's right.

[@bruhbruh2700]

Dr. Pawfessor hows he a bad trainer it’s not his fault inertia reacted like that dogs are just unpredictable

[@Katelyn-in4zg]

No no no. He's the worst trainer I have ever seen. He has ruined his dog.

[@willowg792]

@@Katelyn-in4zg worst you have ever seen? Seriously? What would you rather see then, him hang his dog up like Caeser Millan? Zak is one of the best trainers and he's actually promoting the correct way of dog training and owning up to his small mistakes like him taking her into the park so others can learn from that experience.

[@bryanmccullar4701]

By all means, leave the mistakes in. We need to see these, if only to prove we’re not the only ones making them. As for the opinions of others, well... we all have them.

[@nancyharger158]

Good grief, who doesn't make a mistake. I want to see everything.

[@Treetopflyer777]

You’re a real class-act. A true honest gentleman. An every-persons dog trainer. I’m a fan 4 life. Well done.

[@myleschouinard9769]

Im an eveyday person who followed Zak's instrution with detrimental results. Only after i abandoned his techniques did i see a difference. I feel his instrucrtion is dangerous and had been for me

[@Treetopflyer777]

Myles Chouinard any examples you’d like to share? It’s easy just to provide blanket negative feedback. Specific examples might give credit to your feedback.

[@rony603]

Tom D. Example : reactivity

[@AtLeastITriedGames]

This "mistakes" is what makes me confident about training my dog. I never saw the "not working" moments of training a dog, so now I know that my dog is not a "bad dog". This helps me to have way more patience with him because I espect from him what he can offer with his age.

[@pauline1072]

Always have patience no matter age. And there are no bad dogs, only bad owners, so whenever your dog does something wrong, think about how you can teach him in a better way how to behave :) Then keep reinforcing for the rest of his life, because they will mess up once in a while :) Your dog always wants to please you, they're programmed that way. ;)

[@GrandisSilva]

@@pauline1072 I think this is the challenge with only seeing 'perfect' dog training, too. If you try what you've seen on KZbin and it doesn't work with your own dog, it's easy to think you're no good - that you're a 'bad owner' - when maybe you're actually very good but just need either more time or a slightly different tactic.

[@jonathanleitch6176]

I’ve gained SOOOOOO much from this series. Thanks a million times.

[@AlGauthierphoto]

Absolutely keep sharing your full experience. That’s what makes your videos so important. You give context to dog training and the work involved and you show us what to do when things don’t work. That’s more valuable than showing when things work often.

[@lilyh6853]

I really don’t see how people found this a problem

[@vladeckk21]

Me neither. He moved in as soon as there was a problem. We can't wrap our pups in cotton, imo. (Because they'd eat it and it would get stuck in their butts....)

[@DevonKocevski1]

EVERYONE finds something wrong with everything on the internet lol.

[@alberth5551]

Agree. Dogs letting other dogs know their boundaries is just part of their nature. The owners need to pay attention to this behavior just to prevent things from escalating. Unfortunately dogs can be very unpredictable at times.

[@allisonsmith374]

Zak- It never even crossed my mind that you were being negligent with Inertia at the dog park. It makes me feel like I'm not alone that my dog's experiences don't always go as smoothly as I'd like since I'm still training her. Please continue to include stuff like this. It makes me feel like my mistakes are ok with my pup. Everyone makes them!!

[@alixtheprofessionalcatherd6850]

Common sense should have told you that some of the things he was doing at the park was wrong. It's honestly scarey what some people will believe on the internet.

[@sheilacusanelli9069]

Allison Smith I agree! I was waiting for the controversial part. Being I am not a dog trainer I would have gotten worried and removed my dog right away. However my dog is very unpredictable and I fear her biting other dogs or other people.

[@bickle8931]

No these were dangerous mistakes that could have gotten his dog or another dog hurt. The dog was giving clear signs that it was not a smart idea to put it in a dog park.

[@tpore2784]

people were concerned with the "air snaps?" Typical dog behavior to demonstrate their displeasure with how the other dog is treating them. Happens all the time in wolf packs and dog packs. 100% that no correction should have been given. I think adding correction there would only result in the dog become less confident in itself if it cant feel like it can defend itself. Dog parks are tricky because you dont want them on a leash because it can cause tension for the dog and make them feel restricted so they get extra defensive but at the same time having them off leash and a hundred meters from you could also be trouble if a poorly behaved dog decides to start a fight with them.

[@skatemore33]

The only reason those are "air snaps" are not actual bites is because the other dog moved his snout faster than she could bite him. Play it in 0.5x speed and tell me that's not the case. Zak utterly failed every dog and person in this video by not reading or understanding Inertia's body language and putting her into a situation that she was obviously not ready for or comfortable with.

[@d2anny05]

I appreciate hearing your thought process as you walk through this situation. It's helpful to see/hear how you approached the situation, and in hindsight what you might have done differently. It helps us consider how we can work with our pups in similar situations. These types of situations happen every day!

[@degausser48]

We're raising a pup who is around 2 months younger then Inertia and I can't stress how helpful and important your series has been for us. Especially as first-time puppy parents it's really easy to worry that you're doing something wrong if things don't go perfectly when training as most online guides paint a picture of what success looks like - but don't always show what the road to success is like. Being able to see a puppy having 'real' training experiences has provided so much reassurance and helped us through some of those tougher milestones. Our puppy is 6 months old now and he's an absolute dream - and i'd definitely credit a ton of his success to your series. Please do keep mistakes in your videos - and also please do more of these 1:1 style videos - really nice to hear from you in this format. All the best.

[@elinormacgregor5259]

Hardly a mistake, an unexpected reaction from Inertia, and you dealt with it quickly and kindly. You are a great dog trainer.

[@jasonfunderburger572]

@@JimiInTheJungle the thing is she was showing fear throughout the entire experience, and when she inevitably showed fear aggression, he didn't remove her completely from the situation. After that she looked TERRIFIED of other dogs: tail tucked, back almost arched, she even hid under a bench, for crying out loud. And even after all of that he didn't take her away from the dog park.

[@savannacole8813]

it’s not even a huge deal. I watched another video where MCMAN training critiques this video for like 45 min... I get that MCMAN training and others are good dog trainers but the fact of the matter is- there isn’t a black and white way to train a dog. It depends on the dog, it depends on the trainer. This wasn’t a disastrous situation she simply nipped at the other dog because she had clearly had enough rough play. she is the smaller dog in that situation and she was asserting that she was done playing. Yes it was aggression but it wasn’t as serious as people are making it out. Honestly this was good content showing anvery normal situation. As zak said in the video it’s good to show the “mistakes” in all other dog training videos you only see what they want you to see. A lot of the videos are not relatable at all. You watch the video and go “wow they make it look easy. in the mean time they didn’t show the time they went to the dog park and things didn’t go exactly as planned. They don’t make themselves vulnerable and show when they made a wrong decision or any of their behavior failures with the dogs they are training. no matter what level of dog trainer you are, you will not simply walk up to a dog and have it learn and do everything you want without trial and error while you learn about the dogs specifics wants needs gears and behaviors.

[@Blueeyesinthesky]

brick DUDE the dog BUMPED into inertia. Before that she was being cool with the other dogs. She was also still learning how to socialize with the other dogs. Now I get if people were mad if she was like 5 years old and fully trained at a high level and reacted like that, but she’s a fucking puppy. It’s not a big deal and she didn’t even attack the other dog. She just got pissed and reacted out of fear

[@Blueeyesinthesky]

Savanna Cole exactly, thank you lol

[@old4104]

I saw the bite miles away. Not unexpected. The dog does not trust or Respect him. I am a dog walker. No dogs are allowed to bite or pull. If he is a dog trainer why is only his dog acting out and not the other dogs at the park? And in fact the other dogs corrected an unwanted bahavior (the lab and the shepherd) the shepherd knew she was weak. So he is a dog trainer that allow dogs to fear everything. The bark means (i am nervous dont come near me) she does not know how to handle a situation. She is fearful. All that Just cus she has nobody to trust. ?Just questions?

[@ajones601]

Thank you for being transparent! It’s actually very encouraging to see that it doesn’t always go perfect because it rarely goes perfect for me. Thank your for sharing your training with us! It has been so valuable to me and my fur babies!

[@TheMischAxelChannel]

Totally true, whoever has or had a fearful or just worried dog know that the dog reacts this way, my dog was unfortunately bitten by a big dog, and from that moment, whenever a dog run on her, she instantly shows the teeth. We need to understand our dogs not just yell at them...

[@dundalis]

People who think this is fine behaviour and just allow it are also responsible for terrible and sometimes even dangerous dog behaviour in public. It’s not just “fine” and dogs are not humans

[@cjanderson2371]

Honestly, as a dog trainer to dog trainer, I don’t think this was a huge “mistake”. You had so many variables and a history of her loosening up. How were you to know that she would be more stressed there than other places? Sure, in hindsight, maybe she was pushed to quickly on that very day, but who’s to say that on another day she wouldn’t have been fine. Also, the other dog there - the lab - had absolutely no manners or boundaries, and for a teenage dog who’s developing mentally and physically, it was a lot. It wasn’t your fault that the other dog was a bit over the top (which is why I don’t like dog parks to begin with... the other dogs). You handled the situation extremely well. Every experience trainer - and I mean EVERY trainer no matter what methods they use to train - will at some point experience a situation like this. We all have so much information and variables to calculate during a session in addition to the fact that dogs can be like people - some days are just too much, and it’s hard to always tell when and we’re that will be 100% of the time. The best you can do is read their body language, know their personalities, know their limits to the best of your ability, and assess the environment. You did all of these things. You also handled the situation calmly and allowed Inertia a bit of a cool down before leaving the park. That allowed her to process what happened after the fact rather than just pull her out without actually leaving on a relatively good note. Now, had this been an actual dog aggressive dog with a bite history, no way would you or I have put a dog in the middle of a crazy dog park like this. But Inertia isn’t aggressive, just nervous and learning how to mentally absorb everything around her (she’s also a border collie I might add 🤣). Anyways, I really appreciate the fact that you took the time to share your thoughts about Inertia’s reaction, so that people who don’t understand dog behavior or training at the level you do will get why you made the decisions you made. Also, I really appreciate the fact that you chose to post the dog park video when you could’ve left it out altogether. That’s a bold move, considering how crazy people can get when it comes to raising and training dogs - on social media, too 😬 Thanks again for sharing. People need to see real world scenarios. It allows people to understand that you can’t plan everything perfectly when training an animal, and you have to adjust to the situation ON YOUR TOES to the best of your ability. You’re videos are great, and I see no reason for anyone to complain about what you just shared ❤️

[@Barneyjo]

Chaya Anderson exactly 👍

[@elizabethtaylor4448]

I totally agree with you. Making videos about dog training might be Zacs bread & butter but people must also remember he is also her dad, not just a trainer. It makes your reactions very different. I think Sacs doing very well to keep it real. I don't agree with all his techniques same with Caesar Milan. Doesn't mean he's wrong or not doing it right. There are many ways to eat an Oreo but taste the same with each method.

[@righton6442]

I have a dog who is not socialized. She's a year old. When I take her to the vet she is not happy with the other dogs and she tucks her tail between her hind legs and hides under my chair while she barks at the other dogs. She's really sweet and not mean but she does have to be in certain situations in order for her to be more obedient and well behaved. She has gotten better by my just taking her into certain situations. For some of us there is no way around it. I've never owned a dog before, and I like that Zak put the dog in an "unfamiliar," setting. For those like me who is learning everything about dogs by having a dog, I saw nothing wrong with his video. People are being a little too touchy. It's real life. I need real experiences.

[@717379]

Chaya Anderson Great comment!

[@shortforsophie]

Chaya Anderson your comment is so good I feel like I should click and give you high value rewards.

[@CARDSSerus]

Honestly when I first got my dog I was sick of every video being a clearly already well trained dog, so this series is great

[@ADaniello9]

We got a new puppy in July and we reference Zak George all the time in my house. "Zak said this.." and "Zak said that.." You are the best! Everything has worked thus far. Thank you so much for your guidance!

[@alis2471]

The internet doesn’t love to tell you how to train your dog, they love to tell you how to do anything and everything. Your videos have helped me so much, thank you. I’m sorry people are unforgiving.

[@MetalMouth6963]

She gave a social cue. She wasnt being mean, she was startled. You can see that the big dog started backing up and Inertia got removed from the scary situation. They were not fighting and if they were, she again would have been removed from the situation

[@randiruder5883]

I’m sad to know you received controversy over this. The experience is what this series is about and real raw details should be a part of that. Thank you for all you do!

[@tdonithan863]

I have watched all your videos up to this point and it’s so refreshing to see your reality of having a dog/puppy in every situation. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t had an “interesting” experience at a dog park. I appreciate all this information in as real time as possible. We are getting a puppy at the end of July and I’m so excited to use your books and these videos.

[@ritaaustin1674]

I so appreciate seeing that the dogs that are not perfect and the owner response!!! I often feel like I am not getting something right because my dog isn't getting it in the first two or three tries. Or, we are doing fine, then suddenly it seems like all lessons forgotten. Its great to know not everything goes perfect!! Thank you for transparency. .

[@ashleetibbets9272]

Zac I recommend you to literally everyone I meet with a puppy. Your positive reinforcement training with dogs and your positivity towards humans is inspiring. Keep on being you! We love you for real bro.

[@bekinddiattidkhow5153]

Ditto^!! ZAC, You helped me teach my sweet Maycee. She's such a great dog! I couldn't have done it w/o you! I love your videos! THEY'RE THE BEST because they are REAL LIFE, REAL TIME training! Thank you!

[@ArtAliveOnline]

Ashlee Tibbets I’m the same, see people on my facebook asking for help, and I send them right over to Zak’s youtube / Instagram

[@Jackiegoal]

The main reason I'm watching these series is because of the honesty and kind of unfiltered nature, really. You show and voice your deliberations which is much more helpful than pretending you're in a perfect world. We're currently raising a 14mo old German shepherd and make mistakes on a daily basis (we're getting better). It really helps to talk to people about these mistakes instead of the successes because others' points of view help us make better decisions in the future. Our dog, for instance, will approach other dogs quite similarly to the dog in the video (walking straight up instead of approaching carefully) which can make other dog owners nervous about him playing with their dogs. Seeing this from the other side makes us very aware of the effect his behaviour can have on other dogs. This is incredibly helpful.

[@JJ-qb1yl]

Well said Zak. Appriciate your content and for being so real which is the main reason I watch your videos, and only yours. I am also a new dog owner to a border collie which we have had for a month now from the age of 11months and your videos has helped me tremendously... Thank you!

[@McLovinPopeIII]

Thank you for you candor and transparency. I’ve been watching your videos for a long while. I feel you’ve done as much as anyone can do for their dog. Keep up with the great content and know you have a large amount of support from the community.

[@ech4949]

Although I don't think you need to apologize for anything, this is a really great video. And yes, keep the mistakes in. It's truly what sets you apart from other celebrity dog trainers. You are much more realistic, down-to-earth, and genuine! Thanks for the great content, Zak!!

[@nathalieriche]

this. the real experience is priceless. makes you understand that even pros dont get it done right away. Please keep the failures, trials and mistakes in.

[@tahqiqtv9051]

💞💟💞💞

[@SilverAnemosLupa]

I really dont see this as a mistake honestly. You know how Inertia reacts and interacts with new dogs, you watched her body language and responses and made judgements from there that I felt were very valid, and you intercepted when things showed signs of not going so well. Like how people have to learn language, "dog language" and boundaries are learned through interactions like this. Dogs arent born knowing how to behave with other dogs, its learned through play and interaction. And to the people claiming you needed to punish her for setting boundaries to the dog who barreled into her, I sure hope if yall have dogs you treat them kindly. Zaks entire channel is based around a positive reinforcement based training, not fear inducing punishments

[@wolfbinary]

You know honesty during this day in age is so hard to come by and taking accountability is really refreshing. How can anyone learn without it.

[@Sar-pe8dt]

I love the way you train and I'm learning a lot from you through this huge experience of puppy training. Please do NOT omit the mistakes! They really help keep the whole process in perspective. Thankyou!

[@cherylschaeffer7832]

Hi, Zak. As a fellow dog trainer, I've been following this series. While I do some puppy training, it's not my focus (I do more behavior modification work mostly with adult dogs). That said, I wanted to weigh in. I think your series is wonderful and a real benefit to anyone who is getting a young puppy and raising the puppy from almost the beginning of the pup's life. Now to the specific episode you are referring to. While I don't like dog parks for health reasons as well as I've seen far too many owners who were not paying attention to their dogs, I think your initial approach in bringing her in was fine. As you know, one challenge we face in bringing a dog into a dog park is different dogs have different play styles. That's why owners need to be attentive to the dogs to monitor this. Inertia did well until the larger dog ran over/into her. At that point, the dog didn't move off and clearly Inertia was upset. I don't know why the other dog's owner didn't immediately get his dog away from Inertia, but I'm sure this all happened rather quickly. You came in to remove Inertia as she air snapped at the larger dog who was not backing off. That was the right thing to do. If Inertia were a larger dog, you might not have been able to pick her up, but I'm sure you would have removed her from the situation regardless. Would I have picked her up? Probably not, but that's because I don't know her and if I could have moved her without picking her up, that would reduce the potential for her to bite me. This being your personal dog, you know best if picking her up during that kind of moment would be ok or not. And picking her up also got her out of the way in case the other dog decided to try to bite her. You just don't know and I wasn't there to evaluate at the moment it was happening. I also would not have given her a hard correction (and I'm a balanced trainer so I'm very well familiar with corrections). It's a judgment call and from what I saw, by the time you ran over, it was too late to correct...you need to stop the situation. In an ideal world, it would be great for Inertia to have been given time to calm down and regain her composure then be re-introduced to the other dog in a more controlled environment to prevent her from having issues with similar dogs. I wouldn't be surprised if you have a video coming up soon about just that... making sure Inertia learns how to behave with larger dogs who are also more pushy/meet and play differently from her. I don't know what the fuss was. You did just fine under the circumstances. And in reality, things happen...things we can't always predict. Leave the parts in your video where things don't go perfectly. When people only show perfection, they give the impression that imperfection never happens and that's simply a lie. Keep going....you're doing a great job!

[@RainyCloud143]

I am not a dog trainer, but my thoughts were along these same lines as your comment. I completely agree with the reasoning here. I also agree with leaving “mistakes” in the videos because that helps people like me to learn how to adapt to challenging situations and things like this that happen unexpectedly. Ultimately thanks Zak for these videos and showing us so many details of dog training! And, thank you Cheryl for your thoughtful and constructive comment!

[@DedgeGhoul]

whoa.... imagine the next video: Inertia socializes with the larger scary dog 🙀

[@rickmartin403]

Spot on, agree 110%

[@NotAMuse]

I second this.

[@cherylschaeffer7832]

@@DLF-do1gj I don't know your experience but I've been working with dogs for 50 years and have seen a lot. The idea of working it out themselves isn't always good. If you know both dogs and know they will sort it out is one thing. But this was a strange dog who has a very pushy style and is holding his/her ground...not yielding space. That is not the time to let the dogs sort it out. Worse yet, this is a dog park. Any other dog could have jumped in to gang up on Inertia as the new dog in the park. Zak is a professional and he handled the situation perfectly for the safety of both dogs as well as other dogs there and the humans.

[@margaretfleming3554]

No mistakes. We don’t like everyone we meet and I believe dogs are the same. She simply told the large dog to give her space. You are one of the best trainers on the internet and I have enjoyed your series.

[@bickle8931]

Margaret Fleming no this was a mistake. That dog was not at all able to handle a dog park and he willfully ignored it.

[@garnetrising630]

@@bickle8931 I respectfully disagree. Throughout the video, Inertia had quite a few positive interactions and handled the park quite well. She was startled by one dog (the yellow lab?) and recovered well. It was strictly being toppled by the shepherd which put her in an overwhelmed state which he addressed when her body language indicated she'd had enough.

[@honzahavlicek309]

Thank you!! It’s so great to see, that it ain’t always so great and easy. I have been looking for someone to show me how to act in these stressful situations. I think these situations decide a lot and you are the first trainer that I found, that’s shows real life training!!! If you show mistakes and explain why you acted a certain way, than there is a chance of people learning how to be better partners for their dogs. My dog is also scared at first, but after a while she gets playful, but when a lot of dogs show up, she gets stressed and defensive. If you’d show the process how you help your dog in these situations and teach him/her proper manners. Thank you 🙏

[@Blankjayr8181]

Thank you for being transparent and “real” please continue to show the failures and the success as we all learn from both

[@taniac.1393]

The learning of dogs , training and their behavior is unending. As a dog trainer myself , with only 2 years of experience, I really admire the sheer unedited honesty that you’ve given me. Add in the mistakes, add in what you learned , add in “in hindsight I shouldOf done this” at the end of the videos so we all can learn that 1-this is what happened 2-this is what I did 3-if it didn’t go well what you should do. Not only do we see you grow as a person along with Inertia , we too can learn your thoughts on this. I stand by your choices to include all of it. At the end of the day most aren’t mistakes , they are lessons learned & this is how we grow as a community. Thank you Zac ! You got this bro ! 💪 Anyone who hasn’t made a mistake raising a dog or a child please go ahead and take a seat! 🤥 We’re all human , and no one is perfect.

[@JR-cooru]

👏👏

[@gooddogtrainingservices5351]

Tania C. But he’s literally written books and given millions advice he can’t even follow? Or that he can’t get to work. He’s ALWAYS got food in their face and half the time they don’t want it... he’s a trick trainer who trained his trick dogs for tv and to show off. BC’s need lots of activity so most train them tricks to keep them occupied. If he was doing just trick training videos I would be all for it but he’s creating most of the issues she has himself. Any decent trainer could see it coming months ago. Resource guarding, insecure, no connection with zak, minimal obedience skills at 6 months...

[@claudiah1037]

@@gooddogtrainingservices5351 Exactly my thoughts! YIKES! Trainwreck! Reads his dog's body language but doesn't react in an appropriate way.

[@rolo0o]

Zak: saying something really important Me: omg he has a painting of Inertia?

[@3summerfriends472]

Ikr

[@rolo0o]

@@3summerfriends472 It's so cute!

[@DianaCB_TX]

Me too lol

[@lowrijmoulding]

Ella indie I’m pretty sure

[@martasemperboni827]

@Ella she's Indy, aka Indiana Jones :)

[@ebeth55]

I recently found you here on KZbin but remember watching you years ago on the Animal Planet. Of course I stumbled across this post as I’ve been watching your videos. I just wanted to say that I really appreciate ALL of your videos and really admire your approach to dog training. I have a new 9 week old puppy and I am learning so much from you. So thank you. :)

[@susanpitt4742]

Thank you for a beautiful analysis of a situation that proved to be difficult for you both. It is always wonderful to see dog trainers showing a 'warts and all' video. We get to learn so much when you show us situations that haven't gone perfectly for you. Thank you for a very humbling video. I'm so sorry that people were not kinder towards you.

[@cjcgaming7265]

"You can't reinforce fear by providing comfort to your dog." THANK YOU!!!!

[@ptacnik]

But you can reinforce bad behavior. Something he's said in many of his other videos. So rewording it as "fear" is disingenuous. And makes the statement completely loaded. Constantly using diversionary tricks while training is one thing, but when it comes to bad behavior that actually effects other people/dogs, you can't just pick up the dog, smile and never correct them on that behavior. (Note: I said correction, not punishment.) It needed to be corrected after 1 simple "warning" turned into 3. (And from the video, it looks like the first 2/3 "warnings" actually made contact. So no that's not just "air snaps.") Mistakes happen. And I'm glad he sees he probably stayed in the park longer than he should have. None of this is end-of-the-world drama. I just think the statement about "reinforcing fear" was misleading. Because it absolutely IS reinforcing bad habits and hes said so himself in several videos.

[@ericzingeler8373]

ptacnik Bad behavior and fearful behavior are not the same. You can’t correct a dog that is acting out of fear.

[@ptacnik]

@@ericzingeler8373 The first bite you could say is out of fear. The second and third time? No, sorry but that is clearly something other than fear. He doesn't know when to stop because hes never been given boundaries. Hence: bad behavior.

[@daniellebarrera6666]

@@ptacnik It's not bad behavior, she's clearly overwhelmed and needed to be removed from the situation, I can understand why he didn't want to remove her just yet cause he KNOWS his dog is the type to bounce back and recover but she was done.

[@MW-xj3rs]

@@ptacnik have to say you got this one wrong. It is clear she was fearful the dog rammed into her and was bigger then her. Nothing wrong with her reaction and the other dog was fine.

[@dannggg]

We’re human. We make mistakes. Don’t apologize for being human. (I didn’t see any mistakes btw. I thought you was patience and calm with inertia).

[@jwiki1]

I know this is an older video but never be afraid to show everything. It’s a learning experience for everyone

[@blinkythelizard]

Wow! I can't believe anything in this video would be called a mistake!! Zak,, you are so dang thoughtful and this is what makes your approach to dogs revolutionary. Your thoughtful review of your dog park visit, and the empathic consideration of Inertia's inclinations, feelings, and developmental history, made me think about how-- if we're willing to pay close attention to the impact of our own behavior--- we can become better humans through our relationships to our dogs. Your honesty and joyful attitude are a gift. THANK YOU!!

[@foreverisover496]

I rarely comment on KZbin videos but I think your series is great! It's so real and it shows problems you run into with training a puppy... It's not always perfect, but I really appreciate that you're never agressive towards inertia. You always try to make training fun and I think that's important and very different from a lot of dog trainers. Thank you for your work!

[@nicolasierfino9943]

I think yous should include the mistakes. I adopted my rescue puppy around the same time you got inertia. Your videos have been a big help, and I think it helps to see your real experiences.

[@melissathibeault544]

Thank you so much for showing all the good and not so good moments of dog training! I really appreciate you showing your trying times as we all have them! Please don’t omit them as we all learn from our mistakes 💕🤗🇨🇦

[@audreypellicano2939]

Do not stop doing what you're doing!!!!! I'm soon to be a proud new owner of a border collie puppy. I've never had a puppy and without your videos, I would never have been prepared to be a good puppy parent! I need to see it all, the good, the bad, and the unexpected! You and your work, love, and care are very appreciated.

[@vessi953]

I really appreciated being able to see a video that was realistic. I absolutely LOVE your current series because it shows what puppy training REALLY looks like, not just the ups but also the downs, and how one should handle those situations in the moment. Often puppy training videos show what training should look like, but only in an ideal situation. The real world is not like that! Please do not feel discouraged from posting these kinds of videos, even if they are setbacks, because I find them so helpful in knowing what to do during those imperfect moments. A personal example, my dog recently started snapping other dogs too. Videos say to redirect, use positive reinforcement, etc, but often those videos never show the dog snapping in the moment. A lot of the strategies are proactive but you don't really learn the strategies to use when setbacks occur. Being able to see in your video what you did in the moment was helpful so that I know what I can do the next time my dog does have a setback as well.

[@SaraBeet]

I love that you made this follow up - so important to clarify that you're including mistakes as you go (I know this has always been your intent!). The internet is very unforgiving. There were definitely questions I had about how you reacted in this video and hearing the full thought process is useful but I figured I'd give you the benefit of the doubt and see what's up for the next video! The thing you do next is what matters way more! Something that is all too easily forgotten. Keep including those mistakes and imperfect moments and try not to take the internet too personally ;) It's definitely a needed gap - especially with a dog that is not inherently confident in all situations at the first outtake.

[@AnnamariaNilsson]

Love this video! Thank you Zak for your transparency! This is really true and goes straight to our daily experience as dog owners - we need to choose our reaction and sometimes I know I make mistakes as I am emotionally touched by something. I did my best. So I definitely think it is great that you post in all transparency, showing us that it is a process - for all of us! Even you!

[@compaqpresario1093]

Thanks Zak. When I have watched training videos and seen how easy it seems for you and then compare to our new pup and my many many failures it can be demoralizing. I am grateful for the honesty and even more thankful for the wonderful video training catalog you have created. We have started to make some real progress because of your channel and a brand new way of thinking about how to teach positively.

[@jggourley]

I'm still searching for a mistake. The dog reacted; you handled it. You showed your viewers--no mistake. Great work, great series, great training. I appreciate it!

[@sydneykippen2431]

As someone who has worked with dogs at a shelter for a few years, my heart jumped when you picked her up. Seeing her body language when you picked her up clearly showed that she was comfortable, but I was so worried she was going to redirect her fear and snapping towards you. Even the best dogs can redirect if they're freaked out enough. (Also dogs correcting other dogs is completely fine and people really need to not freak out about it because if they are punished for correcting they may start to jump straight to biting which is no bueno) Never hide your mistakes. Nobody is perfect, though our hindsight is always 20/20. Making mistakes is how people learn and grow.

[@sherifrazier3959]

I don't see anything you need to apologize for! It's real life. Don't edit anything out. It helps people learn and shows how genuine you are. Your love for dogs and passion to share your knowledge with others is very evident. I've just recently started watching your videos and they are very informative! I even have a notebook I'm taking notes in as I won't be getting my puppy for a few more months- and I don't want to forget anything:) Your videos are invaluable and are helping me prepare for when I finally get my puppy. A million thank-yous! Keep up the good work and don't let others bring you down.

[@aubreyfoster1771]

Ty for being raw and real. It’s so relatable. And I love that you say every situation and dog is different! That’s what gets me about most trainers.... they are not open minded that way. But anyway ty! Please keep it all coming!!!

[@Luis-gb3ru]

Honestly as a dog owner myself, I sometimes just feel like “Everyone gets it, why can’t I get it right?” and through seeing your videos I’ve realized that it’s okay if your dog isn’t perfect or like at leaat everyone goes through difficult phases and it’s not just me being a total loser when it comes to dog training😂 so thank you for the realistic view you give in these videos!

[@svampebob007]

not a "total" loser but... 😂 just kidding I really like his videos for that too, he's written a book, made a KZbin channel dedicated to dog training, call himself a dog trainer, and still does mistakes or struggles with things we all struggle with :)

[@Cara-vd7yf]

My Border Collie "air snaps" too. Seems like it's to tell other dogs to back off or chill out. Keep showing the mistakes and explaining how they could have been handled differently. Thank you!

[@lolalover24212]

My golden does this. Often: it’s either playful or telling a dog to fuck off. Either are acceptable behaviour in my opinion, especially since she only does it to dogs that won’t leave her alone for some time.

[@danielbenyo8874]

Ours does it too and after 2 years, she barely plays with any other dogs, not even with the ones she used to play on a daily basis back when she was a puppy :/ did you have any luck stopping the air snapping? How could one help their dog not fear other dogs when first meeting?

[@brianprendergast5879]

Thx for mentioning collie, seen this with ours but not our Labrador

[@adriahaddy258]

My heart leapt when I heard you say, "should I omit the mistakes?" I wanted to shout, "NOOOO, keep the mistakes". The mistakes and the overall real-ness to your video's is what makes me enjoy so much watching this series. I've seen to many dog training video's that show the end result of what they wanted to get to and they explain how they did it but they don't show or even explain the troubleshooting parts and it is very discouraging. Not knowing how to get past your mistakes to get to where "that" dog trainer got makes you feel like you are doing something "wrong", "he got there so why can't I?". Seeing the real-ness of your mistakes and hardships makes us go, "uh huh! I am dealing with that too, so it is OK. So I am doing something "right", now I feel better". Long story short, without the real-ness of your video's it's harder to understand the "how" and feel good about how we are training our own dogs. ~ Love from Canada and a soon to be Rottie mum

[@robinwatkins8388]

I really really appreciate your videos. They show what it’s like to work with and train our dogs in the real world. You can only learn so much watching people demonstrate with their dogs that are already experienced. Like you said, people with kids are quick to say “if that was my kid I would have...fill in the blank.” Thank you for sharing. We’ve all done things with our kids, our pets, etc. where we’ve looked at a situation and said to ourselves, “oops. I guess that wasn’t such a hot idea”. Keep on doing what you’re doing and never apologize. Oh, and THANK YOU for posting these videos! Such hard work putting these out there, and we get these lessons for free. Can’t beat that.

[@madisonelaine333]

This video series is my favorite dog training videos I’ve ever seen. They’re real. The video you posted about Inertia’s first time in a dog park really touched me. A day before I watched your video I took my pup to a dog park at a peek time. She freaked out and she air snapped at a dog, so I had to remove her from that situation. I was so embarrassed! She’s never reacted like that. I have been making a good effort in her socialization. So I didn’t know where I went wrong. Then I found your video and it’s reassuring to know even a dog trainer experiences this & doesn’t mask the truth of what happens! I learned a lot from the video too, such as, I will no longer bring her at peak hours at a dog park. Overall, Zac, you have taught me a lot and that video was especially what I needed at that point and time. Thank you for your transparency in your dog training!

[@KW-up2ox]

I was so worried when I saw the word “controversial” but honestly this seems like no big deal & I appreciate Zak leaving those “mistakes” in. Nobody’s perfect & neither are our pups.

[@reenaesmailcomposer]

We just got our first dog last month, and are new subscribers to your channel! Thanks for everything you do, and for your honesty -- we watch your videos every day! Our pup came to us from a rescue with some serious nipping problems, so seeing when things go wrong is soooo helpful. Especially seeing how compassionate you are as Inertia is learning

[@155Octopus]

Hello! We just got a puppy and your videos have safe our lives! We do love that you show mistakes and how to handle things when they go as unexpected, that way we know that is normal and how to react, otherwise non- trainers get frustrated because they see on the video that the dog completed the task the fist time. Showing the process is tolally useful, reassuring and make you more trusting as a trainer. Thank you for all your help and keep up with the good work!

[@jakelxxx12121212]

Why does he remind me of the blues clues guy, we just got a lletter we just got a letter.

[@nino8256]

Stetson O'haver god damnit I can’t unsee it now

[@dianna2901]

Lol it's the hands 🤣

[@smadworld8515]

Ok

[@victoreke8551]

OMG so true🤣🤣

[@rrrr6863]

THAT'S IT!!

[@trisgma6000]

Hi. It is obvious that the comments of the "controversial" video were a bigger impact on you than the fact that you did good by providing a different reaction to your pup than other instructional youtubers. Please always offer your mistakes on a plate and if people like the dish, they'll eat it up. If they don't, then they can get a different dish--you have plenty of dishes! Don't be apprehensive in providing entire training sessions because then the possibility of something getting edited out might be what someone in your audience really needed to see. I applaud you for offering up your knowledge. You are appreciated. To the negative feedback, you can't please everyone. Keep up the great videos, they've helped me out a lot!

[@emmanuelb6271]

Your video series continues to be helpful in learning how to manage my new pup and I appreciate you for making this transparent and real life scenario series!

[@mackieshooter]

Your video's were recommended to me yesterday and already after seeing a few I am so grateful for seeing the "mistakes" or I would rather call them learning opportunities. As someone with a new mature dog (1yo) we are both getting to know each other and there are many little mistakes. To know that with the help of a good trainer and videos like this I wont ruin him moving forward is very relieving.

[@debrasmith7907]

Zak, I just watched this video and appreciated your candor. When you are in the public eye you subject yourself to criticism. I love, love, love your videos and really hope you don’t let people’s negative opinions deter you from producing these videos. You are amazing and help a lot of people. Thank you for all you do.

[@CH-ml8qs]

"You can't reinforce fear by providing comfort." Well said! This is why Zak George's training methods really are revolutionary. I wish more trainers and pet parents understood this. It's so frustrating to see a dog being scolded for attempting to communicate their discomfort in a stressful situation. I mean if a stranger suddenly got in my face, I would probably freak out too.

[@bickle8931]

CH thats why you advocate for your dog by keeping other dogs away from it like that. The dog had no backup. Comforting a dog can 100% make the problem worse

[@CUniqueTheOneAndOnly]

I so agree. Inertia is so blessed to have a master such as Zach. As a balanced trainer myself...I totally side with Inertia and some of the trolls sound like they deliver unwarranted corrections which is equally as bad as a dog that receives no correction and guidance.

[@100Noemi]

You are so admirable for posting this! sooo many other trainers and people in generally would have thought, “that did not go accordingly at all. It is not a good representation of how my dog acts generally and my training and might draw criticism, so I’m not going to post it”. And sooo many trainers do just that! But we are able to learn from your mistakes and God knows are able to relate to them! That’s my favorite part about this series - you are honest and real and show how long it can take for a dog to learn regardless of how good you are at training, and it humbles me and let’s me not feel mom guilt whenever my dog “acts” up lol. You’re the best!

[@timpfluger]

Thank you for being real with this whole series. We have a puppy and we think we know what’s right and feel like we know what we are doing but everyday our puppy reminds us that real world situations create new learning everyday. Keep doing what you are doing!