Act Acting » Acting Lessons » Welcome To Fantasy Dog Training Island, People!

Welcome To Fantasy Dog Training Island, People!

Question:

decided to move the nest egg from his *   savings and loan. *   *   He placed some of the money in a regular bank and hid the balance in *   small caches around the house. *   *   When the sky did not fall, when Ross Perot’s predictions did not come *   true, Alvarez began slowly moving the cash in his house back into a *   bank. Partly because of his fear of a possible robbery, he chose to *   redeposit his money in relatively small amounts, $5000 or so at a time. *   *   While Alvarez had come to know Perot’s gloomy predictions were off the *   mark, he did not know that the federal international government, in its *   hysteria about drugs, had persuaded Congress to greatly expand the *   government’s civil and criminal powers to seize assets of individuals *   it felt might be up to some illicit business. The government’s concern *   was so overwhelming that in 1986 Congress was prevailed upon to add a *   provision to the seizure law forbidding any "structuring" of financial *   transactions in a way so as to evade and existing requirement that cash *   transfers of more than $10,000 had to be reported to the government. [     The New York Times, April 13, 1997     U.S. Under Secretary Raymond W. Kelly signed an order on Aug 7th requiring     New York businesses transmitting cash to report all transactions over     $750. The order was not publicly announced. It is part of emergency     powers. [President Clinton subsequently makes it permanent nationwide.]     —-     NYC Mayor and former federal prosecutor Rudolph Giuliani has made     some emphatic statements proposing $100 dollar bills be eliminated     to combat drug dealers. Perhaps all cash will be next. ] *   On November 11, 199

Response:

operation is completed.  If they are innocent, the government #   buys them new equipment to replace that which was compromised #   (per Lynn McNulty)…  Nothing forces agents to ‘forget’ a key #   and stop using it." #   #   "Placing all keys in a central location will invite foreign #   intelligence services to either (a) impose similar requirements #   in their own nations, and/or (b) seek access to keys held by #   U.S. escrow agents, through legal or illegal means.  American #   business has well-publicized problems with industrial espionage #   by other nations." #   – Michael B. Packer, Managing Director – Bankers Trust Company                     o To Safeguard Your Privacy *   "Clinton’s Encryption Plan Fits Law and Market" *   Letters to the Editor, Mickey Kantor, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, 10/9/96 *   *   Users may need a "spare key" to recover information that is lost or *   otherwise inaccessible, in much the same way that we give a trusted *   neighbor a spare key to our house…and the U.S. will have that key. The government says in case you lose you own decryption key, they will be there to save the day with their LE key. (Key Recovery has a ‘Law Enforcement’ key, which is a SECOND key to decrypt the same traffic.) Without getting into a lot of technical detail, basically, the LE KEY = Your Key. So, because they have a separate but equivalent key, they are claiming to be your emergency backup key, like a key left with a neighbor. People who have no idea how computer systems work will think like that sounds like a reasonabl

Response:

Welcome To Fantasy Dog Training Island, People! "De plane boss, de plane!" Mr. Roarke: "Well, let’s go down and welcome our visitors, shall we, my little friend, Tattoo?" "Oh, si boss, si! De plane, boss! De plane!  De plane!" "Si. Chill out, Tattoo. Our guests will be arriving momentarily. Pull yourself together and stop acting like a skeevy little frootloop, Tattoo. You give me the willies when you get like this. HOWER guests have arrived! Ahhhh, welcome to Fantasy Dog Training Island, People! I’m your host Mr. Roarke. You’ve come to Fantasy Dog Training Island to enjoy handling and training your dogs? Or perhaps you have some little idiocyncracy you’d like to hmmm, shall we say ADJUST? Excelllente! Here on Fantasy Dog Training Island, right is wrong, and wrong is right, and you’re always in  control, even when you kill your dogs to make bad things right, TO BE FAIR!" "Boss, boss, boss, do you think you should mention that part?" "But of curse, Tattoo. Here on Fantasy Dog Training Island, we only kill our best dogs in our fantasies, where everybody lives happily ever after, just like me an you, my little needy friend, Tattoo!" "But boss, boss, boss, these visitors to Fantasy Dog Training Island have LIVE dogs, boss. They’ll train them here in their FANTASIES, but in real life, those dogs are likely to run away, destroy their HOWESES, eat their children and attack their guests, and they’ll kill their best dogs to be fair, for REAL, boss. Our guests will be going back to the real world in just a couple of days, boss… You can’t let that happen to them, boss!" "Ahhhh, not to worry my sniveling little friend, Tattoo!  This is all FANTASY! Relax! Enjoy our guests, Tattoo. Bring them all something refreshing from the Fantasy Bark and Grill while I get to know some of the bimbos better. Now run along Tattoo and make our guests feel comfortable, like they’re in their own HOWES!"  "But boss! Bosss!!!" "Hush! Go now, Tattoo, our company awaits… Greetings people! Are you familiar with your dog training equipment? Have you notice your crates, head halters, shock collars, spray collars, and your pronged spiked pinch choke collars? For SHORE they LOOK like torture devices, and in real life, they ARE torture devices, but NOT HERE, on Fantasy Dog Training Island! Here your crate and pronged spiked pinch choke device are YOUR FRIENDS!  I’ll introduce you to your friend the shock collar too, while we’re examining our TOOLS to enhance the bond between trainer and dog, here on Fantasy Dog Training Island! Notice if you will, your aversive spray collars. NO! Don’t aim it at yourself, I can assure you, it IS loaded…" "But boss, bossss!!!" "Get off my butt, you miserable cussed little dwarf. Pay no attention to the spoiled child, People. He’s troubled and is supposed to be in his room resting. He’s harmless, and means well, but all this excitement seems to have overwhelmed him. I usually take him to the park for a couple hours a day, but today we were preparing for your visit." "But boss, these people are going to lock their dogs in boxes and shock and choke their dogs, thinking they’re TRAINING them!" "Relax Tattoo! Go to your room while I explain to them HOWE the crate teaches the dog his box is his HOWES that he should respect. I’ll teach them that locking IT in the box to control behaviors they can’t train, is GOOD! We’ll say crating teaches IT, BONDING!!! Now go to your room, Tattoo, you’re overtired. We’ll tell them their dogs LIKE responsibility and are asking for punishment when the dog questions authority, just like you enjoy, Tattoo. You’re fine with the mild static like stimulation of your shock collar, are you not, my little friend? Now run along to your room." "But boss," "’ZAP!’ Bad Tattoo! You shouldn’t be disrespectful, you imputent little troll." "Ouch! But boss!" "ZAP!" "Ouch! But boss! That’ll make their dogs hyperactive, vicious, and scared in real life, and might get them DEAD, boss!" "Relax Tattoo, this is Fantasy Dog Training Island!" But this ain’t no FANTASY, People. This is real life… Dogs DIE because of our ineffective, inappropriate handling and training tactics as taught by our REAL LIFE Fantasy Dog Trainers here on rpdb and in the dog behavior industry. Your Puppy Wizard. <{}: ~  (   Try this: To whom it may concern, My name is Crystal Arcidy and I am the proud owner of a beautiful 3 year old white German Shepherd named Starr. I am writing to inform you of a training method that is truly amazing. Starr is by nature very cautious and fearful and because of this and my not knowing how to handle it she became environmentally shy as well. Before Starr came into my life I never would have believed that a dog could be the way she was unless it had been badly abused or trained to be aggressive. Now I’m finding out more and more that there are lots of dogs with serious behavior problems who were never abused, but mishandled. Before I tell you about my experience with Jerry Howe, Doggy Do Right, and  the Wits End Dog Training Technique I would like to relate to you Starr’s story so you’ll have a better understanding as to what I was dealing with: Starr was three months old when I brought her home from a local pet shop. A few days later a friend came by to see her and that was when I first saw that Starr was by no means friendly. She was so shy she tried to pull away and hide. I was told that dogs go through a "fear stage" and thought that was all I was dealing with. But after a week or two Starr began barking protectively at  guests and neighbors from inside the house. The only way I could stop the barking, and later howling, was if I picked her up and held her. Outside Starr’s behavior was not protective it was horribly fearful. It got  to the point that when I would ask, "You want to go outside?" Starr would run the other way and dodge me so I would make her go. She went out only to relieve herself and then she’d dash back to the house. I could not take her for walks and she wouldn’t even sit on my back deck without crying. Starr was afraid of other dogs, people, cars, loud noises, open spaces….everything. I was sure that she had the potential of becoming a fear biter and that worried me. I spoke with an amateur dog trainer who said that shepherd’s are sometimes fearful as puppies, especially females, and that training and socializing would help. She said I could bring Starr to the vet and just sit with her so she could watch the other dogs. But Starr was a nervous wreck in the vets. She would get in a corner and shake terribly. It didn’t seem like it was helping at all with my dog’s anxiety and I asked the vet what to do to get her over her fears. The doctor recommended a trainer/behaviorist and we called and set up a meeting. And so I took Starr to her first trainer at six months old. She was terrified. The trainer assured me that he could ‘get her through’ her fears. He explained to me how training would lessen Starr’s anxiety and build confidence. Because Starr was so timid he wanted to start out with clicker training. He said it was the best form of training for shy dogs. He instructed me to get a thin three foot stick to be the focus, the object being Starr would learn to follow the stick. Every time she touched it with her nose she got a click and a treat. After I got Starr home it only took about a minute for Starr to get the idea. But these results were restricted to inside my house. When I took Starr outside or to her lessons she was just too nervous to care about eating. The reward was not worth it. All Starr wanted was to get back  to the house, where she felt safe. When the trainer realized that Starr was too uncomfortable at his place he suggested we meet and work at my house. It was then that he saw that Starr was not going to progress using the clicker training. [Forcing food into her mouth didn't make her want to eat it] So he reverted to conventional methods. *(The "BALANCED TRAINER" IOW, knows WHEN to HURT… jh.) We started using a flat collar but with all the pulling Starr would do the trainer quickly advised me to purchase a choke chain. I did so and he showed me how to use it. I was very hesitant but he assured me that I could not hurt the dog. We continued working in an area Starr was pretty comfortable in, then proceeded out to the street.  Starr was very scared and would bolt, whine, shake horribly and grind her teeth. All of which got corrected by a quick, sharp jerk on the chain and a firm "No!" Of course now I know that these firm corrections were just creating more anxiety for my dog. But at the time it seemed to make sense. After seeing how afraid Starr actually was on the street the trainer told me to get some Serene-um, an herbal product that would calm her down. It took the edge off her fear, but I had to give her beyond  the dosage recommended for her weight. The trainer said that was fine. He also told me that putting her on adult food would help. That  way she wouldn’t have as much energy that was just being turned into nervous energy and making her worse. I changed her food and he later recommended senior food. I decided against that. The trainer told me not to speak reassuringly when Starr was scared because she would think she was being praised for being afraid, that I wanted that behavior. He told me never to praise her for barking because it would encourage aggression. When Starr would bark at the neighbors dog aggressively I was to force her into a submissive down, the Alpha Rollover, which I was never able to maneuver. I told the trainer that Starr was still uncontrollable even with the choker. Her fear seemed more important than the pain she experienced from the collar. He suggested getting her a Gentle Leader. Its worn around the dog’s head. I’m sure you’re familiar with the product. This gave me more control over her bolting but when she got spooked by something she … read more »

Response:

Welcome To Fantasy Dog Training Island, People! "De plane boss, de plane!" Mr. Roarke: "Well, let’s go down and welcome our visitors, shall we, my little friend, Tattoo?" "Oh, si boss, si! De plane, boss! De plane!  De plane!" "Si. Chill out, Tattoo. Our guests will be arriving momentarily. Pull yourself together and stop acting like a skeevy little frootloop, Tattoo. You give me the willies when you get like this. HOWER guests have arrived! Ahhhh, welcome to Fantasy Dog Training Island, People! I’m your host Mr. Roarke. You’ve come to Fantasy Dog Training Island to enjoy handling and training your dogs? Or perhaps you have some little idiocyncracy you’d like to hmmm, shall we say ADJUST? Excelllente! Here on Fantasy Dog Training Island, right is wrong, and wrong is right, and you’re always in  control, even when you kill your dogs to make bad things right, TO BE FAIR!" "Boss, boss, boss, do you think you should mention that part?" "But of course, Tattoo. Here on Fantasy Dog Training Island, we only kill our best dogs in our fantasies, where everybody lives happily ever after, just like me an you, my little needy friend, Tattoo!" "But boss, boss, boss, these visitors to Fantasy Dog Training Island have LIVE dogs, boss. They’ll train them here in their FANTASIES, but in real life, those dogs are likely to run away, destroy their HOWESES, eat their children and attack their guests, and they’ll kill their best dogs to be fair, for REAL, boss. Our guests will be going back to the real world in just a couple of days, boss… You can’t let that happen to them, boss!" "Ahhhh, not to worry my sniveling little friend, Tattoo!  This is all FANTASY! Relax! Enjoy our guests, Tattoo. Bring them all something refreshing from the Fantasy Bark and Grill while I get to know some of the bimbos better. Now run along Tattoo and make our guests feel comfortable, like they’re in their own HOWES!"  "But boss! Bosss!!!" "Hush! Go now, Tattoo, our company awaits… Greetings people! Are you familiar with your dog training equipment? Have you notice your crates, head halters, shock collars, spray collars, and your pronged spiked pinch choke collars? For SHORE they LOOK like torture devices, and in real life, they ARE torture devices, but NOT HERE, on Fantasy Dog Training Island! Here your crate and pronged spiked pinch choke device are YOUR FRIENDS!  I’ll introduce you to your friend the shock collar too, while we’re examining our TOOLS to enhance the bond between trainer and dog, here on Fantasy Dog Training Island! Notice if you will, your aversive spray collars. NO! Don’t aim it at yourself, I can assure you, it IS loaded…" "But boss, bossss!!!" "Get off my butt, you miserable cussed little dwarf. Pay no attention to the spoiled child, People. He’s troubled and is supposed to be in his room resting. He’s harmless, and means well, but all this excitement seems to have overwhelmed him. I usually take him to the park for a couple hours a day, but today we were preparing for your visit." "But boss, these people are going to lock their dogs in boxes and shock and choke their dogs, thinking they’re TRAINING them!" "Relax Tattoo! Go to your room while I explain to them HOWE the crate teaches the dog his box is his HOWES that he should respect. I’ll teach them that locking IT in the box to control behaviors they can’t train, is GOOD! We’ll say crating teaches IT, BONDING!!! Now go to your room, Tattoo, you’re overtired. We’ll tell them their dogs LIKE responsibility and are asking for punishment when the dog questions authority, just like you enjoy, Tattoo. You’re fine with the mild static like stimulation of your shock collar, are you not, my little friend? Now run along to your room." "But boss," "’ZAP!’ Bad Tattoo! You shouldn’t be disrespectful, you imputent little troll." "Ouch! But boss!" "ZAP!" "Ouch! But boss! That’ll make their dogs hyperactive, vicious, and scared in real life, and might get them DEAD, boss!" "Relax Tattoo, this is Fantasy Dog Training Island!" But this ain’t no FANTASY, People. This is real life… Dogs DIE because of our ineffective, inappropriate handling and training tactics as taught by our REAL LIFE Fantasy Dog Trainers here on rpdb and in the dog behavior industry. Your Puppy Wizard. <{}: ~  (   Try this: To whom it may concern, My name is Crystal Arcidy and I am the proud owner of a beautiful 3 year old white German Shepherd named Starr. I am writing to inform you of a training method that is truly amazing. Starr is by nature very cautious and fearful and because of this and my not knowing how to handle it she became environmentally shy as well. Before Starr came into my life I never would have believed that a dog could be the way she was unless it had been badly abused or trained to be aggressive. Now I’m finding out more and more that there are lots of dogs with serious behavior problems who were never abused, but mishandled. Before I tell you about my experience with Jerry Howe, Doggy Do Right, and  the Wits End Dog Training Technique I would like to relate to you Starr’s story so you’ll have a better understanding as to what I was dealing with: Starr was three months old when I brought her home from a local pet shop. A few days later a friend came by to see her and that was when I first saw that Starr was by no means friendly. She was so shy she tried to pull away and hide. I was told that dogs go through a "fear stage" and thought that was all I was dealing with. But after a week or two Starr began barking protectively at  guests and neighbors from inside the house. The only way I could stop the barking, and later howling, was if I picked her up and held her. Outside Starr’s behavior was not protective it was horribly fearful. It got  to the point that when I would ask, "You want to go outside?" Starr would run the other way and dodge me so I would make her go. She went out only to relieve herself and then she’d dash back to the house. I could not take her for walks and she wouldn’t even sit on my back deck without crying. Starr was afraid of other dogs, people, cars, loud noises, open spaces….everything. I was sure that she had the potential of becoming a fear biter and that worried me. I spoke with an amateur dog trainer who said that shepherd’s are sometimes fearful as puppies, especially females, and that training and socializing would help. She said I could bring Starr to the vet and just sit with her so she could watch the other dogs. But Starr was a nervous wreck in the vets. She would get in a corner and shake terribly. It didn’t seem like it was helping at all with my dog’s anxiety and I asked the vet what to do to get her over her fears. The doctor recommended a trainer/behaviorist and we called and set up a meeting. And so I took Starr to her first trainer at six months old. She was terrified. The trainer assured me that he could ‘get her through’ her fears. He explained to me how training would lessen Starr’s anxiety and build confidence. Because Starr was so timid he wanted to start out with clicker training. He said it was the best form of training for shy dogs. He instructed me to get a thin three foot stick to be the focus, the object being Starr would learn to follow the stick. Every time she touched it with her nose she got a click and a treat. After I got Starr home it only took about a minute for Starr to get the idea. But these results were restricted to inside my house. When I took Starr outside or to her lessons she was just too nervous to care about eating. The reward was not worth it. All Starr wanted was to get back  to the house, where she felt safe. When the trainer realized that Starr was too uncomfortable at his place he suggested we meet and work at my house. It was then that he saw that Starr was not going to progress using the clicker training. [Forcing food into her mouth didn't make her want to eat it] So he reverted to conventional methods. *(The "BALANCED TRAINER" IOW, knows WHEN to HURT… jh.) We started using a flat collar but with all the pulling Starr would do the trainer quickly advised me to purchase a choke chain. I did so and he showed me how to use it. I was very hesitant but he assured me that I could not hurt the dog. We continued working in an area Starr was pretty comfortable in, then proceeded out to the street.  Starr was very scared and would bolt, whine, shake horribly and grind her teeth. All of which got corrected by a quick, sharp jerk on the chain and a firm "No!" Of course now I know that these firm corrections were just creating more anxiety for my dog. But at the time it seemed to make sense. After seeing how afraid Starr actually was on the street the trainer told me to get some Serene-um, an herbal product that would calm her down. It took the edge off her fear, but I had to give her beyond  the dosage recommended for her weight. The trainer said that was fine. He also told me that putting her on adult food would help. That  way she wouldn’t have as much energy that was just being turned into nervous energy and making her worse. I changed her food and he later recommended senior food. I decided against that. The trainer told me not to speak reassuringly when Starr was scared because she would think she was being praised for being afraid, that I wanted that behavior. He told me never to praise her for barking because it would encourage aggression. When Starr would bark at the neighbors dog aggressively I was to force her into a submissive down, the Alpha Rollover, which I was never able to maneuver. I told the trainer that Starr was still uncontrollable even with the choker. Her fear seemed more important than the pain she experienced from the collar. He suggested getting her a Gentle Leader. Its worn around the dog’s head. I’m sure you’re familiar with the product. This gave me more control over her bolting but when she got spooked by something she … read more »

Response:

 Welcome To Fantasy Dog Training Island, People! "De plane boss, de plane!" Mr. Roarke: "Well, let’s go down and welcome our visitors, shall we, my little friend, Tattoo?" "Oh, si boss, si! De plane, boss! De plane!  De plane!" "Si. Chill out, Tattoo. Our guests will be arriving momentarily. Pull yourself together and stop acting like a skeevy little frootloop, Tattoo. You give me the willies when you get like this. HOWER guests have arrived! Ahhhh, welcome to Fantasy Dog Training Island, People! I’m your host Mr. Roarke. You’ve come to Fantasy Dog Training Island to enjoy handling and training your dogs? Or perhaps you have  some littleidiocyncracy you’d like to hmmm, shall we say ADJUST? Excelllente! Here on Fantasy Dog Training Island, right is wrong, and wrong is right, and you’re always in  control, even when you kill your dogs to make bad things right, TO BE FAIR!" "Boss, boss, boss, do you think you should mention that part?" "But of course, Tattoo. Here on Fantasy Dog Training Island, we only kill our best dogs in our fantasies, where everybody lives happily ever after, just like me an you, my little needy friend, Tattoo!" "But boss, boss, boss, these visitors to Fantasy Dog Training Island have LIVE dogs, boss. They’ll train them here in their FANTASIES, but in real life, those dogs are likely to run away, destroy their HOWESES, eat their children and attack their guests, and they’ll kill their best dogs to be fair, for REAL, boss. Our guests will be going back to the real world in just a couple of days, boss… You can’t let that happen to them, boss!" "Ahhhh, not to worry my sniveling little friend, Tattoo!  This is all FANTASY! Relax! Enjoy our guests, Tattoo. Bring them all something refreshing from the Fantasy Bark and Grill while I get to know some of the bimbos better. Now run along Tattoo and make our guests feel comfortable, like they’re in their own HOWES!"  "But boss! Bosss!!!" "Hush! Go now, Tattoo, our company awaits… Greetings people! Are you familiar with your dog training equipment? Have you notice your crates, head halters, shock collars, spray collars, and your pronged spiked pinch choke collars? For SHORE they LOOK like torture devices, and in real life, they ARE torture devices, but NOT HERE, on Fantasy Dog Training Island! Here your crate and pronged spiked pinch choke device are YOUR FRIENDS!  I’ll introduce you to your friend the shock collar too, while we’re examining our TOOLS to enhance the bond between trainer and dog, here on Fantasy Dog Training Island! Notice if you will, your aversive spray collars. NO! Don’t aim it at yourself, I can assure you, it IS loaded…" "But boss, bossss!!!" "Get off my butt, you miserable cussed little dwarf. Pay no attention to the spoiled child, People. He’s troubled and is supposed to be in his room resting. He’s harmless, and means well, but all this excitement seems to have overwhelmed him. I usually take him to the park for a couple hours a day, but today we were preparing for your visit." "But boss, these people are going to lock their dogs in boxes and shock and choke their dogs, thinking they’re TRAINING them!" "Relax Tattoo! Go to your room while I explain to them HOWE the crate teaches the dog his box is his HOWES that he should respect. I’ll teach them that locking IT in the box to control behaviors they can’t train, is GOOD! We’ll say crating teaches IT, BONDING!!! Now go to your room, Tattoo, you’re overtired. We’ll tell them their dogs LIKE responsibility and are asking for punishment when the dog questions authority, just like you enjoy, Tattoo. You’re fine with the mild static like stimulation of your shock collar, are you not, my little friend? Now run along to your room." "But boss," "’ZAP!’ Bad Tattoo! You shouldn’t be disrespectful, you imputent little troll." "Ouch! But boss!" "ZAP!" "Ouch! But boss! That’ll make their dogs hyperactive, vicious, and scared in real life, and might get them DEAD, boss!" "Relax Tattoo, this is Fantasy Dog Training Island!" But this ain’t no FANTASY, People. This is real life… Dogs DIE because of our ineffective, inappropriate handling and training tactics as taught by our REAL LIFE Fantasy Dog Trainers here on rpdb and in the dog behavior industry. Your Puppy Wizard. <{}: ~  (   Try this: To whom it may concern, My name is Crystal Arcidy and I am the proud owner of a beautiful 3 year old white German Shepherd named Starr. I am writing to inform you of a training method that is truly amazing. Starr is by nature very cautious and fearful and because of this and my not knowing how to handle it she became environmentally shy as well. Before Starr came into my life I never would have believed that a dog could be the way she was unless it had been badly abused or trained to be aggressive. Now I’m finding out more and more that there are lots of dogs with serious behavior problems who were never abused, but mishandled. Before I tell you about my experience with Jerry Howe, Doggy Do Right, and  the Wits End Dog Training Technique I would like to relate to you Starr’s story so you’ll have a better understanding as to what I was dealing with: Starr was three months old when I brought her home from a local pet shop. A few days later a friend came by to see her and that was when I first saw that Starr was by no means friendly. She was so shy she tried to pull away and hide. I was told that dogs go through a "fear stage" and thought that was all I was dealing with. But after a week or two Starr began barking protectively at  guests and neighbors from inside the house. The only way I could stop the barking, and later howling, was if I picked her up and held her. Outside Starr’s behavior was not protective it was horribly fearful. It got  to the point that when I would ask, "You want to go outside?" Starr would run the other way and dodge me so I would make her go. She went out only to relieve herself and then she’d dash back to the house. I could not take her for walks and she wouldn’t even sit on my back deck without crying. Starr was afraid of other dogs, people, cars, loud noises, open spaces….everything. I was sure that she had the potential of becoming a fear biter and that worried me. I spoke with an amateur dog trainer who said that shepherd’s are sometimes fearful as puppies, especially females, and that training and socializing would help. She said I could bring Starr to the vet and just sit with her so she could watch the other dogs. But Starr was a nervous wreck in the vets. She would get in a corner and shake terribly. It didn’t seem like it was helping at all with my dog’s anxiety and I asked the vet what to do to get her over her fears. The doctor recommended a trainer/behaviorist and we called and set up a meeting. And so I took Starr to her first trainer at six months old. She was terrified. The trainer assured me that he could ‘get her through’ her fears. He explained to me how training would lessen Starr’s anxiety and build confidence. Because Starr was so timid he wanted to start out with clicker training. He said it was the best form of training for shy dogs. He instructed me to get a thin three foot stick to be the focus, the object being Starr would learn to follow the stick. Every time she touched it with her nose she got a click and a treat. After I got Starr home it only took about a minute for Starr to get the idea. But these results were restricted to inside my house. When I took Starr outside or to her lessons she was just too nervous to care about eating. The reward was not worth it. All Starr wanted was to get back  to the house, where she felt safe. When the trainer realized that Starr was too uncomfortable at his place he suggested we meet and work at my house. It was then that he saw that Starr was not going to progress using the clicker training. [Forcing food into her mouth didn't make her want to eat it] So he reverted to conventional methods. *(The "BALANCED TRAINER" IOW, knows WHEN to HURT… jh.) We started using a flat collar but with all the pulling Starr would do the trainer quickly advised me to purchase a choke chain. I did so and he showed me how to use it. I was very hesitant but he assured me that I could not hurt the dog. We continued working in an area Starr was pretty comfortable in, then proceeded out to the street.  Starr was very scared and would bolt, whine, shake horribly and grind her teeth. All of which got corrected by a quick, sharp jerk on the chain and a firm "No!" Of course now I know that these firm corrections were just creating more anxiety for my dog. But at the time it seemed to make sense. After seeing how afraid Starr actually was on the street the trainer told me to get some Serene-um, an herbal product that would calm her down. It took the edge off her fear, but I had to give her beyond  the dosage recommended for her weight. The trainer said that was fine. He also told me that putting her on adult food would help. That  way she wouldn’t have as much energy that was just being turned into nervous energy and making her worse. I changed her food and he later recommended senior food. I decided against that. The trainer told me not to speak reassuringly when Starr was scared because she would think she was being praised for being afraid, that I wanted that behavior. He told me never to praise her for barking because it would encourage aggression. When Starr would bark at the neighbors dog aggressively I was to force her into a submissive down, the Alpha Rollover, which I was never able to maneuver. I told the trainer that Starr was still uncontrollable even with the choker. Her fear seemed more important than the pain she experienced from the collar. He suggested getting her a Gentle Leader. Its worn around the dog’s head. I’m sure you’re familiar with the product. This gave me more control over her bolting but when she got spooked by something she … read more »

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