If you yourself have used any of the aversive devices or methods above, believe me when I say, wholeheartedly, that I do not judge you one bit. I wasn’t born perfect, and I’m still not. Who is?? I went through my own journey of going from using some aversive methods with my dog when I first got her (which were wildly unhelpful and delayed the forming of our bond), to learning better through some wonderful trainers that were willing to teach me a different way.

If you have used some of the things listed above, you are not a bad person or a failure of a dog parent/guardian. You had to have learned these things somewhere, right? I also want to really drive home that if you have used some of these aversives or others, your dog is not ruined. Bindi and I are a testament to the healing power of R+ and FF (force-free) ourselves.

I hesitated at first with creating this page here on my site. The last thing I wanted was for people to feel alienated or judged. But I think it’s important that you know exactly who I am, what I stand for, the code I adhere to, and the high quality of the training you’ll be receiving. There is also a push for total transparency among professional trainers, which is not only the right thing to do, but helps you make the best choice for you and your dog.