zakgeorge hashtag performance

Can this guy even drive legally because he has no idea how to stay in his lane. Talking about women being treated in a condescending and dismissive manner by balanced trainers then calling SA/DV survivors who’ve called out your terrible comparison “pearl clutchers” is peak hypocrisy and wildly misogynistic. We women know there’s is a problem and we also know you’re part of it. Take your performative 🐄 💩 somewhere else. #dogtrainers #balanceddogtraining #positivedogtraining #zakgeorge #foh

There are a lot of things I choose to stay silent on in the dog training industry, but #ZakGeorge recent comparison of balanced trainers to domestic violence abusers is not one of them. This comparison of individuals with an authoritarian mindset to balanced trainers is not only incorrect, but it’s also deeply insulting. Many of us who are balanced trainers are survivors of DV ourselves. Our goal is not to control or harm others, but to help both dogs and owners build better, healthier relationships. We’ve been through trauma and know how it feels to be controlled, manipulated, and mistreated. It’s precisely because of our experiences that we would never advocate for inflicting harm, either on animals or people. A study by Ascione (1998) clearly shows that while animal abuse is often present in homes with domestic violence, it is almost always the abuser who is inflicting harm, not the victim. This is a crucial distinction that’s often overlooked. For survivors of domestic violence, the last thing we would want is to perpetuate the same patterns of abuse. In fact, many of us who engage in balanced training are motivated by a desire to break free from those abusive dynamics and create positive, healthy change for ourselves and others. It’s important to note that balanced training is not synonymous with compulsion training. Compulsion training involves methods that can cause pain or fear in the dog, which is absolutely not the goal of balanced training. Balanced training is about using a variety of tools, including positive reinforcement, to guide and teach dogs. We set clear boundaries and expectations, but we do not resort to harmful tactics. The use of force or fear has no place in the training methods we advocate. Additionally, it’s essential to acknowledge that some force-free trainers can be rude, dismissive, or even downright ugly to others in the industry. This toxic behavior is harmful to the broader dog training community and does nothing to foster collaboration, growth, or a healthy conversation. The focus should be on constructive dialogue, not belittling those with different methods or perspectives. It’s ironic that those who claim to advocate for kindness and respect for animals sometimes forget to show that same respect to people. Trauma-informed approaches are essential when addressing issues like DV and animal abuse, and I trust the expertise of those who specialize in these areas over anyone without that background. Let’s focus on the real issues here: helping dogs, supporting their owners, and working to build relationships based on respect, trust, and positive reinforcement. The conversation should be about empowerment, not about making unfair comparisons or assumptions. Here are two, unedited videos of me playing & training with my dogs during the sneaux-pocalypse. Both have been trained using balanced methods. Stay in your lane, Zak. When you insert trauma survivors into your strict, force free narrative I refuse to be silent. #LabradorRetriever #yellowlab #fieldlabrador #britishlabs #obediencetraining #akcobedience #DogTraining #dogs #puppies #servicedogintraining #workingdogs #workingbreeds #dogshows #dogsports #doberman #dobermanpinscher #dobermandynamics #dogtrainer #NOLADogTrainer #americankennelclub #dpca #neworleans #swampdobe #labs #cockerspaniel #Spaniels #puppytraining #ethicalbreeders #responsiblebreeders #petloss