Heeling Stick Inhumane

[gooseNmaverick]

I just had to post this because I know there will be fellow members on here that understand my frustration!! While walking my lab today, equipped with e-collar (on vibration only mind you) and heeling stick in hand, I was stopped by a neighbor that wanted to express how inhumane my training methods were. Keep in mind I do not hit my dog with a heeling stick, simple light pressure on his chest to heel and butt to sit are all thats needed. I was so befuddled by her comments that I simply had to walk away after being told its "concentration camp" for the dog. Anyways any similar stories from any of you folks? Crazy PETA lovers or people ignorant in the proper use of these tools ever make their stance known to you while training?

[jackelope]

How else are you supposed to teach a dog to sit, heel, laydown. My goodness. I use my hand lightly and hand signals when saying sit, heel, etc. When training pups.

I've never used a heeling stick, don't know what it is, and based on the OP's description it sounds fine to me. With that said, I've trained plenty of dogs to sit, heel, ad lay down without using a heeling stick.

[Skyvalhunter]

You are never going to please everyone. I have always used a shock collar on my dog since the trainer insisted on it. There is always going to be nay sayers out there that say that its inhumane. It's not like I am cranking it up and juicing my dog or even shock him that often. Most of the time it's on beep mode. Your conditioning the dog with the healing stick. If it were me I would have told the lady to mind her own buisness. Does it really matter what this neighbor thinks of you?

[RadSav]

I simply had to walk away after being told its "concentration camp" for the dog.

Before walking away I might have had to say something similar to this;

Well, I see you've read your PETA brainwash weekly.  Good for you!  Now you do understand that trying to draw a parallel between ethnic cleansing and the murder of Jews in Nazi concentration camps to pet behavior and safety training is not only anti-Semitic but also completely ignorant, don't you?  Why don't you take your hate speech back to 1895 Germany and get out of my face you racist b!*ch!!!

[blazenfish]

Yes I agree there will always be someone oppose to even the most humane things just how people are. I've used shock collars but I got myself with it before I would use on my dog.. and the reminders at battery change... (never laughed so hard in my life. Felt like the guy on Ghostbusters I even shot the gum out of my mouth). But now people have there methods they are comfy with and use them humanely. I have learned clicker method lately and in c unjustified I with another method will work great for me.. I have a service dog who trained me per say...it has worked great with my lab pit mix which is the true definition of train him with a 2x4. and no I don't use that as a method but as a figure of speach... good luck and keep up tje good training

[runamuk]

I have been in multiple knock down drag out fights over the use of tools for training animals.  Pinch collars, shock collars, crates, stud chains and whips bring out the idiocy of "my way is right yours is wrong and cruel".  I gave up arguing I just say its a tool and walk on.  Its not an argument I enjoy any more. one of my loosely a relative went on a huge fb rant about banning evil pinch collars I tried to convince her that they have a purpose and are less dangerous in the right hands than a regular choke chain in the wrong hands she would not hear it because those pinch collars looks so evil.  I wrapped on around myself once to feel what it does it aint awful when used right.   my kids and ex tried out the dogs ecollars on themselves  I figure any training implement we arent afraid to test on ourselves is cool.

[pianoman9701]

You should have offered to use the heeling stick on her to show her how you use it. That would've been fun.

Next time she approaches you, ask her if she's a PeTA member. If so, you can ask her if the 90% of animals they kill in their shelters each year would rather be well-trained with your humane methods than put down. You can also ask her how she can justify the financial support of arsonists and bombers by the PeTA administration, as they did with Rodney Coronado in Michigan to the tune of $70K+.

[KFhunter]

Too funny!



I don't even know what I'd say nothing like that every happens to me east of the cascades 

[AspenBud]

There's an a-hole in every crowd. I once had a guy slow down on a major road and yell at me over it when I was living in the Midwest because he felt I shouldn't be out jogging with my dog on a hot and humid day. I blew him off and he actually followed me for a couple of miles and pulled into a driveway right in front of me to lecture me some more about it! It was only when his wife saw that I was starting to get mad and she started urging him to leave that he gave up. I  really thought it was going to come to blows. I remember thinking at the time that if he thought I was abusing the dog then he shouldn't come around in September when the dog is expected work in the heat. My dog was a very trim, muscled, Pointer at the time. The dog lived for work no matter the weather, he loved it.

[KFhunter]

There's an a-hole in every crowd. I once had a guy slow down on a major road and yell at me over it when I was living in the Midwest because he felt I shouldn't be out jogging with my dog on a hot and humid day. I blew him off and he actually followed me for a couple of miles and pulled into a driveway right in front of me to lecture me some more about it! It was only when his wife saw that I was starting to get mad and she started urging him to leave that he gave up. I  really thought it was going to come to blows. I remember thinking at the time that if he thought I was abusing the dog then he shouldn't come around in September when the dog is expected work in the heat. My dog was a very trim, muscled, Pointer at the time. The dog lived for work no matter the weather, he loved it.

"Well sir; I welcome you to jog with me and the dog to see for yourself if he's overheated......."

err ummm  no thanks ummm well I can see now...umm ya..well make sure you give him some water errr ya he looks fine.

[AspenBud]

The other one I love is, "Why are your dogs so skinny?" I don't know, maybe because an overweight dog is more prone to injury and my dogs are in fact in shape, not skinny?

I know a guy who actually got ticketed by an animal control officer because they could see the last two ribs on his Pointer. The dog was a hunting dog that saw A LOT of action and had been looked over by a vet the week prior and been deemed to be in outstanding health. He got the ticket dropped when he brought in the paperwork from the veterinarian.

[ctwiggs1]

It's like the shock collars.  WAY better to take a chance at your dog running off and getting hit by a car?

[runamuk]

The other one I love is, "Why are your dogs so skinny?" I don't know, maybe because an overweight dog is more prone to injury and my dogs are in fact in shape, not skinny?

I know a guy who actually got ticketed by an animal control officer because they could see the last two ribs on his Pointer. The dog was a hunting dog that saw A LOT of action and had been looked over by a vet the week prior and been deemed to be in outstanding health. He got the ticket dropped when he brought in the paperwork from the veterinarian.

You should try owning sighhounds, ugh I hear it all the time from my friends with salukis and OFC dogs.  Those dogs are skinny but that is healthy for them its how they are built.

[gooseNmaverick]

I couldn't agree more! My lab is in great shape and is not overweight... it seems people now a days are so used to seeing fat out of shape labs that they think I'm starving mine! Truth is you cant keep the weight on him when he's exercised regularly! I'm glad to see so many others have experienced their fare share of ridiculous comments. I love positive reinforcement training and I use a clicker with my dog as well as other training methods. As was previously stated these tools are harmless when used correctly.

[JJD]

The vast majority of training methods used today are most effective if done with care
and control. Hunting dogs are most at risk when they are out of control.
But if you tell a PETA animal hater that the dog is used for hunting, the situation could escalate to the point of physically having to defend yourself.