Controversial ZG dog park video

Thanks islanddog for posting those links. Multiple times I've watched McCann's video, Zak's original video, his reaction video, and also another video by one of Zak's peers reacting to Zak's reaction video. Whew. That's a lot of ... watching. lol

I think it's safe to say his dog is simply NOT dog park material. The problems he's struggling with now can likely be traced back to the dog's genetics, as well as typical BC breed characteristics, ... and mostly, IMO, his improper handling at puppy class, ignoring the early warning signs there, and his apparent compulsion to push his puppy through not only one set of classes but two. His pup is shown in the reaction video, at one point, trying desperately to escape by hiding behind a curtain while being chased by multiple other pups during playtime. Gasp. Needless to say, his pup is terrified, and is getting no support from her handler, as she should. These elements I've mentioned are likely what has contributed to much of his dog's current state of emotions. I won't call his basic training skills and mechanics into question, although there may be something there too.

Poorly run puppy classes, especially those which include end-of-class play time (uncontrolled free for all) or those that don't highly emphasize a total lack of pup-to-pup interactions, are a disaster waiting to happen for many unsuspecting owners and their dogs. They are generally something to avoid at all cost, unless they are run by extremely competent and knowledgeable instructors who ensure that any puppy contact whatsoever is not permitted. Well run classes will also ensure that no pup is ever bullied or put into a position that causes it to feel fearful. A positive dog-to-owner relationship should always be the sole focus. There are just far too may sizes and temperament of puppies involved to make playtime safe and a good idea. Private, selective play sessions on the handler's own time should be the way to go, if at all.

Frankly speaking, Zak hung his pup out to dry. Not only at puppy classes, but at the dog park as well. I'm not sure what other outcome aside from damage, unnecessary damage, a prudent person could ever expect from this.

I'll give an example, using formal obedience for comparative purposes. The Drop on Recall exercise.

If, during training, the dog blows off the drop or drops too slowly, treat value can be employed to bring the situation back into balance. ie: lower value treat for the front and higher value for the drop. (I'll also point out that the dog is cycling through different drives here as well, very similar to the previous example of tracking vs indicating.) On the other hand, starving my dog for days and then feeding him a jackpot for coming to front will most certainly have the exact opposite effect on what I'm trying to rectify. That's simply the mechanics, and the laws of behaviour.

Not bragging, just saying as a sidenote. In all my years of trialing I don't believe I've ever received any less than the full 30 points for DoR. My dogs have all had mat-peeling initial calls, lightning-quick shotgun-blast drops, and mat-peeling final calls to front. Well, I might have rarely lost a half point here or there for a slightly crooked front. But I'd chalk that up to the extreme speed involved and the frictional properties of rubber matting. In other words, skid to front. lol. And it happened so seldom that I didn't want to jeopardize speed and enthusiasm for the sake of nit-picky precision. I'd just take the hit, thank you very much.


Anyway, getting back to original topic. I was quite surprised to see Zak show such a lack of good judgement in this dog park fiasco. I've always regarded him as a relatively decent trainer, ... heck, I've even recommended his videos to posters here from time to time. But I really feel he dropped the ball on this one, big time. And I think it's worthy of some third-party criticism in order to prevent others from repeating his colossal mistakes.