[Shannon]

...a poke here and there, a pop of the (gasp) choke collar - all “abuse” now thanks to Spock-esque dog training fashions.

Keep using that choke chain and some day you might find out what a collapsed trachea is all about.

You can poke and choke your dog all day long if you want but guess what? That produces pain and discomfort. Your methods teach the dog pain/discomfort in response to something he's doing that you don't like. He'll learn to shut off those responses and one day, watch out...those warning signs will be gone and you're at risk of him suddenly "going off" with no warning at all. But hey, that's what you taught him, isn't it?

[the OlLine Rebel]

Give me a break.

First off, I didn’t say they were “my” methods. I said those kinds of (NON-HEAVY-DUTY) behaviors are frowned upon by PC people. Obviously I’m correct. Even though there is HARDLY any “pain” involved, and it only involves a few weeks of training, not a whole lifetime.

I AM definitely Koehler-oriented, and not shy about the choke - but it is not to be “choked”, either.

If you want anecdotes, I’ll tell you I’ve never had a problem with my Koehler-trained GERMAN SHEPHERDS, nor has my sister. No, we’ve not had many dogs, but there you go. They are completely happy, too (never mind we’ve spent $$$$$$$$$ on their myriad allergy issues, including hard labor such as constant bathing), and the dead 1s never “turned” on anyone.

(My current dog has inherent character flaws, but her aggression many years ago involved sudden possessiveness of food, not anything with her choker. She was modified back into good behavior, though I never totally trust her with food.)