[DouglasKC]

So it's ok to abuse a "working" dog, but not the family pet?! Is this "guy" mainstream when it comes to his training techniques? Yes, I agree, a trainer has to teach a dog just who is in the dominant position. I did it with my dog with a training manual and non-violent techniques and by watching a couple educational shows on TV. I'm not saying that I've never swatted my dog with a newspaper to the butt once or twice. Maybe I'm crazy to see a clear difference between swatting a dog and kicking it.

Well if you've got it in your head that it's "abuse" then the argument is lost. But if he was trying to make the dog let go with it's teeth by sweeping the dogs legs from underneath him (which looked like what he was doing to me) than that's different. Probably not a good training technique but certainly not the abusive sadist everyone is making him out to be.

[My hearts in London - Everett]

You have got to be kidding! What has this whole thread been about??? There are an awful lot of people for whom this is an issue of abuse of this dog - working or not. Now, according to you, he wasn’t kicking the dog - he was merely “sweeping the legs from underneath him”. That’s fine. However you want to rationalize this behavior to make it ok in your mind....