Has Anyone Heard Of This?

[EllieAndBlu]

I got free tickets to tommorow's seminar so I am going to check it out.... I am wondering though... Is anyone familiar with the training techniques?

www.howtotalkd og.com

[Kermit]

I got free tickets to tommorow's seminar so I am going to check it out.... I am wondering though... Is anyone familiar with the training techniques?

www.howtotalkd og.com

Shoot, for free, you can't lose! I am jealous! I used to live in Gwinnett... I wish I could go to that seminar! I will take any advice I can get right now. You will have to share any and all information you find out!! Who knows, maybe that guy really knows what he's doing!

[EllieAndBlu]

I will take notes and share all info - for sure!

I don't know how their techniques .... but they have a training center at my vet's office - which is how I heard about the seminar - I've been intrigued for the past couple of months when seeing the literature at the vet's .... so I am pretty psyched about the seminar.... bottom line - I am an information junkie!

I'll let you know what it's all about.... though it may not be until Tuesday when I am back at work.

p.s. How long did you live in Gwinnett?

[smsmith]

Don't forget to post what you learned!  I'm looking forward to hearing about it.

[ZooCrew]

I have not heard of this person or their techniques.  I looked at their website, but it didn't give any clues into their training or methods.

I would be interested to learn what makes this person different than so many others.  Sounds like a good learning opportunity.

[EllieAndBlu]

Hi Y'all,

I am finally getting a chance to post about the seminar... It wasn't quite what I expected....th ough I don't know what it is I expected...

The seminar lasted 2 1/2 hours... and being a smooth-talking/entertaining business man - Bill Matney (company founder) spent the last half hour discussing his training techniques... the other two hours were filled with general training tips.... how to potty train, play with your puppy, etc...  and demostrating how well trained his dogs are... they were soooooooo adorable  - they all sat in their own chairs on the stage.... so cute!

Now for the technique - as best as I can understand it, because he only touched on the topic then kept saying "it is all explained on the DVD...


Matney's method is bases on using a "half-hitch" in order to get the dog to submit...  Have y'all heard of half-hitch before? I hadn't....

But basically.... he takes a specially designed lead (looks like a rope) - wraps it around the belly of dog and attaches one end to the collar and holds the other end in his hand... he then lifts the end of the rope, by the back end, until the dog submits.... after that the dog is more obedient - and will listen to whomever has control of the lead.

Matney says dogs, the throat is the primary kill zone. The secondary kill zone is the abdominal area, where the second wave of dogs would attack - which is why the half-hitch is used on the belly - it is safer than the neck.

Matney said the nature of the dog being attacked is to fight to the end.

When the dog realizes the choice is either to be killed or to submit, it submits.

Matney said the training program is designed for puppies but will work on older dogs as well but may take more that one "half-hitching".... where as puppies usually only require one. In fact he demostrated it on a 5 month old rowdy puppy and it did work, in about 30 seconds.... but at what cost!

As for older dogs, he said to follow the DVD instructions for half-hitching or "you will get bitten"... he said to be sure to pull the rope over a low tree branch so you get some distance because the dog is going to thrash about... and the dog could urinate, lose his bowels and even throw up during the process....  when he said that I almost started to cry!!! There is no way I could do that to my dogs...  Even though he says it doesn't cause the dogs any pain. It is an image I can not get out of my mind.

I hope this long-winded, jabbering post makes some sense. I did a google search and found an article written by a woman who took her dog to Matney's seminar in another city.

Her summary could have easily been written about the Atlanta seminar....
 
I am interested in hearing what y'all have to say about it.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060219/NEWS08/602190303/1001/archive

Rachel

[Kermit]

I can't get the link to work.

So is he actually hanging a dog up in the air by a rope around their abdomen? Hmmm...

I lived in Gwinnett for... let's see... 16 years! I grew up in Snellville.

[Halo05]

He should be hung. Thats abusive in my opinion. Let him come here and try hanging Halo like that. He should be arrested.

[The Brindle Pack]

 

The thought of this type of training is disturbing.

[EllieAndBlu]

Sorry about the link.... I hope this works.

http://www.desmoinesr egister.com
Search "Matney" in archives
It is the first article listed "Leader Of The Pack." Dated Feb 19, 2006.


And yes - he actually lifts the dog off the ground.... but claims it is totally humane... which I cant possibly see how!

He also told a story about have the police called on him.... because he was reported seen "lifting a dog off the ground with a rope"... and then told the audience it was reported by a local dog trainer... and then he said (oh and I LOVED this) it was because the trainer would lose money when people bought his training kit....  can you believe that!

Lets just say.... there was a little too much arrogant, testosterone in the seminar room. Literally ALL Matney's trainers but one were male.  And one of the trainers was sitting in my row... who works out of the Nashville office... that gave off such angry energy... there is NO way I would let him near any of my babies!

I get sick to my stomach when I think of the whole thing!

[EllieAndBlu]

thanks for the help with the link.... my computer skills are less than stellar....lol

[Kiahpyr]

That's horrible! Clearly the dog is pain if it's whining and losing it's bodily functions. I am mortified!

[EllieAndBlu]

Since Saturday - I seriously can not get the image out of my head.... of my sweet 8 year old boy, Blu.... being half-hitched.... and the look of fear that would be in his eyes.... it literally makes me sick.

I will stick with the positive reinforcement methods I've used all along.... it may take longer but that is more than fine with me!

[Senghe]

I thought that kind of training went out with the Ark - that's just a disgusting way to treat a dog! The alarm bells started to ring when he used a word like 'submit'. And if you are employing a training technique that may make a dog lose control of it's bodily functions, you are either inflicting a great deal of physical or psychological distress - probably both. I'm sorry, but I want my dogs to respect me, not fear me.

If that half hitch is his special technique, I'd say that it's very dangerous selling it on a DVD as a cure all to people who are probably not dog savvy to begin with (anybody who is remotely in touch with dogs in general wouldn't employ such a technique). I can see him getting his a*s sued for either somebody getting severely bitten or them accidentally killing their own dog.

[Leah...]

Oh my gosh!!! that is awful! why does he think the dog knows it is life or death if it isn't in extreme pain?!?!?!?!  a dog should never have to fall victim of treatment like that, and i personally would smack that man and sue him if he ever layed a finger on my dogs! i can't believe that person thought he was a "dog wisperer"!!! he simply put a dog through enough pain to make them give up, and that does not establish respect, it is fear!

ttyl, Leah