I respect those here who have expressed a desire to avoid aversive training. My practice for the past 45 years has been to always avoid aversive training. That said, many here admit they have have not watched this show. As I watched the show, I did not see what I would call as "aversive training". I certainly did not see what may be called "pain and disconnect". I saw very slight soft and quick (the most important aspect being quick) corrections, followed by immediate and focused praise and attention. Mostly, I saw a dog trainer who knows dogs intuitively! Intuition such as his use of the same words each time, his sharp 'accent' when speaking with them, his quick movements, his use of play and chewing and chasing above ALL other stimulus with the exception of connection, his emphasis on building up confidence and connection between 'owners' and each dog, his heavy emphasis on play training; his box training is also very intuitive and effective (just as any great trainer will bring their own amazing and interesting twist to the table). I have seen criticism that he advocates dominance training (something I am patently against) but I did NOT see that on the show. The old Shepherd Monk training of applying pressure to the dog through techniques like getting in the dogs face, pushing her down with ones body, jerking the chain, and other dominance training, are things that Jas does not seem to have time for; his training does not allow for one to even say a command a second time, let alone get in the dogs face for a prolonged correction that is required in dominance training; and perhaps this is my favorite thing about Jas's intuition; he avoids the most prevalent bad training technique which is prolonged correction. I often hear a dogs guardian say no, noo, nooo, NO, NOOOO! And would prefer a quick jerk on the chain (although I don't advocate jerking). Thats why I mention Jas's quick speech, even his use of the word "no" (something I don't use in training), is used so quickly and his use of prolonged praise and most importantly immediate PLAY so prevalent, that the dog has no time to build resistance or lose confidence. You cannot argue with the results on the show, as you see him turn dogs around who were previously headed for euthanasia; and also you see how his own dogs are well behaved, while still enthusiastic, confident and independent. While he does focus on treats, something I avoid for standard training, I like his approach as its use is only to bring focus and attention. One thing overlooked by his detractors is that he brings hope to those who may have given up on their dog; who may be considering taking their dog to their local pound, where almost all dogs go to be euthanized (especially those with behavior issues). Some believe that correcting a dogs behavior takes months or even years, but this has not been my experience, especially with very intuitive trainers. While some who watch the show may mistakenly conclude that they can quickly solve their own dogs problems in "an hour", I think that the hope Jas brings viewers that they may be able find help in saving their pets, far outweighs some unfounded misconception that the general public may be able to quickly adopt Jas's years of experience by watching a Netflix show. Lastly, it is apparent that Jas loves all the dogs he encounters and that he teaches others to love them as well. While I can appreciate the care others have expressed in advocating for animals in their comments here and elsewhere on the net, and their desire to see the best of training practices, I would ask such critics to watch the show, and consider the benefits of it. Personally, I prefer intuitive dog trainers (as long as they are humane and loving like Jas) over someone else's view of utopian training. Some people just have that intuition in conjunction with deep love, and Jas is one of them. The fact that he speaks deeply to a new generation of dog owners, and relates especially to many who come from a culture such as Oakland's 'hood', is a huge plus!! Thumbs up on this show, and I think it should continue.
Review of Canine Intervention
