Willem

...have a look at post #59 from TF: ...it is part of the dog's training to charge at people in confined spaces...if the dog is left to make his own choice because he can't hear the handler properly due to the helicopter noise it is one option that he just does what he is trained to do...she made herself a decoy ...

if I feed our dog with food she can't carry away (kibble etc.) she normally wants someone close to her while she is eating. If I walk away and she is not finish eating she might interrupt her meal and will follow me...and I could take e.g. kibble out of the bowl without any growling...no guarding at all. However, if she gets a brisket or a turkey neck she takes it from the food bowl to the lawn and want's to be left alone - if I pat her she growls and takes the neck or the bone firmly into her mouth. I never felt the need to correct this - the rule for us is: once it is in the bowl and she got the cue to eat it is hers. I can throw a turkey neck on the lawn and she won't touch it (well, as long as I'm with her) till she gets the clue - but then it is hers. The kids can pass her, if they come too close she will take the neck or the bone and will find another place where she can keep on chewing. The kids know that they can't interfere / play with her while she is eating. So it is a form of food guarding, but as long as she only takes it and moves on to another place to eat it (which will be just another spot on the lawn) it is fine for me.

if it is a double coat I wouldn't bother at all; you might consider a little bit bigger food ratio to address a higher calorie demand so. If she has only a thin single coat: no idea.

...I don't think there can be doubts whether positive reinforcement training is an effective tool also for police dogs. However, I can't see that the accident has anything to do with the adopted trainings methodology (as I mentioned before). Stating positive reinforcement training doesn't work because VS as a supporter of positive only training was bitten by a dog is simply wrong as there is no link between trainings methods and accident recognisable. Nevertheless, I believe criticising her for being grossly negligent by contributing to the accident is justified - she, like the handler and other people involved in the exercise, misjudged the risk. Maybe she was pressured by the producer, maybe it was her lack of skills, maybe lack of experience, maybe she just had a bad day - from a self declared subject matter expert we can expect a better performance. ...some good points here: http://www.alpinek9forums.com/why-did-victoria-stilwell-got-bitten-bad-t3475.html ...while not a witness, this Hans claims that he talked to bystanders after the accident...

here is the full footage of the last clip from Michael D'Abruzzo's site: ETA: he didn't mention VS's name in the interview - it was D'Abruzzo who linked this with her name.

...that's the same link from the OP; ...the guy - Michael D'Abruzzo - makes some serious accusations on his site (see his Disclaimer) respectively allows other people (see last footage) linking her to fraud. I would assume that if they wouldn't have substantial evidence to backup their accusations they (the guys in the footage and Michael D'Abruzzo) would be in for a major claim for damages. The address of K9-1 is on the page, it seems to be a registered enterprise - I tend to believe that they wouldn't be allowed to publish these accusations without having enough evidence that would protect them from damage suits.

...maybe her producer not only likes to see her in 'VS dog training boots', but also thinks that muzzles are bad PR for her brand?...hence asking for pictures / footage without any hints that could contradict her 'positive-only' message?

...you could write a letter to CM's producers, maybe he/she will answer your prayers... :D

I saw an interview somewhere with her, and she said that the Dom outfit was because the producers liked it - would not have been her first choice for every day dog training wear. Jamie Oliver said in an interview that the producer insisted he wear jeans and slide down the banister rail every time - to the point he was going through a pair of jeans per episode... Sometimes producers or directors "tweak" things for TV. ...in our club suitable footwear is mandatory during the trainings sessions...so no thongs ...and of course no high heels - perhaps CM would get more acceptance from the VS supporters if he would also wear 'VS dog training boots' during his shows :D

He gets chomped more often than he'll have anyone believe... lol! The wonderful power of editing only makes it seem like he never gets bitten... T. ????...he never made a secret out of this...(the internet is full with footage where he gets bitten)...he says it's part of the job...

I can't see that this accident is linked in anyway to the adopted trainings methodology - whether the dog was 'positive only' trained or not, what difference would it have made?...it was wrong judgment of the setup from all the 'experts' involved, nothing to do with the trainings methodology.

...you must admit her choice of working boots when walking / training dogs is second to none :D (maybe people would take her more serious as a dog trainer when she would wear at least footwear suitable for the job and if she would get her hands dirty...) ...and yes, it is pretty hard to find something on her site that has some value regarding dog training: lots of words, but at the end it comes down to copies, general phrases, links to other sites ...wasted my time there...

...I guess it was similar like this: http://www.abc.net.au/local/videos/2012/10/17/3612730.htm ...in this clip the handler kept the dog on the leash, but I also read that it is standard to use muzzles for transport in planes / helicopters.

...so where do you take your examples that he is unethical conversely to her???? I think putting the pigs in a situation where they could be attacked, and letting a dog with a history of attacking, off leash and muzzle free with them is unethical. I think tightening the collar on dogs until they can't fight back and give up/shut down is unethical. I think provoking dogs to get them to react badly or attack so that you can punish the behaviour is unethical. I'm sure I don't need to keep going.. the dog in the helicopter definitely had a attack history (he was trained to do this!), muzzle free, off leash...she - according to her teaching on her website - is an expert in avoiding dog bites, still she did not only nothing to prevent the bite, but contributed heavily to it via her stupid behaviour - well, according to your standards I call this 'unethical' too. There's a difference between being trained to attack and attacking at will and she put herself at risk, not another person or animal. You must be quite the Cesar fan to try and make that kind of stretch to suggest the situations were similar in terms of ethics. ...if she would have assessed the situation she could have easily asked for a muzzle...that she got bitten, well, I guess that's really her and the handlers fault, but don't forget that - with all the noise of the helicopter, plus she likely screaming, a simple 'out' from the handler was likely not enough and it would have taken some serious force (...aversive methods...) to pull the dog back. Luckily it was only her who got injured, but, with such an attitude and lack of skills to assess such scenarios properly she puts others in danger too, e.g.:

...so where do you take your examples that he is unethical conversely to her???? I think putting the pigs in a situation where they could be attacked, and letting a dog with a history of attacking, off leash and muzzle free with them is unethical. I think tightening the collar on dogs until they can't fight back and give up/shut down is unethical. I think provoking dogs to get them to react badly or attack so that you can punish the behaviour is unethical. I'm sure I don't need to keep going.. the dog in the helicopter definitely had a attack history (he was trained to do this!), muzzle free, off leash...she - according to her teaching on her website - is an expert in avoiding dog bites, still she did not only nothing to prevent the bite, but contributed heavily to it via her stupid behaviour - well, according to your standards I call this 'unethical' too.

...so where do you take your examples that he is unethical conversely to her????

as a start: she called herself a 'bystander'. Obviously it is not convenient to admit mistakes, but not taking responsibility by claiming just to be a bystander is IMO pretty shabby...for me a bystander is someone not directly involved in the setup, e.g. the owner of the pig in the CM incident, however, the moment I'm with a dog squashed in a helicopter as part of an exercise I'm not a bystander anymore but part of the setup. Thus it is also her duty of care to evaluate potential risks. If all the 'experts' involved in this incident would have taken 5 minutes for a simple risk assessment they would have picked up that the helicopter noise and the turbulences might make it impossible for the dog to hear the commands. The handler released the dog, the dog unable to hear the clue clearly made the choice - seeing a target in front of him - that he was sent to attack... and of course he did. They all let the dog down, and as all involved - she and the handler - are somehow experienced (if you look on her site she even runs some programs for avoiding dog bites!!!!) the reason for the incident was mainly grossly negligence.

...just saw it, that's - on sale price - $ 0.46 / 100 g...the Applaws is (on sale price) 0.50 / 100 g...the Applaws is - on paper - slightly higher quality; we use both (I don't want to rely just on one kibble) and she likes both.

..."I was not doing any training (behavioral or otherwise) with this dog."...she is sitting in a confined space knowing that a dog trained for attack will jump in, and she is really assuming that she is not part of the 'game' and might end up as the 'hostile target' if the dog has to make his own choice (once released) as his hearing is heavily restricted by the helicopter noise?????...such comments are acceptable from someone with little experience in dog training, but from a self declared expert?????

we don't use rat poison, and the neighbours have dogs too (except of one)...so it's not likely - I'm more worried about Toxoplasmosis and other parasites they can carry, so normally I dispose the rats and mice if I catch her catching one...

hm, now it reminds me even more of the CM pig's ear incident...with her in the pig role....a pretty stupid setup wrt the noise a running helicopter generates - how should the dog hear a clear cue in all this noise?...plus all these flapping clothes due to the turbulences caused by the blades that makes it even harder for the dog to recognise any hand signals... might have been a good idea to train it first without the running engine and allow the dog to familiarize with someone sitting in the rear... quote:"When the dog was finally released to jump into the helicopter, he immediately saw me there and instinctively went in for a bite..." ...that's the point...with all the noise there was a high risk that the dog misunderstand the cue he got from the handler when he was released ...so much about 'the best of the best'...

https://www.woolworths.com.au/Shop/Browse/pet/dog-food-adult-senior?name=applaws-it-s-all-good-dry-dog-food-lamb-kangaroo&productId=899675 ... Applaws grain free ...pretty good value for the money, especially when it is on sale...

... http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/340/art%253A10.1007%252FBF01183005.pdf?originUrl=http%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Farticle%2F10.1007%2FBF01183005&token2=exp=1458955989~acl=%2Fstatic%2Fpdf%2F340%2Fart%25253A10.1007%25252FBF01183005.pdf%3ForiginUrl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Flink.springer.com%252Farticle%252F10.1007%252FBF01183005*~hmac=43b16bc19c7759029b41e5825f1b8ecfffc61e46e1c2874445453702340f6edc ...some not so light reading about 'THE REINFORCING FUNCTION OF THE EMOTIONS'

Yes because intensively raised chickens and kibble are so natural. ...no worries, sometimes she also gets natural, fresh hunted and definitely cotton wool free rat liver...

if you looking for a repellent: Advantix ...all the other ones administered as chews require that the ticks bite first and get poisoned while they suck...downside of Advantix is that it works only 2 weeks against ticks (4 weeks against fleas) and is a little bit messy to apply, especially for dogs with long coats. Does it really repels the ticks? ...since we use it she never had a tick, but obviously that's not a real scientific evidence. You could also look at collars, however, they are heavily loaded with chemicals and you have to make sure that the dog is not chewing on it.