Please Stop Sharing That Guy Walking Shepherds Off Leash
After a few years you’d think certain viral videos would die down; but this one hasn’t – at least not on my facebook feed. When someone shares that video of the guy walking his 5 German Shepherds off leash I cringe. I cringe because I’m reminded of the other videos he’s posted that show how he trains his dogs – through abuse and intimidation.
With over 12 million views I’m pretty sure all of us have seen that video of the guy walking Shepherds off leash in the city. If you search for it you’ll see hundreds of pages like “Man Walks Pack of German Shepherds Without Leashes” and “What This Man Does With His Dogs is Unbelievable.”
The video does seem impressive. While I would personally never walk my dog(s) off leash in the middle of a city it’s hard to not be amazed by how well they seem to listen to him.
One Video Doesn’t Tell The Whole Story
But the problem is people only see that video — the one that seems impressive. They aren’t seeing the others that show his abusive training methods. After watching the video where he walks his dog “like a boss” they go to his breeding page (where he sells training services & puppies for about $3000), and try to figure out how he does it. He has over 13,000 subscribers on YouTube where he shares many “tips on how to train your dogs.”
You remember this guy now right? Photo taken from the Griffin Shepherd Kennels FB page.
There’s Nothing Impressive About His Handling of Dogs
Unfortunately there’s a lot more to the story than just a guy who has some well trained dogs. The man in the video, Augusto DeOliviera, runs Griffin Shepherd Kennels and he’s no stranger to controversy. Over the past few years since that video went viral he’s been accused of animal abuse and is facing multiple counts for selling sick puppies.
His Dog Training Methods Are Abusive
He has no formal certification in dog training. He uses prong collars on puppies, hits dogs trapped in crates to promote aggression, and withholds water to get the “desired behavior.” Many of his methods are beyond harsh; they’re abusive.
The animal abuse is made apparently clear in videos like this https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=764138360294633 ( Warning: the video is extremely disturbing and not appropriate for those who don’t want to see animal violence ) in which he allows one of his dogs to attack a puppy that walked out the door before the older dog (in his mind that’s a sign of disrespect and thus justified).
There are other videos in which he hits his dogs, prods them with broomsticks, swings a dog around by her hind legs to break up a fight, feeds them roadkill, and makes them “work things out” through fighting. I don’t want to share those videos here. They’re not hard at all to find for those that can stomach it. I’m not here to make you watch animal abuse, I’m here to show that things aren’t always what they seem.
He’s been trying to clean up his image by deleting such videos but the damage is done; they’re not something I’ll forget. He’s been deleting comments and reporting people who question his methods; on many of his videos the comments are disabled altogether. Any “trainer” that abuses dogs needs to be called out; not revered.
He Sells Sick Puppies
He’s facing multiple documented complaints due to selling puppies from parents who were not OFA screened for hip or elbow dysplasia, nor checked for Degenerative Myelopathy (DM checked), despite his assurances that the parents were “fully tested.” He has sold puppies without vaccinations and puppies which were deemed “unfit for sale” by veterinarians.
He sold one puppy which died of Subaortic Stenosis. When his breeding stock was called into question he admitted that the puppy had been born to a rescue dog and had gotten “accidentally” mixed in with the very high priced pedigreed puppies. He has failed to deliver proper documentation even after multiple requests – – proof of vaccination, AKC papers, and veterinary records.
His kennel was ran for years without a business license, no liability insurance, and in violation of cease and desist orders from the town of Barnstable, MA.
Griffin Shepherd Kennels has been under quarantine since May 28 due to a parvovirus outbreak. The state also found that 8 of his dogs weren’t vaccinated for rabies which is required by state law. As of May 2015 there’s 9 complaints filed against Griffin Kennel Shepherds filed with the Massachusetts Attorney General by owners claiming he sold them sick puppies.
Unfortunately there’s a lot of irresponsible breeders out there, and just like Augusto they’re getting away with charging thousands of dollars for their puppies.
Next Time You See That Video Posted
So please – next time someone shares that video of him walking his dogs “like a boss” off leash remind them that things are not always what they seem. Share this article or any of the ones below; don’t let this guy fool anyone else.
No one should be buying dogs from this guy or hiring him to train their dog. Sure he walks his dogs “like a boss,” but that’s far from impressive when you’re resorting to abuse.
Resources/Further Reading
- The Truth About Griffin Shepherd Kennels
- Disturbing Information On Griffin Shepherd Kennels
- Fraud: Augusto DeOliviera of Griffin Kennel Shepherds
- Hyannis Man Defends Raising 27 Shepherds at Home
- Barnstable Officials Reveal Findings of Kennel Search
I USED to be FB friends with him. He sent me a request because we were in the same raw feeding group. I quickly unfriended him after seeing some of his videos. They are disturbing.
It’s really disturbing how many people still defend him and his methods as well.
I get so tired of trying to find ways to train my dog online because all you all like trainers pretend to be kind and no abuse on your pups and I don’t believe it . what goes on behind closed doors all of you discipline your dogs. I have one right now that is so alpha and bullying me and I’m telling you what it comes a time when you have to hurt your dog a little bit more than he hurts you just so he knows who is the boss I have tried all your gentle or ways and nothing works so the other day I bit him like he bit me and he has not bit me since. She actually shows me some respect now. you can’t let your dogs walk all over you. they must know who loves them.. who feeds them… and who is in charge.
I love animals more than I love people so you know I don’t abuse my pets but I’m telling you sometimes you have to show some stronger discipline in order to save their life I don’t love my dogs so they can be put down for biting strangers or biting anyone they must learn and I don’t believe no punishment is the way to teach them. Dog Daddy has saved many dogs lives when nothing else worked he calmed them down and he actually saved their life from the pound from being put down nobody else to do it everybody else failed but he did it and his animals love and respect him. I’ve watched almost all his videos and I have never seen him actually physically abused and animal yes he pulls on his lease a little bit but something has got to get their attention it’s that or it’s death …you choose
Dogs need leadership and he clearly shows this. If you can’t understand these techniques you are delusional. I imagine the people commenting how bad this man is, are the very same individuals signing up for his classes 🤣
I am right there with you. I can’t stand this guy! 🙁 I feel so bad for those dogs!
Thank you; if I have one regret it’s not writing this sooner. But I’ll admit I hadn’t seen any of his videos in awhile until yesterday when it showed up again in my feed followed by lots of “wow he’s awesome” comments.
I was definitely concerned when I saw one of his videos..yikes!
He is all over YouTube. I did not know anything about this until today, but I am horrified and have unsubscribed from his channel. I did not watch any of the videos you referenced. I cannot watch any animal be abused. Thank you for writing this opinion piece..
With your permission, I am going to copy and cite your article and post a link on Facebook and YouTube.
I’ve been fostering a dog for our city shelter who would have otherwise been put down for her aggression. She’s perfect with me but has lunch at others, especially men.
I have contacted every local trainer I can find. Most of them won’t even look at her. Two others said they would take her for a couple of weeks at the cost of several thousand dollars but I have no idea what their training is like either. Both said they’d assess her on the first day but the deposit is hefty and I won’t get it back if they decide they can’t work with her.
I have no argument with you pointing out another side to this, or any, trainer. But you didn’t offer a single alternative. There are hundreds of thousands of dogs out there that need someone to care and help them. Your story offers none of that so I would rather try this guy out than put the dog down.
Interesting – I had no idea, thanks for sharing!
THANK YOU for this post! Our animal behavior groups have routinely pointed out the issues with this person’s so-called “training” techniques and the more info that can be shared, the better.
It’s really scary how often his videos keep getting shared at well – along with all the likes they receive.
he pays for those videos to be shared, thats why they keep showing up again and again, when people discover what he is really like he has to find new people that dont know the truth about him
Hey Lee, are you able to provide evidence for your claim he pays for the videos to be shared?
omg!!!! I had no idea :/ Thank you so very much for sharing this information.
How awful! This guy sounds really greedy, arrogant, & callous. Even worse than your average backyard breeder. I’ll be sharing this post, thanks
I guess you haven’t none of you have watched his video addressing all these issues and allegations. I personally have had him train my Borzoi Russian Wolfhound. I’ve worked in the movie industry for 30 yrs and have been around the top animal trainers – and I can honestly say Augusto is the best. He is not only a good person but is kind and patient w the dogs. He gains their trust and the dogs love him. Not only his dogs but our dogs that he trains. I seriously doubt the writer of this blog has even met Augusto or his dogs. Most critics are armchair critics.
This is great ur giving him the recognition he deserves because how does this person know all this stuff is going on is she there like come on people are just either jealous or something else because with the shock collars I’m sorry I really don’t think anything is wrong with using them especially with very aggressive known dogs breeds sorry I grew up raising pits and they were well trained so if somebody had pits on here they be saying the same thing so it is what it is I think he’s doing good a great job
There’s nothing wrong with prongs for adult dogs , depending on the issue you’re trying to address. The article was talking about prongs on puppies
I think he is fantastic, natural trainer . I have never seen anybody like him. I hope he comes to Toronto Canada . I would hire him in a heartbeat.
Why doesn’t someone turn him in to the proper animal abuse authorities? I don’t get if hes’ had all of these horriable abusive so called training wny in God’s name would people sit by and let these animals suffer these barbiric methods. I’ve have had six GS and had no problem training them with kindness and patience.. Maybe someone needs to put a spike collar on himr or better yet let all six of them rip him apart !!!!!!!!!
The Karens and trolls have reported him hundreds of times.
HUNDREDS.
The only thing that those reports found was that the claims were baseless. Not one allegation was upheld, not one fine or conviction for animal cruelty, not even a wiff of one. The only thing they ever found was him running an ‘unlicensed kennel’.
The reality of that was that he had 10 GSD which was fine in his previous locality, but 4 too many for the new place he moved to… 4 dogs he loved and refused to get rid of for 2 years while he was maligned by other trainers and breeders jealous of a young man’s success.
So, all these allegations made over the course of 3-4 years and through 3 separate jurisdictions in 3 separate counties and in 2 different states. You’d think with all those complaints there’d be at least one upheld for him to be charged with. But no.
What’s it going to take for peopke like you to accept that you’re misinformed and to stop slandering him when you have zero evidence.
Or at least do some bloody research for yourself before you blindly believe what some trollish Karen on Facebook says.
He sounds terrible. Hate the breeding, care and training crimes. Videos can be so misleading. Thanks for sharing. S
Poor dogs! I actually hadn’t seen that video before (I guess I have been under a rock somewhere). It really stinks that he is allowed to continue breeding with those kinds of complaints on his record.
Ugh! I agree, when you know what’s going on “behind the scenes” it is incumbent on you to share that. Where documented dog abuse is concerned, there are no holds barred.
I am agree too.
Oh, that is terrible! I will never understand how people can mistreat animals. They are so innocent, loyal, and loving.
I have never personally seen the video of this guy walking his dog off leash, and I can’t watch the videos of the animal abuse. But I thank you for raising awareness about this man. I hope that justice is served for all the puppies’ sake!
I have a neighbor who walks his dog off leash. She is an incredibly loyal, well-behaved dog. I know he does not mistreat her in any way. I’ve never even heard him talk sternly to her. They are just connected in such a way that they walk in tandom. It’s really sweet to watch them together. 🙂
Thank you; it’s so frustrating when I see people commenting on his videos saying how “amazing” he is.
Aren’t people doing something like I don’t know, reports to police or something? If this is how it is then he must be stopped
Everything on the internet is true right? Not
I had never heard of this guy ~ thanks for sharing this info. I can’t believe he’s feeding his dogs road kill??????!
Yeah there was a video I chose not to share here that I saw in which he throws a deer carcass to his dogs; and then they basically surround it and eat it as a pack of wolves would. It’s especially concerning considering he doesn’t vaccinate his dogs – I’d imagine the chances of getting parasites is quite high. There’s nothing wrong with feeding raw but just using any animal you come across seems unnecessarily risky. There’s also been allegations that he takes free animals from craigslist to use as food but I don’t have any proof so decided not to share that lovely tidbit.
Good God, that’s not only disgusting, but a health risk he seems to be more than willing to take.
We switched our pups over to a raw diet, but Missy & Buzz are far from eating roadkill!!! We use a dehydrated veggie base mix we add organic, raw meat to (as well as organic coconut oil & organic turmeric & the occasional raw egg).
It’s actually illegal in most states to pick up roadkill without permission and paperwork from the state police/fish &game officers of the area. I know here in Texas it is illegal to harvest roadkill even when you’re responsible for the kill. When you hit and kill wild game you have to call and let the county game warden know that the animal was hit so they can take care of it but you can also ask for permission to harvest the animal yourself and antlers from bucks will be confiscated by the officer. The game wardens typically will harvest the hit animal quickly, so the meat doesn’t spoil from exposure to different body fluids and such, and it’s donated to families in need. But this “man” is a cold hearted, money grubbing, selfish, sadistic POS and deserves every charge the law hits him with for every bit of harm he has caused all those amazing animals. Domestic canines have evolved and were/are bred to fit our needs and lifestyles, whether it is herding livestock, hunting, ridding the area of vermin or for our happiness and love. They deserve the best we can give them as their owners, caretakers, breeders, trainers, but most of all as their parents.
You would force you child to eat roadkill and fight someone just so they can exist in this world, would you?
I find it interesting that the little tidbit you weren’t going to share you ended up sharing….
Hmmmm
ANY game animal that you feed your dogs, is supposed to be FROZEN for 3 weeks or more…(I believe..I may be of a week or 2 on that lol), but feeding them roadkill is perfectly fine….although the MANNER and not freezing them (to kill off parasites) is bad..
From the video mentioned it’s hard to tell. I’ve seen a lot of comments stating that he does not freeze them, but I’ve found no actual proof either way.
From what I’ve seen, most likely not……gross…..no wonder those poor dogs are riddled with parasites!! :/
very good article, and thank you for helping spread awareness about this con-artist!
I admit to being guilty of posting one of his ‘amazing’ vids a few months ago without properly vetting him. Boy, did I get taken to task for it too – but rightfully so, never should have posted it.
When I first saw the video I commented about how impressive it was as well. When taken by itself that video seems so harmless – many of us are guilty of sharing it. He’s also turned off comments on the video itself which makes it less likely for anyone stumbling upon it to see any complaints or know that it’s something with a bigger back story.
Excellent essay, Jen! Hopefully the number of dog-oriented blogs who speak out against this self-promoting, con artist, serial animal abuser, blatant thief and certifiable narcissist will continue to increase, making it impossible for any of his propaganda pieces to pop up without an equal appearance of the facts of the matters concerning him.
I would absolutely love that and hope the more people we reach the more they’ll voice their opinions about this guy. It was really surprising when I did a search on him and was only able to find a handful of negative articles (and bad reviews)
nicely written, keep getting the word out people, this guy needs to be shut down, he just doesn’t LEARN!
he moved to california…was in South Carolina for a while…as much as he moves around it only stands to reason he’s burning bridges…needs more exposure – get the word out – this majestic breed of dog deserves proper handling.
There was a not so good write up about him in Cape Cod Times Newspaper yesterday,,, Today did anyone see the video he put up of himself with a cup of coffee,, he looks like he is making love to that cup of coffee,, he is really getting off on it,, that guy is strange,, makes me wonder what he does with his dogs if he Is that crazy over a cup of coffee,,, SICKO!!!!
maybe some day his dogs will turn on him.. you can only abuse so much before a dog or even human finally breaks,,, his day will come,, KARMA IS A BITCH!!!!
Appalling on absolutely every level. I don’t even have words for people like this. Thank you for helping to get the word out on this disgusting individual.
Great post and insight! I will definitely be sure to share this if I ever see this photo/video!
Thanks for calling this guy out.
Why can’t this creep be closed down and all his dogs confiscated? He is a disgrace to humanity.
I think it’s terrible if he’s running a puppy mill and selling dogs who are sick. As for the one video link, it didn’t look like teaching dog fighting at all to me. It looked like two dogs in a dominance/submission argument which naturally happens with all dogs. I personally wouldn’t have let it go that long out of fear one of the dogs could accidentally get hurt, but I think it belittles the actual horrors of dog fighting to claim that is the beginning of teaching dog fighting (because it’s not). Teaching dog fighting is something so much more horrible. Sometimes dogs natural reactions to one another (like in the one video that was posted) are disturbing to us humans which is why even though that was a natural interaction for the dogs, most of us would’ve stopped it sooner. This guy may well be abusive, but I didn’t see any evidence of it in that one clip.
if i new i would have not shared his video shit my bag
Many of us feel the same way; I don’t think the majority of people who share it have any clue.
If you are on facebook, there is a great page The Truth about Griffin Shepherd Kennels or is that where this came from??
I am a member of that page; and I agree it’s a great one. I’m not directly affiliated with them in any way, but I like their message.
It’s disgusting what people get away with. I have 2 reactive gsds and would never treat them like this. I’m currently studying dog behaviour and training and I’m really taking my time so I don’t go in to quick and give the wrong advice likewise, and unlike most dog trainers, I won’t hesitate to refer a client to someone who I think is better experienced to deal with their hound! I had a great opportunity to work with glasgowdogtrainer John McGuigan who helped me with my gsds especially my boy and I learned so much. You will get your dog to do way more with praise and patience than with punishment. Xx
what an inconsiderate prick – Obviously has ZERO grey matter when it comes down to the “bare -Bones” basics when it comes down to pack mentality, and the well-being of dogs from he dogs point of view. Selfish moron with the mental fortitude of a toe-nail-clipping. Its fools like this that perpetuate “bad press” for responsible dog owners and animal lovers who are all on the “same page” as their K9 counter-parts etc. Perhaps there WILL be justice one day and…Well. I cant finish what REALLY want to say – But know we all feel the same.
Ciao for now!
M
His first video walking the dogs, the dogs were definitely trained using a shock collar. They were scared and nervous to not be touching him or being as close to him as possible. It was very obvious they were trained to do that by being shocked every time they strayed from their position. You can actually see the receivers on the dogs(wires sticking up from the shock collars) in those videos. I notice he doesn’t use them anymore, but the dogs have already been trained that way.
Yeah the dogs certainly seem to be walking with their heads held low, and I’ve seen a few videos of him using shock & prong collars.
This is truly heartbreaking. I love dogs so much and I hate when I hear about people abusing them while pretending to be an “expert.”
I tried to watch the video at the FB link. My rescue dog got so upset that I had to turn it off. I wasn’t far behind him.
It’s really upsetting to watch which is why I’d never post it directly on here. It’s disturbing to see that sort of ignorance these days – believing in pack theory, dominance & letting dogs sort things out over such ridiculous things as walking in front of the alpha.
I thought Cesar Millan’s training methods were pretty bad but this guy makes him look like a dog training angel. I wouldn’t call on anyone who uses Cesar’s methods to help me with my dog. I’d severely injure anyone who tried this guy’s methods on any of my dogs. How he even thinks that he is training is beyond me. He’s just a violent, controlling sociopathic person who has sucked people into financially and emotionally supporting his mental aberrations.
It’s pretty sad when I agree that this makes Cesar’s methods look pretty calm. I’m not sure why he considers himself a trainer either, but people are going for it. He sells a lot of training sessions (and puppies that he breeds).
It’s unfortunate that people continue to profit off of harming other animals, but hopefully with more people seeing these videos we can at least help put an end to the amount of support he gets from his followers.
Thanks for sharing this on your PBC post I hadn’t heard or seen his videos, but after reading this I don’t think I want to see any of his videos.
I noticed right away how all the dogs had their tails down and their posture was extremely submissive. This is not normal pack behavior.
I watched it for 1st time for about 30-45 seconds before I thought to myself there was something off. I don’t care how perfectly trained dogs are, those dogs seemed nervous. If not outright scared. I’ve been around a lot of very well bred and professionally trained German Shepards and it doesn’t look like that. They are a proud breed and on their best behavior they don’t cower like that.
no proof of anything, he should sue your ass
Jayne! You areNot very convincing with your video of two completely normal German Shepherds Behavior like German Shepherds. In no way was that violent video Abusive
https://www.facebook.com/1396551383916804/photos/a.1396564767248799.1073741828.1396551383916804/1522836417954966/?type=3&fref=nf this is his profile for any and all, to message this piece of shit human.
https://www.facebook.com/Augusto-Deoliveira-1396551383916804/
I’m so glad I found this. I’m not even much of a dog person, I’m much more attuned to cats, but when I first watched that video, and despite all the wows and amazings from supposed dog lovers, I felt very uncomfortable. That degree of submissiveness doesn’t come naturally, that’s not companionship I see, it reaks of abuse. I’m glad to know I was right, although it’s a hollow victory.
After reading the comments, I’m heart broken. Why is he still allowed to train and sell these poor puppies. I will never watch or comment about him ever again. No promotion here. He should be imprisoned for animal cruelty!?
I’m amazed at how many poor ignorant people still follow this CROOK on Facebook! There are just TOO many stories published out there now for there to be any doubt as to this guy’s shady dealings. And these people have PROOF! He’s selling SICK PUPS, he’s lying about their vaccinations, health and level of training, all in order to rip people off….
PLEASE, people, do your research before spending your hard earned money! This con artist has ripped people off for THOUSANDS $$$ of dollars! DON’T let him rip you off!
I really haven’t done much research on this guy, so I really can’t say anything negative nor positive about him; but I will say one thing. That FB video, of the two dogs fighting, no, he was not forcing the two dogs fight. From my perspective of what he puts out, he goes for a dog trainer, not a dog fighter. The Facebook video, the two dogs did fight, but was not forcing them to fight. Dogs still run off of the same hierarchy that Wolves do in the wild, which means there’s Alphas. Usually an Alpha Male and Female, which are the only ones able to breed and reproduce within the pack. The dog you see on top beating up the dog underneath him, looked to be older, that was the Alpha of the pack I’m guessing or just a higher ranking pack member. Then you have other ranks in a wolf pack i.e Beta,Delta, and Omega. I’m guessing that the submissive wolf being ‘attacked’ was an Omega. I wouldn’t actually consider that a dog fight myself, it was more of just a show of dominance. You can see the top dog left the submissive dog alone after a few seconds. There was hardly any biting of the top dog, he usually just used his size and weight, a few nips here and there. If a dog wanted to kill another dog, it wouldn’t willingly let another dog go like the top dog did. It’s a natural thing that occurs in all dog packs, and they need to have rankings like that so they aren’t confused. Even if YOU are an alpha of a dog pack, there will still be little scuffles like this. Imo, that video was not a sign of dog abuse, he just let nature occur naturally. By stepping in, the fight would still probably have happened somewhere down the line so it was just best to get it over with, and for the tension to be gone.
Well said. People who do not understand the way the dogs think will definately see things differently and that is sad. As its pretty obvious they are out for him, its no suprise. but when they have concrete evidence against him, we are ready to listen.
I love dogs but I can’t find any evidence of abuse myself either… Breaking up a fight is what he did in the video, which is what should be expected. I don’t think all people understand the science and art behind mastering the disciplining of dogs. Well-disciplined dogs make better pets, family members, helpers… What he has accomplished is amazing. If there’s evidence of abuse, someone please direct me to it.
He took my money then blocked me! I have no money and. I dog!
Look up The truth about Ultimate German Shepherd/dog daddy. They can help you pursue him and get justice.
I had to research the videos of this guy … and it was not cool.
Believing in negative thoughts is the single greatest obstruction to your success.”
For anyone who comes across this article, just a recent update. He is still in business and still breeding and training dogs. He ran from MA to SC and now has ran to Los Angeles leaving behind a lot of damage to t6SC property along with a “boneyard” of dead dogs, a sawed up horse and countless other bones and skeletons. He is now running under the kennel name of The Ultimate German Shepherds
He sold me a puppy thats supposed to be AKC registered 9 months ago and I’m still waiting on paperwork to get him registered. I paid over $2000 and all I heard is one lie after another. I guess the only way to settle this will be in court. Word to the wise don’t let the puppy faces fool you.
Look up the truth about ultimate German Shepherd/dog daddy on Facebook. They can help you with filing so you can get your money back.
He’s a con artist! He stole $750 from me with the promise of a dog. I’m out my money and no dog! He’s a thief!!!!
Look up the truth about ultimate German Shepherd/dog daddy on Facebook. They can help you with filing so you can get your money back.
is this guy TheDogDaddy on tiktok?
Yes. Look up the truth about ultimate German Shepherd/dog daddy and see everyone he has con out of money.
Yes, that’s his new name
First saw his “rare golden retriever” video a while ago and I got some very bad vibes off him just by that video alone. I can’t really say what made me feel that way, but I guess it was the body language of his dogs and hos overall “vibe”.
Although the original article and the one on FB that’s similar are from 2014-2015, the allegations mentioned about this guy are so over-the-top and there are so many it’s hard to believe that they are all real and not rumors.
With that being said, I will follow the links posted and I fear that what’s being said here is mostly true. There are far too many crooks and dishonest people selling puppies. If he is still breeding and selling GSDs as stated then the AKC will get involved if he is faking registration papers. I wouldn’t buy a pup from him if he had the only GSDs on earth. It’s horrible breeding practices like his that are contributing to the demise of our amazing breed.
I am familiar with 4 videos of his: the first one I ever saw was the one with him walking 10 GSDs off leash probably as a marketing stunt. To those of us who are familiar with canine behavior and body language, it’s obvious that these are dogs who aren’t happy to be there because they have been trained with too much compulsion or with the collars turned up too high. They are afraid to step out of line and that’s why they look so dejected. They haven’t been “trained”: they are more like robotic dogs with remote control. I can do the same with my dogs working off leash, but they’re animated and engaged and having fun. I don’t have a video nor do I have 10 dogs so you can choose to believe me or not.
The other video I recently stumbled upon was on a YouTube “short”. With super annoying background “music” drowning out the actual sound, he’s shown wearing his 1980s pimp-sweatsuit or looking like a Richard Simmons flashback – which begs the question “what’s with the get-up?” Maybe I’m just an old trainer who takes this profession seriously and don’t need a “schtick” to attract or distract clients, but in my opinion he looks ridiculous and it’s hard to take him seriously.
Then the so-called “magical” training begins (as so many commenters have exclaimed after watching this guy do his thing— “it’s like MAGIC! He is AMAZING!!!”) As he walks through the park with his well-mannered black GSD next to him, a woman with a highly reactive dog-aggressive GSD crosses his path. Her dog goes ballistic and lunges at his dog, teeth bared, rearing up with his owner trying to hold him back. She has zero control and her dog doesn’t even know she’s there. So our hero grabs the leash from her and proceeds to nail her dog with level 10 leash corrections over and over. The dog is suddenly feeling assaulted by this odd looking man who is trying to kill him (from the dog’s perspective). He first tries going up the leash in pure defense mode but that doesn’t work– he just keeps nailing this woman’s dog (as she stands off to the side watching this stranger yank the leash over and over with her terrified dog coming up off the ground spinning). The dog is now in pure avoidance mode which isn’t working either. I imagine that awful music is covering up the sound of the dog making noises that the audience might object to, maybe him yelling or maybe him giving the dog an unfamiliar command. The poor dog has no idea what is happening to him or why this stranger is nailing him. Nothing the dog tries to do is making the assault stop. The next scene shows him putting this totally insecure and completely stressed dog next to the black GSD so they’re laying next to each other. This is the last place this poor dog wants to be — owner is 15’ away quietly watching this — and the last scene shows our hero walking both dogs side by side on the pathway. The caption reads that he trained the dog in less than 10 minutes (and claims that he trained this aggressive attacking ’Doberman’ to behave – or something like that. Not one Doberman showed up.)
This bonehead is NOT a “trainer“ and he did not train this poor dog. He fiercely strongarmed and dominated this stranger’s insecure dog into submission. If anything he made things MUCH worse. First, as soon as his owner takes the leash and goes on her merry way, the dog will revert back to how he’s always been: the next dog they cross paths will elicit the same reactive behavior and as always she won’t have any control. Worse still, the dog might be reactive not just towards another dog, but towards the guy holding the leash. Forget this dog ever believing he can protect his owner: he just learned that he will never win against a bad guy trying to harm her. He lost big time and that is the worst thing that can happen to a dog who has any protective instincts! Sadly, this poor dog was betrayed by the one person whose job it is as his pack leader to protect him from harm! So whatever trust was once there is not there anymore: he is truly on his own!
What was also extremely disturbing were all the comments from all the inexperienced viewers. They did not understand what they witnessed: comment after comment praised his amazing dog training abilities, even saying his skills are truly “magical“! Many were so wowed that he could take that viscious killing machine and in less than 10 minutes have him trained out of his dog-aggression behavior problem. Some wanted our hero to come train their dog since he is the very best dog trainer they’d ever seen!
It’s hacks like this guy who give training and training tools a bad name. He is the polat opposite of the force-free and positive-only crowd. He didn’t show any training skills at all. There’s another video with another weak nerved, soft GSD that he nails with level 10 corrections over and over with no idea what’s going on so I can only judge him by what I have seen him
do.
If he were to grab my GSD’s leash and start whaling on him, our hero would be in for a big surprise because my dog wouldn’t put up with this crap from anyone. By the way, I’ve been a professional trainer since 1985 and I use e-collar, prong collars, dominant dog collars, slip leads/collars, tracking harnesses, flat collars, marker training with food, tugs, balls and toys and my methods are not positive-only or the fake force-free pc methods– I am a balanced trainer and I use the best method that works for the dog, period. No hitting, yelling, or breaking a dog’s spirit. Any tool can be misused and abuse a dog! Our hero proves this over and over! When I’ve completed training every dog with any of the tools listed above, the dog is happy, engaged, lively, wanting more training, well mannered and well adjusted. I had to comment on this because so many of you have unrealistic and negative feelings towards e-collars and prong collars. In the wrong hands even that “gentle leader“ can be abusive!
Anyways, if you have read this far, thanks for reading! I just needed to voice my opinions and thoughts. I’ve only seen 4 videos of his and I’m hovering between disgusted and totally unimpressed. If the rest of this clown’s videos are as rotten as the others I think he needs to be called out and his fans need real training and a mighty wake-up call. Again, he is not a dog trainer by any stretch of the imagination!
Hey InlineK-9, I’m not on to defending this Dog Daddy person. I’ve never even seen the video everyone goes on about where he walks the multiple G.S.Ds off-leash. He popped up on a YouTube video recently & I’ve watched a few more of his since. I’ve seen no abuse from him towards any dog so far unless leash pops & voice volume/inflection are considered abusive. I will watch more from him before deciding what I think of him. At times I find the titles on some of his videos, strange but mostly funny i.e. video about an aggressive Akita but then the dog appears & is actually a Doberman or even a Husky. I’ve yet to hear him get a breed mixed up though.
I want to make the point to you that, being a balanced trainer doesn’t necessitate the use of any aversive tools & not using them doesn’t make me part of the “positive only” set. I worked as police & army police k-9 trainer for 23 years here in the U.K.
I am an actual “balanced” Never have I used any of the aversives, E-Collars, Prong Collars, Alpha Rolls, etc not even one time. Despite this, I have successfully trained & been part of multi-handler teams training hundreds of dogs for the police & army over here, including G.S.D.’s, Malinois’, Dutch Shepherds, Spaniels & once a Doberman. I find it rather rich that you comment disdainfully on his methods, then go on to take a swipe at R+ methods while almost gleefully telling about your use of Dominant Dog, Prong & Electronic Collars!! That makes absolutely no sense to me. “Balanced”? No. “Lazy &/or Hurried” seems a more appropriate title type for the way you train.
Yours etc.
Caroline O’Neill
Inline-K9 it’s great that you can spot what a fraud this guy is. He’s so abusive to animals that it blows my mind the number of people who leave positive comments. As far as I’m concerned, this guy is a sociopath and should not be allowed near animals. If he abuses them like that in public, imagine what he does in private.
There is no magic to training a dog. It required patience (yes, even the most patient of us lose ours sometimes), love, compassion and consistency.
It’s great that you can see him for who he is. It’s unfortunate you choose to continue training dogs with aversive tools. It would be wonderful if all dog trainers who still promote punishment training could understand that dogs don’t need that.
Positive reinforcement training is more ethical and puts the dog’s well-being above all. And dogs learn just the same, if not better, without all those harsh tools.
Also, if this guy has been abusing animals for a decade, how has he managed to grow his audience? Isn’t there a dog training board that can shut him down for good? Regular people without the ability to use discerning skills are too easily influenced by, a-hem… influencers. That’s all this guy is — a sociopathic influencer.
Pay attention to the language he uses. He manipulates and gaslights anyone who leaves a negative comment (or tries to, but those of us who understand sociopaths are on to him).
Lastly, #adoptdontshop
Hey Lee, are you able to provide evidence for your claim he pays for the videos to be shared?
You do understand that he trains severely aggressive dogs that would have ended up being put down?..what a bunch of judgemental people. I guess you would have rather seen the dog be killed in these situations…
The Dog Daddy has never been arrested and is now a multi millionaire in 2022. Bad publicity is his free advertising, you guys made him rich!