Zak George???

Dreeza

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#1
I've never really seen any threads on him on here (i tried searchin...)

I've just discovered him & I think he is just awesome!!! Plus, he is kinda cute...

Anyways, I just love his style & theories.
 

ACooper

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#2
I had to google who that was, LOL, never heard of him.........Animal Planet: Zak George


I can't comment much on his ideas because I don't think I've ever watched the show, but I can say he's not my type cute wise :rofl1:
 

HayleyMarie

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#3
ha ha interesting. But I agree with ACooper he is not my type cute wise either ha ha. But I might have to waste some time watching animals planet when he is on and see what he is all about!
 

Dreeza

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#4
Haha, he really wasn't my type either...until I watched like an hours worth of his videos.

He is just so darn cute with his dogs.

His style is like the FURTHEST away from "establishing your dominance"-style training.

He always starts new tricks by sitting down/getting on the level of the dog, which includes looking them in the eye (not in a stare down....but in more of a bond-type...he mentions in one vid that there is a teeny percentage of dogs that this should NOT be done with).

Anyways, he is all about the bond with your dog...all about how once you establish trust/connection/bond, that you can teach them anything, cause they will want to do everything for you. He talks about reading their body language to really understand when they are getting the trick. I've only been watching his trick videos, so it would be cool to see a broad overview video of his theories

His doggies are soo darn cute & sooo good! He rewards them with frisbees...its funny. Oh and he uses the clicker.



Oh, and he also says "make your dog think" a lot...while I get what the means obvs, I would like to hear more explanation.

And he uses this adorable pit bull a lot for examples...like this one video on not leash pulling...he really reinforces how there are NO prong collars or choke chains necessary. Just cool he uses a pit as the example to show how sweet & trainable they are :)
 

ACooper

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#5
Well I might have to check out his show too!

And personality has a LOT to do with "cuteness" IMO........so that could definitely play in his favor :D Eye candy is one type, but a guy with a great personality will win me over every time!
 

Southpaw

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#6
I really like his show, it's pretty brief but it's so cool what he teaches these dogs, and he's all about just keeping it fun for them.
 
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#7
I've been watching him on youtube for years. He's great! Very funny. Neat guy. Haven't watched his TV show though.
 

Mjjean

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#8
A lot of people confuse "establishing dominance" with dog training. These things are not the same, but they are related. This is especially understood by "bully breed" owners.

In my view, establishing dominance means that your dog is certain what the heirachy is in your home and family and knows that he/she is not the boss or even close to it. This can be done with things like NILIF to show that you control resources and eat first, which a pack leader in the wild does. Also can be done by setting rules and limits, like not letting the dog on the tables, for example. So, when doggie gets on the table you come in and body block while letting the dog know through body language and facial expression as well as energy to get down and he/she does, its not really dog training so much as letting the dog know the table is yours and off limits to doggie kind. If you choose to give affection when the dog leaves the table and has done what you want, thats fine.

Dog training is using rewards to elicit certain responses. Lets use "down" for example. I want my dog to lay down. I put a treat in my hand and lead my dog down. I say "down" when he is in position and give the treat. Eventually, the dog learns the word "down" = that position.

You can have a dog that has insecurity issues because he doesn't see you as leader that will still do many bad things around the house but that will "down" when asked to because he knows there is a reward for doing so.

I honestly do believe that dogs who have no clear leader will misbehave and are at higher risk for aggression than dogs who are sure of their leadership. So, I use expression, tone of voice or a sound, energy and body language to let my dogs know what the general rules of behavior are and I use positive reinforcement training methods to teach them "tricks" and stimulate their minds.
 

Brattina88

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#9
I didn't like the TV show, but I only watched like two episodes so I can't really say. I'll have to look him up on youtube.
 
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#10
I find him corny and nerdy, and too goofy to watch for long personally

His style is like the FURTHEST away from "establishing your dominance"-style training.
I have seen him say "alpha and dominance" several times and I think I remember him using a few cesarisms before and I've only watched a handful of videos...

hes heavy on in the NRMs imo.

not bad tho, just nothing fantastic IMO.
 

AgilityPup

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#12
I've seen him on youtube here and there, and have gotten some good trick ideas (not how to train them - just the actual trick itself) from his videos, but I don't worship him or anything...
 

Dreeza

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#13
I find him corny and nerdy, and too goofy to watch for long personally



I have seen him say "alpha and dominance" several times and I think I remember him using a few cesarisms before and I've only watched a handful of videos...

hes heavy on in the NRMs imo.

not bad tho, just nothing fantastic IMO.
whats an NRM??

and are ya sure he wasn't referring to his dog, Alpha? lol Hmm, maybe he's changed or something...cause they only time i;ve heard him mention dominance is to say "training is not about establishing your dominance"

::shrug:: oh well, i like him
 

Dogelp

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#14
I've never really seen any threads on him on here (i tried searchin...)

I've just discovered him & I think he is just awesome!!! Plus, he is kinda cute...

Anyways, I just love his style & theories.
I hope the fact that you think he is cute isn't biasing your opinion of him :p

Personally I have never heard of the guy, but that doesn't mean he isn't doing good work and helping people. You'll never hear about 90% of the people who are doing a good job out there.
 

Dreeza

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#15
I hope the fact that you think he is cute isn't biasing your opinion of him :p

Personally I have never heard of the guy, but that doesn't mean he isn't doing good work and helping people. You'll never hear about 90% of the people who are doing a good job out there.
rofl, no. Him doing good was what actually made me think he was cute
 
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#16
NRM are no reward markers...AH-AHs and Uh uhs and so on. NRM markers are supposed to mean "try another behavior" but he is using them like a verbal correction.

@ 2.40- 3:20 ish he talks about this.

@3:14- 3:18 his advice is downright dangerous.

@4:00 and on...mmmm hmmm riight..treats don't allow you to have long term results...sure.:yikes:

YouTube - How to Teach Your Dog to Walk on a Leash without pulling!

hes not bad, like I said before...Iam glad you like him...hes personally, for me, is a bit too disney channel overly happy to watch.
 
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Doberluv

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#17
I couldn't open that link for some reason. He's the guy on Super Fetch, isn't he. Well, I have watched a few of his shows...at least as long as I could. LOL. He's cute in a certain boyish way, cheerful and has a nice attitude.

However, as a trainer, he's very imprecise. His timing is really bad. He frequently leaves big gaps, not only with his timing, but with certain steps in method, which could greatly speed up learning and make it more clear to the dog. He does all right in some instances and has a few innovative ideas, but as I watch, I say to myself things like, "Well, if he would just break that down into a few more steps and reward for smaller successes...." Or, "If he would use a clicker for that, he could shape it up much better and faster."

My opinion is that he's a mediocre trainer...on par with a lot of JQ dog owners with no real training in training...lol....who just invent ways to teach things....kind of by the seat of their pants. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't or it works sort of, or partially....just not very effective.
 

Dreeza

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#18
However, as a trainer, he's very imprecise. His timing is really bad. He frequently leaves big gaps, not only with his timing, but with certain steps in method, which could greatly speed up learning and make it more clear to the dog. He does all right in some instances and has a few innovative ideas, but as I watch, I say to myself things like, "Well, if he would just break that down into a few more steps and reward for smaller successes...." Or, "If he would use a clicker for that, he could shape it up much better and faster."
Yeah, i've def noticed that on SuperFetch...watched it for the first time today. I feel like that show is more about showing a cute trick...not so much the training process. His training vids are a bit better (IMO), but I def see what you mean...I dunno, I'm def taking things from them & applying them to Oakley & seeing some pretty good results...Oakley seems to like when I get down on his level. I've tried teaching "sit pretty" before & was HORRIBLY unsuccessful (Oakley just kept jumping up)...I tried it his way & had basically taught it in less than 10 mins (still with the lure obviously, but he certainly is getting it!!)
 

dogsarebetter

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#20
I just dont know about that guy. I seen him teach and encourage a dog TO HERD children.

sounds like a bad idea to me
 

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