Dog Borstal on BBC 3 - review
Dog Borstal - Mondays, 9pm, BBC 3 - sees three delinquent dogs, and their owners, endure a week of intense correctional training.
Making the most of its disused air base location - high wire fences, military-style tents for the owners and cages for the mutts - the show gives the owners a short, sharp shock.
The first episode introduced the trainers: Debbie Connolly, Rob Alleyne and Mic Martin. So far, Debbie and Rob seem like normal people; Mic seems to enjoy his position of power a touch too much, though.
As a former police dog trainer, and with tales of his military service never far from his lips, Mic likes to make it clear he’s a man’s man. Sadly, the producers thought it necessary to engineer a little conflict and placed him with Flake, a Jack Russell whose gay owners inspired a series of nervous, “what they do in the privacy of their own home is their business” style comments from tough-guy Mic.
The first show’s other two inmates were Henry - a Weimeraner whose main hobby was stopping his owner from putting a jumper on - and Maggie, a Staffie who was still terrorising her neighbourhood despite having mauled a smaller dog and killed two cats.
Although Mic’s hard-man act was somewhat tedious, the trainers quickly demonstrated their expertise. Henry’s boistrous behaviour and strong will were quickly brought under control and Maggie was able to resist sinking her teeth into any other animal that walked past.
It appears that Dog Borstal could be of more long-term interest than Channel 4’s It’s Me or The Dog. We’ve stopped watching Victoria Stillwell’s show, mainly because it has become a little samey now it’s in the second series. Dog Borstal, although contrived in places, is perhaps fresher.
Chat about Dog Borstal in our forums.
March 21st, 2006 at 1:01 am
As the ‘GAY’ owner of Flake I am, please that you recognised the real Mic, and that was with a programme heavily edited to show him in the best possible light! The two other dog trainers were both friendly, helpfull and approachable, but my experience was not a good one.I did learn a lot about dog handling, nutrition and grooming ( which has helped so much), but Mics training tactics left me angry and confused.Flake however is not much better and infact did a little welcome pee on the shoe of the SKY reapir man who came earlier today, so Mic I guess you dont know it all !
Regards Dale and Flake
March 21st, 2006 at 12:29 pm
I have been watching Dog Borstal with great interest. As a dog trainer/behaviourist I have been known to cringe at some of the dog training shows on TV but not this one.
I know that we only see the edited version of what goes on but I have the utmost respect for Mic. It’s much easier to train or recondition the dog than it is the owner. Anthropomorphism is a huge problem and when people treat their dogs like a human baby theyre going to have problems.
After watching last nights episode with Spence and Louis I could see the look on Spence’s face when Louis was taken down by Mic after he had his wrist bitten. I think that Spence understood what was happening but it is hard to watch with any dog let alone your own dog….the fact is though that in just a few seconds Louis learned a valuable lesson that he will probably never forget in that it is not acceptable to bite people. Too many people ‘just dont get it’. Dog bites and attacks are serious problems and the biggest cause of dog bites and attacks is the owners lack of knowledge in basic dog behaviour or their lack of willingness to do anything about it or worse make excuses for them.
Dale, I know from the show that it was a little upsetting for you but I can tell you that it takes more than a week to change a dogs behaviour. Imagine how long Flake has had his negative behaviours, everything that you have allowed him to get away with you have basically taught him/trained him/conditioned him to behave this way, its usually not intentional but thats the way it is, it can take as much time (hopefully a lot less time but definately more than a week) to undo the problems youve created.
Mic gave you the basics on how to work with Flake, I cant speak for Mic but I can say that any ‘good’ trainer can have just about any dog doing every ‘command’ on key as well as a dramatic change in general behaviour within a week…but…once that dog is with another handler (the owner) its a different ball game. I thought Flake did great but its an ongoing process. Consistency, repetition and a lot of patience is what works.
I should say that this is all just my opinion and I dont know Mic or any of the trainers there. I just have a lot of respect for them.
March 21st, 2006 at 12:32 pm
i watched your programme for the first time last night ,i wish some one would help withour dog . He is about a year old and whines costantly in the home out in the car every where where he cant get what he wants, also he eats his shit and other dogs shit is there someone out there who can help. It is driving the whole family mad .
March 21st, 2006 at 1:20 pm
Personally, I found the show appalling. The techniques used seem to be right out of the 70’s: yelling at your dog, pulling roughly on the lead to make him walk, threatening your dog, staring down your dog, teasing your dog only to punish. This isn’t teaching dogs anything other than fear and aggression. I almost expected to see them bring out the choke collars after seeing the way they handled them. Have they even heard of positive reinforcement? The amount of praise much less food/play reinforcement was minimal. This show is only going to teach owners that apparently you don’t have to bother training your dog anything at all, and a week of aggressive handling will magically transform him. It’s pretty obvious that these “experts” don’t really understand how animals learn behaviour at all or heard of operant conditioning, and instead use negative reinforcement and positive punishment. I have made a formal complaint to the BBC and truly hope that this show is stopped before people use its techniques seriously.
March 21st, 2006 at 1:38 pm
I watched your programme for the first time last night and was surprised to see and old friend of mine Spencer on the show. It was ironic that my husband switched it on, as we had just got back from our first puppy class with our 16 week old labrador.
Well done Spence for doing everything that was asked of you, I know how hard dog training is as we also have a 5yr old lab too. It’s really hard to stay in control and show them whose boss!!
I thought Mic was a bit over the top, but I know where he is coming from, you have to be quite on your dog to get anywhere.
Well if you read this Spence, get in touch, jenny and I would love to hear from you.
March 21st, 2006 at 2:55 pm
I have been totally appalled by the outdated rubbish.
The weim was surely choked by Mic the trainer? Is this in fact allowed or should the RSPCA be notified?
Dogs do need aversives sometimes but they should be a very last resort. This was not the case here - the weim for example was out of control, controlling, and using his mouth but there are many trainers and behaviourist out there working with this kind of dog all the time who do not have to resort to old fashioned alpha rolls.
We have moved on since Barbara Woodhouse, Konrad Most etc etc.
Police dog trainers had to pull their socks up after a dog was killed in the name of training - Acer, who was helicoptered and kicked (his liver was ruptured).
This kind of training is the same mentality as those once used by the police - abusive to my mind.
I am appalled.
March 21st, 2006 at 3:10 pm
Thanks to everyone for your comments! It looks as though a couple of people have confused Dogs Rule with the producers of Dog Borstal. Just to clarify, we’re not connected with Dog Borstal or the BBC and this is just a review of the show.
March 21st, 2006 at 3:41 pm
thankyou for reading my email this programme as amusing as me and my children thought some of the dogs bad habits were was very refreshing tv it just goes to show how selfish and irresponsible people can be when they purchase pets dogs are not born destructive i’ve had dogs all my life and i have to admit i have nuver seen a dog behave the way these dogs behaved on dog borstal me and my children were laughing till our sides ached on the tues 21st at louis his owners couldnt get no sleep and homer made me roar wiith laughter when he wouldnt get up and had to be dragged along the dog trainers all three are excellent they each have different methods that are outstanding the nasty comments i have read about mic i think are really uncalled for he gets results dosent he? i think he is very good for the really rebellious animals my only concern was mics language i dont like the swearing it spoils the shows good intentions he is very good with the animals i would like to meet him because i have a staffordshire bull terrier who needs a bit of help my friend has a chiuawa and my dog jake is scared he cries when he sees it every dog where i live has bit my jake and he is so scared he wont defend hiself i am a bit concerned by his fear he is scared of the hoover when i put it on he scarpers he is scared of ballonns he is 2yrs and 6mths and i would say he is the softest staff i have ever come across my grandkids lay with him on the floor they all watch tv even jake you would never believe it unless you saw it everyone loves him he so friendly and will go to anyone but i just dont understand why he is so fearful of other dogs he so loved and cared for even my vet looks forward to jakes visits the staff at the vets all stop what they are doing just to greet him how would i be able to get in contact with dog borstal? i dont think jake would need to go there but i’d like a piece of advice from each of all the trainers there how to conquer jakes timidness thanks for reading my email
March 21st, 2006 at 6:43 pm
On Dog Borstal this week an owner was told to drag their Golden Retriever along the ground for a considerable distance when it refused to walk properly. This is dangerous for the dog which could have been severely injured. It is also very bad dog-training practice and I am amazed the BBC could have broadcast it as a solution to a bahavioural problem in dogs. Imagine the number of complaints they would have received if this procedure had been adopted for a recalcitrant child - the potential danger for the dog was identical to that of a human and it was taught nothing. They should have a Vet vet the programme!!
March 21st, 2006 at 8:45 pm
[…] Rob Alleyne, author of The Trouble-Free Dog and trainer on Dog Borstal, tells us about his approach to dog training and his experience of working on the BBC 3 show. […]
March 21st, 2006 at 8:52 pm
I thought the programme has been wonderful. I have a 9 year old Dobe who whines a bit but is a fab dog. A lot of the things I have watched will help when we get our next dog - hopefully in many many years time! the bottle with pebbles in - brilliant!
I do think that many people will not like Mics approach, however, it did make us remember that a dog is a pack animal, not a child - something we had allowed to lapse - not now! All potential dog owners should get their dog trained and train themselves, it should be law - maybe that way we will have less abandoned dogs. The first dog in the 1st episode and his owner was a classic example. Its a shame he wasn’t more opened minded and go for it like Spencer did last night.
Well done to all of those owners who now have happy dogs and happy homes!
March 22nd, 2006 at 12:45 pm
I note with interest that all the dogs on the show so far have been male, and have had dominance issues. And are with couples where I suspect the dog is viewed as a ‘child replacement’.
Perhaps all new dog owners should be given a short leaflet outlining how a dog thinks, and how they cannot be treated like humans.
Unfortunately, as I discovered when I had my first dog, owning a dog for the first time isn’t straight forward - it takes time to understand them (and vice versa perhaps) and to learn how to treat them. As an example if I make a fuss of them when I get home, they’ll cotton on and get excited (bark/jump up/etc) when they see me coming home, on the other hand if I ignore them they will remain quiet and well behaved;
Dogs do learn from being punished - but not always in the way you hope - e.g. mine like rolling in mud - and they know that I will hose them down when I get home (which they dislike). Therefore they take some coaxing to come back on the lead when they’re dirty, as they know they’ll get hosed.
I can’t help but cringe when I see other owners hit their dogs when they get them back on the lead - obviously the dog becomes hesisitant about returning to the lead in the future. Having said that, in some situations physical restriant of a dog can be acceptable (for instance to assert dominance).
My wife’s just read : ‘How Dogs Think’ (Stanley Coren, ISBN : 0743222326), which sounds like it would make people aware of the differences between the species
Pah, this is turning into a long comment ….
My only dislike about the program is how a lot of the content within an episode is continually repeated, summarised or previewed in advance - as if we (the audience) have a short attention span and can’t remember what happened 5 minutes ago), and need to be constantly reminded about what is going to happen to stop us changing channel.
(I’m not really happy with the wording of this comment, but it’s the best I can do in the time)
March 22nd, 2006 at 7:27 pm
I was shocked and very angry when I saw this programme. To drag a dog along the ground by its neck was both cruel and unneccesary. There are much quicker and more effective ways to train a dog that won’t walk on the lead. I hate to think how many people will have seen that programme and will be throwing dogs to the ground and dragging them around thinking it’s the right way to do it. The “Don’t try this at home” approach has no effect on people who think they know best. Within hours there were posts on forums from people saying they would have a go at this with their dogs. This programme is doing nothing but harm.
March 22nd, 2006 at 10:42 pm
How can anyone who has ever lived with a dog say that the methods and treatment of owners shown on dog borstal were any good. Abusing animals and people in the name of entertainment is about as low as you can get.
Dogs are not wolves and so are not ‘dominant’ - dogs learn what works and what doesn’t - it’s as simple as that. I’ve watched each programme and felt sick that there are people out there that will abuse their dogs in the name of training after watching the methods used on this programme. There are far more effective and kinder methods that work better than those shown, but that wouldn’t make good tv now would it.
All three trainers are a disgrace to the profession of dog training. They don’t know the basic learning theory, they humiliate and punish. The tests at the end of the programme - not one dog yet has walked on a loose lead - they have all held the lead short to make it look like that - not one dog could sit without being placed in the sit. That is not training. Teasing a dog with toys to punish him is diabolical! Unfortunalty there are people out there who will think these trainers are wonderful, will inflate their egos, make them think they know something about dogs and give them licence to carry on abusing them. And make money out of it. That’s sick if you ask me.
March 23rd, 2006 at 12:27 pm
Just my opinion based on my experience in reference to ‘pulling the dog along the ground’. Dogs have legs and when you loosen up on the leash a little the dog has a choice in whether it wants to use its legs and walk. Dont assume that dogs are stupid and dont know what their legs are for.
I hope there is another series of the Dog Borstal, it shows exactly what trainers and behaviourists have to deal with in dog owners that dont understand either the inate drives of a dog or how their own interactions can lead to the unruly and sometimes aggressive behaviour.
I would like to see how the team deal with a couple of other types of dog though, all the ones we’ve seen are outgoing, boisterous…
so how about dogs that do not respond, at all to food treats or toys, dogs that are extremely fearful of people, traffic, ones that you cant shake a bottle at as the dog will try and bolt or will end up shaking in a corner and then take an hour to even get close to it again, very dominant (not aggressive but more overly strong willed)males with the female trainer.
These dogs are much harder to work with than the dog types that have already been on and I think it would show the average owner that simpler methods of ‘positive only’ reinforcement doesnt work for every dog.
About a third of the dogs Ive worked with have been dogs that have previously failed ‘positive only’ reinforcement training….and I should add that Ive never injured a dog and every dog leaves with confidence, a wagging tail and a very happy owner….the dogs are even happy to see me when I visit them a couple of weeks after their training program.
Incidentally, I dont have an ego, Ive learned that working with dogs is a very humbling experience, just when your about to give yourself a pat on the back a dog is more than capable of doing something that will make you feel like a complete idiot….and theyre timing is perfect.
March 26th, 2006 at 8:04 am
Actors, they say, should never work with children or animals. It is just as well that I am not an actor because I have spent my life working with both. It is interesting to note that several people on this forum have picked up on the idea expressed by the trainers on Dog Borstal, that some people use their dogs as substitute children, and I use the word ‘use’ deliberately: it does the animal a dis-service, and shows no respect whatsoever for the dignity of the species, to develop an anthropomorphical relationship with your dog. One or two people have suggested that the tactics used by the trainers would never be tolerated had they been used on children, but that is the point that the programme is making - these are NOT children, but
pack animals that are potentially dangerous if left in the hands of irresponsible owners.
Years ago when I started teaching, I was given this advice by an old campaigner: ‘ Teaching is all an act. You create the illusion of authority and if you do it well enough, it is accepted without question.’ Children need to feel safe and this comes from firstly, recognition of boundaries and secondly, consistency on the part of the care-giver. A child needs to know that if s/he does ‘x’ then’inevitably ‘y’ will follow. And so it is with dogs. That is the way they learn. They do not have the awareness to make moral or rational decisions but they do learn by experience. But to say that they learn in much the same way as children do, does not make them children. Perhaps that’s where the confusion lies.
Mic hit the nail on the head when he mentioned to Spencer that you wouldn’t greet an iguana the minute you came home or let a donkey in to your bed but it doesn’t mean you love them less than your dog. The point is that they are all animals and we should respect their right to remain so.
March 27th, 2006 at 8:47 pm
I think that dog borstal is brilliant. I have two big dogs who are a mixture of nearly every dog i have seen so far. I have tried the methods shown on the tele but are not effective. I was wondering if anyone can help me get in touch with dog borstal for help. I’m desperate cheers.
March 27th, 2006 at 8:54 pm
Hiya dog borstal rocks. I think that mic is crackin and the comments by certain members in my eyes are complete balony. At the end of the day it’s true the dog and owner need training. I feel that all the dog trainers featured on dog borstal are top and i would love a chance to train my dogs with them. I think that it should be on the air for ages. even if it’s so i can watch mic xx
March 29th, 2006 at 7:49 pm
[…] BBC 3 follows on from Dog Borstal with yet more dog-related viewing! […]
March 31st, 2006 at 3:35 pm
A REPLY TO PATS COMMENT:
pat there are many ways of training a dog, yes your right BUT, most ways of trying havent worked for these people, and they found at the end of the taining, the Trainers way of doing things worked for their dogs. This dosent mean everyone will be throwing there dogs to the ground they are just letting their dogs know who the boss is! which is what is needed
April 11th, 2006 at 5:57 pm
Interestingly. “Dale Hitcham” (quoted above) is the same Dale Hitcham that appeared last night having himself operated on under hypnosis on a programme on More 4. Apparently he’s now working on cruise ships and the dog was nowhere to be seen - wonder what happened to it?
April 12th, 2006 at 5:38 pm
Yes I was operated on and that is to enable me to get back to work, I work four months in America then am home for two, a job I have done for over seven years, and while I am away my partner Andrew takes care of Flake, are you saying dog owners should not work?Or that Flake should have been by my side in the operating room? Understand that my dog is very loved , cared for ,and is healthy and happy animal. P.S I am on GMTV next week. xxx
April 18th, 2006 at 9:18 pm
I have watched Dog Borstal for the first time tonight and I was encouraged by the the trainers and the owners who wished their dogs to be trained. In my opinion the only way you can enjoy your dog is if it trained and it knows its place in the household. An untrained dog and owner can cause other dog owners and parents to be unsure about simple pleasures like walking in the park or the local woods.
April 18th, 2006 at 9:32 pm
Well I watched it for the first time tonight and I want to know where to sign up. I have a rotty who is 1 this month he has been to schools galore, 2 so called dog behavioursts who told me that if he nipped to put my thumb in his mouth and press down hard with my nail.
Well he dont nip any more is just a unruly git.
Being a single person he has now damaged my knee by running towards me and barging into my knee. I hear you say dog too big for you !!! I had very good reasons for getting a large dog, My safety was being threatened andnow with my Scooby albeit he is naughty I feel totally safe.
Where do I sign up for dog borstal lol
April 24th, 2006 at 12:58 pm
i have a 2year old labrador called buddy and he has been very hard work with his constant running away from me when i take him off his lead.it takes me ages to try and chase him to get him back on his lead.also i would love to know how i can make him play games with me and fetch a ball back.he goes on plenty of walks with me but my husband is fed up of his running away and this is getting to the stage where its uncontrolable..please can you help me..
April 24th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
my german sheperd dog is 18 month old and has been to the royvon school of training for obedience and also various local classes but dispite all his training he will not take notice of any commands that i have been told to use.As a last resort i took him to be casterated as recommended by my vet but he seems to be getting aggresive since his operation, and not at all calmed as i had hoped.
He chases after other people with dogs and my fear is that he is going to seriously injure someone.Please can someone help me and my dog?
Regards Sue Walsh
April 24th, 2006 at 6:58 pm
i was disgusted with the way mic treated them dogs! its old school training and should not be allowed let alone televised! there are alot of ppl out there that al thoguht it says dont use any of these methods at home will clearly be used! as alot of the replies are showing! there are enough ways to train ya dog without gettin physical with it! i have 2 boxer that are now 8 months old and i have never put a finger on em! yet they know im the boss and they do as they are told! as for the ppl on dog borstal i think alot of it is jus they want to be on tv! i personally think its sad i have no problem with the other 2 trainers method they dont get pyhsical but id love to see mic try something like that with my 2 dogs cos he would be straight on his asse! even thinking of applying with a friends dog or one out of kennels with behaviour problems so i can oput the twat in his place! i spend 10 yrs in the military and have never seen training like that! it discusts me!
April 24th, 2006 at 10:09 pm
“There are far more effective and kinder methods that work better than those shown, but that wouldn?€™t make good tv now would it.”
What methods are those? I guess they are just showing the methods which give results time after time. I see nothing cruel about anything on the show… call the RSPCA because Mic wrestled that dog to the ground?!?! He didn’t hurt it, he was showing it who was boss. And as for the golden retriever that was being dragged along the ground - if that was hurting it it would have soon stood up and walked. Give the dog more credit he’s not stupid! He was trying to get his own way and the owner was teaching him that it won’t wash.
My mum has been teaching our dogs not to bark at the door by using keys to throw at the door whenever a car drives past (they bark at the rumble of every lorry etc.!). This distracts them and they don’t particularly like it. So what, they soon learnt that hey, if they don’t bark at the slightest thing my mum won’t do it! Dog’s aren’t stupid. I see nothing cruel about the methods used. Dogs need to dominate or be dominated. It’s in their nature.
April 25th, 2006 at 12:51 am
The people who have suggested some aspects of training on this show are cruel are very naive indeed. The biggest obstacle in dog training is indeed training the handler first and foremost.
In the case of the Weim it was a ‘last resort’ situation. A dog which is allowed to get away with such behaviour is an accident waiting to happen. There is no set way to train a dog. Different methods work for different dogs.
April 26th, 2006 at 9:09 am
“i have 2 boxer that are now 8 months old and i have never put a finger on em! yet they know im the boss and they do as they are told”
Some people have a natural ability to take the ‘leader’ position with their dogs, its in their own mannerisms, their eye contact, body language….and some can do it without even realizing what theyre doing, not everyone can do that, if they could there would be no market for dog trainers.
Ive seen some trainers that I would say use cruel methods, I havent seen anythng that Mic or any of the trainers on Dog Borstal do that even comes close to being cruel.
What I do think is cruel is owners who are ignorant of their own dogs potential or current destructive and aggressive behaviour, its cruel when that dog gets loose and attacks and possibly kills someones child or kills someone elses pet or leaves another owner with thousands of dollars worth of vets bills, its cruel when the owner dumps their dog off in a shelter or worse just dumps it out somewhere in country to fend for itself because at 2 years old its still peeing indoors and tearing up the furniture.
April 27th, 2006 at 1:16 am
I must admit I found some of dog borstal totally disbelieving. What on earth has making the owner do pressups got to do with dog training or people training?
These harsh “the dog MUST do as its told” methods should have gone out with the ark. Consistent kind training is what is needed. Owners with problems need to be advised, have things explained to them and shown where they have gone wrong and are going wrong. Not bullied and made to look fools. I dont think any of the owners realised what they were letting themselves in for when they signed up!
My concerns are that people at home will think this is the way to train a dog and copy it.
One of the writers here states that their dog eats its own poo - answer to that is as soon as the dog does it, clean up! No better way to stop your dog eating it than getting rid of it immediately. However what is repulsive to us is not repulsive to a dog. As for eating other dogs poo, if it were my dog I would take it to the vet to make sure there is nothing medically wrong with it i.e. something missing from its diet.
To train a dog successfully you need to be firm, kind and consistent. Motivation is a key - find out what motivates your dog whether it is a toy or food and use that key. I would advise anyone who feels they have a problem to get in contact with a trainer who will work on a one to one basis with them over a matter or weeks.
I was appalled to read here on these messages that someone was advised to put their finger in the dogs mouth and press down on the tongue with their nail to stop nipping - what sort of trainer advised that. The dog at one year old should not still be nipping, however he is still a puppy and clearly you need some help. You need to go right back to basics with a good trainer and work your way with your dog. Your own vet should be able to advise you on trainers.
Tracey
April 27th, 2006 at 9:07 am
Tracey at last a voice of reason that saw the progamme for what it was and gives sensible advice.We can see how ‘brilliant’ the progammes trainers are by the fact they have not given an answer to any of the concerns posted on this site.
April 27th, 2006 at 10:08 am
What a great programme, my two dogs and I have enjoyed the series and I have picked up a few tips in the process.
I am more appalled at some of the comments made that the training methods are cruel, just demonstrates that people do forget that animals are just that and not human.
As has been pointed out earlier, some of these dogs were in last chance saloon and I for one would rather have some straight talking and positive help for my dog, rather than endure the possibility of having an animal put down for aggressive behaviour.
Dogs are pack animals and therefore need to know their place in the pecking order, well done Mic et al, look forward to the next series of ‘Bad owner Borstal’!
May 1st, 2006 at 12:46 pm
i think your’e programme is just what i need and my 9 month old rotty needs. she is play aggressive towards any one in the family and barks all the time at things that are not there we need help with her. she is hard to control on the lead and tries to jump all over people when we see them in the street henace the fact that we dont take her out as much as we’d like to. we have had a rotty bitch before and just love the breed kiesha has a lovely te,prament shes not vicous just very very boistrous and i dont want to get rid of her but it i dont get any help then it’ll have to be that please please help me.
June 9th, 2006 at 11:13 pm
I love Dog borstal, and Mic is great.
And biting dog is a Dangerous dog, it HAS to be TOLD YOU MUST NOT BITE, not Asked please dont bite!
they are dogs not humans, and some do have a dominant trait, so they have to be told they are not alpha!
dogs are not stupid, if they are so stubburn they wont walk, if you drag them and it hurts they can stand up and walk, simple as that, if it was hurting that goldie he would have walked sooner, have you not seen 2 or more dog’s playing it looks more painfull then anything iv seen on that show if it hurt they wouldnt do it!
do some research on dog’s ancestors!
They arnt children/humans they dont think like us.
June 13th, 2006 at 11:08 am
I never really paid much attention to this series. However, I caught last week’s episode and then followed it up with this week’s.
Let me first state, before anyone tries filling in the blanks on my behalf, I am far from what I am sure Mic would consider a mamby-pamby trainer; I very much believe in training a dog as a dog, not as a surrogate child. However, after watching Mic wrestle a dog to the floor as part of a training method, I truly couldn’t believe they even showed it.
I’m not disputing that Mic knows his stuff; clearly he does, or at least did. His training methods seem very very dated. We’ve moved on a lot since the “I’ll be leader at all costs” type of training. There are now many more proven methods of accomplishing the same objectives, without having to wrestle your dog to the ground to get it. (In my eyes, a sure sign that you, as the owner, have lost control completely.)
Maybe his methods are more accepted in the millitary as they are almost a law unto themselves, but I seriously doubt that these methods are the best ones for the training of domestic pets.
I would hate to think that viewers see the cleverly edited snippets and the lovely edited end result and think to themselves “Ah, ha, this is the method that works then.” Please, there are far kinder, intuitive and natural training methods. Investigate them all before you buy into the Dog Borstal methods. Remember, you are seeing perhaps less than a tenth of what really went on throughout the days.
June 13th, 2006 at 4:46 pm
brilliant program .. when wil be repeated… as i missed the last episode…
June 13th, 2006 at 4:48 pm
ps.. i forgot to say i own a troublesome yorkshire terrier.. bye for now..
June 28th, 2006 at 3:51 pm
I was on the first programme with Henry, the weimaraner and have only just found this blog, what a mix of comments about all and sundry - the BBC have really stirred up a hornets nest.
From 6 days of filming 7.00 until 23.00, there was an hour long programme - a lot was edited out.
Louise, Henry and myself got Robert, who we could not fault, Debbie was great and Mick was Mick. All 3 trainers were really committed to the training of the owners and beleive it or not all genuinely cared for the dogs - we were not there to see Mick wrestle with Louis, so I can’t comment.
The main idea of the programme was to show us owners how to handle our dogs correctly with the various problems that we have let develop through our not understanding them and from our point of view, how to interact and play with them.
Robert was fantastic and has shown us how to be more responsible dog owners. As first-time owners, a Weimaraner may not have been the best choice, but he will never be mistreated or be without a home that cares for him. (Henry was always a pet and not a Child replacement!)
Henry is actually a very chilled-out dog now - he was only 10 months old when it was filmed and has settled down.
You could not ask for a more caring trainer in terms of animal welfare and ability to train owners - search for Robert Alleyne on Google and you will find a lot more about the man and what he has done.
So Dale was on his 5th or 6th programme - so what! He was in a way set up with Mick to create a bit of a conflict and entertainment for the programme - took the heat off of us and Lynne & Maggie.
I really enjoyed being involved with the programme and would not hesitate to recommend Robert Alleyne to anyone for some 1 to 1 training.
July 11th, 2006 at 4:08 pm
The BBC is currently looking for badly behaved dogs and frustrated owners for a new series of Dog Borstal to be filmed this summer.
Telephone: 020 8752 4875
Or e-mail:
July 17th, 2006 at 8:21 pm
How does one get in touch with the Trainers, please?
August 10th, 2006 at 9:43 am
I think dog borstal is disgusting. Do the producers of this show really think that throwing bottles of stones at a dog to terrify it out of a bad behaviour is better that teaching it the correct way through kindness and patience. There is no quick fix when it comes to dog training, and it should NEVER be suggested that there is. I know you point out a lot more goes on than what you see on television, but for it to really work there needs to be months and years of time and training, not just hours.
For this site to suggest that Vistoria Stilwell is “boring” and “samey” is diabolical, and that this load of rubbish is “fresher” is just going backwards, to the dark ages of teaching a dog to hell by yanking it about. Maybe some of the fans of dog borstal should ask the Association of Pet Dog Trainers what they think of the programme and why the methods are wrong. Victoria Stilwell has an excellent, patient way of teaching dogs and owners about the correct, kind ways of teachng your dog, and should be encouraged, not told it is “samey”. Maybe if it is samey, then she’s doing something right. Did anybody see the way the Weimeraner flinched at the sound of the stones on the bottle. Does this bring pleasure to anybody, to see a dog flinch at a noise because its terrifeid of what that noise means???
i have a three yo Rottweiler, who I clicker train. He ahs learnt more in a few hours of training, over a month, than he has in two years of teaching the old ways, of pushing him around and telling him off when he gets it wrong. He is also happier, more relaxed and much much more obedient. I strongly suggest that this programme rethinks its training methods, and considers my comments.
August 10th, 2006 at 3:56 pm
It’s interesting that some think it was ok to treat the dogs harshly. What’s also interesting is that the people making the comments in support tend to add on things like “dogs need to be dominated” and “dogs are not children” …
Up to date trainers and behaviourists deal with dogs like Louis and the rest all the time. They don’t have to use physical means to train the dogs because they understand the dogs well enough not to have to. I think to be honest, those who are in support of the programme are showing they haven’t been learning much about dog behaviour which has come on in leaps and bounds over the last decade!!
Come on folks - gen up a bit on the latest on wolf pack theory/dominance/training/behaviour and then come back and support this appalling programme with a little more knowledge please …
I’d also suggest that what Mic did - ie, strangling the dog, not just flipping it - the dog was making choking noises - was basic cruelty. I’m not being flippant nor naive, but I believe this would be covered by one of the Animal Acts. I think Dog Borstal should be very careful if they are going to show any more of this.
A trainer friend has also had one owner already bitten by trying one of the methods - rattle bottle. The show is not harmless.
Also - jerking on headcollars, one of the trainers claiming to desensitise when she was in fact “flooding” - could it get any worse!!!
August 10th, 2006 at 4:01 pm
Re the goldie not walking - his hips needed to be X rayed and I understand they werent.
A trainer I know of has had similar Goldie problem dogs - more than one had severe hip problems and one had a stomach problem.
People who say ” it should walk, it has legs” show they have no ability to think outside that old fashioned training box!!
I did like Rob - he had excellent people skills and although I disagreed with some of his methods, overall he was the best trainer by far.
August 10th, 2006 at 10:12 pm
How I wish the BBC would take this show off the air! It has done so much damage already by using cruel techniques I think it is past time it was chucked off the schedules. The rough-house techniques it recommends are like the old school practice of corporal punishment, traumatic for the dogs and dangerous for their handlers. Fine if you can do kung foo but if you are 8 and have a big dog? Try pushing a nervous German Shepherd or spaniel around, yelling and throwing things near him. Imagine having Mic for a boss and think of how much you would hate him - that is exactly what the dogs feel. These fear based techniques teach the dog to supress his feelings, but do not take away the fear / anger he feels, they make it worse, though latent. Fear based training takes away the dog’s initiative and personality and produces inhibited, withdrawn dogs. Reward based training produces dogs who work with real enthusiasm and trust their trainers.
September 2nd, 2006 at 12:54 am
I found the program utter rubbish.
Yes, dogs are not people and I agree wholeheartedly with this. So why are methods being used which a dog cannot understand? One cannot have things both ways - training a dog is through consistency and understanding of the species. This program showed none of these two basic elements.
All of the problem dogs on the comments here could have been resolved easily, the owners have simply let them get out of hand. I am saddened by the amount of people who seem to think this ludicrous program is a fix for their problems.
I believe that many owners have been bitten by trying to follow the methods advocated on this program - well done BBC, you have done a fantastic job for the anti-dog lobby.
To the people who think this is a fantastic program and the answer to their problems - I have an easier answer for you. You shouldn’t have a dog in the first place, you have no concept of their basic requirements - go and get a cyber pet instead.
September 4th, 2006 at 6:45 am
I quote: “pretty obvious that these ?€œexperts?€? don?€™t really understand how animals learn behaviour at all or heard of operant conditioning”
I would really beg to differ. Mic clearly is an expert an training police dogs and the such like, and I personally think you do not undertsand how animals learn.
Myself, my girlfriend and our dog (who will remain nameless and breedless until the show airs!) have just come back from DOg Bortsal, and we had mic. He has shown us alot of techniques that tree huggers will no doubt be appaled at. However, Our dog is now on the road to being a well behaved one, who can now be recalled with no problem, has been trained to do barrel and woodland searches (although we clearly recognise this is more of a game for our dog and we still have a long way to go on the searches!), and is now a firm lover of agility courses!!
Mic was, I think, very very pleased with the progress our dog and ourselves made. We respected him for spending time with us on the training, and i think he respected us for listening to him, doing everything he told us, and trying to get as much from his experience as possible. Not once did we give him any backchat, and not once did we complain about his techniques.
For example, our dog has a habit of eating things off the floor, but the issue came on the camp when she started eating mushrooms, which could have had some very serious health issues. She wouldnt respond to a call and so Mick squirted her with water. I know people with think this is cruel, personally i think you all need to live in the real world. We now have a dog who will not eat from the floor and her life has now been significantly de-risked!!
I could talk for hours about this but I’ll just leave with a thank you to Mic, and to tell the lefty tree huggers to get real. Mic has improved the life of our dog (and us!) and for that we are truly grateful.
September 15th, 2006 at 8:46 pm
Do you work for the BBC or are you just on commission?
Note that the “tree huggers” don’t have to resort to entertainment programs on the BBC to train their dogs - they manage to do it all on their own. I wonder how they manage to find the time in between tree worship…….
September 25th, 2006 at 9:28 am
I have just come back from filming an episode for the second series of Dog Borstal, my staffy was a naughty little monkey and after a few days with Mic Martin we now have a stronger bond and a happier lifestyle. The programme is brilliant entertainment and thats what it is….. please remember that. The dogs all had a brilliant time, were well looked after and came to no harm at all. My Staffy spent hours jumping, running around and i have never seen him so happy and healthy. Thanks to the BBC, can’t wait to see by boy on the tv.
September 29th, 2006 at 5:00 pm
Can anyone help me contact the show Dog Borstal?I have a slightly mad Appenzeller Hound who is scared of everything and very anti-social.I was hoping to get some advice on how to deal with him as it is now making life a little difficult.Regards F.Davidson
October 2nd, 2006 at 11:06 pm
Can’t wait to see my dog on the tv….hmmm sums the whole thing up really.
October 4th, 2006 at 10:34 am
Irony
Apologies, im not on commision - the BBC cant afford me!
Will be on the show, potentially in the next series, I would have thought that to be quite clear from my previous post “Myself, my girlfriend and our dog (who will remain nameless and breedless until the show airs!) have just come back from DOg Bortsal, and we had mic”
Yes the show is entertainment, and yes we have learnt alot of techniques to assist in the training of our dog.
And we did not ‘resort’ to entertainment for training. We were approached whilst out walking her. Who would turn down the opportunity of 3 days of intensive training?
October 5th, 2006 at 11:39 pm
The clue is in the name - my remark about commission was for the rather tacky PR job you managed for the BBC.
Many people would easily reject an ad-hoc offer - 3 days of intensive training is not the road to success. Would I take an offer of training my dog from someone approaching me unannounced saying “I am from the BBC?” - I think not and I don’t know anyone who would, we must move in different social spheres. Personally I do not treat the training of my dogs as “entertainment” - I take it seriously.
Dogs have problems due to owner inability - its time people took responsibility for their own mistakes and didn’t look for a quick fix to recitify their own failings.
October 6th, 2006 at 12:06 pm
You clearly dont appreciate the concept of Dog Borstal. With Mic, the majority of the training is on the owner. We took full responsibility for our own failings, and when approached by people saying ‘we are looking for people to appear on dog bortsal’ we knew it would get results.
We knew we would benefit from an initial intensive training as I knew that attending a few puppy training classes at weekends would not work for myself and my girlfriend. Due to work commitments I knew I would not be able to commit to a series of saturdays to get the ball rolling on training. This approach allowed me to attend the friday afternoon and all day saturday training so that I know what I do wrong with our dog, and to help me progress her training.
I agree 3 days intensive training is not the road to success. Nor do I believe i alluded to that. What i did say was that our dog is ‘on the road’ to being well trained. Mic pointed out the things we were doing wrong and gave us advice on how to handle things in the future. We have the bulding blocks to assist in the training of our dog.
In no way was I attempting some tacky PR on behalf of the BBC. My comment was relaying my views having spent 2 days with Mic, responding to the views expressed on this website that I do not agree with.
Whilst the show is ultimately about entertainment, you must remember there is 3 days of training behind each 15 minutes of show per dog. The owners who get the most out of it are the ones who recognise their own failings in training, and I feel we did just that.
As to your social spheres comment - yes I am very sure we do. What relevance this has I am not sure. Do you want to get into some heated debate about who does what or something? Who has more money? Odd..
October 7th, 2006 at 10:10 pm
The social spheres comment was merely to illustrate the fact that I would not consider someone approaching me and taking up their offer of training as nobody I know would. I’m not sure where you get your heated debate idea - lets be fair, it wasn’t me who came on here telling everyone to get real and calling people tree huggers was it?
If you cannot commit to a regular training session, why did you get a dog? Committing to a regular training routine is an elementary requirement, if you can’t do it, you shouldn’t have a dog - simple as that.
October 8th, 2006 at 12:55 pm
ha ha.. you freak. Its good of you to pick certain points of what i wrote to fit your argument.
“Due to work commitments I knew I would not be able to commit to a series of saturdays to get the ball rolling on training” i.e. I am fully aware that we needed to have some intense time to get us on the road to training and 3 days training with mic was what we needed. I did not say myself and my girflriend were unable to commit to the schedule, i said I was unable to commit to the first few sessions that would be important in instilling the methods we needed to train the dog.
I am still struggling with your issue of accepting free training? Do you have some misconception that you are too good to receive help? Are you too proud? Someone offered the chance of 3 days training. please let me know why i was wrong in accepting this - you clearly think less of me for accepting and I have to say I am confused by that.
And as for the tree huggers comments. People have said on this page that the methods are outdated and the RSPCA should be informed. I think thats a load of leftist tripe to be honest. Apologies if you like to hug trees, i just dont agree with you.
October 10th, 2006 at 10:38 pm
Picking certain points? I don’t think so - you were the one that wrote them.
I am struggling with your acceptance of something which is designed as entertainment therefore not the answer to the problem of training your dog. Due to its aggressive timescale alone it has no conception of how to work out the training method that suits the dog therefore is ineffective.
You are quite right - I am too good to receive that sort of help - my dogs don’t have those sort of problems, did all my homework before owning my first dog. They are trained properly, regularly and effectively. You would be astonished with the results this approach yields.
If you think people who have an understanding of how to train dogs without resorting to outdated methods are tree huggers, well thats your ignorance - however I hope that one day someone turns the light on for you.
October 11th, 2006 at 2:00 pm
hiya i have a jack russell cross named monty, hes a lovely dog but always runs up 2 other dogs & just completely ignores me & even when hes on the lead he just barks his head off at them but hes not nasty just wants 2 play but some old twat whacked monty with his walking stick just because he was sniffing his dog so i cussed him & put monty back on his lead whereas i should of grabbed the walking stick & wrapped it round the mans head, but anyway thats got me all annoyed again, i like dog borstal but some off the things makes me flinch but id say its all above board, if ur not happy with the show dont watch it simple as ;o)
cheers xxx
October 11th, 2006 at 4:37 pm
dear irony,
well i have to say it was rather amusing to read all of your responses to comments i agree with.
have you been to dog borstal? do you know what actually happens there? as AJL commented for every 15mins 3/4 days of training take place. For ‘entertainment’ values only the most ‘camera worthy’ clips are aired. these are the clips that will make people watch the programme and unless you have taken part in the programme you are truly un able to comment on the training methods.
reading a book, doing homework and research on how to train a dog is all very good. however theory and practise is somewhat different. if you have found success in training your dogs that way, that is great. However others might have problems that a book cant not help them with and to be honest i think you should be focusing your efforts of complaint on dogs that are seriously untrained and dangerous. to be offered free training by a professional and do it with all of your effort is surly better than doing nothing at all once you have tried the books and the theory?
what is it about Dog Borstal that you dislike so much? bad dog arrives, traing sessions take place, an improved dog and owner leave? i cant see where the problem is.
October 11th, 2006 at 8:37 pm
Can anyone tell me how to apply for Dog Borstal. We have a 10 month old staffie and he’s very snappy and uncontrolable in the house. Ronnie though is quite well behaved out on walks, put does jumped up people. He’s been to puppy training, but just get’s too distracted by all the other dogs.
Ronnie is driving my husband and I mad
Please help, thank you
October 12th, 2006 at 11:25 am
They are trained properly, regularly and effectively. You would be astonished with the results this approach yields.
Yes, I am truly astonished that proper effective training gives good results. Thank you for letting me know
As for picking certain points, i refer to the fact that you off all the points i wrote, you picked up on half the comment about me being busy, and implying i was an unsuitable dog owner.
And as LS has said, the show is not about entertainment for the owners!!! 3 days of intensive training produces results for the dog and owner giving them the building blocks for them both. These days get distilled into a short amount of viewing time. The show is obviously going to have an element of entertainment otherwise no one would watch it
As for Lynsey - stick with the puppy classes, and make sure you reinforce what you learn on the course, at home.
October 12th, 2006 at 12:01 pm
I like to watch Dog Borstal and it’s interesting to compare the different methods that the trainers use. I’ve had dogs for many years and used to compete in Agility with Belgian Tervuren which was a lot of fun and the dogs loved it, the training methods I use are centered around motivation through play, also I find it’s best to start as you mean to go on i.e. don’t let the problems develop in the first place. Someone commented earlier about the Goldie being dragged asking could it have had hip problems and I understand from watching the programme that all the dogs are examined by a Vet before starting the training, also that the dog in question had no problems racing around chasing balls etc when it wanted to. Concerning the Weimeraner Louis I didn’t hear him choking on the programme and I wouldn’t have said that Mic wrestled him, he merely flipped him onto his back to put him into a submissive position. I know it’s not nice to see a dog being dragged along on a lead but dogs have a very strong muscle structure around the neck, I’m sure we have all seen check chains used incorrectly and how dogs pull until their eyes bulge, incidently I never use check chains or anything like them. If Louis had bitten in other circumstances he would have been at risk of being destroyed because of the dangerous dogs act. I haven’t seen any of the dogs involved exhibiting signs of fear when approached by the trainers and would never advocate ill treatment of any animal but there has to be balance. The owners didn’t pass the problems on by rehoming the dogs and and the follow up programmes indicate that most of the problems are resolved if the owners consistently do what was suggested. All the dog training programmes on the TV these days are hopefully making people aware of what they are taking on when they get a dog. I always train my dogs with play and food and I prefer to think of it as motivating them rather than training them and I never had to use the above methods, I wouldn’t hesitate to use training discs or a bottle with stones if necessary and in the programme the bottle was never thrown at the dog, it was just shaken and the discs were dropped on the floor, not thrown. The ONLY way dogs/puppies are like children is DON’T LET BAD HABITS DEVELOP and know what you’re taking on when you get a dog.
October 16th, 2006 at 3:26 pm
As a contributor to this second series I was enjoying reading the comments and varying opinions on this blog. I recognized a post from a friend we met during our intensive 4 day, 12 hour days of training (we got 4 days of training so AJL I think you may have been cheated), and got quite excited about being part of something that people are obviously passionate about, whether their view is positive or negative.
Then I found the posts from Irony and AJL and felt myself becoming very uneasy about our participation.
I am shocked that simply for explaining his experience on the show AJL was so viciously patronized by ‘all-knowing, yet blatantly ignorant’ Irony. It turned into an unnecessary ‘dog fight’ and there was no call for such biased and picky attacks on a contributor to everyone’s possible evenings entertainment.
Irony’s attack is especially hard to swallow as the insults come from someone who is clearly not in possession of all the facts of the show and has far too much time on their hands. AJL, I am glad you benefited from your participation and support your views and experiences fully, and Irony, we are all different, and I hope I don’t incur your wrath for my comments, but I think that’s a rather niave wish!
I have no doubt that Irony is going to be watching every single episode of the new series looking out for AJL, and I expect Irony will find weekly ammunition to continue his rants on this site, and others, following each episode. Anonymity on the net is great isn’t it Irony! Nice to see you are feverishly attempting to get your 5 minutes of fame too.
LS, I agree with your post completely.
Our choice to go on the program, was just that, our choice. It was a fantastic experience and one I hope causes no nasty repercussions for my family, something I had not seriously considered until I stumbled across this blog and Irony’s uninformed, intimidating boorishness.
Lynsey, stick with the training as AJL suggests and I will let you know if I recommend participation after our episode has been aired and we see how we have been portrayed, and consequently received on sites like this. With over 48 hrs of film, they have plenty to pick and play with to portray us as they wish – and we get to see our episode at the same time you do, we only see it when it is aired. 9pm on a Monday night, not before. We have NO IDEA what will be in our program and how we all will be represented to the audience.
You never know, being on Dog Borstal may turn into the worst decision we ever made! But, in defense of the series and the methods employed – it was a complete success.
Our relationship with our dog is now brilliant, and it’s all down to the trainer we had on the show and the intensive time spent with them (for free, sorry if that offends you Irony!). We, purely by appearing on the program, hold our hands up to being naive enough to think we could control this dog, even though we read all the books and have owned other dogs that we have been able to train.
Thanks to the BBC for allowing us to take part and benefit from our alloted trainers knowledge and expertise. Everyone should get qualified training advice as any dog can be a dangerous addition to a family.
I hope that one day someone ‘turns the light on’ for Irony, who needs to spend less time anonymously insulting strangers brave enough to seek help on national TV and more time actually reading what people are writing and not interpreting it!
In light of the recent tragic dog obedience related events reported in the news, no one can be conceited enough to think that, ‘I am too good to receive that sort of help’, no matter how ironic they are intending to be.
October 16th, 2006 at 8:58 pm
Contrib4 - just a quick post as watching the latest episode today
Wasnt cheated on training, but due to work, i was only able to join friday afternoon. My girlfriend however got the full raft of training from Mic!
Good to hear from someone else on the show - by your name i assume you are either on this week as dog 4, or in episode 4?
Think we are maybe episode 5, not too sure, Quite nervours as as you said, I have no idea what angle they will take.
Hope you are enjoying your ‘new’ dog as much as we are enjoying ours. I hope she’s also enjoying her ‘new’ owners!
October 16th, 2006 at 11:27 pm
What a lovely show tonight’s was! We heard of this group during our training, and it was good to see them all succeed and find new rewarding relationships with their dogs. I think we are all going to be heard saying ‘my dog gives me no respect!’ it seems to be a common theme.
Ours is still a joy since the program was filmed in August, in fact its getter better each day! We are looking forward to watching episode 3 next week.
Thanks for your reply, my name wasn’t cryptic AJL, just a random number, sorry, I didn’t mean to be mysterious. We only had the home filming a few days ago so they told us what episode we were on then.
We wondered if anyone else would be interested in a reunion, contributors only or with the crew too. We are still in touch with the people from our show, and although we know of some clashes during different episodes, I am sure everyone involved would like to meet others who experienced the same thing.
It was fun picking out the team members in the background of tonight’s show too.
Just a thought.
October 17th, 2006 at 8:09 am
Found myself watching Rogue trader too and spotting grovesy one of our sound guys!
Had our home filming last weekend and got a vague idea of when we would be on, and was good to catch up with some of the Z crew people so would be keen for a catch up with them all. Especially Mic - we miss him! Although in the process of signing up to his school so fingers crossed.
October 19th, 2006 at 9:39 pm
i have a 5 month old GSD who is a total nightmare..i also own a 6 yr old border collie who is a blessing in disguise..but my pup will never ever do as she is told regardless…dog borstal has given me tips that i have endured on my pup and they have worked..however..i would love my little devil dog to go on the show and be as good as my other dog…dont think mic could even do this dog…!!
October 19th, 2006 at 10:11 pm
Hi just been looking at the comments re dog borstal. I am getting my return home visit this week and really enjoyed taking part in the show. My big hairy bear ( thats what I call him and when you see him you see why)was quite a handful and hated ( I mean hated, couldnt even get out the gate to walk him hated)other dogs but Rob was absol fab with us. But one point I would like to make is that it may not be us who have a problem training our dogs, we at least recognise something needs to be done and whom attempt to put our prob pooches to rights but the irresponsibility of other dog owners who assume it is absolutely fine for them to open their door, let out their pooch to roam the streets & pooh all over causing havock to other dog walkers and then opening their doors several hours later to welcome their oh so beloved pet back indoors, and have the cheek to call us irresponsible owners!. I have tried oh so hard since coming back off training, but the irresponsibility of your typical useless dog owner put us in a damn awkward situation ( i wont say to much as it will spoil my follow up however..)my dog did have a problem and thats why I went to dog borstal for in the first place, but some couch potato who cant be bothered to take a nice stroll with their so called beloved pet has put me straight back to square one in training. As you can imagine I was so P***** off but I did learn something very valuable from dog borstal and that is to keep trying… so that is what I am doing again. starting from scratch with my rattle bottle (which by the way is a good training device & doesnot scare the living daylights out of my dog but just asserts some discipline) So although probably a show failure in sense I have learnt something, just a shame mr couch potato couldnt have learnt something valuable either. Good luck to everyone, its great to see another show and great to see I was not alone with a tairaway dog.
October 24th, 2006 at 9:36 pm
please can anyone help we have a 3 year old parsons jack russell who will often escape and no matter what will not come back when called even the offer of food does not work any more have tried everything we can think of and even advice from a home office trainer does not seem to work please help or maybe dog borstal for him and us!!lookforward to any advice thanks vic lesslie
October 26th, 2006 at 2:23 am
i love dog borstal and would love to get into dog ecurit but unable to get in because im a small built female i have helped at training classes and now work as a bouncer and if possible would like to get some tips from mic as to how to get into this kind of work
thanks
October 27th, 2006 at 3:45 am
Hi all.i am not a dog owner but am considering it.I love dog borstal! So perhaps i am a tad biased.Mic comes across to me as a no nonsense kind of guy and thats why i like him.He takes dogs and their owners who are problematic and turns them round through good old fashioned discipline.
Mic and his approach might seem harsh to some people but i would have him any day!
This guy knows his stuff and the results prove that!
People moan or criticise his methods but have you ever came across an undisciplined police/services dog???
i think mic is “the” trainer on dog borstal!
The guy knows what works and while his methods might not go down well on civvie street he has proved himself in his field.
To irony
all i can say is you have never been in a disciplined service.
you most likely are a tree hugger or have never had a dog that required mic!
To those who have been on the show and had the privelege of having mic as your trainer all i can say is lucky you!
This guy knows his stuff when it comes to training dogs and not to listen to him is stupidity!
His manner may seem abrupt at times but he has the dogs best interests at heart.
yes the dogs and not the owners!
after all the program is for the dogs benefit and not the owners!!!!
i just wish there was a website to thank mic for his efforts !
Mic keep up the good work!
October 29th, 2006 at 2:49 pm
To all those people requesting help with their dogs. The Association of Pet Dog Trainers have a list of trainers that all use kind and effective training methods:
http://www.apdt.co.uk
For more serious canine behaviour problems the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors have a list of behaviourists who have met stringent criteria requiring them to have extensive knowledge of dog behaviour, cognition and learning. They have years of experience of using modern, kind effective methods:
http://www.apbc.org.uk/
If you prefer to train your pet using fear and punishment you could try contacting the BBC directly. Regards.
October 30th, 2006 at 4:09 pm
hi on the tele tonight from filming with faye and taz mentioned above. We all had a great time training our dogs with the three trainers.All who have different methods, which some work better than most. It was really good doing the training and enjoyed it all, even though its quite draining having a camera crew in your face 24/7 but i also have to add they are fantastic all the peeps who were with me and rich we thought you were absolutely fab! Want to say many thanks too everyone we met out there n to keep in touch, even though i never wanted to be on the tele i haven’t clicked yet feels sureal until tonight then it might all sink in!!!! Thanks Lynne for all the training you did with our pooches!!
October 30th, 2006 at 9:10 pm
hi there,
we’re going to be on episode 5 which is next week and i’d like to say thank you to lynne she was our trainer for our time at dog borstal, i’ve seen comments from other trainers on different websitessaying that dog borstal is total nonsense and that we bullied our dogs into training i’d like to put the record straight it was the best experience for us and our dog penny and we ahd so much fun there and at no time bully tatics tuck place, i praise the ways lynne cared for our dog and the way we trained and i’m sure anyone thats been on there would agree i don’t understand where they see fear and punisment training from they must be watching the x factor!!!!!!!!! not dog borstal
penny and ourselves live a happier life now due to dog borstal and lynne and i challenge anyone to prove dog borstal wrong in the way they train
kind regards
bryan,sarah oh and penny woof woof
oh and its funny the comments AG made hasn’t got his real name on the comment go figure!!!
October 30th, 2006 at 11:03 pm
hi i am wanting to apply for dogborstal my dog is 2yrs old called missy and is aggresive to people and other dogs we need your help please
October 31st, 2006 at 12:00 am
Hi All,
Someone suggested that I have a look at this site to see what was being said about Dog Borstal. Firstly I am glad to see that it has generated such interest in dog training. So keep up the dialogue, whether positive or negative.
I would like to thank all of the people who have been positive about the show. It is reassuring to know that owners and trainers have liked what they have seen, and have been able to use some of the techniques on their own dogs or dogs that they have worked with. I have received so many emails and letters from people who love the show, so thank you to all of you too.
As for the so-called tree huggers who don’t like the show, thank you also for taking the time to air your views. I have no problem with the few of you who have made constructive criticisms, and have offered alternatives that they feel might be helpful. However, I do have a real problem with some of the others - the people who for some reason see themselves as some sort of supreme dog training dieties, whereby anyone who doesn’t work the way that they are happy with, feel they have the right to be abusive or insultive. Why do these people not have the guts to say who they are as we have done? Why do they not invite us to their classes to show us how it should be done. I’ll tell you why. Because they are cowards. They lack sufficient expertise to stand up and be counted, they simply find fault with everyone else. I find it difficult to waste my time trying to communicate with such people, so am happy to let them quietly rant on in their anonymous manner. They are too insignificant for me to care what they think, because of they way they conduct themselves. I am more than happy to say who I am and what I do. Anyone is welcome to visit my classes and see how I train. Why do they not offer the same. As for the APDT, I have heard several references to them and what they had to say about the show, which they published on their website, but in spite of my request that they do so, they didn’t publish my response. Have a read of it and you may not be quite so quick to recommend them. Since I wrote my response, they have had a restructure of their whole application process, which to me says volumes about them.
Many people have said that they are worried that the public may copy the things that we do regardless of the advice telling them not to. I take no responsibility for such stupid people. Like most classes, I encourage people to come and watch before joining. Should clubs stop doing this in case people try to copy at home without the proper instruction? Of course not. We all encourage people to practice outside. Should we stop saying this in case other people copy without having been trained by a qualified intsructor first? I think not.
As for us not rewarding the dogs, every single dog that I worked with was trained using toys, and/or food. Not every dog was taught with a rattle bottle. This is clearly shown. But none of the complainers acknowledge this, because they would rather moan about the things that they don’t like. And as for the so-called bloody ‘alpha roll’, HOW MANY TIMES do we have to go over this. Mic wasn’t teaching an alpha roll. The cameraman got too close, something he had been warned about on more than one occasion, and the dog went for him. Mic reacted instinctively, and pinned the dog down to prevent the guy being bitten. Hence all his shouting that “I told you to fuc#*ng stay back. It is so clear to anyone who wants to see it for what it was.
As for my frequent use of the rattle bottle, I make no apology for it. The reason that I used it was because we only had a maximum of about three hours training time a day for three days to change these dogs dramatically, so we had to quickly get them to acknowledge who was calling the shots. However, there was FAR more food and toy training that bottle training. The bottle is a training aid in the same way that the food was. I think that it is no coincidence that both our dogs and our children have become so badly behaved in the same period, the period that has required the treat and ignore attitude to training. Why is it that since the introduction of these methods, along with things like puppy socialisation classes and puppy parties, that aggression has gone through the roof. People have said that we have put dog training back 30 years. I do not agree, but if we had, there would be a lot less aggression, so would that be a bad thing? These so-called modern trainers seem to have done a great job of making dogs a lot better at biting. Congratulations. You must be very proud. Of course the irony is, I have had emails from several trainers who have been on sites such as this, saying that they use things like rattle bottles themselves, but are too afraid to admit it in case they are shot down in flames. How sad is that?
Anyway, I will sign off now, I have droned on far longer than I had intended. I will leave you with the response to the APDT. And for the moaners, all I would say is that their home footage shows that every one of the dogs who appeared on the show was better behaved two months later than it was when it arrived, so we must be doing something right.
Good luck and best wishes,
Rob
Dear Ms. Burnside,
The BBC have passed on to me details of an email sent from you concerning Dog Borstal. In it you have raised several concerns which they thought that we, the instructors might like to address personally. For clarity, I will respond to them in the order in which they were made:
‘It is our professional opinion that this programme shows outmoded, outdated, unacceptable training methods. It would be the same if you showed a programme about educating children that showed caning smacking and other physically punishing techniques. Imagine the complaints if Supernanny pinned a child to a table and gave them ‘six of the best’.
You allege that our methods are outdated and unacceptable, but I wonder by what yardstick you compare us? Since you do not monitor your own members, it is clear that you have no idea what goes on within your organisation. Only recently I was told of a member of the APDT who has used a shock collar on a client’s dog. I wonder what that will do for your reputation when it hits the dog press? To suggest that Dog Borstal is comparable to smacking and caning children is frankly laughable. No dogs were smacked or hit on the programme. Nor were any dogs given six of the best or anything remotely similar. This kind of sensationalism serves no purpose other than to make you look absurd, something generally avoided by professional organisations.
‘As the largest professional organisation concerned with the training of pet dogs, we deal daily with badly behaved — and sometimes even delinquent — dogs, and as such are in a position to give an expert opinion on the unsuitability and irresponsibility of showing the method employed and demonstrated in this programme.’
Physician heal thyself, would be my advice. There is a reason that many of the country’s best trainers will not join your organisation. That reason is because of many of the people who are already members. As you say, you may be the biggest organisation concerned with training dogs, but are you the best? Look at your membership, and how easy it is for almost anyone to join, simply by alleging that they will do as your code of conduct requires. But do they stick to what they have said? You have no idea, because no one checks. I know many people who are members of the APDT who shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a dog, and who’s methods put anything you allege to have been cruel on Dog Borstal to shame, and you probably know at least some of them too. If you don’t know who they are, it only highlights your inadequacy and inefficiency still further.
‘Just because you have many years of experience of doing something does not make you an expert — or mean that you have been doing it well for many years. Many years of doing something in an unacceptable manner without updating your methods to take into account the changes in theory dictated by modem scientific research, and recognition that all training must be humane, just makes you an outdated dog training dinosaur — and a bully!’
At last, something we agree on.You are right, years of experience doesn’t necessarily make you any good at what you do. It is just a shame that you don’t apply that same theory to some of your members and get off your laurels and have a look at what they are doing. Perhaps if you devoted this level of enthusiasm to actually going out and seeing what your own membership is up to, your organisation wouldn’t have the reputation it has of being little more than a register for self professed dog trainers.
‘In addition, while we are sure you had a vet on the set vets have very little, to no, knowledge of training and behaviour. It is not part of their training apart from in some cases one or two lectures. To ask a vet to comment professionally on training or behaviour is like asking a doctor to comment on education. All a vet can do is make a comment on whether there is actual physical suffering.’
I will be very interested to hear what the veterinary profession think of this statement. There are quite a number of vets who have extensively studied behaviour, some of whom are members of your sister organisation the APBC. I am sure that they will have something to say your opinion of their abilities.
Many trainers throughout the country were approached for this show (including some of our members), and most responsible, humane ‘real’ experts rightly said that this was not something they would want to get involved in as the whole premise of the programme was deeply flawed from a behaviour aspect, and also from a humane aspect. Some said they were prepared to bully the owners but not the dogs!
I am stunned that you seem proud of the fact that your members say that they are prepared to bully the owners, but not the dogs. I wonder how, as a supposedly professional organisation you can endorse this, and why you are not taking these people to task. I don’t think that anyone likes to be, or should be bullied. I like to think that I am not a bully, but perhaps you don’t feel the same way. This may be yet another reason why so many good trainers steer well clear of the APDT, if this is the attitude of it’s governors.
‘The nearest governing body in the UK is us - the APDT’
Well, if this letter demonstrates the level of professionalism of your membership, God help the public! I am curious though, in what way are you a governing body, or even near to one? I am not aware of any way in which you regulate or oversee anything in relation to dogs. You don’t even monitor your own members!
‘In short, and in our professional opinion, Dog Borstal shows training methods that glorify the abuse or punishment of dogs, employ methods that are unacceptable and indefensible, and show training that not only is detrimental to dogs but dangerous to their owners. It has taken many years for dog training to progress as far as it has, with highly professional trainers and behaviourists now being able to help desperate owners and their dogs in a kind, fair and effective manner. We have worked long and hard to educate the public in what they should look for in a trainer and in a dog training class — and this message was finally getting through. This programme may indeed, in one fell swoop, have caused irreparable damage. At a time when our attitudes to cruelty are being re-evaluated with the proposed new Animal Welfare Bill, programmes like this take dog training back decades, and we have no choice as a professional dog training body but to campaign against ‘Dog Borstal’ in the strongest possible terms.’
I don’t wish to sound rude, but this paragraph is so ridiculous, I can’t even begin to pass comment on it. Yet again, I would advise you to look at what your own members do, and then pass judgement.
‘The Association of Pet Dog Trainers would like an immediate undertaking from the BBC that this programme will not be re-commissioned and never shown again.’
I guess they didn’t take you up on your suggestion, since the series was repeated three times, and they have commissioned another series to be shown later this year.
‘No dog should be trained in this manner, and if this programme continues, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers will be seeking to make sure the public is fully informed via the media that the methods shown in Dog Borstal are unacceptable, cruel and antiquated - and that this programme is endorsing unnecessarily inhumane methods.’
I for one would welcome such a debate, and we shall see what the public think. I will be more than happy to share with the public, methods that I have seen used by some of your membership. I will be happy to get members of the public to write in saying how they have been treated by some of your members, and the way in which their dogs have been treated in their classes. I would be delighted to video some of the classes run by some of your members and let the public decide.
‘We can not sit back and see dogs mishandled, bullied and abused, and owners put in potential danger due to the ‘I saw it on TV so it must be right’ attitude that exists in the public’s consciousness.’
Let he (or she) who is without sin cast the first stone. Once again I suggest you look at your own membership and get your own house in order before passing judgement on what we did or didn’t do.
To sum up, I have absolutely no problem with being criticised, indeed we can learn a lot from constructive criticism, provided that it is valid and justified. But when that criticism is ignorant of the facts, rude, sensationalist and hypocritical in the extreme, I feel little obligation to be diplomatic. You had an opportunity to make a point which you and allegedly your organisation felt needed to be made. However, you were supposedly representing an organisation that I am sure would want you to appear professional. Instead, you have come across as someone who is very poorly educated in representation, and as such, you have lost all credibility. I think it unlikely that your membership would be impressed by the lack or professionalism in the way they have been presented, even if they agree with the sentiment. I hope that you will pass my response on to your members. Any who wish to contact me in a manner that suggests at least a moderate level of etiquette are welcome to do so.
And for the record, I was present at the APBC symposium where John Fisher presented the APDT for the first time to the dog training world. I think that he would turn in his grave if he saw the lack of professionalism with which you have presented his dream to the media.
Yours faithfully,
Robert Alleyne
Expert Dog Trainer (couldn’t resist that one)
October 31st, 2006 at 10:58 am
Hi Rob, Faye, Caryn, Richard, and crew!
Cant believe how much ranting there is about this program when you can clearly see that nothing but good comes out of it!
Rob, you are fantastic, patient and highly knowledgeable and we thank you for making our relationship with our family so much better. We are still going from strength to strength with both Keano and Widget.
Your expert assistance has proved invaluable; I have even agreed to marry the little ‘BLEEP’ dogs owner!
I know, all of us from episode 4 can personally confirm that none of the methods employed on Dog Borstal are antiquated, cruel or harmful.
Looking forward to episode 5, and arranging a catch up with you all, it was a brilliant 4 days (even if it did rain for most of it!) with a bunch of brilliant people.
Pippa
Reformed Keano Hater
October 31st, 2006 at 12:21 pm
Pippa! Congratulations on the wedding, and good to see the change on the show!
I think mick has similar plans for me and my girlfriend, but I want to keep him waiting!
Quite enjoying some of the debate on these sites - its good to hear different opinions and approaches and feel that is the best way to learn. However, its the ‘thats wrong, my way is better’ brigade that i dont like, as they never seem to be able to say what their way is!
Found this on the internet which quite enjoyed watching, some dog borstal uncuts!
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dog+borstal
October 31st, 2006 at 2:06 pm
OH wasn’t that interesting last night on dog borstal, how Mitchell got all the bad gripe.Well as Mitchells owner I am going to point out the fact that he went to dog borstal for his unruly chewing and shitting everywhere not the fact he was part kangaroo and likes to defend his property (may i add what dog doesn’t????). Hes not the child eating dog he was made out to be, we adopted Mitchell from a rescue and had to pass tests with him to see if he could come into the family with us having children, and he PASSED! The film crew have done a fantastic job at editing all sorts out and they have forgot to mention that the dog that went in for his teething behaviour is infact Max,Mitchell’s so called side kick, yes we openly said that he has bitten our older child but this wasn’t mentioned, poor Mitchell got the shit.Mitchell is far from perfect and you know something dog borstal wouldn’t be here if we all had perfectly trained dogs like the trainers!! Max ’s problem was never questioned, infact ignored, i would go to say as i so did on the programme but edited yet again!! Max has got an aggressive side and rears its head when the older children decide to start fighting,as teenagers do. Both our dogs have not been with us since puppies we have inherited these problems and even though it portrays the fact that i was total oblivious to the fact we have daft dogs it was actually me that put in 100% and i did and still do realise that we don’t have fantastic control over them but we are trying unlike the episode made out that i wasn’t. Many thanks for that. The recall, well, two months later that was the 2nd time since filming that max and mitchell have been off the lead in an open space and they did return back too me when i called them, no recall at borstal could be the fact that the dog was confused when he was in a run and one of the owners had to go and hide behind a building, oh and i forgot to mention that the wind was blowing so super nosed disobediant Mitchell could smell us a bloody mile off and wondered what the hell was happening!!!?? On the programme it said we didn’t acknowledge the problem???Erm was that not us on the tele last night, doing all we had been taught. Couldn’t understand why Max wasn’t shown doing all his training with his disobedient owner, maybe this is because the viewing wouldn’t of been as entertaining as i did everything 100%, oh shit probably wasn’t supposed to say that!!!!! Still i say a thankyou to Lynne as her training methods were good and they do seem to work,and thought you were a lovely lady. Rob thought you seemed a wonderful person and pip and adam rated you. Mick thought your training methods worked with taz and faye but just one question “How do you know herpes doesn’t heal?”Caryn
October 31st, 2006 at 3:22 pm
Personally, i think Micks training methods work with the majority of dogs and owners he works with - but why try to get a personal snipe in about his knowledge of herpes?
Have you ever suffered from cold sores? if so, you will know that once you’ve had one, you can guarantee you’ll get another
October 31st, 2006 at 9:53 pm
hi AJL, if you took time out to listen to what people said on the programme you would realise that the comment made about herpes was in jest. If you read it also says that i thought micks training worked, so whats your problem?Take your nose out of Micks arse hes only human after all, he’s no super dog!! Enjoyed my time there and would do it all again UNCUT!!!!!Caryn
October 31st, 2006 at 10:42 pm
I did take the time out to listen, then took the time to read what you wrote, where you brown nosed the other trainers, then had a dig at Mic.
A thank you for lynn, a wonderful person from rob, and a question to mic about herpes
APologies for not reading the humour you intended - the joys of the internet means sometimes this is difficult
November 1st, 2006 at 12:19 am
Just wanted to say….well said Mr Rob Alleyne.
Rock on Dog Borstal…hope it continues for years, theres more than enough dogs that need (re)training the right way. And I totally agree on the escalating aggression issues….Im actually old enough to remember when people allowed dogs to be dogs and back then you rarely heard of people being mauled to death. I think common sense has gone out the window these days….so the training methods used are ‘outdated’….so lets use these namby pamby methods and completely screw up our dogs in the process!!!
I guess you know your doing something right when over 50% of your clientele are people whos dogs have previously been trained using ‘modern’ methods…but they didnt work…..no complaints….keeps me in business
November 3rd, 2006 at 8:44 pm
You cant apply “supernanny” tactics to dog training.A dog does need to be dominated, as someone else stated, or it will assume that it is the leader.
That is inherent!
You do need to be “forcefull” (not cruel) with some dogs, but only as one small part of a training programe, which will include some psychological domination as well as positive re-enforcement and love and kindness.
Having said that, if you arent capable of phsically overpowering your dog then dont try it, force alone wont work, he’ll soon suss you out and you could end up making things worse.
As far as people trying methods out for themselves at home, well, would the average person try to re-wire their house on their own?
No, get in people that have the experience.
November 5th, 2006 at 2:25 am
hi ajl,
how’s things? i worked with you on dog borstal, and loved your dog, in fact i think i tried to keep it.
glad to hear things are going well with aforementioned dog (won’t mention name…) i was sorry not to do your return visit. look forward to your show.
Good luck with everything, go team pink…
November 7th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
Ah, so my cunningly disguised name didnt work!
Would you have been the z team sound man by any chance?
THink we need to have a z-team pugs of our lives reunion!
And one member of team pink has had his belt his removed…you will be glad to know the dog and her in doors is still sporting the pink
November 7th, 2006 at 9:02 pm
saffy?
agressive?
some interesting wordsmithing by the bbc i feel
November 9th, 2006 at 2:54 pm
I dont have a dog at the moment but am looking for a staffie puppy, I have watched dog borstall with interest to see if i can pick up some tips.
I do teach all types of folks in my job and have always found that although the basics of training are similar for each person, individuals react differently depending on many factors such as personality, talent, and so on.
My point is all the dogs on DB are different and react differently to the trainer, owner and techniques used. Finding the one that works best for your dog is the trick.
The right way is the one that works best for you and your dog. Teaching dogs is much easier than teaching golfers
Maybe I should drag the golfers round the course or scare him/her till they hit the ball properly 
November 14th, 2006 at 6:58 pm
I have to confess that, since watching Dog Borstal I noticed (through mega searching on the web) that Mic apparently did training in the area where I live. I have a 1 yr old rescued border collie that I’ve had for 5 weeks. Obviously I have no background on him so needed help.
I contacted the email addy and was given the address of the training school which is run by Richard Clarke - the guy who is Mics associate and the Dog Borstal ‘Lynns’ original trainer - she went to him with a badly behaved dog years ago and ended up training on Dog Borstal!
I went to this training school for a ‘look-see’, and have signed up for a course of lessons. Richard had my dog walking to ‘heel’ within 5 minutes - although it is fair to say walking to heel in a field is totally different to out in the real world - but was so impressed with watching other dogs that have no qualms about joining.
The dog borstal trainers are NOT cruel, they assess a dogs behaviour and then train YOU - the OWNER - how to train your dog.
It’s not a magic cure, but I was unaware that giving a dog rawhide chews promoted digging (you should see the state of my garden!) so since throwing the chews out, doggie has stopped digging - coincidence? - I think not!
The softly softly Americanised training might be what you prefer to see, but if you want a dog trained properly - then Dog Borstal in the one to watch.
November 15th, 2006 at 8:24 pm
Hi everyone & Hi Rob, had revisit from dog borstal and toldour show is sheduled for xmas day. cant wait. My dog has done me proud but not because of me because of the great help & support I received off the show and for the absolutely fantastic training advice I received off Rob. My dog ( I refer to my dog as I’m not sure if I can give away his name as not yet been on the show) but he still gets Robs secret treat ingredients & loves it!!! Anyways thanks to Rob, Mick, Lyne, Dave & the kennel staff & thanks to all the crew who made our experience such a one we will never forget.
adios my fello amigos
Elaine
November 17th, 2006 at 2:18 am
Please some 1 help me to apply for this program my dog is totaly out of control , she is a 1 yr old german shepard she was nearly run over tonight , me and my partner joh are running out of options we feel trapped and worried it just seems like nomatter what we do with her she completely forgets the next day please help me and my babie sadie
November 18th, 2006 at 7:37 pm
SO, what did people think of saffy the super pug? I notice Irony has gone quiet - i presume his social sphere now precludes him from using the internet
Hope you enjoyed a pug being a real dog!
November 18th, 2006 at 8:06 pm
Im so mad, Ive missed it the last two Mondays and its not repeated any more on a Thursday….anyone know if its showing on any other days? Is it available on DVD yet??
November 21st, 2006 at 2:30 am
I love this program! I think its fantastic… I lodged with an elderly disabled gentleman who knew nothing about dogs… (even the little I knew exceeded his old school lazy so called knowledge on dogs and their behaviour) As it turned out, there was a qualified trainer living right nextdoor that prooved to me that my humane views on owning dogs were correct……. I love mic martin’s tough love and completely understand why dog owners need such an ass kicking! (Try teaching a pensioner new tricks) Dogs are easy in comparison! Keep up the good work mic and the rest of the crew! I’m ur biggest fan… my rescue Heinz 57 and my german shepherd are beautifully behaved happy and contented dogs due to these training techniques (which incidentally have only been recognized in the last 50 years so there isn’t much wonder it’s taking people a while to catch on! We don’t learn as quickly as dogs you know!
November 21st, 2006 at 5:43 pm
i love this program so much. i have 2 extremely well trained staffordshire bull terriers. i spent time with them and we have a mutual trust between us. my friend on the other hand has a beautiful english bull terrier named loki. he is gorgeous, but mental. he cant go off a lead, is stubborn and chews furniture. i am trying to write to dog borstal to see if the wonderful mick could work his magic on loki. i just have no idea on how to go about contacting the correct people. all the trainers are great, but i just love the way mick handles the big boysterous dogs…..which loki sure is!!
November 22nd, 2006 at 12:43 am
Sorry to disappoint you AJL - aren’t you busy chasing your 15 minutes of fame?
I’m far too busy to keep you entertained, perhaps you should join a chat site if you are at such a loose end that you are hanging on my every word.
November 22nd, 2006 at 6:24 pm
irony,
How good of you to return to the fold - Yes, indeed I have been speaking to many people about the programme. Yes, I have even posted on chat rooms. I have spoken to other pug owners about agility, I have spoken to
owners of other breeds on training advice.
One of the joys of being young is the ability to multitask. I have the ability to work and, yes shock horror, post on the internet
In fact, this message took me 1 minute and 30 seconds to type. It only took that long as I had to remove my hands from the keyboard to cough.
But its funny that despite you being too busy, you still manage to come back and try and insult me.
November 27th, 2006 at 10:37 pm
I never miss a programme. It is the highlight of my week! If there were an award for most fanciable male then it would just have to be Mic Martin! I just wish I had a badly behaved German Shepherd and then I could apply to go to Dog Borstal!
November 28th, 2006 at 11:42 am
Hello,my name is Jane. I have 3 dogs, Jake a 5 yr old black labrador, Missie a nearly 5yr old chocolate labrador & last but not least a 4yr old schipperke called chloe. I am in desperate need of some help & guidence as to help training my 3 dogs so that we can enjoy our many more years together. Their training is in them as when i first got them i did everything I could to train them & they were doing really well & due to some awful personal sercumstances that have happened over the years their training has gone to pot. My 3 dogs have been my life-line & have actually saved my life twice & i feel i owe it to them to re-train myself & them to give us the best out of our lives. I’ve been looking on the dog borstal website & would love to apply to get this fantastic, proffesional training. I am getting better slowly but I now feel strong enough to apply myself to training my dogs, if I won the lottery I would gladly send the 4 of us off to get proffesional training but seeing as I am still unable to work this is impossible.
I have always watched every episode of dog borstal & often well up when i see how well the dogs & owners get on after the training, not with sadness but happiness of how their lives have changed for the better.
If anybody can help me please do as I am absolutually devoted to my 3 doggies & know they’ve got so much more to give but I just don’t know how to go about it.
Jake & Chloe don’t come back to me when I call them or they will eventually, i’ve tried treats,toys one on one training but they just won’t listen, Chloe recently got knocked over by a 4×4 & thank god for the people that helped us she was fine but i am terrified to let her off the lead now. Jake also pulls me so much & he is a really strong boy I use a halti on him which works but i would really love it if I could just get him to sit, stay,retrieve ie bring it back &