Dog Training Revolution: The Podcast

Dog training has entered a new era.    The field has moved past coercion - not because coercion failed to change behavior, but because it failed to meet modern standards of welfare, reliability, and risk.    That part is not controversial anymore.    What is happening now is a lag between where the science is, and what people still see online and at their local training facilities.    There, dogs are somehow still being shocked, yanked, physically manipulated, traumatized, and pushed through behavior under pressure, without the ability to freely learn.    In practice, training today is evaluated on different criteria than it was 20 years ago.    Professionals today look at emotional durability.    We look at stress recovery.    Does the dog generalize?    What are the long term outcomes of our efforts?    We're not looking at whether or not the behavior just stopped, but whether the dog actually learns something that holds up across environments, because dogs don't perform behaviors in isolation.    They bring their nervous systems with them, they bring their history with them, and they bring context with them.    And when we account for that, certain approaches simply do not age well.    That's why the modern version of behavior change emphasizes skills that survive pressure - skills that don't depend on constant management or tools to function.    It's also why the conversation has shifted away from ideology, and towards application.    How do we build responses that remain intact under stress?    How do we actually reduce fallout, instead of managing it later?    These aren't philosophical questions anymore. They're operational ones.    So when people frame this as an ongoing “method war” they're usually arguing with a version of the animal training field that no longer exists at the top.    The work now isn't convincing institutions. It's translating what institutions already agree on into everyday training that people can actually see and use.    That's where we are, and the needle has clearly moved.    And now it's time to do the work that comes next.   Join the Dog Training Revolution and learn more at zakgeorge.com

Thank you so much to our incredible friend Shelby Dennis for joining us in this episode! Shelby is an inspiration to Bree and I - make sure to follow her everywhere: https://milestoneequestrian.ca/shelby-dennis https://www.youtube.com/@Milestone-Equestrian https://www.instagram.com/sdequus/   Get free toys for a year from BARK    Learn more at zakgeorge.com 

What is going on at the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)? The lack of awareness and professionalism coming from this organization is becoming impossible to ignore.   Here are just some of the mounting concerns: • A president publicly endorsing shock collars contradicting AVMA’s own stance, the global behavior science consensus, and basic animal-welfare principles. • A refusal to acknowledge the One Health catastrophes in Gaza, Sudan, and Congo, even while claiming One Health as a core value. • Silence on the disappearance and killing of Dr. Mu’ath Abu Rukba, one of Gaza’s last surgical veterinarians (see previous episodes of this podcast for the full story!) • Routine deletion, hiding, and restriction of comments from members and the public raising legitimate concerns, and censorship of their own members and speakers within annual conferences. • Posting trivial “awareness” content while ignoring mass suffering of humans, animals, and entire ecosystems. • A PAC aligned with lawmakers who support militarism, environmental destruction, and policies directly harmful to people and animals. • A documented history of systemic issues, including the controversy with Tuskegee University, the primary producer of Black veterinarians.   This is dysfunction, denial, and dereliction of duty. @avmavets appears disorganized, unaware, and unprofessional at a moment when moral clarity is needed most.   Why is a dog trainer on the internet having to point out the hypocrisy and misinformation of the world’s largest veterinary medical association? If it’s on me, and all of us, to hold this organization accountable, then something is profoundly wrong inside that institution.   This is about restoring truth, ethics, and public trust in a profession that desperately needs it.   Veterinarians and the public deserve better leadership than this.

A major shift just hit the dog training world, and it affects every family with a dog.   The new Joint Standards of Practice were released, bringing together the leading organizations in our field under one clear message: fear-, pain-, and intimidation-based training has no place in modern, professional work.   Noticeably missing from the list is the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.   After months of refusing to correct their blatant misinformation about AVSAB (even after AVSAB felt obliged to release their own statement to clarify because of the misinformation being spread by CCPDT), CCPDT continues to operate under outdated frameworks that still allow shock, prong, and choke devices.    Now, the CCPDT has been firmly left behind, as the rest of the industry finally moves forward.   This is about public safety, scientific integrity, and protecting the public and their dogs.    Dog training is evolving.   The science is clear.   And organizations choosing to cling to harmful methods are being exposed.   Tell us what you think about these updates in the comments ⬇️   Follow https://instagram.com/zakgeorge for the latest updates, and check out our website to learn more & subscribe to our email list: https://zakgeorge.com 

(This is the FULL version of this episode!)   How did American pop culture learn to support Israel?    Are celebrities obligated to speak up for oppressed peoples?     What do you think? 🧐    We’re joined by Zak’s cousin Illesha @illeshamagdalena - if you’re interested in history, pop culture, colonialism, and all around awesome content, you will definitely want to follow Illesha to learn more❤️🇱🇧 https://www.instagram.com/illeshamagdalena/ https://www.tiktok.com/@illeshamarie   Subscribe to our podcast: https://dogtrainingrevolution.podbean.com

You can’t bury the truth forever.    Zak and Dr. Erika + Doctors Against Genocide SHARE this post since @avmavets and @amermedicalassn insist on choosing censorship, silence and complicity over upholding their own ethical standards. Tag them and any other organizations/public figures who SHOULD be speaking out. It takes all of us 💪❤️‍🩹 Honored to connect with @doctorsagainstgenocide and amplify this message.  Follow Doctors Against Genocide on YouTube to see their weekly webinars and other incredibly important content Support their work and learn more at https://doctorsagainstgenocide.org 🔥 Stay tuned - follow https://instagram.com/zakgeorge and sign up for our email list at zakgeorge.com for more.   Dr. Erika Lin-Hendel, VMD, PhD is a veterinarian and activist based out of Arizona. Although they currently practice companion animal medicine, Dr. Lin-Hendel has a background in developmental neuroscience, agriculture and food security. In addition to their clinical work, they are highly involved in advocacy work spanning mental health, education and social justice from a one health lens. Their current passions are centered on the veterinary profession’s role in anti-war movements. Dr. Erika's Instagram page: https://instagram.com/theautisticveterinarian  

This is the conversation the AVMA doesn’t want you to hear - but veterinarians across the world are refusing to be silenced any longer.   It’s time.    Behind the white coats and lame social media posts, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is a political machine - lobbying on Capitol Hill through their Political Action Committee, deciding which lives deserve empathy and funding (and which do not) through their “charitable arm” the AVMF, and calling that “neutrality.”   For over two years they have displayed racism by omission.   Veterinarians everywhere are speaking up while the AVMA still hides behind its image, and its VERY LOUD silence.   Meanwhile, AVMA continues to delete and hide critical comments about this topic on their many social media posts, and ignore the thousands of emails they have received asking them to show the same level of care for the Global South as they have during other humanitarian crises around the world, like in Ukraine and Australia.   Our guests today are two US-based veterinarians who are also co-founders of Animal Healthcare Workers Against Genocide - an organization that Bree and I are very proud to be a part of! Learn more and join us at http://www.animalwag.org   Dr. Erika Lin-Hendel and Dr. Serena Nayee are two veterinarians who are here to speak about their experience in the American Veterinary world, and to specifically highlight the censorship they experienced when they gave a scheduled educational talk at an AVMA conference in July 2025.   After months of preparation (including advanced approval of their topic/abstract), Dr. Erika and Dr. Serena were suddenly told by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to censor their presentation just two weeks before the conference.   Can you guess their topic? 🫠   It was public health and veterinary care during the ongoing One Health crises worldwide including Palestine, Sudan and Congo - internationally recognized humanitarian, animal, and environmental catastrophes that the AVMA still refuses to acknowledge.   Their talk - which was submitted in advance, and *reviewed and accepted* by the AVMA 3 months before the conference - made it clear they would discuss:   > the historical and current weaponization of animals against civilians    > destruction of agricultural resources   > damage to the human-animal bond during armed conflict   These are all concepts backed up by scientific data, some of which was reported by the AVMA itself…   And yet, two weeks before they were supposed to give their talk, they received a thinly-veiled censorship email from the director of the AVMA Convention and Meeting Planning Division.   Does this surprise you?   The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has built prestige and profit around the idea of compassion without borders.   They post regularly about global care and empathy and the importance of veterinarians advocating during global humanitarian crises.   They spoke out for Ukraine. They raised money for wildfire victims in Australia.  But while Gaza’s doctors, families, and animals are bombed, they have said absolutely nothing.    And worse, they are actively silencing those of us who are working to help in this crisis by deleting nearly all critical comments from their social media, and even censoring their own colleagues and members at their conferences.   The AVMA has spent decades branding themselves as a global voice of compassion. But when that compassion was tested… it wasn’t there 🫥     More about our guests:   Dr. Erika Lin-Hendel, VMD, PhD is a veterinarian and activist based out of Arizona. Although they currently practice companion animal medicine, Dr. Lin-Hendel has a background in developmental neuroscience, agriculture and food security. In addition to their clinical work, they are highly involved in advocacy work spanning mental health, education and social justice from a one health lens. Their current passions are centered on the veterinary profession’s role in anti-war movements. Dr. Erika's Instagram page: https://instagram.com/theautisticveterinarian   Dr. Serena Nayee, DVM is a 2020 graduate of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Serena and her siblings were raised with a multicultural background, rooting from strong Gujarati and American values. After graduating high school in Fishers, Indiana, she completed her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology at Ohio State University, before heading to veterinary school. Serena’s interests in the veterinary profession are focused on emergency medicine and development of affordable and accessible urgent/preventative healthcare (clinical and policy) to diversify the veterinary field, with a commitment to the value of One Health. Outside of veterinary medicine, Serena enjoys writing poetry and short literary fiction, singing, reading, and filming/editing videos. Dr. Serena's Instagram page: https://instagram.com/your.pal.dr.serena   Dr. Serena Nayee is also the founder and executive director of Chapter VIII: Veterinary Inclusion and Intersectionality Initiative which promotes inclusive advocacy and education, intersectional art and story-sharing, communication workshops, community mentorship, and diversifying professional experience. The organization aims to reach people who belong to multiple underrepresented or marginalized groups based on race, ethnicity, disability, class, gender, and sexuality. Based on personal experience and statistical assessment throughout veterinary school and onward, the lack of inclusion and intersectionality within veterinary medicine heavily inspired Dr. Serena to create Chapter VIII upon graduation from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine in 2020. Dr. Nayee has previous experience as a medical director and practice co-owner in the for-profit small animal veterinary urgent care sector, which inspired her to pursue development of accessible urgent care, after reflecting on the need for access to urgent clinical care and education among marginalized groups. Serena hopes to make urgent care and other specialty sectors within veterinary medicine more representative and accessible via incremental care and inclusive education.  

TW: difficult topics discussed.  A lot happened this week on our instagram page. Let's talk about it.    Follow our Instagram page! Follow Bree on Instagram too! Subscribe to the Dog Training Revolution on YouTube Learn more at zakgeorge.com

The Evidence Ends the Method Wars -- podcast interview with Dr. Zazie Todd! GET FREE TOYS FOR A YEAR! Thank you BARK! for supporting the Dog Training Revolution ✊ See the VIDEO version of this episode here! (SCIENTIFIC REFERENCES from this episode are LISTED BELOW - SCROLL DOWN!) Get Dr. Todd's incredible books here!  Dr. Todd's Website - Companion Animal Psychology Fetch Me a Beer video 🍻 SUBSCRIBE to see all of our new videos (it’s totally free!)  Follow us: ➡️ @zakgeorge on Instagram ➡️ I’m on TikTok too! http://vm.tiktok.com/fFxPbh/ ➡️ Like me on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/TheZakGeorge 😍 @breejustine is on instagram too: http://www.instagram.com/breejustine   🥰 THANK YOU to our Patrons who help us keep this content TOTALLY FREE 🥰 You can help support our videos by making a contribution here ⚠️⚠️⚠️REALLY COOL TIP HERE - LEARN HOW TO GET YOUR DOG TO STOP PULLING & STAY NEAR YOU ON WALKS 📖 If you have a NEW PUPPY or you’re PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE, my FIRST book (broad overview of choosing, raising and training a dog) is the one for you!!!  📖 Order my NEW BOOK here (💥this one is a deeper dive into troubleshooting the most common training issues💥)    REFERENCES AVSAB (American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior) position statement on Humane Dog Training Schilder, M. B. H., & van der Borg, J. A. M. (2004). Training dogs with help of the shock collar: Short and long term behavioural effects. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 85(3–4), 319–334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2003.10.004 Vieira de Castro, A. C., Fuchs, D., Morello, G. M., Pastur, S., de Sousa, L., & Olsson, I. A. S. (2020). Does training method matter? Evidence for the negative impact of aversive‑based methods on companion dog welfare. PLOS ONE, 15(12), e0225023. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225023 Casey, R.A., Naj-Oleari, M., Campbell, S. et al. Dogs are more pessimistic if their owners use two or more aversive training methods. Sci Rep 11, 19023 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-97743-0 Joana Guilherme Fernandes, I. Anna S. Olsson, Ana Catarina Vieira de Castro. Do aversive-based training methods actually compromise dog welfare?: A literature review, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 196, 2017, Pages 1-12, ISSN 0168-1591, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2017.07.001 (See discussion noting association with presence of handler.) Mellor, D. J., Beausoleil, N. J., Littlewood, K. E., McLean, A. N., McGreevy, P. D., Jones, B., & Wilkins, C. (2020). The 2020 five domains model: Including human–animal interactions in assessments of animal welfare. Animals, 10(10), 1870. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/10/1870 Here are the references to those two studies that tell us about how fast dogs run for different foods: Variety or the same favourite treat: Bremhorst, A., Bütler, S., Würbel, H., & Riemer, S. (2018). Incentive motivation in pet dogs–preference for constant vs varied food rewards. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 9756. https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2019/05/dogs-preferred-training-rewards.html Kibble or sausage: Riemer, S., Ellis, S. L., Thompson, H., & Burman, O. H. (2018). Reinforcer effectiveness in dogs—The influence of quantity and quality. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 206:87-93. https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2018/11/do-dogs-run-faster-for-more-treats-or.html 

The Crisis in Dog Training: President of the ACVB, Dr. Radosta, Speaks Out! Watch the video version of this episode HERE! Today, we have a very special guest: Dr. Lisa Radosta, DVM, DACVB, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist and president of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB). A board-certified veterinary behaviorist specializes in understanding animal behavior and promoting ethical, science-based practices. Dr. Radosta is widely respected for her straightforward approach to helping pets and their guardians ❤️ https://drlisaradosta.com ⭐️ RESOURCES FOR DOG PET PARENTS! From Dr. Lisa Radosta: https://linktr.ee/drradostadogresources   The full video version of this interview is live right now on our YouTube channel! Subscribe here to get access to all of our past and future dog training content, 100% free 🙌 https://tinyurl.com/subzakgeorge   Join the Dog Training Revolution and learn more at zakgeorge.com