Introducing a new website - "You Would be Shocked"

There is a new advocacy website in Nova Scotia and it's called "You would be shocked" - it's to bring information to the dog owners of Nova Scotia about science based dog training - a group of dog rescues have joined together to spread the word about positive dog training because so many rescues are using "balanced trainers" and we want the dog owners of Nova Scotia to know that there are so many more options than what they are being offered.

So we have created this website as an information clearinghouse for people who are debating what kind of training modality to choose for their dog.  We believe that science based dog training should be the way that people should go and not the way of "balanced training".

In Nova Scotia - every "balanced trainer" uses shock - or what they call euphemistically "e-collars" - or even better - "electronic pulse training aids" - as well as prong collars - and there are a lot of people who don't agree with this training modality.

The shock collar trainers would have you believe that I am on a one person mission - but they are mistaken - I am the person who created this website - but I am not the only person behind it - there are several dog rescues who have joined together to create it, and we are hoping that others will join us.

We aren't looking to have them banned, we know that's not going to happen, but we are hoping to raise awareness about other options for training your dog that actually build a positive bond with your dog.

Today I have been called an "unknowing ranting village idiot" - I can handle that - I have been bullied un-mercifully in the past on this subject - I have written a lot of posts on this blog about this subject so I am used to how the people who use these devices on their dogs treat humans.

Someone posted that "dogs are not humans, stop humanizing them" - I have to disagree with that, and that's a big reason why I rail against these products.

I believe that dogs are sentient beings.  I believe that dogs are individuals.  I believe that dogs are just like us - they have feelings, that they have wishes for their lives - and above all - they want to be able to control their lives - and shock collars take that away - when a shock collar is around their neck they never know what is going to happen next - and that is wrong.

Dogs want to be happy - just like humans do - they don't want someone constantly "tapping on their shoulder" - they want to be our partner, our compatriot in life - the most important thing in our life, the things we live and die for - because they would live and die for us.

That is what I believe - and why I do what I do, and what I will continue to do, and what I will continue to fight for.

I'm not going away anytime soon - http://youwouldbeshocked.ca has just begun - the website as it is right now just has the bones of it - I'll be adding information to it as we go along and other people join the movement - because that's what it is - it is going to become a movement here in Nova Scotia - so stay tuned!