Do you approve of his methods ?

[Jangles]

As the title suggests .....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGN5clOWjTU

Jangles

[EssGrouse]

Tins hats at the ready......Chris is a good trainer and i think its evident in the thousands of videos he has uploaded.

[munstyman]

I have said before I dislike some aspects of how he trains, however I am also well aware how `social media' can and is manipulated by those with an agenda, and to be frank those that often set out to manipulate something for their own purpose are far worse than this guy. I spent much of my youth fighting LACS and their propaganda machine and saw not only how they went about distorting the facts but how they manipulated the uninformed and added them to the numbers game.
I think the Fieldsports channel have done a good job in presenting a fairly reasonable coverage of the issue, and all credit to Mr Upton on presenting his case in light of the social media onslaught, for that alone I have to give the guy some respect.
In modern times we have at our disposal a whole raft of training styles and techniques, as well as technology to get to an end result. In my time I have seen far more `barbaric' methods employed to train dogs, and or people using conventional mainstream methods but in a totally wrong context which whilst may not be seen as physically damaging, clearly has led to psychological distress in their charges.
Dogs are extremely diverse and adaptable, the one thing that is constant is that there is `no one size fits all' when it comes to training...those that advocate such are not in my view worth listening too in this arena. There are always two sides to an argument, which side you choose is a personal one and long let that choice remain , something that is lost on the `my view is right brigade' . In all honesty I would only be half the trainer I think I have achieved if I only learnt to do as those I respected, and not learnt equally from those that did things I did not like. IMV you have to learn what not to do just as well as what to do, to get the best from the individual dog that you are presented with.
How to answer the question The methodology yes, even though its somewhat outdated and I choose a different route, on some of videos the application though, needs some work and could be better ....But then the perfect dog trainer has yet to beat the grave

[BIKRS]

If you look at his dogs around him they are all very happy in his company which leads me to think his methods aren't as hard as some would have you believe. However i do believe the spaniels in the clips temperaments didn't warrant being handle like that as they seemed fairly soft.

[newf]

I feel sorry for the man. He is being hit pretty hard for his approach. And I do believe scuffing is a very common and an acceptable way of punishing a dog especially in professional circles. However, few will admit to it or even discuss it for the reasons that we see this man under. Punishment has its place in training and the more clear cut and intolerable it is the better the success with fewer repetitions. What is missing of course from the critical reports of the man is the balance of positive reinforcement that if wasn't part of his overall tactics would have him out of business because overly dependent and lackluster dogs lack a ready market. I suppose, he could trade in his 'tennis shoes' approach for the more acceptable and less visually egregious e collar.

[trekmoor]

I did not like the scene in which he appeared to pick up and replace a spaniel by holding it and lifting it by the ears. I have no objections to a jowl grip or a scruff grip but I don't like to see those things done if the purpose behind them is to lift the dog and replace it . I would do either of those two things, usually a jowl grip, as a form of physical correction accompanied by a rough voice tone.

I'd also slap a dog's backside to achieve a sit but I think he misread how tough the spaniel in the video is, it looked a bit too thoroughly subdued.

Wullie

[bird]

No I don't and I wouldn't spend my money with him or give him a dog. I've been fortunate enough to meet and receive help from good trainers who don't feel the need to use those kind of methods.

[Judy]

If he were a good trainer he wouldn't need to use punishment to such an extent. And Liam, just because somebody films him it doesn't make him a good trainer. In fact I worry about what these guys get up to when they aren't in public given the amount of punishment they dole out on film / at demo's where they are likely to be more restrained.

[Naj]

Newf, there are plenty of trainers who manage to make a good job of training a gun dog without resorting to these harsh methods. Times have changed and an ends justify the means attitude to training won't hold water any longer when coming under public scrutiny. Just because someone uses these methods on their dogs and videos themselves doing it doesn't mean that's ok. In fact, in the UK you'll be sailing very close to the wind with our welfare laws and this man has been lucky not to have been prosecuted. And whether the dogs look happy or not doesn't tell you anything. They certainly didn't look very happy when dangled by their jaw or dragged around by the skin or ear! It's easy to forget that this is a hobby and meant to be fun, for us and our dogs!

Naj

[newf]

It seems punishment in dog circles is a taboo subject but we have believers and leaders :

www.thefield.co.uk/uncategorized/the-tr ... iscipline-