Who knew that Brooklyn had it’s own Dog Whisperer???   According to an article in the Daily News, Tyril Frith is the Dog Whisperer of Brooklyn can be found working his magic in Prospect Park and in the homes of Brooklyn residents.

Tyril is compared to the original Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan, because he employs training methods that are not reward or treat-based.  However, compared to Millan who emphasizes being the pack-leader and encouraging calm-submissive behavior, Frith’s methods seem to be point blank negative reinforcement.  The article gives examples of shock collars and rattling bottles filled with pennies.

Now, I’m certainly no dog training expert, but I really hope we never get to the point where we would consider using a shock collar on Oscar!!  I would say that we use a combination of reward-based training and pack leader behavior and I think we’ve been pretty successful.  I’m sure proponents of each training method would argue that the methods need to be practiced exclusively to be effective, but I think Oscar would be obese if we only used treat-based training and I don’t think we’d have as strong of a bond if we were the pack leaders all the time.

Interestingly, if you read the comments below the article, you will see testimonials from a number of Tyril’s former clients.  So, to each his own, I guess…as long as no dogs are harmed in the process and it’s creating a happier situation for dogs & their owners.

Any comments on Frith’s training style or training methods that you’ve found particularly effective?