A message from Jordan Shelley

I wanted to say a very big thank you to all the lovely people who have made me such fantastic offers. I am kindly declining all the offers of free places on courses and to seminars as I am sure there are many more deserving people out there and I urge you all to pass these offers on to them, that being said I still hope to see you at many of these different events. I will be taking up as many of the offers to observe and talk to all the wonderful trainers that have got in touch, I am looking forward to meeting you all.  

I am delving into the world of positive reinforcement with an open mind and I hope you can help me improve the way I train.

Thanks once again,

Jordan Shelley

I added this post late last night in haste with just a copy and paste. I spoke to Jordan earlier in the day, too.  I think some people are misinterpreting his words. He is not saying that he won't go on the free courses offered, but that those he goes on he will pay his way - as there are others more deserving of a free place than him.

His first look-see is on Monday and I think it is a great idea for him to have a look how others work with difficult cases. Be really interested to hear how he gets on.

Can I also add a big thank you to everyone who has offered Jordan help via this blog. I do hope he gets stuck in and puts this episode behind him.

I do think the clumsy BBC complaints letter has opened up old wounds, but remember Jordan didn't write that!

Comments

Lou said…
very gracious, hope he explores good ways to relate to dogs
Well, not holding my breath or anything but converts tend to be even more dedicated than those born to things so lets hope this is the birth of a new proponent of properly understanding dogs before opening gob
Dawn said…
Ummm didn't I see somewhere he said that he also uses positive training as well at what was witnessed on TV, maybe I misunderstood. This sounds like a contradiction to me... Not entirely convinced he realise's what has upset so many people... He says nothing about you can never stop learning... Smacks of the 'Arrogance of Youth'... Just my personal opinion, and I'm sure somebody better with words than I, will articulate better what I'm trying to say... Keep up the good work that Dogs Today does, dogs everywhere appreciate it I'm sure...
Anonymous said…
Jordan, you would do well to get yourself on an accredited college course such as the Foundation degrees offered by Myerscough and Bishop Burton (both distance learning). There you will learn about the theory and the practise of training dogs and of behaviour modification as well as so much more
Granny said…
Way to go, Master Shelley. Do yourself a favour in the mean time - ditch all those videos of charismatic American trainers and get yourself to Amazon books and start reading!
Jemma said…
Maybe he only made contact with Dogs Today as he is under investigation from the RSPCA and showing willing to learn would place him in a different light. Strange that he has refused all offers. I would jump at the chance!
Mike Afia said…
With the interviews with vets, Dogs Trust etc, I feel an opportunity has been missed to tell viewers that the old methods of harsh training that involve hurting the dog (for example 'If the dogs does something 'wrong' just hit him') no longer exist. In other words we must teach people to be compassionate towards living beings that feel fear and pain as we do. Or is that too much to ask??
Anonymous said…
I am glad that he has the sense to refuse the free places and say that he will pay his way like everyone else. Lets hope that he really does make all this a learning experience and then put it into good practice and really do some good work. It would be good if he can be loosely followed on his new quest to be educated; at least it may help him stay on course if nothing else. Personally I am not sure I would trust him too far with anything sentient, even after some education, but maybe I am being unfair. I just hope that in the meantime he stops 'helping' any more dogs and concentrates on gaining some knowledge.
Lynn H
Jan said…
And Jordan still hasn't in any way apologised for the trauma to Roxy or said that he admits that what he did was dangerous and abusive. I'm glad he wants to look at other ways of training and would be more than happy to send him a long, long, list of books to read and courses to go on to get started on his learning journey, but there are no quick fixes there either and I feel strongly that that's what he's after. This is damage limitation with regard to a future media career, not a genuine desire to do the right thing by dogs and their owners.

Jan Westby Dip CABT MAPDT 145
Half Nelson said…
well done Jordan, I think you did a great job with that horrible dog. Keep on with the good work!
Paws for Praise said…
If Jordan is serious, he could just cut to the chase and enroll in Jean Donaldson's instructor course, which is considered by many to be the "Harvard" of dog training instruction, and which is available as an online course for about $4800 USD. There he would learn the science behind what we do, and why it's important to understand the unintended consequences of punishment. Hoping that he is smart enough to become a true convert, and not just blowing smoke to cover his butt.
Amanda Splash said…
Brilliant news, well done Jordan, hoping you learn loads and can help loads of dogs in the future.

Still angry with the BBC, this saga made it so obvious that the nation needs a tv programme showing how to avoid and solve these problems with positive re-enforcement training. Really wanted to see Steve Mann take over the slot.
Pat said…
Good lad for refusing the offers and hoping they will be handed to more deserving cases.

I am sure when Jordan has done a few courses on positive training, he will realise why everyone was as horrified as they were.
Until he understands what many already knew, an apology would be insincere an an attempt to stay the fury.
I'd happily wait for the day he understands why what he did was so dreadful - for that day will see the passing of one barbarous trainer and a genuine regret. Worth waiting for, in my opinion.
Jan said…
Yep, roll on the day Jordan has learned enough about dog behaviour to understand the horror of what he did - and until then, hopefully he won't 'help' any more dogs.

Jan Westby Dip CABT MAPDT 145
Anonymous said…
To me, this just perpetuates the damage done. Why is the focus on a very immature and ignorant individual (in my opinion) who has done untold damage to both the reputation of an industry and jeopardised the health and safety of the consumer? Are we really accepting this boy's view that the possessive aggression, fear and the likely lack of environmental enrichment (judging by the dog's weight) have been tackled in a modern and acceptable manner? An apology would have spoken volumes about understanding what fueled the outcry.
Anonymous said…
Well Jordan certainly got his 15 minutes of fame.

Hopefully he will now enrol on some good courses and learn about training dogs with kindness and compassion.

I hope that I am not being cynical in thinking that perhaps in a few months time, when Jordan has been on a few courses, that he suddenly appears on TV again with 'HIS new training methods'.

Popular Posts