[admin note: I have removed urls and identifying names as I prefer not to have direct links or named individuals -- Karlin]

I was concerned at an email sent to me as follows:

[quote]Dear Sir/ Madam

I would love to offer you the opportunity to supply the following products in which we supply below please find links to the three brands we stock.

The products we distribute are the finest quality products on the market.

We are currently looking for individuals to act as sales representatives and stockists for southern and northern Ireland.

This is a great opportunity to increase your revenue of your company by stocking /selling our products.

Click on item to look at information



more to be added

Best wishes


I responded harshly as follows. If you scroll through this brochure it looks horrific and also the [xxx] brochure which contains invisible containment for dogs and CATS!

Dear xxx,

I am "replying to all" on this email since you emailed a number of trainers together with information on your available products. Having reviewed your products which include prong collars, choke chains, a variety of chains and tie out cables, electric collars etc for distribution I strongly decline your offer to become a reseller or to stock your products.

Had you done your research on Dog Training Ireland you would have noticed that under no circumstances do we promote or use any of these + punishment products.

This brochure in particular I find disturbing [xxx] as I scrolled through the pages to see prong and pinch collars of all shapes and sizes and choke chains in all shapes and sizes.

All trainers at Dog Training Ireland are qualified and certified (CCPDT and APDT UK) trainers. We have worked hard to become certified and we are veterinary recommended with an excellent reputation. This means that we have a strict code of ethics and to make that clear we are non aversive trainers. Your products have one thing in common + punishment and aversive. As regards the XXX product it is something that we have investigated for rehab purposes but it confuses me how a rehab health product can be distributed with products that in my opinion are detrimental to a dogs health and well-being.

Your xxxx product is certainly not something that I would want my company associated with under any circumstances. We, along with the following organisations condemn the use of such devices in dog training.

Dogs Trust
RSPCA
Association of Pet Behaviour Councillors
Association of Pet Dog Trainers
The Kennel Club UK
The British Veterinary Association
http://www.dogtrainingireland.ie/articles/...hockCollars.php

Therefore I request that you remove the infoATdogtrainingireland.ie and taraATdogtrainingireland.ie email list from your mailing list as we will never stock any of these outdated barbaric products.

Any explanation of how you understand these products to work is not welcome in a reply. As I said we study in the area of Canine Training and Behaviour, we understand the science of learning, how dogs learn, learning theory and the affect that aversive versus reward and positive training has on an animal and the bond between animal and human.

Kind Regards,
Tara Choules CCPDT, MAPDT 00852, CAP2, HNC, AABP 171
Dog Training Ireland Ltd.
Shop online: www.DogTrainingIreland.ie/shop
BLOG: www.dogtrainingireland.ie/blog