Drayton Michaels, CTC

Drayton Michaels has been working with dogs professionally for over a decade. He honed his dog training chops while working as dog walker in both NYC and Seattle. In May of 2007, Drayton received his certification in dog training and behavior consulting from the San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers, directed by award-winning author and dog expert, Jean Donaldson. He owns and operates Urban Dawgs and Pit Bull Guru with his wife Vyolet, also a graduate of the Academy. Drayton frequently attends continuing education seminars and continues to study dog training and behavior independently.

Upon graduating from the Academy, Drayton started a specialty subsidiary of Urban Dawgs called Pit Bull Guru to offer modern, reward-based training and behavior consulting for Pit Bulls of all ages. At the Urban Dawgs training facility, Drayton teaches public classes, directs the day-training program, works one-on-one with clients and dogs, and presents dog training and behavior seminars/workshops; including Pit Bull awareness seminars. He has logged countless hours counseling dog owners, shelter staff, rescue organizations and clients to train and modify behavior issues in dogs with utilizing modern, humane methods.

Drayton has devoted the past 7 years to documenting the current state of Pit Bulls in America; interviewing world-renowned trainers and behavior specialists to debunk common myths about pit bulls and educate the public on basic care and training needs for pit bull dogs. Drayton has interviewed some of the best and brightest of the professional dog world including interviews with Jean Donaldson, Dr. Ian Dunbar, Diane Jessup, Jane Berkey (Animal Farm Foundation), Karen Delise (The Pit Bull Placebo), Dr. Nicholas Dodman, Dr Karen Overall, and Marthina McClay of Our Pack. Drayton also interviewed people at the Vick sentencing and others around the US. He has documented stories about some of the many wonderful Pit Bulls that have beaten the odds to become ambassadors of the breed.

Drayton released The Pit Bull Hoax in April 2009. The 13-min educational DVD directly addresses the BSL issue and provides legitimate and accurate information to legislators, media and communities. Visit www.pitbullguru.com/hoax.html for more information. You can also view The Pit Bull Hoax on You Tube.

Recent Appearances:
Appeared on MY9 NY (FOX) discussing Pit Bulls
Guest Speaker at Pinups For Pit Bulls Pit Awareness Events
Featured dog trainer in Dog Fancy Magazine - Training Secrets for Pit Bulls
Interviewed for Beyond the Myth - a film about the effects of BSL on Humans and Dogs
Read more blogs from Drayton at Trainer Tails

Drayton is the proud dog dad to Mojo, a 14-year old Labrador/American Staffordshie Terrier Mix and Keyshia, a 9-year old female American Pit Bull Terrier. When he is not training dogs, Drayton can be found making music or in the kitchen cooking vegan delights.

www.urbandawgs.com www.pitbullguru.com

For those that have seen the first installment I posted on You Tube here is the second and third from July & August of 2011. If have not seen the first video of Brandi and Nancy check it out and then see how things developed in this new set of videos.

http://youtu.be/pcQ8sauoMV0

In the July session it was apparent that Brandi and Nancy had made great progress. Both of them were calm, poised and very efficient. All the qualities that usually make up well executed dog training for leash reactivity.

We did not change the environment from the first video we shot in June.
The July set up was virtually the same with the exceptions we started at a much longer distance and had the benefit of the previous session video and notes.

Seymour is a dog living in foster care in NYC. I have worked with him three times since this blog and the corresponding video have been released.

http://youtu.be/8cgLdBBs_mY

Seymour is roughly 7 – 8 months old and a mix of we are not sure what. He has had a rough past; which I will not get into for the sake of time. Suffice it to say he has suffered some traumas in his young life from children abusing him.

He is now is a good environment and lives with two adults. They are dedicated and are working closely with me on his training and his behavior modification.

Seymour learns fast and is very keen with sits, stays and waits, following lures, speedy orientations to prompts and he has a great mouth, meaning no known bites and no known aggressions towards humans. He may grab a shirtsleeve or a hanging purse however!

Watch as Drayton Michaels, (CTC) behavior technician and dog trainer explains and demonstrates how to reduce leash reactivity. Along the way scent motivation, scent stimulation and reducing puling are addressed.

Lucy a 1 ½ year old female American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) was reported to have reactivity to running screaming kids, skateboards and sudden environmental contrast.

There was considerable behavior information taken prior to this first session, and Lucy and Drayton worked in the Urban Dawgs facility for roughly one hour prior to the leash walk. However there were no definitive determinations made about distances of stimulus during reactive episodes.

This was the first session with Lucy and what you see is what happened in real time. There were no set ups.

We hope this video will help you when working with reactive dogs.

Here is the link to the video for this blog http://youtu.be/a4kHsaUSylQ

Many dogs suffer from leash reactivity. Just many have various reasons for their reactive behavior. Additionally many dogs are a mix of fearful and frustrated and or have never been counter conditioned.

Due to their history reacting on leash and perhaps some type of sloppy application of compulsion "training" and or food rewards the humans have failed, and the reactivity has been the only real reinforcement for the dog’s feelings about stimulus in the environment.

This is the first video of many to start addressing leash reactivity. By understanding what it is we are looking for as training criteria we can have a better idea of what to train and when.

Brandi has made great progress since this filming in July 2011. We have 4 more to edit and plan on filming a recent update.

In August of 2010, I interviewed Dr. Karen Overall. During the 2–hour conversation we touched on many subjects.

Her list of credentials is as follows:

Karen L. Overall, MA, VMD, PhD, Diplomate ACVB, ABS Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist
Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Psychiatry Department, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine

PART ONE: Interview with Dr. Karen Overall
Part One deals largely with Pit Bulls, working dogs and why fear and pain-based methods are not a legitimate approach to train dogs.

When I first saw the advertisement in a Victoria Australia newspaper that Pit Bulls would be “seized and put down if not registered by September 30th” I admit I was waiting for a clever joke or perhaps it was one of those scary ads for dog owners to wake up. It was real a wake up call, it was not a joke and it is a real advert in an actual newspaper. This is not a joke or an exaggeration. By September 30th 2011 Victoria Australia is planning on seizing and killing dogs, "pit bulls" that are not registered. Be they “pit bulls” or not.

In 2010 Premier Pet Products merged with Radio Systems Corporation. The main concern for many people in the humane non-pain dog training community was that RSC is the main supplier of shock collars in the US and that Premier would in some way now sell and endorse shock collars.

Janet Velenovsky was the head of Premier’s training and behavior division for 7 years. She resigned from Premier in September of 2011.

This interview was conducted via email and was not edited or embellished in any way by me. What you read is what was asked and answered.

When dog owners are considering hiring a dog trainer they have no shortage of options. The internet is flooded with all manner of businesses, products and individuals touting results and guarantee’s. Many tout credentials and associations with organizations to assure the dog owner they are spending their hard earned dollars well and getting the best service.

What many of the dog trainers do not tout is the how they will train the dog, how they will educate the dog owner and what exactly are the methods they use and if there are risks associated with those approaches.

Many trainers will promote various collars, both choke and electronic and many talk about “dominance” and “leading the pack” and of course the ever popular “life time guarantee” is seen all too often.

As I walk into the park by my house I see a man kicking a dog that is down on the ground. He is methodically kicking the dog and saying “AAHAT” each time.

I rush over and say, “Please stop”! The man hurls an epithet or two and mutters that he “knows what he’s doing” and then goes back to kicking the dog. I tackle the man to the ground. The dog is then taken by a two women that had been watching and wincing with each kick. They call the police.

I subdue the man and the police arrive and arrest the man. He is convicted of animal cruelty and serves a year in jail. I am considered a “hero”.

However what if the man says “ I am a dog trainer, I wrote a book, I am a behaviorist, I have been helping dogs for 20 years”!

Then would I go to jail for assault? Would the “trainer” get away with his “methods”, and I am then considered the problem?

Let me first state my biases right up front. I am not a football fan. I do like sports, so this blog is not about “hating on jocks”. I’m a fan of basketball and baseball.

I voted for Barak Obama out of a pure place in me based on his assertions to work towards things and get our country headed in a better place. I voted for him because I honestly think he has what it takes to make some needed changes. As for his knowledge of dogs and the ripple effects of his forgiving Michael Vick, I doubt he has really considered all there is to consider.