Who is Dog Daddy & should we be concerned?

Augusto Deoliveira – who is known as ‘The Dog Daddy’ on social media – reportedly uses aversive training techniques and equipment designed to cause pain and fear in dogs.

Posted: 10th Sep 2023: Change.org announced “We Did It!” UK Stops Dog Daddy from holding workshops in London. However Zac George says on his Facebook Page:

Update: We’ve received information suggesting that Dog Daddy’s UK classes have been postponed It appears there’s intent to return in January. We do believe there is an excellent chance he was denied entry into the UK and that he did not voluntarily choose to cancel. 

While the postponement might be seen as a step in the right direction, it doesn’t alleviate our concerns. We remain vigilant because according to information we have obtained he still intends to offer virtual advice and future courses to members of London and the public worldwide. 

Even small deviations from evidence-based practice, such as inappropriate leash-handling, will draw scrutiny and will not go unchallenged. 

So, we’re charging ahead, full steam. Protests and awareness-raising activities are happening in London this weekend (if you are in London and want to talk and get advice from ethical science-based trainers, demonstrators on the ground are planning to be at King’s Cross again on Sunday! Watch our stories for updates!) 

After London, demonstrations to raise public awareness about this issue are set for Italy and other destinations where Augusto plans to visit. Our commitment to ethical, science-based dog training is unwavering. This isn’t a pause; it’s a deepening of our resolve.

A huge ‘Thank You’ goes out to our dedicated protesters, ethical dog trainers, and everyone who is supporting this mission. Your efforts are invaluable in pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable in our industry. It’s important to note that our cause is not about targeting individuals; it’s about elevating ethics and advocating for evidence-based, humane practices in dog training. We’re united in this, and together, we can set new standards for our field. 

We remain skeptical of any superficial changes Augusto may claim and will continue our vigilant scrutiny. Given his history of misleading intentions, even if there appears to be a shift towards ethical training, we won’t let our guard down. We are especially watchful for any efforts to continue this type of training in regions with looser regulations, like the USA. Rest assured, we’re monitoring the situation closely.

Credit: Zac George 9th Sep 2023

Facebook comments: “Thank you to The Home Office and Border Control for listening to all of us who wrote in!” … “This is great news, I hope my MP made progress with the Home Office and DEFRA for this and any future visits by him.” … “Great news, every effort will be made to keep the Dog Dangler out of the UK!” … “Something about Dog Daddy gives Andrew Tate vibes. Glad his platform was pulled here.!” … “I hope that Dogs Trust, The Association of Pet Behaviour Counselors APBC, and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers APDT, UK members group will show leadership in advocating for dog welfare in dog training. This is the perfect opportunity for their voices to be heard. It’s time for regulation of this industry which has the power to change lives and communities for the better or worse.!” …

Posted 8th Sep 2023: The RSPCA says this on their website:

His social media channels advertise that he is holding workshops in London on Saturday and Sunday (9 and 10 September), however venues have not been confirmed. At previous events, his venues haven’t been confirmed until hours before the show.

Posts on Instagram suggest only spectator (without dog) tickets remain for the events – and the RSPCA is concerned that the sessions will spread training techniques which risk compromising dog welfare.

Esme Wheeler, RSPCA dog welfare expert, said: “The RSPCA has received concerns about training techniques used by The Dog Daddy, who is based in the USA and is due to visit the UK in September.

“We, like many organisations, have significant concerns about the use of aversive training techniques and equipment e.g. prong collars, which are designed to cause pain and fear. These can compromise welfare and are completely unnecessary.

“We promote and recommend reward-based training techniques that dogs like or enjoy and have been shown to be very effective in achieving long-term change in behaviour without compromising dog welfare. 

“We’ve written to Mr Deoliveira and raised our concerns with him and have also made him aware of the legislation in both England and Wales of which he must comply with when training dogs.”

The secretive nature of the events has also prompted the charity to urge anyone with information to pass this to the charity via social media – but not the charity’s emergency line.

Esme added: “We’re keen to discuss our concerns with the venues hosting this trainer, though these are yet to be advertised. Anyone with information can share this with us via our social media platforms.”

Credit: RSPCA – https://www.rspca.org.uk/-/news-rspca-raises-concerns-about-controversial-dog-trainer#:~:text=Augusto%20Deoliveira%20%2D%20who%20is%20known,pain%20and%20fear%20in%20dogs.

Change.org Petition – Stop dog abuser “The Dog Daddy” coming to the UK

Augusto  Deoliveira – aka “The Dog Daddy” – is an American dog trainer who has been almost universally condemned in the dog-training community as a dog abuser for his controversial methods dealing with aggressive/fearful dogs.

The Dog Daddy is coming to the UK to host training sessions in London on September 9/10th 2023 – at an as-yet undisclosed location, he maintains due to “safety concerns”.  He is charging owners an unrefundable $400 to attend the sessions (and observers $100).

Videos show him manhandling/strangling dogs to secure a temporary compliance. Some scream and are so terrified they defecate.

Here, trainer Zak George explains why he is such a problem. (Be warned, the footage here is VERY difficult to watch).

Change.org goes on to say:

If you are unable to watch, the video shows clips of him manhandling/strangling dogs. He often uses prong/pinch collars, now banned in several countries.  He claims to have seven million followers on social media.

The Dog Daddy’s claim is that his is the only way to change dogs who would otherwise be euthanised but this is simply not true. There are much kinder, scientifically-validated methods of reaching and changing aggressive dogs.

We need to stop him so please sign and share in order to secure media coverage – and also to encourage trainers, accredited training organisations, veterinary and animal welfare bodies to lend their support.

If you would like to find out more, please visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/3311097195886907

Quote Credit: Change.org

Latest appeal from Change.org 8th September 2023

It’s crunch time..  More than 25,000 dog-lovers have signed the petition to say that The Dog Daddy is not welcome in the UK. The RSPCA (and many others) have issued strong statements condemning his training techniques. And yet at the moment we believe The Dog Daddy’s London workshops are going ahead this weekend.

Last year, he held workshops in Regent Square Gardens (WC1H 8HZ) and in Nelson Square Park L(SE1 0QA) but given the blistering heat we think he’s more likely to have booked an inside venue.  

Bottom line, we don’t know and we need your help to find out. Once we know…

• we can approach the venue asking them to cancel the booking on safety/animal welfare grounds. This has been effective elsewhere

• we can tip-off the RSPCA which is standing by to attend/monitor – something which at the very least should help protect the dogs from the worst handling and at best will see the workshops stopped

• we can arrange peaceful protests – we now have a great many people prepared to brave the heat in London to let him know just how many people object to his harmful training methods and to hand out leaflets to attendees encouraging them to seek kinder ways of helping their fearful/aggressive dogs. 

WHERE IN LONDON IS THE DOG DADDY?

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Cover Image: Image by Pavellllllll from Pixabay