Has anyone tried the Don Sullivan training system?

There seems to be a run on people asking about this system in the last couple of weeks.  I'm copying & pasting my reply to the Elkhound list I'm on. Never heard of him until I saw that infomercial.  I saw nothing special about the stuff he was selling, nor the way the dogs were behaving "after" (probably because that's the way I expect my dogs to behave and they do/have).  You don't need "fancy" stuff from an infomercial to train those things- a simple collar, leash and piece of clothesline works just as well.   

 My friend bought it. It's a plastic pinch collar, a set of nylon drag lines, and a video on how to force your dog to do what you want, without the use of any reward besides "good dog". It's pretty horrifying, in my opinion. I'm sure it would work, if you really wanted to force train.

"Bang for the buck" is IMO not a very good way to choose trainers and training methods.  If you can't afford proper help training, see if any of your local animal shelters offer it.  Many of them have their own programs and are usually cheaper than "professional" trainers or commercial dog training schools.

jennie_c_d

 My friend bought it. It's a plastic pinch collar, a set of nylon drag lines, and a video on how to force your dog to do what you want, without the use of any reward besides "good dog". It's pretty horrifying, in my opinion. I'm sure it would work, if you really wanted to force train.

This is what I hear from people who know others who have tried it.  Not very pleasant for the dog...  IMO, better off with a class taught by someone who can teach reward-based pet training.  IPDTA and APDT have listings.  

It's not that I can't afford it but if something works as well if not better for the same price or cheaper why not get it but it sounds like it's not a good choice so I'll just put Abby in the same obediance classes that I put Bianica in.

 Just googled this chap and have to say I am not impressed at all.... AT ALL AT ALL!  Glad you are going for a regular obedience class that you feel comfy with!

GoldensAreTheBest

It's not that I can't afford it but if something works as well if not better for the same price or cheaper why not get it but it sounds like it's not a good choice so I'll just put Abby in the same obediance classes that I put Bianica in.

It's not just a matter of the method, but in a class you have a trainer and several others helping you, watching to make sure you're doing it right and the dog is understanding.

In his video he suggests you get leather gloves to avoid burning your hands from the leash jerks you are going be using on the dog.  Since I was never going to buy his system, I torrented a copy and frankly he's full of - to put it politely - carp.

 Well, they are thin nylon lines. Things like that DO hurt, even if they dog pulls just a little. My dogs only wear leather, LOL.

 I have collars like the ones he has but I prefer the metal pinch collar if I'm going to use a pinch, and I have used that rope for recall, but its too thin IMO, at least for my dogs.  The rope he uses is just blue and white boat rope.  The kind that floats.  You can buy a 100' for $5 at Walmart.  I've also seen bits and piece of his video, and his theory, at least what I got out of it, is that dogs in the wild(I love this line, its so funny) aren't rewarded for good behaviour, they are just not punished, which makes them obedient.  I wasn't impressed at all by what I saw.  It doesn't make the dog want to do what you want, it just makes them afraid to do what you don't want.