Alternative training methods

Nifty has been relatively easy to train. We’ve been exploiting her love for food (especially cheese and swiss gruyere if you please ! ) and her love of humans in general (for cuddles and verbal praise).
She’s my first canine partner so I’m all but expert in training. However so far, so very very good.  
Consistancy, very generous verbal praise, firm but fair expectations - these are our values.

In our basic training class, another lady has joined with a young pied male staffy about 7-8 months old. Pup is very vocal and is never still one moment. The lady spends her time yanking the dog around, speaks with a very harsh tone of voice and never ever praises.  

One of our exercises is to sit in a circle. One by one, handler and dog slalom around others without dogs interacting with each other. Trick is to get you dog’s whole attention, Nifty with her bits of cheese or another belgian shepherd with it’s favourite rope toy, for example.
Lady starts exercise with her staffy and a well chewed rubber toy which the staffy doesn’t seem to care for. Aggressive barking tone of commands are liberally ignored and pup throws himself on all other dogs. Half way around, lady hits dog on head with toy  Trainer tells off woman straight away. Woman says she’s fed up and trainer replies dog won’t understand any better after being hit by toy.

How can people treat their canine partners like that ?
Where’s the love, respect and understanding ?

saddest thing is if she is fine to hit her dog in front of people, what happens at home id he keeping a close eye on her, I’d say the trainer probably will be and should get in touch with your animal protection that you have over there.

I suppose the only good decision she has made is to come to the canine club in the first place. Even though the first sessions are free, you still have to go there.

However, she seems angry at everything and I’ll bet the staffy is reacting to the negative vibes. Staffies are very sensitive souls, after all.

I could go and talk to her about my staffy experience but it’ll either help her or frighten her away for good.

Nifty staffy wrote:
I could go and talk to her about my staffy experience but it’ll either help her or frighten her away for good.

Or leads her telling you to mind your own business & her taking it out on her poor dog.

I think the only person who can say something is the trainer - after all, it's him who's paid/trained to do it. The lady might, after all, listen to the trainer?

gillybrent wrote:
I think the only person who can say something is the trainer - after all, it's him who's paid/trained to do it. The lady might, after all, listen to the trainer?

I really do hope the lady is here to listen to advice to improve her situation.

To be really honest, I can understand how infuriating her pup might be on the long term if that’s his usual behaviour. Nifty only ever gets overly vocal (bark) when the cat teases her the other side of the fence . Otherwise she’s very calm by character and by her environment, I suppose.
But the lady really has to understand that she’s the one who needs to change as her pup will react to that. Getting violent and physical in any way is just NOT acceptable, and even less a solution.

Well the good news in your posts is that you have a good trainer. The lady needs to learn that she needs to work with the dog and not against it. There's a level of understanding that needs to be realised before a mutual trust is gained, once you have that, everything seems to fall in to place

As Ian says, you need to work with your dog. Shouting & physical punishment will only go to making a dog fearful & who wants a dog to obey because it's scared not to?