Show Transcript
JT Watson:
All right, we are back with the Make Your Dog Epic podcast. I’m JT Lawson, I own the Tulsa location. We train Tulsa aggressive dogs or aggressive dogs in Tulsa, some would say, all the time. And I’m joined here today with Devin. And Devin, you have a dog of your own, don’t you?
Devin:
I do. Well, my parents do, but yes.
JT Watson:
Nice. What kind of dog?
Devin:
They have three. They have two dachshunds and then a Goldendoodle.
JT Watson:
Nice, and have they ever dealt with aggression, or have you ever dealt with aggressive dogs?
Devin:
No. All of our dogs we’ve had, they’ve been really good. If anything, they’re just super spoiled.
JT Watson:
Nice, nice. Have you done any dog training? Did you train them or go to YouTube University and try to learn dog training tricks, or what did you do?
Devin:
Yeah, YouTube for sure. But we would just try to teach them just to sit and stay. That was the main thing.
JT Watson:
Nice. Well, today, we’re talking about aggressive dogs in Tulsa, or Tulsa aggressive dogs, some would say. And what we’re doing is, I’m going to try to answer the question about dog parks. Because a lot of people like dog parks, some people hate dog parks. Some people, they only go to dog parks and that’s their thing. And I want to explain why dog parks are a super bad idea. But Devin, before I just gave the answer, what did you think about dog parks?
Devin:
I guess, I don’t really know ’cause my parents, where they live, there’s really no dog parks. So we would just keep our dogs in the backyard and play with them. So I had no idea that dog parks weren’t a good idea.
JT Watson:
Yeah. Well, I’ll tell you. So before I started getting into dog training, I knew literally nothing about dogs. And my parents have two dogs. One is a black lab the other one’s a white lab, like shepherd-mix thing. We got both from a shelter. My parents love dog parks. But the white dog, he will growl while he plays, which is not an acceptable thing because if it’s with a dog they know, maybe. But with other dogs they don’t know, they don’t know that he’s playing. So then he got in a lot of dog fights. ‘Cause at Make Your Dog Epic, we offered the first lesson for 50 cents. And that’s so we can come out, meet the dog, let you try it before you buy it. Get a feel for us, make sure we’re a good fit for you, that you like our training style. We’re going to go over our one-on-one lessons, our boarding schools, our group classes that you get forever, no matter what you do. And our money back guarantee. And we’re going to cover all of that.
But I’ve had people at the first lesson be like, “Hey, yeah, JT, I mean, we’re going to the dog park a lot ’cause we’re trying to get our dog more socialized.” And I’m like, “Okay, how’s that going?” And this is a true story by the way and I’m not going to use names, but they’re like, “Well, I mean, our dog’s only gotten in eight dogfights.” And that’s literally what they said.
Devin:
Oh, my gosh.
JT Watson:
They’re like, “My dog’s only gotten in dogfights eight times at the dog park.” But this is why dog parks are not a good idea, because people who are in denial that they have an aggressive dog will take their dog to a dog park to get them more socialized or because just so everyone knows how it works with aggressiveness. Devin, if you walk into Starbucks and get a coffee and somebody punches you in the face, you’re not going to be like, “Oh, crap. That’s going to happen every freaking time I go to Starbucks.” However, with dogs they see in pictures. So it just takes your dog getting lit up once by another dog for your dog to be aggressive forever, for the rest of the dog’s life. They literally just takes one time. For example, one of our trainers had a black lab, super sweet. It got lit up by a Rottweiler that was off the leash. And now, when that dog sees another Rottweiler, it just gets pissed.
Devin:
Really?
JT Watson:
Yeah, just super upset. Other dogs, it’s fine, but if it’s that specific breed, it’s just pissed. Or we were training not a great, not a Great Dane, but a Doberman“, and the dog was doing awesome. One of the best dogs ever had, genuinely awesome and the mom calls me three weeks after training, and she’s in tears, and she’s like, “Hey, our dog got lit up two days ago. And now, every single time it sees a dog, it gets pissed. And it’s just at the end of the leash, trying to murder other dogs now.” Because what will happen is if you have a dominant dog and they get lit up once, and we’re talking again about Tulsa aggressive dogs, or aggressive dogs in Tulsa, some would say. Then if they’re a dominant dog, they’re going to light somebody up before they get lit up ’cause they’re like, “I’m going to get hit anyways. I might as well hit you first.”
Devin:
Right. Right.
JT Watson:
Or if you have a nervous dog or a little bit of a anxious dog, they are going to have the tail tucked and be scared every time they see a dog. But that’s why we’re against dog parks, because it just takes your dog to get lit up once at a dog park for it to be aggressive forever. Now, we work with aggressive dogs in Tulsa all the time, or as some would say, Tulsa aggressive dogs, but we work with them all the time. And we have seen great results by teaching obedience and giving commands like, “Come, off, place, heel, sit, down.” All of those stuff, and it helps. But for example, our trainer’s dog, the lab that got lit up, it is controlled, but he’s still pissed every time he sees a Rottweiler.
Devin:
Wow.
JT Watson:
So you’ve seen my dog-
Devin:
Yes.
JT Watson:
… Achilles. So when he is on place, he is staying on place no matter what’s going on. And he’s not aggressive at all. But that’s what that black lab would do. He would be on place, but he would be pissed.
Devin:
Wow.
JT Watson:
Just because he’s so like, “I know that dog’s going to light me up ’cause that dog’s lit me up before.” And so that’s what happens and that’s why we’re super against dog parks because people will take their aggressive dog there to quote-unquote “socialize them.” Or dogs just are new, they’re puppies or whatever and they’re still trying to learn. Or you have an old dog, that’s fine, but the puppy won’t start playing with them and the dog’s like, “I’m freaking done.” It just lights the dog up. It happens all the time. So dog parks are a definite no-go, do not recommend dog parks at all. But Devin, we’re talking about Tulsa aggressive dogs or aggressive dogs in Tulsa, some would say. What are your questions when it comes to aggressive dogs?
Devin:
Yeah. Are certain breeds more aggressive than others?
JT Watson:
That’s a good question. So I would say there’s certain breeds that have tendencies. So any of the guardian breeds, like the Great Pyrenees that we have outside here. Clay Clark, the founder of Make Your Dog Epic, he has two Great Pyrenees. They’re more prone to guard and be aggressive that way or take a Tibetan Mastiff one time, they are more prone to be super protective, so aggressive towards anyone who’s not family. But the typical reason people ask this is because they typically have a specific breed like a Pit bull in mind or Rottweilers or Dobermans or wolves or Russian bear dogs, Tibetan Mastiff, whatever, or Chihuahuas. And they want to know, is this dog always going to be aggressive? So it really just depends on parents.
So the parents of the dog. So the dog parents, not the human parents. And what that means is if you’re looking for a dog, genetics plays a huge part in the dog. So like the Pit bulls, if you get a Pit bull whose parents were in fighting rings for sure are going to be aggressive, absolutely going to be aggressive. Now, we can control and manage it like the trainer’s black lab who hates Rottweilers. We can control and manage it and we can make sure incidents don’t happen, but he’s still going to have those thoughts.
Devin:
Right.
JT Watson:
Or we’ve worked with Belgian Malinois who have done Mondioring and stuff. If you drop anything near them, they just start protecting it. Just growl anyone near just because that’s what parents did. So Mondioring is protective work and it’s like competition work and that’s what they did. I wouldn’t say dog breed specifically, but I would say really look at parents if you’re looking at a dog. And that’ll give a good sign of what’s going on. ‘Cause I’ve worked with a lot the Pit bulls, I’ve worked with multiple Tibetan Mastiff. And I’ve worked with sweet ones or super pissed ones or whatever, so it just depends. What other questions do you have?
Devin:
And then is it the owner’s fault if their dog is aggressive, like the human parents owners?
JT Watson:
Yeah, that’s a great question. So a lot of people feel that way. They’re like, “There’s no bad dogs, there’s only bad owners.” Yes, to an extent to where you can control it. But no, to the extent to where that dog’s aggressive just because owners are bad. Because take for instance, if you have a Pit bull that was in fighting rings all the time, so if you inherit a puppy of one of Michael Vick’s dogs, he is for sure going to be aggressive. Now, you can control it and manage it, and you can get it trained. You can have obedience down. But it’s still for sure going to be aggressive, so it’s not always the owner’s fault. But if you just leave your dog outside in the backyard and it just barks every time people walk by and it just knows nothing but that backyard, yeah, it’s going to be aggressive.
And so there is a lot where it is the owner’s fault, but it’s not always the owner’s fault. And again, we work with aggressive dogs in Tulsa or Tulsa aggressive dogs all the time. So if you want us to come out and look at your dog and figure out your dog and your goals, ’cause every dog is different and everyone’s goals are different, and want to figure out how we can get you to those goals, let us know. Give us a call. Go to makeyourdogepic.com, fill out the form or give us a call and we’ll reach back out to you. That is makeyourdogepic.com and as we like to say on the show, we’ll talk to you in five minute.
Speaker 3:
Is your dog and furry friend holding you hostage? Will your dog not stop pulling on its leash and eating your sausage? Who wrote that? Well, I don’t mean to brag, but I actually wrote it and wow, it rhymes. People dig it like a dog. You get it? Okay, so I’m just going to keep reading. Will your dog not stop jumping on you or pooping in your house like you’re on the set of Jumanji or living in a zoo? It only took me two weeks to write that line while sitting at the base of a waterfall while gazing upon my epic dog. The dog that once held me hostage was now my best friend.
Carl:
It’s so good.
Speaker 3:
The dog that would never listen was now all ears.
Carl:
It’s so good, I just want to cry.
Speaker 3:
Pull yourself together, man. And if you too, want to transform your dog from a furry terrorist into your best friend, what you need to do is schedule your first lesson at makeyourdogepic.com where your first lesson is always just 50 cents. And with the savings, you can use that to pay the rent.
Again, your first lesson is always just 50 cents at makeyourdogepic.com.
Carl:
Wow.
Speaker 3:
Stop the endless barking, reduce the aggressive behaviors, prevent dog jumping, stop your dog from chasing the elderly UPS driver as he attempts to deliver a package. Stop your dog from biting Pam, your yoga pants wearing neighbor as she just attempts to speed walk in peace. Stop your dog from eating your wife’s wedding dress and being in your closet on top of your Christmas gifts. Stop the madness at makeyourdogepic.com. Experience the revolutionary focused-based positive reinforcement training and methodology. Our goal is dog obedience, but never at the expense of dog personality. It’s the same dog, but now, it’s all ears.
Carl:
Wow.
Speaker 3:
Man, Carl. You are a talented vocal artist.
Carl:
Well, well [inaudible 00:12:23].
Speaker 3:
I can feel the passion, it’s contagious. Well, my friend, I am passionate about the product. I once went to 60 days without sleeping.
Carl:
Really?
Speaker 3:
My wife’s wedding dress got eaten and my neighbor Pam was bitten by my dog and…
Carl:
Oh, man.
Speaker 3:
My quality of life was at all-time low. Actually, I didn’t invite people over to my home for months because of the new dog and I always smelled like urine.
Carl:
You do still smell little bit like dog urine. I just [inaudible 00:12:53]-
Speaker 3:
Well, I made my dog epic. I was hostage and that’s where the passion comes from. You’ve got to believe in your product, and you’ve got to project from the diaphragm.
Carl:
The diaphragm.
Speaker 3:
To bend your knees.
Carl:
Bend the knees.
Speaker 3:
Drink ginger.
Carl:
Drink the ginger.
Speaker 3:
And you’ve got to ingest apple cider vinegar.
Carl:
Apple cider. I can do that.
Speaker 3:
With a dog bone, you want to chew on the dog bone before the-
Carl:
Hard pass. Not going to-
Speaker 3:
… recording so that you can emulate the dog and you should listen to Atomic Dog.
Carl:
I know I can do that.
Speaker 3:
But you’re not a dog.
Carl:
Right.
Speaker 3:
You want to just chew on the bone, get the oversized bone, not the regular size bone.
Carl:
Hard pass.
Speaker 3:
That’s weird.
Carl:
Not going to chew on the bone.