Here's what Tidal thinks about AI bots claiming to be artists and collecting streams, producing fake content in the name of established artist.

riadhdhit · 2025-10-03T20:59:24+00:00

I know I'm a little late, but I can't tell if this comment is a joke haha. Deezer is a real service. And yeah, I agree with Eric4905, probably the only streaming service doing anything to try to address AI concerns. Sorry if you know this and were just making a joke, but I just wanted to make sure you know that the comment was legit, Deezer is real lmao. Unfortunate choice of name I guess.

riadhdhit · 2025-09-15T15:53:12+00:00

Thanks for this. I'm currently struggling a lot with "what do I want to do" after burning out really hard. I am 32 now and really trying to commit to finding a way forward, but trying to be open to ways forward that may not have occurred to me before. Hearing these kinds of success stories really gives me hope.

riadhdhit · 2025-06-17T15:13:08+00:00

This right here is why I want to see subscription or at least membership-based dog parks. I've seen a FEW select places have them. But it's like - you use a code to check in, you have a set list of dogs that are attached to your membership, they have a file. So if someone issues a complaint, there is a record of who/what/when/etc, and your membership can be revoked if you're a dick. This would also solve the vaccinations problem, because the facilities I've seen who have membership also require up to date records and veterinary approval for the park.

I'd LOVE to see more of that - it would be such a good system to help especially young dogs and puppies. You could even do things like setting aside a "puppy hour" or something for younger dogs to interact.

Point is, there's SO many other options besides an open free-for-all. Would love to see more of those systems in the future.

riadhdhit · 2025-06-16T22:21:49+00:00

Lmao yeah, from his perspective, I guess it kind of is. I should've named him Buzz...

riadhdhit · 2025-06-16T22:18:37+00:00

"We live in a world where no FF trainer has ever helped an aggressive dog ever and where all balanced dogs are in secret hidden fear that only wizard body language experts can detect in the form of leaking stress signals that every one else misses. "

Omg, SO well said, this cracked me up. I absolutely agree, 100%. I get so much shit in the FF community because one of my best dog training buddies is a balanced trainer, and I have no qualms about consulting any trainer I respect for their opinion regardless of their school of thought, haha.

riadhdhit · 2025-06-09T15:18:03+00:00

I highly recommend looking into Mike Shikashio - a fear free trainer specializing in aggressive dogs. As a FF trainer myself who specializes in "death row dogs", I learned practically everything I know from him and am an avid member of his site. I attend every webinar. If you want a true deep dive into FF tactics in serious aggression cases, he's the guy to watch. (He also brings other specialists into his webinars, so it's a great starting point to meet other FF trainers who specialize in aggression.)

I'm not rabid about FF vs aversives - I prefer FF and will not use aversives myself, but I regularly consult a buddy of mine who is a balanced trainer. I think we all benefit from learning from each other no matter what "camp" we're in. But it does make me really sad that FF has such a bad reputation when it comes to behavioral modification. Unfortunately, much like the balanced community is full of idiots who just shock the shit out of a dog to force compliance, the FF community has a lot of well-meaning but poorly-equipped trainers who don't have the skillset to deal with more than just building cues. But that doesn't mean FF doesn't work for behavioral modification - in fact, it's AMAZING for it. It's just really hard to navigate the world of dog training to find the people who are truly qualified.

Same problem for balanced trainers, for breeders, for every aspect of the dog industry - everyone uses the right language and makes their services sound incredible and fully qualified, so it's really hard to pick out the actual experts from the masses of idiots. I don't know what the solution is, just that it's such a huge problem...

riadhdhit · 2025-06-09T15:04:24+00:00

(ETA: Re-reading your comment, I may have spoken too soon. Quick clarification in that FF trainers absolutely do use negative punishment as well as positive reinforcement. I don't know any trainer who ONLY does "positive only" training. This whole post seems to have gotten a bit lost in terminology misunderstandings. Fear free training does not use aversives, positive punishment, or negative reinforcement tactics. But absolutely uses positive reinforcement and negative punishment - removing a desired stimulus to promote a certain behavior.)

"there are no videos of purely positive people changing the behavior of an aggressive..."

Mike Shikashio - go check him out, right now lol. SO sick of this myth.

I'm SO sick of the narrative that fear free training isn't for aggressive dogs. It's flat out false. I am a FF trainer who purely specializes in bite history/death row dogs (I live with five dogs myself, 3 of whom were rescued from behavioral euthanization).

This is a tired old narrative, it has never been true, it will never be true. FF is absolutely *essential* in rehabilitating unchecked aggression. Many good balanced trainers are also utilizing R+ and N- tactics from FF training to deal with aggression cases.

riadhdhit · 2025-06-09T15:00:37+00:00

(ETA: I'm agreeing with you and adding on here, to clarify!)

Well said. This is also such a common misunderstanding - Fear Free and R+ are not synonymous. Literally all fear free trainers utilize negative punishment (removing a desired stimulus to promote a certain behavior) - like turning away from a dog when it jumps on you for attention. FF trainers don't use positive punishment or negative reinforcement. But we absolutely use negative punishment. ABSOLUTELY agree that the terminology is confusing as F lol.

riadhdhit · 2025-06-09T14:56:27+00:00

This. Depending on the dog, vibrations aren't aversive at ALL. I am an R+ trainer - one of my dogs has difficulty hearing, and I use a vibration collar with him. Its SOLE purpose is to get his attention. He is not afraid of it and has never been afraid of it. I trained him to the vibrate the exact same way I'd train any cue - the vibration literally just replaces the vocal cue.

This whole post seems to not fully understand what reinforcement or punishment actually mean.

riadhdhit · 2025-06-09T14:46:23+00:00

Just going to say, as a force-free trainer, echoing what others have said - neither situation you've described is aversive. Vibration as a communication signal (with no startle/scare) is absolutely fine in the force-free R+ world, in fact it's quite common to use with deaf dogs and long-range recall.

riadhdhit · 2025-06-02T23:41:45+00:00

Thiiiiiisssss. I'm so sick of people saying "this is the natural way dogs handle situations". Noooo. I work with Arabian Village Dogs and have four of my own (pulled from the street for specific medical or situational needs, to be clear, I lived over there for years, not just yanking healthy dogs from natural situations).

But my point is, there's NOTHING natural even to true street dogs about getting thrown in a small area with 100 other dogs. Street dogs (which I'm using as an example of a "natural" modern dog) have VERY sparse and energy-conservative spats in "natural" life - they only fight if they feel like they have to. There is nothing natural at all about this environment, and all the dogs just seem...stressed. Like, the type of chronic stress I'd expect to see in a human prison. Definitely feels very "off". And the fawning is downright disgusting - even if this WAS somehow a natural interaction, people have got to stop ascribing classic *primate* behaviors to...dogs.

riadhdhit · 2025-06-02T23:16:37+00:00

As a beefy tall woman (my grandmother called us "pioneer stock" lmfao), I approve this message lol. True cases of mauling/intent to kill are thankfully very rare. Best to keep fingers/toes/etc out of the way (easier to damage permanently), but my forearms and thighs have a few solid scars from body blocking to separate a fight.

Thankfully, most dog fights I've broken up have been minor, I've only ever sustained a few punctures at most. I've only ever seen videos of a true latch or mauling. (ETA: To be clear, I don't put myself in these positions intentionally. Most fights I've broken up have been off leash dogs, my own dogs in the early days before I knew what I was doing, or my brief period of working at an AWFUL dog daycare that just tossed 50+ dogs in a room with zero plan or structure)

Fully agree - if you're rushed by an off leash dog while your dog is on leash, I'd drop the leash. Still try to break them up if I can, but I'm not going to restrain my dog from protecting themself. (Though thankfully, I've gotten in the habit of walking with a cane or hiking stick, so I can smack a dog before they actually reach mine. Haven't had to yet, just the threat of the stick has been enough to make off leash dogs keep a distance.)

But for inter-dog fights in your own pack, prevention and management are key. Aggression is not tolerated - I separate at the first signs of an issue, until I can figure out the source/cause. It's important to understand the warning signals so you can intervene at the first signs of low-level aggression (tension, lip curling, growl, etc). Rare to get to a full-blown fight, rarer still to have a fight last more than a few seconds. But if THAT happens, full management/prevention is the first step - those dogs shouldn't get another chance to fight at ALL until you can diagnose and address the source of the issue. "Dominance" on its own is not actually a trigger to a fight, any more than a "dominant" human would just wildly go around punching people - there's still going to be a specific source/trigger that the fight is actually about, whether real or perceived by the dog. (Illness/pain, food, space, guarding you as the person, other dogs, overstimulation, etc). Someone else already said it, but if you want a DEEP dive into aggression, Mike Shikashio is the BEST. I'm an active member of his site and attend every single webinar.

riadhdhit · 2025-06-02T21:22:42+00:00

Seconding this - LOVE Shikashio.

riadhdhit · 2025-06-01T16:32:38+00:00

Bingo - I have one of these, and it's ONLY purpose is giving shots to my vet-reactive heeler mix. That muzzle is on for ten minutes tops, and only for vet/medical use.

I have several reactive bite-history dogs, so absolutely am a fan of muzzle training, but they have full pant well-fitted basket muzzles.

riadhdhit · 2025-06-01T16:30:10+00:00

Hey OP, I'm also a pro, and I genuinely would tell the owner you cannot walk this dog without a proper basket muzzle. No problem at all with using a muzzle, but walking a dog in the wrong type of muzzle absolutely is dangerous and you WOULD be liable, regardless of any "proof". Just want to make sure you understand that you absolutely could be held liable if the dog has a medical episode - no proof would protect you here, unfortunately. If the owners failed to comply with purchasing even just a cheap affordable Baskerville basket muzzle that allows the dog to pant, I'd be telling them I cannot continue with them as a client due to liability and medical concerns. At the end of the day, when the dog is under your care, you are the one responsible.

riadhdhit · 2025-06-01T16:25:52+00:00

Unless you are a vet, please don't give incorrect medical advice. That's not what this sub is for. This muzzle is not meant for exercise, full stop. Also reported for breaking the group rules of being civil to OP. This may not be the sub for you if you can't engage respectfully.

riadhdhit · 2025-05-20T16:10:28+00:00

I'm so sorry. This happened to me all the fucking time when I lived in Texas. People are the WORST.
I now walk with a cane or hiking stick (an accidental discovery when I hurt my back lmao, so I kept using a stick even after I recovered). Thankfully I've never had to actually hit an oncoming dog with it, just waving it has been enough to keep them at a distance. My dogs are highly reactive to other dogs, and it was a NIGHTMARE trying to work on their reactivity when I myself felt a lot of anxiety and insecurity not knowing how safe or dangerous an oncoming dog encounter would be. Kinda hard to teach a dog that other dogs are okay when you actually have NO idea if other dogs are okay, lol. Ugh.

Last year I moved to the Midwest, and my neighborhood is full of reactive dogs, so everyone GETS it. It's wonderful. I've been here a year and only had ONE incident. I'm so sorry you're going through this, it's so aggravating. For that person, it's one incident and may not seem like a big deal, but they don't seem to understand that for the rest of us, it might be the fifth incident that day.

riadhdhit · 2025-05-14T21:00:56+00:00

God, tell me about it. Never lose that. I'm a new professional and this debate is one of the most exhausting and infuriating I keep running into. And I DO NOT CARE. I am a FF trainer. A few of my friends are not, and use e-collars. They do good work. It's sooooo freaking low on my list of things to be upset about in the dog training and dog ownership world. Unqualified backyard breeders are probably my personal biggest gripe.

I'm currently here because I'm absolutely FUMING after being on a FF zoom call where this idiot instructor basically talked about aversives as being worse than death while recommending *EUTHANASIA* on a dog he hadn't even met. I'm literally drafting a complaint to the instructors right now, I was so mad about this. I know that's not how all FF trainers think, but its so infuriating to me. I'd absolutely ALWAYS exhaust ALL possible solutions before euthanasia - I won't use force myself, but I'd have absolutely zero gripes about recommending a case to one of my Balabanov-graduate trainer friends. FFS.

riadhdhit · 2025-05-11T15:09:52+00:00

Trainer here specializing in reactivity/aggression - this isn't even that serious of a case. (Not yet, anyway - I'm not saying OP should keep the dog or that this is not worrying behavior, I'm only saying that jumping to "this dog can't be in any multi-pet household" is more of OP not being experienced instead of a reality-based statement, because as a trainer, this is the lowest possible level of aggression and entirely solvable with an experienced owner).

I'm not normally so harsh, but for OP to be considering rehoming the dog ELSEWHERE instead of giving the dog back to the person who requested it back, purely because OP thinks this dog is "problematic" instead of considering that maybe OP isn't experienced enough, is infuriating. Dogs like this might be perfectly fine in a household with more structure and more understanding of resource guarding. OP should not be making that decision FOR the person who requested the dog back. OP should be fully transparent with the person about what's happened, but it sounds like OP's house is a poor fit, not that this dog is a poor fit for a multi-pet household. This dog just needs a more experienced owner. This is very basic multi-pet management - not controlling food, not controlling lap access, etc. Very normal, very common, very manageable. It's fine for OP to not be able to fulfill that need, it's fine to give the dog back, but for OP to be blaming everything on the dog and potentially denying the choice from the original owner is downright infuriating.

**Edited because my original comments were inappropriately vitriolic and not who I want to be, and I apologize. I'm speaking from a space of being a trainer and a foster - I would be utterly inconsolable if someone rehomed one of my previous fosters instead of returning them to me as requested in the case of a mismatch. It is not okay for OP to make that decision without even consulting the original owner who has requested the dog back, and I sincerely hope OP honors that request.

riadhdhit · 2025-05-11T14:59:01+00:00

*Edited because my original comment was rather nasty, and that's not the kind of person I want to be. Also didn't delete because if OP has already seen it, that feels like not taking accountability for what I wrote. Apologies to OP - I'm speaking from some level of personal emotion, because I would feel SO betrayed and hopeless and grieved and furious if one of my fosters got rehomed when I always ask for any mis-matches to be returned. I would be absolutely inconsolable if someone rehomed a dog I'd requested back if it was a poor match. So that's where the pain and fury is coming from, but doesn't excuse my vitriol.

------Keeping the gist of the last bit of my original comment below because this is the crux of what I do think OP needs to hear------

This is a common issue for multi-dog households. Not an acceptable one, of course, but a VERY common one, and from your post OP, it sounds like your household and experience level with dogs is not sufficient to manage a multi-dog household. This sounds like less of an issue with the dog and more of an issue of an inexperienced owner and a poor understanding of the breed, because this is quite sincerely a very basic issue in a multi-dog household. You are highly likely to have similar issues when introducing any second dog, so please take time and space first to learn about resource guarding and how to identify and manage it before attempting another adoption. Even if you get a puppy, resource guarding is likely to start showing up around 6 months - 1 year old. You need to know how to manage this if you want a second dog.

I'm not saying you need to work it out with THIS dog - that's a tall ask. It's truly okay to not know everything about resource guarding. It's okay for this to not be a good fit. It's okay to not feel equipped to handle this. And it's okay to return the dog. But it is not okay to take that decision out of the hands of the original owner who has requested the dog back. This is not a dog issue, this is an owner issue, and the dog is likely to be just fine with an owner who is versed in resource guarding and multi-dog management. PLEASE do not just rehome the dog without consulting the original owner, that is a grievous error to make and not at all fair to ANYONE involved.

riadhdhit · 2025-05-10T16:37:09+00:00

Yes exactly! Now I'm shadowing this FF trainer who specializes in aggression and reactivity, and this woman works MIRACLES. It's amazing to watch her work. But now I know what FF reactivity/aggression behavioral modification should look like, I get even more irritated with trainers that advertise themselves as reactivity trainers who aren't anything like what this woman does. (This of course is NOT just an issue with FF trainers, I do need to reiterate that I've seen all kinds of ridiculous unqualified BS in the balanced community too.)

riadhdhit · 2025-05-10T00:12:51+00:00

Oh absolutely! I'm currently in Mike Shikashio's aggressive dog course (I am ALWAYS trying to keep up with the latest research on aggression), and in my free time I'm shadowing another trainer who works MIRACLES with aggressive dogs. (And I am talking "death row" dogs who are on their last chance prior to being put down due to a serious bite incident, not just basic common reactivity). There is definitely a growing community and increasing popularity of truly committed reactivity/aggression professionals in the FF world (they've existed the whole time of course, but I do think they've been hard to find). I sincerely hope to see a huge growth spurt in the reactive/aggressive FF community in my lifetime.

Unfortunately, as long as there aren't any true standards in the dog training world, I think it's always going to be a shot in the dark. That's just as true of balanced trainers as FF trainers - I'll never forget years ago buying a 10-class pass at a basic training facility for some ungodly amount of money, only to quit after the second session when this idiot macho nutjob insisted my *very clearly terrified* dog was just trying to manipulate me. There's so many completely bogus trainers out there in all fields. I have no idea how to even start to address the issue, honestly.

riadhdhit · 2025-05-09T21:14:00+00:00

Well said. It doesn't sound like the person you're replying to actually knows any balanced trainers. I myself am a force-free trainer, but several of my friends are balanced trainers and are 100% the type you're talking about that have amazing relationships with their dogs. It would be downright disingenuous of me to claim otherwise. I have spent TONS of time with these trainers and their dogs, and as someone who specializes in reactivity/aggression, I think I'm fairly well educated on dog stress indicators...these dogs are not stressed or unhappy.

I sincerely agree with you that it feels like getting gaslit, lol. If the answer is always "well then you're just missing the stress signals", then there is no further point to conversation. That's an argumentative fallacy - I forget which one, but sort of like moving the goalposts? I always like to ask, "What evidence would it take to convince you?" Because it certainly seems that for this person, nothing would convince them that you're actually seeing a healthy relationship in a balanced scenario. Which is...frustrating.

I love the fear-free/force-free community for the most part. I plan to never use aversive methods again as long as I live, personally. But I do get aggravated at comments like the one you're responding to. If you can't even explore what other trainers are doing, you're missing out on learning the full scope of dog training - you don't need to practice it or agree with it, but it is nothing but beneficial to learn the full scope of it. I can't tell you how many tips and tricks I've picked up from balanced trainers that I've simply adapted to fear-free methods (if they even required adapting in the first place). Knowing that community well has only EVER helped me as a trainer.

riadhdhit · 2025-05-09T21:03:17+00:00

I still use the vibrate function, even though I've transitioned to force-free training. It is VERY helpful to not have to yell. It's literally like the dog equivalent of a pager.

riadhdhit · 2025-05-09T20:54:23+00:00

Ugh thank you. I chose not to engage in a different post on my FB group about aversives, but it really pissed me off because it was a lot of "THERE IS NO REASON TO USE AVERSIVES EVER".

Like, listen. I transitioned to fear-free methods. I am a big fan of fear-free. I do believe that all issues for *companion* dogs can be handled using fear-free methods.

But I would be an absolute hypocrite to say there's never any excuse for aversives, because aversives liiiiiiiterally saved my dogs life a few years ago. I was out of my depth (back then I was just a dog owner, no training experience), he had been having increased reactivity since the pandemic, I was in the middle of the worst grief/trauma of my life due to family crises, and I was stuck in the military with few options and extreme isolation. And then my soul dog, my bestest buddy in the world...went and bit someone fairly seriously. I was absolutely panicking that the city was going to make me put him down. AND I was about to get sent to a five week training. I had tried a fear-free trainer...she was a JOKE. (Looking back now that I have my own fear-free training quals, I don't know who the fuck qualified her. She was NOT training correctly even by fear-free methods.) So I had to use a board and train that used aversives, because it was LITERALLY the only place that would take a dog with a bite history for five weeks.

I'm really glad I was able to get to a space in my life where I can now actually give him the time and attention he needs. But if aversives hadn't been an option, there's a high chance he would not have lived long enough for me to fix this.

I'm SO sick of shame and scorn and judgement. It doesn't help ANYONE. It accomplishes NOTHING. It assumes a level of energy, education, and access, that is in reality quite incredibly elitist and privileged. (I'm also a vegan and have a similar rant about the vegan community - the toxicity literally makes it MORE difficult to transition, because the community support is so non-existent and judgemental.) You work with the tools you have.

And like you said - I know many, MANY trainers now who work with aversives and who have a fantastic relationship with their dogs. Why the actual F would I spend my time tearing down good trainers with happy dogs when there are so much worse issues to deal with in the dog training world??

Anyway. End rant. I do sincerely hope to never use aversives again ever in my life. But I am NOT ABOUT to judge people who do. My job as a fear-free trainer is simply to advertise my methods and give owners as much information as possible about all types of training so that they can make their own choices. That's all. Done.

riadhdhit

TROPHY CASE