When the student is ready...

“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” 

I’ve been thinking a lot about that quote lately and not just because I’m planning to watch the (original) Karate Kid for the umpteenth time, but because it also reminds me of a time when I wasn’t as enlightened, especially about my companion animals back in the day.  

Fortunately, I learned to do better, and as I’ve written in past articles, there are many in the dog-training industry who crossed over from the dark side, and inspired generations of evolved thinkers.

But then I got to thinking about the unscrupulous side of this industry, the trainers who have championed their right to hurt animals and actually believe it’s necessary in order to “save" them.

And yes, it’s time for me to digress…

I think back to a time when in the training industry, there was only one way to train dogs and that was through the outdated traditional military style where dogs were taught to obey or suffer the consequences, and I think those same conventional attitudes were prominent in parenting styles as well. However, as a society when we think more critically and examine old standards, we begin to slowly change our conduct for the better as we have done now for decades using positive reinforcement or force-free methods; regardless of the name, we do not hurt our companion animals or teach humans how to.

Yes, there will always be those clinging to old ways because they fear change, but we positive reinforcement trainers, continue to set the example in the hopes of getting consensus that training through pain is not a good thing, regardless of whether one is teaching a dog, cat, horse, or even a human because we all are sentient beings.

For those who have seen the light, they do so because they have reached that point where they are open for that information to land and thus, the teacher appears as a paradigm shift.

What then is the tipping point for those who are open to receive and act upon the type of teaching that is depraved?

As an example, I observed a neighbor over the last few years go from walking her dog on a harness, to using a prong and most recently she turned her dog over to a “Sock, pop and shock jock” to, in her own words, “Help regulate my dog’s emotions because she is anxious and needy.” By the way, this dog owner is some kind of therapist, so this is not an uneducated person. 

I’m wondering what sales gimmick the “Shock jock” used that was so compelling that his message spoke to her? 

In addition to the slick marketer who speaks to dog owners, I’ve also noticed we have another level of perversion and that is the once positive reinforcement trainers who sold their souls to cross back to the dark side. 

Using technical vocabulary in a word salad, this new brand of rogues, are aimed at professional dog training audiences, convincing them that they are suffering from imposter syndrome. But, fear not, because help comes after “Drinking the Kool-Aid” so this cult can preach with authority to unsuspecting dog owners.

For as much as my stomach turns when I watch videos of some ignore-anus hurting a companion animal in the name of training, I am not compelled to fight them in a social media post. I leave that to the witty warriors, who help keep the rest of us sane in these maddening times. 

But for my part, I will stand with the groups that are trying to change the laws to protect the animals.

We humans have within us to be the best and worst versions of ourselves, seek enlightenment or remain ignorant, all to the benefit or detriment to society…

Yes, when the student is ready, the teacher appears; the problem is that we don’t know what compels someone to go to the dark side or seek enlightenment because they will act on the message that speaks to them.

Namaste, Y’all!

HAPPY TRAINING & ENLIGHTENMENT!

© Fran Berry CPDT-KA, UW-AAB all rights reserved 2026