Episodios

  • After the Method Wars - From Ideology to Application in Dog Training

    After the Method Wars - From Ideology to Application in Dog Training
    Jan 14 2026

    Dog training has entered a new era.

    The field has moved past coercion - not because coercion failed to change behavior, but because it failed to meet modern standards of welfare, reliability, and risk.

    That part is not controversial anymore.

    What is happening now is a lag between where the science is, and what people still see online and at their local training facilities.

    There, dogs are somehow still being shocked, yanked, physically manipulated, traumatized, and pushed through behavior under pressure, without the ability to freely learn.

    In practice, training today is evaluated on different criteria than it was 20 years ago.

    Professionals today look at emotional durability.

    We look at stress recovery.

    Does the dog generalize?

    What are the long term outcomes of our efforts?

    We're not looking at whether or not the behavior just stopped, but whether the dog actually learns something that holds up across environments, because dogs don't perform behaviors in isolation.

    They bring their nervous systems with them, they bring their history with them, and they bring context with them.

    And when we account for that, certain approaches simply do not age well.

    That's why the modern version of behavior change emphasizes skills that survive pressure - skills that don't depend on constant management or tools to function.

    It's also why the conversation has shifted away from ideology, and towards application.

    How do we build responses that remain intact under stress?

    How do we actually reduce fallout, instead of managing it later?

    These aren't philosophical questions anymore. They're operational ones.

    So when people frame this as an ongoing “method war” they're usually arguing with a version of the animal training field that no longer exists at the top.

    The work now isn't convincing institutions. It's translating what institutions already agree on into everyday training that people can actually see and use.

    That's where we are, and the needle has clearly moved.

    And now it's time to do the work that comes next.

    Join the Dog Training Revolution and learn more at zakgeorge.com
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    2 m
  • WARNING: You cannot unsee this! What is wrong with the horse industry?

    WARNING: You cannot unsee this! What is wrong with the horse industry?
    Jan 9 2026

    Thank you so much to our incredible friend Shelby Dennis for joining us in this episode! Shelby is an inspiration to Bree and I - make sure to follow her everywhere: https://milestoneequestrian.ca/shelby-dennis

    https://www.youtube.com/@Milestone-Equestrian

    https://www.instagram.com/sdequus/

    Get free toys for a year from BARK: https://barkbox.pxf.io/c/2362507/3038732/34203

    Learn more at zakgeorge.com

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    1 h y 13 m
  • The red flags are piling up! This high-ranking animal care leader just backed shock collars. Seriously...

    The red flags are piling up! This high-ranking animal care leader just backed shock collars. Seriously...
    Nov 25 2025

    What is going on at the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)?

    The lack of awareness and professionalism coming from this organization is becoming impossible to ignore.

    Here are just some of the mounting concerns:

    • A president publicly endorsing shock collars contradicting AVMA’s own stance, the global behavior science consensus, and basic animal-welfare principles.

    • A refusal to acknowledge the One Health catastrophes in Gaza, Sudan, and Congo, even while claiming One Health as a core value.

    • Silence on the disappearance and killing of Dr. Mu’ath Abu Rukba, one of Gaza’s last surgical veterinarians (see previous episodes of this podcast for the full story!)

    • Routine deletion, hiding, and restriction of comments from members and the public raising legitimate concerns, and censorship of their own members and speakers within annual conferences.

    • Posting trivial “awareness” content while ignoring mass suffering of humans, animals, and entire ecosystems.

    • A PAC aligned with lawmakers who support militarism, environmental destruction, and policies directly harmful to people and animals.

    • A documented history of systemic issues, including the controversy with Tuskegee University, the primary producer of Black veterinarians.

    This is dysfunction, denial, and dereliction of duty. @avmavets appears disorganized, unaware, and unprofessional at a moment when moral clarity is needed most.

    Why is a dog trainer on the internet having to point out the hypocrisy and misinformation of the world’s largest veterinary medical association?

    If it’s on me, and all of us, to hold this organization accountable, then something is profoundly wrong inside that institution.

    This is about restoring truth, ethics, and public trust in a profession that desperately needs it.

    Veterinarians and the public deserve better leadership than this.
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    10 m
  • The Dog Training Industry Just Drew a Line - and One Organization is On the Wrong Side.

    The Dog Training Industry Just Drew a Line - and One Organization is On the Wrong Side.
    Nov 22 2025

    A major shift just hit the dog training world, and it affects every family with a dog.

    The new Joint Standards of Practice were released, bringing together the leading organizations in our field under one clear message: fear-, pain-, and intimidation-based training has no place in modern, professional work.

    Noticeably missing from the list is the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.

    After months of refusing to correct their blatant misinformation about AVSAB (even after AVSAB felt obliged to release their own statement to clarify because of the misinformation being spread by CCPDT), CCPDT continues to operate under outdated frameworks that still allow shock, prong, and choke devices.

    Now, the CCPDT has been firmly left behind, as the rest of the industry finally moves forward.

    This is about public safety, scientific integrity, and protecting the public and their dogs.

    Dog training is evolving.

    The science is clear.

    And organizations choosing to cling to harmful methods are being exposed.

    Tell us what you think about these updates in the comments ⬇️

    Follow https://instagram.com/zakgeorge for the latest updates, and check out our website to learn more & subscribe to our email list: https://zakgeorge.com

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    6 m
  • How did American pop culture learn to support Israel?

    How did American pop culture learn to support Israel?
    Nov 21 2025

    (This is the FULL version of this episode!)

    How did American pop culture learn to support Israel?

    Are celebrities obligated to speak up for oppressed peoples?

    What do you think? 🧐

    We’re joined by Zak’s cousin Illesha @illeshamagdalena - if you’re interested in history, pop culture, colonialism, and all around awesome content, you will definitely want to follow Illesha to learn more❤️🇱🇧 https://www.instagram.com/illeshamagdalena/ https://www.tiktok.com/@illeshamarie

    Subscribe to our podcast: https://dogtrainingrevolution.podbean.com
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    40 m
  • You can't bury the truth forever. Zak and Dr. Erika + Doctors Against Genocide

    You can't bury the truth forever. Zak and Dr. Erika + Doctors Against Genocide
    Nov 18 2025

    You can’t bury the truth forever. Zak and Dr. Erika + Doctors Against Genocide

    SHARE this post since @avmavets and @amermedicalassn insist on choosing censorship, silence and complicity over upholding their own ethical standards. Tag them and any other organizations/public figures who SHOULD be speaking out. It takes all of us 💪❤️‍🩹 Honored to connect with @doctorsagainstgenocide and amplify this message. Follow Doctors Against Genocide on YouTube to see their weekly webinars and other incredibly important content Support their work and learn more at https://doctorsagainstgenocide.org 🔥 Stay tuned - follow https://instagram.com/zakgeorge and sign up for our email list at zakgeorge.com for more.

    Dr. Erika Lin-Hendel, VMD, PhD is a veterinarian and activist based out of Arizona. Although they currently practice companion animal medicine, Dr. Lin-Hendel has a background in developmental neuroscience, agriculture and food security. In addition to their clinical work, they are highly involved in advocacy work spanning mental health, education and social justice from a one health lens. Their current passions are centered on the veterinary profession’s role in anti-war movements.

    Dr. Erika's Instagram page: https://instagram.com/theautisticveterinarian
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    19 m
  • Why Are US Veterinarians Being Intimidated and Silenced?

    Why Are US Veterinarians Being Intimidated and Silenced?
    Nov 8 2025
    This is the conversation the AVMA doesn’t want you to hear - but veterinarians across the world are refusing to be silenced any longer. It’s time. Behind the white coats and lame social media posts, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is a political machine - lobbying on Capitol Hill through their Political Action Committee, deciding which lives deserve empathy and funding (and which do not) through their “charitable arm” the AVMF, and calling that “neutrality.” For over two years they have displayed racism by omission. Veterinarians everywhere are speaking up while the AVMA still hides behind its image, and its VERY LOUD silence. Meanwhile, AVMA continues to delete and hide critical comments about this topic on their many social media posts, and ignore the thousands of emails they have received asking them to show the same level of care for the Global South as they have during other humanitarian crises around the world, like in Ukraine and Australia. Our guests today are two US-based veterinarians who are also co-founders of Animal Healthcare Workers Against Genocide - an organization that Bree and I are very proud to be a part of! Learn more and join us at http://www.animalwag.org Dr. Erika Lin-Hendel and Dr. Serena Nayee are two veterinarians who are here to speak about their experience in the American Veterinary world, and to specifically highlight the censorship they experienced when they gave a scheduled educational talk at an AVMA conference in July 2025. After months of preparation (including advanced approval of their topic/abstract), Dr. Erika and Dr. Serena were suddenly told by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to censor their presentation just two weeks before the conference. Can you guess their topic? 🫠 It was public health and veterinary care during the ongoing One Health crises worldwide including Palestine, Sudan and Congo - internationally recognized humanitarian, animal, and environmental catastrophes that the AVMA still refuses to acknowledge. Their talk - which was submitted in advance, and *reviewed and accepted* by the AVMA 3 months before the conference - made it clear they would discuss: > the historical and current weaponization of animals against civilians > destruction of agricultural resources > damage to the human-animal bond during armed conflict These are all concepts backed up by scientific data, some of which was reported by the AVMA itself… And yet, two weeks before they were supposed to give their talk, they received a thinly-veiled censorship email from the director of the AVMA Convention and Meeting Planning Division. Does this surprise you? The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has built prestige and profit around the idea of compassion without borders. They post regularly about global care and empathy and the importance of veterinarians advocating during global humanitarian crises. They spoke out for Ukraine. They raised money for wildfire victims in Australia. But while Gaza’s doctors, families, and animals are bombed, they have said absolutely nothing. And worse, they are actively silencing those of us who are working to help in this crisis by deleting nearly all critical comments from their social media, and even censoring their own colleagues and members at their conferences. The AVMA has spent decades branding themselves as a global voice of compassion. But when that compassion was tested… it wasn’t there 🫥 More about our guests: Dr. Erika Lin-Hendel, VMD, PhD is a veterinarian and activist based out of Arizona. Although they currently practice companion animal medicine, Dr. Lin-Hendel has a background in developmental neuroscience, agriculture and food security. In addition to their clinical work, they are highly involved in advocacy work spanning mental health, education and social justice from a one health lens. Their current passions are centered on the veterinary profession’s role in anti-war movements. Dr. Erika's Instagram page: https://instagram.com/theautisticveterinarian Dr. Serena Nayee, DVM is a 2020 graduate of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Serena and her siblings were raised with a multicultural background, rooting from strong Gujarati and American values. After graduating high school in Fishers, Indiana, she completed her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology at Ohio State University, before heading to veterinary school. Serena’s interests in the veterinary profession are focused on emergency medicine and development of affordable and accessible urgent/preventative healthcare (clinical and policy) to diversify the veterinary field, with a commitment to the value of One Health. Outside of veterinary medicine, Serena enjoys writing poetry and short literary fiction, singing, reading, and filming/editing videos. Dr. Serena's Instagram page: https://instagram.com...
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    28 m
  • Emergency Live Response: Taylor Swift, One Health, and Palestine

    Emergency Live Response: Taylor Swift, One Health, and Palestine
    Sep 2 2025

    TW: difficult topics discussed.

    A lot happened this week on our instagram page. Let's talk about it.

    Follow our Instagram page!

    Follow Bree on Instagram too!

    Subscribe to the Dog Training Revolution on YouTube

    Learn more at zakgeorge.com
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    30 m
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