Readers, just a quick note to draw your attention to a Wikipedia article I have been creating over the last few days. Well-renowned Australian dog trainer, Steve Austin, did not have a Wikipedia page, or indeed, any general information page in the first few pages of Google! So I made him one, and I very much hope it does him justice. The beauty of Wikipedia is that, very likely, in a year’s time, none of my original text will be in his article, but my original ideas will be extended, elaborated, and refined. I look forward to that day.
Steve Austin (the dog trainer) on Wikipedia.
I have also discovered the Wikipedia dog community and I am a little concerned I have found my next time waster… Time will tell.
Nice job on Austin’s page. I’ve not heard of him (but then I’m half a world away…) Curious what you think about the Labradoodle craze. I have an brother-in-law (originally from the Gold Coast and now living in California), who breeds them. Your thoughts?
Thank-you for your comments regarding Austin’s page. Maybe with a Wiki page, more people will know of him.
Labradoodles I don’t find hugely problematic as individuals, but my concerns come mostly from their breeding environments and their marketing. Firstly, the term ‘labradoodle’ conveys the suggestion that they are a breed, when in fact they are a crossbreed and have the diversity of traits that you would find in any other crossbreed. That leads to my second concern, in that they are often marketed as ‘hypoallergenic’. While most doodles on the first cross (F1) are hypoallergenic, it is still possible for them to inherit a labrador coat instead of a poodle coat. On successive generations, the coats are more likely to be labrador.
Finally, ‘labradoodles’ are a designer breed that can attract a high price tag. I have concerns that many individuals breed them for profit, with little regard for the parents’ or offsprings’ well-being.
In theory, if someone was health testing all parent dogs (especially for hip dysplasia), selecting parents based on solid, stable temperaments, and breeding puppies that are then rehomed to families who are fully aware of their puppy’s genetic mixed bag, and who are able to come back to the breeder for support whenever needed throughout the puppy’s life – then that’s great, and I’m all for it. However, it is rare that this occurs as the market for doodles has created a unscrupulous breeding community concerned with profit rather than animal health and well-being.
Thanks for your question!
My sister has a dog training business, so I forwarded this blog to her as well.
Thanks for sharing, Cathy.
Great article on Steve Austin. I hadn’t heard of him before, but I’m sure he’d appreciate your efforts.
Thanks, Alexis. Glad you liked it.
After training with Steve at NDTF I was impressed with his Knowledge and background.
But I’m afraid all I see now is the photo of him with a dead cat hanging from a rope and the ugly grin he had on his face whilst posing with it. I understand the training behind this photo (to teach a dog to scent out (hunt down) feral cats, of course, you need the ‘scent’ of a feral cat to teach the dog.
But anyone seeing this photo would not necessarily know the background of Steve or of what this training was about. All they see is a crazy guy with a dead cat hanging from a rope. I believe photo’s like this encourage the abuse of animals. And of course, if the president of Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) can do this, it MUST be ok, right?
No, I won’t be visiting his Wiki page. Sorry for the negative feedback Tegan
Hi Gayle,
I haven’t met Steve yet but I look forward to going to his seminars in December this year.
Feral cats in Australia are a controversial issue. I am an advocate of trap, neuter, release and so also disapprove of killing feral cats and, furthermore, posing with these feral cats.
This post is old (November 2011), and was made prior to this photo being released. However, others modified his Wikipedia page to illustrate the controversy surrounding his photo.