Video showing dog trainer slamming crate door on deaf dog causing outrage

WEST MILWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS 58)-- A dog training video showing a deaf and muzzled dog having a crate door slammed in its face is causing a social media frenzy.

As of Thursday night, the video has gotten more than 40 thousand views and hundreds of shares. The video, recorded by Rescue Gang Dog Training, shows a dog looking startled after the crate door is quickly shut. The video is captioned, “We teach all dogs not to rush out of their kennel or doorways without waiting and asking for permission.”

Owner of Rescue Gang Dog Training, Ryan Olson, says he’s gotten threats because of his training video.  

”People are threatening to show up at my facility, I’m getting death threats, I’m getting emails I’m getting voicemails, just a whole lot of hate when at the end of the day all I want to do is save a dog,” said Olson.

Olson says he is the dog’s last chance at rehabilitation before euthanasia. He claims the aggressive dog bit its owner and his girlfriend.

”The dog ripped her lip open from her nostril all the way down, the dog has separation anxiety, the dog has phobia of crates, the dog will bite metal wires off of her crate,” adds Olson.

Still, hundreds on social media don’t agree with Olson’s technique. The Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission says they are shocked at how scared the dog was.

“I don’t think that aggressive behavior warrants aggression toward the animal and that’s what we see here is a really aggressive training technique,” said Kathy Shillinglaw, outreach coordinator for MADACC.

Olson says his intention wasn’t to be mean, but wanted the dog to be in a calm state before stepping out of her crate. Olson says he learned his training techniques through a handful of dog training mentors.

”Of course in the video she was startled, I’d be startled too if someone closed the door on me, but you close the crate and she has to stop and think for a second,” said Olson. “When she stops and thinks she’s in good state of mind then you can say ‘come on lets go, you’re calm, you’re relaxed now,  you can leave the crate.’”

“It doesn’t appear to even want to be moving forward,” said Shillinglaw. “So for me, really the fear and the uncertainty that the dog’s behavior is displaying is a really big red flag.”

Shillinglaw believes using fear is not the best method for training a dog.

“We want to train a dog so that is learning is fun, that we’re getting positive reinforcement for doing the behaviors that we want them to,” Shillinglaw adds.

Olson says the dog in the video is making progress with his training.

”I’m just as passionate as some of these people are about saving this dog, but the dog needs to be corrected at some point in order to be able to be saved,” said Olson.

Shillinglaw says a Facebook user has shared the video with West Milwaukee police.

Experts say when looking for a dog trainer, make sure you ask for references from other owners, and are placing your dog with someone you trust.