Who is Jas Leverette? 'Canine Intervention' star's 'inhumane' dog training prompts calls to cancel Netflix show
They say a dog is man's best friend but could Jas Leverette, the star of Netflix's 'Canine Intervention' be the best friend every dog needs? Well, the jury is still out on this one, with the star of Netflix's 'Canine Intervention' already coming under fire for his training methods.
According to Netflix, "No dog, no breed, no behavior is unfixable for Cali K9's Jas Leverette." So who exactly is Jas Leverette and can he be considered top dog when it comes to canines despite the criticism?
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The Oakland-based dog trainer has a unique method the 'Cali K9 Method' to help dogs of all breeds and their owners with their pooches behavioral issues. The idea is to ensure that both humans and their pets are relaxed. But at least in the trailer of 'Canine Intervention' it's clear where Leverette's sympathy lies when he says "It's never the dog's fault, it's always human error."
So how did Leverette get into the world of dog training? Well, Cesar Milan may be the 'Dog Whisperer' but Leverette seems to be a horse and dog whisperer rolled into one. Leverette interestingly got his start in animal training by training horses. He then went on to train hundreds of dogs including family companion dogs, sport dogs, service dogs and dogs in the field of law enforcement as well as their handlers. Leverette also seems to have helped celebrities with their dogs, including Kevin Hart.
So what exactly is the 'Cali K9 method' that Leverette uses to deal with even the most difficult dogs.
According to the CaliK9 website, the "Cali K9® Modern Dog Training Method™ is an advanced, proprietary leadership system designed for modern dogs and is highly effective, fair, balanced and consistent. Our exclusive dog training method is a system of competition-level dog training techniques and tools to make you and your dog successful in any situation. This method provides solid dog obedience training and helps address common behavior and socialization issues."
However, not everyone is a fan of Leverette's methods. Certified animal behaviorist Steve Dale has made his disapproval clear, citing techniques of violence used by Leverette.
Dale on his website says, "A program promoting aversive/aggressive techniques to train when replicated by the public – which will happen – will only lead to MORE behavior problems, more bites, more dogs given up. And right now, the last thing we need to see on TV, is solving aggression (which is dogs is fear based) with aggressive and inhumane methods. Solving aggression with aggression also teaches children wrong lessons."
There is even a Change.org petition with close to 35,000 signatures to stop the show’s release on Netflix. The petition started by Nicola Barnett states: 'We have spent over a decade fighting against the popularization of inhumane training toward animals on television. This type of commercialization for the sake of entertainment is barbaric and does not serve the general population and our most adoring companion animals. The show Canine Intervention announced to be released on Netflix starting February 24th stars an animal trainer that demonstrates the use of choke collars, prong collars and electric shock collars on several social media platforms. We don't need another Cesar-like trainer on tv showing inhumane training techniques to animal owners.
In spite of the criticism coming forward, however, Netflix seems to be sticking to its February 24 release.
'Canine Intervention' will also detail Jas' life when he is not training. Jas is married to Nouhaila and they have a one-year-old son named Jasir. You can catch 'Canine Intervention' on Netflix on February 24.