In one of the classes, the trainer was demonstrating how to get a dog to sit. He had a dog in front of him and was pushing down on his rear end, with the dog frantically trying to snap at the trainer's hand on his back. They had to take a greyhound out of the class and work on him separately (sighthounds don't take well at all to having their body forcefully manipulated). I watched in horror as the trainer pushed back this greyhound's head further and further, until it looked like he would break his neck. Still the dog did not sit. When the trainer let go, the greyhound panted with a wide open mouth, a clear sign of stress (it was not hot and he had not exercised).
I understood better then that whippet I had met at a dog park, which would start to shiver when it heard the word "Sit!" - and of course wouldn't sit. "He doesn't like sitting on his bony bottom" the owner informed me.
How many dogs end up at the RSPCA because they are subjected to this type of "training", and end up biting their owner's hand in defense? How many of them don't get any further training because they resist this sort of treatment?
Forcing a dog into a sit: gentle, fast and effective? I beg to differ.