I get a kick out of
reading the various lists people compile that show up on my computer. You know the type of thing: Ten Things Restaurant Staff Won’t Tell You, Things
Flight Attendants Won’t Tell You, Things the Kid at the Drive-Thru Window Won’t
Tell You, Things Your Beautician Won’t Tell You, and really important
information like that. I decided to make
my own list – Ten Things Your Dog Trainer May Not Tell You.
1.
Most of the time the owner is the challenge, not the
dog.
We can train almost any dog, at least to some extent, but sometimes we
have great difficulty teaching you
how to work with your dog.
2.
We don’t like every breed of dog and may groan when
one is enrolled in class. Every trainer has breeds they really don’t like. If we’re good at what
we do, you won’t know if you have one of those.
And we can usually find something
to like in every dog.
3.
We can tell if you did any work with your dog during
the week. A big part of dog training is taking what you
learned in class and working with your dog at home during the week. Training is a daily process. It needn’t be time-consuming – a couple of
short sessions a day can get the job done – but training only once or twice a
week just isn’t going to cut it.
4.
We can make almost any dog in class look good – at
least a couple of times. It requires talent, timing, good physical and
verbal cues, and a confident demeanor. Add the fact that the dog isn’t used to
working with us and will be caught a bit off-guard, and he will probably
perform as well as he can.
5.
You may be the most inept trainer in class but, if
you’re really trying, we’ll keep working with you. Not
every student can master the skills of timing and consistency, but we’ll stick
with you so that you can end up with a well-trained pet.
6.
You may have the dumbest dog in class, but if you’re really
working hard to get through his thick skull we’ll keep working with you to get
the result you want. Not every dog is brilliant. They all learn at different speeds, and some need
quite a bit of repetition to learn new skills.
7.
We are (or should be) familiar with several different
methods to train each skill. Sometimes a dog that is thought to be stubborn or
stupid just needs the lesson presented in a different manner. We should be open to learning everything we
can on a continuing basis so that we can be the best possible trainers and
teachers.
8. We are experts at reading canine body language. This gives us a key to finding the most
effective method to work with each individual dog.
9.
Our own dogs may not all be perfectly trained. At the end of
the day after working with people and their dogs, we may not have the energy to
do much training with our own. Speaking
for myself, my personal dogs may not be as well trained as they were years ago
when I competed in Obedience Trials, but they’re all trained to a point where
they are great companions that make me happy.
10. Sadly, we
don’t know everything and can’t fix everything. Poor genetics,
bad early experiences, high levels of anxiety or fear, extreme aggression, the
owner’s household dynamics – these things and more can sometimes make it
extremely difficult to eliminate unwanted behavior.
Dog training isn’t just a
job. When it’s done well, it’s an art
form. Connecting with a dog by
understanding how he learns and then helping him understand what we would like
him to do takes patience and skill. Teaching dog owners takes skill as well. We often must be part psychologist,
schoolteacher, magician, lion tamer, and sometimes even therapist. It’s an interesting job!
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