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Don’t Jump to Blame the Dog Trainer,
Meet us in the Middle,
Let's Succeed Together!
by Niki Tudge. Copyright 2012
There I said it, don’t jump to blame the dog trainer! So you enroll fluffy into a dog training class, you do your research and find a competent professional within your area. They are qualified, have certificates, endorsements and are recommended by other pet care providers and clients but you just don’t get the results you expected. What happened?
Well first of all let’s discuss what dog training is. In most cases it’s about you and your dog attending a weekly one hour class so a dog training instructor can teach you how to teach your dog a set of obedience skills. In each lesson you will be introduced to a new skill and your instructor will show you how to achieve the behavior, reward the behavior and put the behavior onto a cue. The instructor will ensure that your mechanics, lures and prompts are accurate and that you are rewarding, delivering the reinforcement, in a timely manner so your dog understands what it has done correctly. At the end of each lesson you will be given a clear set of homework instructions that you will be required to complete so when you attend the next lesson your skill set will be appropriate to begin the next level of training or the next skill progression.
The first question you must ask yourself as your dog’s owner, guardian and trainer is, did you complete the homework assignments and if you did and you were unsure of your competence did you reach out to your dog trainer for help and assistance? Rest assured we dog trainers love it when our clients call us in-between lessons, it’s proof-positive that you are taking the training seriously and are doing the homework. Believe me, we are never fooled when you arrive back to the second or next lesson and mumble that your home assignment is complete. We only need look to the dog to have a very good understanding as to how much commitment and compliance has gone into the training at home.
The second question is how much exercise is your dog receiving? You can do as many dog training obedience drills as there are hours in the day but if your dog is not receiving the correct amount of exercise you are not going to get the best results. An excessive amount of internal energy has to be burned off somehow.
The next question you need to answer for yourself is, are my family members on board with your training commitment? It is important when training a dog, like raising a child, that they are consistently managed and expectations across the family group are the same. How can your dog understand that it must not jump up on people if dad not only allows it but also encourages it? Your dog will be left confused and offering inconsistent behavior.
Think back to all the skills you have learned during your life; how to ride a bike, how to fly a kite, how to dance, ski or sing. Each of these skills took time, instruction and practice. They all required a level of effort, commitment and compliance and you probably understood the language your instructor delivered the lessons in. Why would anyone think that after 8 one-hour dog training lessons with no practice in-between and no commitment or compliance you will end up with “lassie.” As I explain to all my students you will get out as much as you put in.
Dog Training is so much fun; it creates lasting bonds with your pet dog; It is precious time you spend with your beloved four legged family member; It teaches you how to ‘speak dog,’ how to understand them and read their moods while it teaches them to understand you. Let’s approach dog training with the time and effort it deserves. You will find most dog trainers are heavily invested in your pet dog and helping you achieve your goal. Meet us in the middle and let’s partner to train your dog so it can live happily in your home.
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