Whether you have a puppy or an adult dog, training is a way to communicate with your dog. The old saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks is not true at all. I have taught dogs even seniors new commands or tricks. Dog training teaches you how to communicate with your beloved pet which helps them to understand what you are wanting them to do. Animals do not understand human words, but they can learn to as they learn to understand our body language. I do not recommend training places that have you drop off your dog for training & they are the ones training your pet. It is your dog & you should be the one learning how to communicate & teach your dog. It is a bonding experience if the training methods are force & fear free.
If you have a new puppy I highly recommend you sign up for puppy classes. Vaccine requirements will vary by location & so will age requirements so check & find out what these requirements are before you sign up. Puppy classes teach a variety of things & can be structured differently depending on the place you go to. I really like the ones that allow young pups to have some interaction time so they can learn from each other. I am talking about puppies that are under 4 months of age, puppies need a lot of new experiences before they are 20 weeks to help them not have some fears. Classes that are structured well can really help this. Instructors should always be monitoring playtime & intervene if any puppy is aggressive to the point of being a bully, good well trained trainers know how to read body language. Knowing this they will see when a puppy isn’t reading another pups body language & not stopping the interaction. This needs to be a positive experience for all puppies & class should always end on a good note.
In the US dog trainers are not licensed (facilities are) nor are they required to be certified or go to school to learn how to train dogs. Keeping this in mind you need to choose a trainer carefully & ask lots of questions & observe their training classes. If you are already enrolled in classes & have been reading my series on training methods & are having doubts & know the aversion methods are ones you no longer want to use, please know you can quit with that trainer & find a new one. Yes, you may lose the money you paid, but at least you will no longer be using methods that inflict pain/punishment/corrections. Which can potentially lead to a host of other issues.
You can go on the APDT website & lookup positive, force free & fear free trainers, the initials CPDT behind the trainer’s name means they passed a written & physical training (with a dog) tests to be certified as a positive trainer. Note that some that passed these tests are not all positive, so do your homework & ask a lot of questions. When you contact trainers ask questions, but if you ever feel they are rude, evasive, or abrupt with you, say goodbye & keep looking. You need to feel comfortable with a trainer, your dog can read your body language & they can be stressed if you are. I want to share a story with you about an experience that I had that will help explain why this is important.
The dog above was my dog Sydney who had been abused & came to me at the age of 3. I took her to classes to help build confidence. She was not a puppy, but she was required to take basic obedience 101 & 102 if we wanted to continue with other classes to help her confidence build. Having a solid foundation is important to build on. Most of the dogs in her classes were younger pups , under a year in obedience 102. The main trainer in 102 either didn’t care for the fact that Sydney was an adult or maybe she didn’t like me. I felt she would not like the way I was doing things, minor things, being real nick picky. Each time she came near us in our group class I think I got stressed & Sydney did worse. When the assistant trainer came to watch us, we didn’t have the same issues. I started to place us in the room where the assistant trainer would be. I think after our 2nd or 3rd class she was always the one coming to us, which I was happy about. Not everyone clicks & I know that, but understand some dogs will pick up on that. I was there to build confidence & build our bond.
Things to consider, observe & questions to ask a potential trainer:
- Length of experience as a dog trainer. Short time may not have enough experience to handle issues in the right manner. If training for a real long time (25+ years) they may use outdated methods.
- Ask questions like “What would you do if a dog will not comply when learning a certain behavior of command?” If they respond “correct” keep looking, the response should be something like “redirect or try something else.” If a trainer says ” I am a balanced trainer” keep looking. (I explain what this is in this same series on training (#97).
- If you have a fearful or cautious dog: Ask if they have experience dealing with fearful dogs? Please know that aggression is not a training issue it is an issue for a Veterinarian Behaviorist.
- Group classes: Ask to observe a class before signing up. Let them know you will sign a waiver if needed & that you just plan to observe before you sign up. Some places even have an observation window or area where you can watch from so you’re not in the room & a possible distraction. Do not bring kids or your pets with you, just you. If a trainer has nothing to hide then they should be fine with this, if they are not without a very good reason, then keep looking or ask if they have a video of them training an actual class you can watch. When you observe the class watch that the trainer is instructing the owners what to do, may use a dog to demo (my past dogs have been demo dogs many times). Be sure the trainer never has anyone jerk, hit or force a dog to do anything in the name of training.
- Verbal reprimands can be used, but not often & not yelling, your tone is usually far more effective.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If your afraid or intimidated by the trainer imagine how your dog feels.
- Training classes should be fun for your dog & your.
- Ask potential trainers what types of collars/equipment are allowed & used in class. The answer should be a flat collar, a gentle leader, martingale collar or a harness, If they say a choke, pinch/prong or shock collar, you want to keep looking for a force & fear free trainer. Some Pet stores have classes, but their trainers have to say these aversion collars are safe because they sell them. I usually tell people to avoid these places because of this & most of their trainers have very little experience. The leash they recommend should be one 3-6 feet long for most basic training classes & no flexi/retractable leashes.
- If you’re feeling something in your gut isn’t right, trust that & keep looking, there are many good trainers out there.
- Ask what types of rewards are used/allowed: treats, toys, &/or praise.
Remember good positive training goes a long way for you & your dog. Dominating, forcing or using correction to get a dog to do what you want may work, but it can break the bond you have with your dog & your dog may even start to fear you, not worth it if you ask me. These things can lead to a host of issues, even aggression or biting because the dog believes he needs to protect itself from you & maybe others.
When training always be patient & know that a 6-9 week class is not going to get you a perfectly behaved dog. Studies have shown that it takes about 80 hours of training to get to a very well behaved dog. Practicing what you learn in class at home & in the real world is very important, but like humans our dogs have their own personality & not all are as smart as others.
Places to look for a trainer: No matter who recommends a trainer, ask questions, not everyone has the same ideas of what is a good dog trainer.
- APDT website
- Search online for trainers near you (then call or email & ask questions).
- Ask at your Veterinarian’s office if your Vet is a fear free Vet. Some teach classes at their clinics but you still need to ask the questions about their methods.
- Ask people you know who have well behaved dogs & they don’t use any aversion collars or training methods.
I hope you have learned from this series on Understanding dog training methods. I write this blog to educate fellow pet lovers & owners about things that they may not know or have thought about. To show that there are things we all can learn that can help our pets, no matter what type of pets we love. I would appreciate it if you can help me spread the word about my blog. You can do this in a variety of ways: subscribe to my blog so you get an email alert when I publish a new post. Comment on what you have learned or ask a question?, Hit the “like” button at the bottom of the page, share my blog on your social media sites or email the link to family member or friend. Please visit often & check out my other 100 published posts, in a few weeks it will be a year since I started this blog. You can find a Table of Content for all my posts on my home page under the show notes (3 lines in the upper left corner of the page). You can scroll down to the posts you want to read from the home screen page. Thank you for reading & please come back soon. Debbie
Echoing Great Pet Care 