When is it time to find a new dog trainer?
How to know when to move on
I have a current client who owns a German Shepherd. She called me because her dog was acting aggressive toward men. During our initial interview my client told me that she had been working with another trainer for about a year, to teach her dog obedience and protection skills. After about a year of training, that trainer told her that she should euthanize her dog because it was too aggressive.
I should know better by now, but I am still shocked when I hear stories like this and I am faced with the realization that people in the dog training world can be so unprofessional, incompetent, and ineffective in their chosen profession. I guess I should learn.
Seeing this situation made me decide to write an article about how to know when you need a new dog trainer, using this as an example. Let me start by highlighting what was really going on. This client had worked with the other trainer weekly for about a year. When I arrived, she was having difficulty keeping the dog from biting people. After assessing the dog and the situation, it was a fairly easy fix. The dog needed some basic control work, and needed to have limits set very clearly. ONce the dog knew what he was supposed to be doing, he responded very well.
The other trainer had used some questionable techniques during the dog's protection training, not even following basic, well-known strategies to ensure the dog's stability and ability to turn off the aggression once turned on. By making the dog 'defensive' and threatening the dog to bring out aggression, she seriously damaged teh dog's trust in humans. Any good protection trainer knows that for a typical family protection dog, or for any dog starting a career in the sport or police k9 fields, you must start with prey drive, and work into defense drive. This trainers incompetence damaged the dog. Since she could not deal with the results of what she had created, she counselled her client to kill her dog. That's really unprofessional. She caused the problem, then couldn't fix it, so she blamed the dog. After having the client pay her for a year!
I hear stories like this all the time. They really make me angry. That is partially why i started Comet Canine. To provide real, professional, comprehensive dog training and behavior modificaiton services to the general public. I saw too many instances where people learn one technique, or make one up, and then claim to be professionals, without realizing the responsibility they hold. In the case of this client, her incompetence and inability to see her own limitations made her unable to see what was really going on, and could have led another person to euthanize a perfectly healthy and psychologicially normal dog.
You may be thinking that this does not apply to you, if you are not doing protection training. But I see it day in and day out with family pet dogs. People take their beloved dogs to see people who claim to be dog trainers, pay them lots of money, and are often given incomplete or even dangerous advice about how to deal with the problem they face. So how do you as a consumer know how to pick a trainer, or how to move on and find a new one? Here are a few guidelines:
Results. Are you getting results? Not in a year, but now? Has the trainer given you not only a plan for how to get to some future point where your dog might respond, but ALSO given you the tools you need to deal with the problem AS IT HAPPENS? Any good professional dog trainer can get a dog responding within a few sessions, and most problems require less then 10 sessions. Sometimes it takes longer, but in most cases if you have not seen a big change very quickly, it's time to find someone who is better equipped to help you.
Responsibility. Does the trainer blame the dog? A good trainer can deal with most dogs, and can switch gears if their initial plan isn't working. A real professional takes responsibility for their actions. They can recognize if they make a mistake. This doesn't mean that you are free of responsibilty, though. As the dog's owner, you need to consistently practice the skills and management techniques your trainer gives you.
Realistic Expectations. A true professional will set realistic goals to work towards. They will help you understand what you need to do, what the dog will be able to do, and help you work together as a team.
Ethics. A professional trainer will not mess your dog up, then tell you to euthanize it. A real professional can sometimes make mistakes, but they will help you get through it. A real professional will not charge you money and then not provide the expected results. A real professional will do their best to make sure you get what you pay for.
Skills. A real professional knows what he or she is doing. Everyone has their limits, no one knows everything, and there is not a right answer to every question. But being professional means keeping an open mind, observing what is really going on, and responding to the realities confronting you. Being professional means being open to using all the tools of the trade. Being professional means having read the scientific literature about your profession. Being professional means being able to apply that knowledge in a practical way.
Sometimes when I write these things I realize that I am not getting across what I truly want to say. The bottom line is this, my client spent a lot of money with a person who claimed to be an expert, but who provided sub-standard services, put the blame elsewhere, and almost cost her her dog's life. Dealing with beahvior problems such as aggression is serious business. Being deluded about your skills, or not knowing enough about how to deal with aggression can be dangerous. I find it offensive that people charge money for something they are not qualified to handle. And there's the final mark of a real professional. They know when they are in over their heads, and are not afraid to admit it. I work with other trainers on a regular basis, and I make referrals if I do not feel like I can deal with the issue at hand.
There's one more aspect to consider. And that is, does your trainer think that there is only one way to deal with things, their way? There are many different training tools, techniques, and methods out there. If a trainer is stuck using only one, they are limited. From people who only use click and treat, to people who only use electric collars, to people who only do clinical consultations, there are tons of trainers who apply only one method. If your dog does not respond, they blame the dog, they blame you, isntead of expanding their repertoire and openign their minds.
A note to the 'positive only' folks, read Lindsey's 'Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training, Vols I-III'. If you think that the science backs your position, you're in for a surprise. Much of what is being taught as dog training 'fact' today is little more than dogma. Repeating something does not make it true. Believing something does not make it true. To consumers: Choose a trainer who is not dogmatic, but who is flexible, experienced, and has a big toolbox, not just one tool.
That's Obedience Training the Comet Canine Way.
Did you know that you should try not to repeat commands? Learn from Comet Canine's dog training tips and advice in our online dog training articles.
