Red Flags In Finding A “Trainer”.

I can’t tell you how many dog owners I’ve met that have been through trainer after trainer, spent thousands of dollars and zero or even negative results. The trainer blames you when training fails – but yet, here’s a bill.

How do I sum up dog training? “Man fears that which they don’t understand – if they can’t control it, they destroy it”. If a trainer is scared of a dog, they shouldn’t be working with dogs – kick them out. Why? Because they don’t understand the dog. Tell them to take a hike – and DON’T pay the bill. Paying the bill is what enables them to keep doing it.

How do you avoid the pitfalls? When looking for a trainer, don’t settle for second best.

• There is no reason that a trainer can’t record everything they do with your dog for you to see. It takes alot for a dog owner to put their dog into the hands of a stranger, and that is something I don’t take lightly. I wear a chest mount gopro and record everything for the dog owners sake. They can watch every second of me working with their dog, I have nothing to hide. I want them to see that I’m not beating their dog, not pronging it, not shocking it – while I’m out of their view. A chest mount for a phone is cheap – why can’t every trainer do this?

• Always ask to meet the trainers dog. Their dog should be the outcome of methods and ideologies. If the answer is no, red flag, run. Why? Spend enough time in “trainer only” groups, you’ll understand that many trainers have problem dogs of their own that they can’t fix. But yet, they charge you to apply the same protocols that didn’t work on theirs? If it’s not the dog you want, look elsewhere. If their dog is wearing a prong or an e-collar, or isn’t able to be around dogs – is that what you want? Because that’s all they are capable of.

• If a trainer tells you that they are going to train your dog their way? Tell them to take a hike. You are paying for a service, they are supposed to work for you. If you hire a plumber, you expect them to do the job that you want properly. I fail to understand why paying a trainer for a service is supposed to be different?

• The number one request I get from owners? Can my dog be in a dog park? My answer – lets find out. The owner is paying me to work for them, my job is to meet the owners goals. Not the other way around. Even if your goal isn’t a dog park, ask the trainer how they feel about dog parks. If they reject the idea, look elsewhere. Dogs are not born knowing how to be dog, they need to learn “dog” from other dogs. If a trainer doesn’t understand that – get rid of them.

• Never tell a trainer that your dog is “aggressive” – either they won’t show up at all because they are scared. Or they will assume your dog is aggressive and treat it as such because they are scared. Either way, it’s not going to end well. It’s the trainers job to assess and diagnose the dog – not yours. I’m sorry, but owners are typically wrong about their “aggressive” dogs. A 5 year old child can look at a dog raging on a leash and declare it “aggressive” – doesn’t mean it is. What does that say about trainers skills?
  
• Too many balanced trainers out there that carry the attitude of “every dog gets a prong and/or an e-collar”. This is not dog training, this is about control – you dog is nothing more than a liability to these trainers. Your dog should be an asset.
  
• If you talk to a trainer that diagnoses your dog without meeting the dog? Run, hard and fast. It’s dangerous for trainers to be doing this but it’s happening all too often.

• Owners tell me that their “trainer” made them barricade the dog behind a blockade because the dog is barking. If a trainer does meet your dog, and they throw treats over a fence at them – they are afraid. Tell them to take a hike, and don’t pay the bill. I’ve met so many dogs that were terrified of humans – and they have zero intention to bite. But yet, the trainer is scared of a dog that is terrified of them?

• If a trainer tells you to euthanize your dog? Kick them out and DON’T pay the bill. Blast their name all across facebook, call them out publicly, shame them publicly – don’t hide it. This is the problem with dog training – so much stuff hidden.

• If they scream about credentials? Then chances are, credentials are all they care about. The dog is not their biggest concern, their pride is. I’ll tell you right now – most trainers don’t care about your dog. They care about the liability that the dog is.

• If a trainer starts talking about the “punishment” quadrants – ask them to explain where the punishment quadrants came from? They blame B.F Skinner for the creation of the quadrants but the man didn’t believe in punishment – at all. He knew it wasn’t effective.

• If you have a “positive reinforcement” trainer – ask them to define “positive reinforcement” in a way that is clearly understood. If they can’t…? Positive Reinforcement isn’t “have a treat”. Ask them why B.F Skinner was using shock along with food reward? Ask them why B.F Skinner kept the animals in his lab starving to food motivate them? When they tell you to withhold food? There is a reason for it. It’s cruel.
  
• With all of todays technology, I’m amazed at how many trainers cannot provide video of them working with a dog. Ask a perspective trainer for video – assessment, during and positive outcome that you want. If they can’t?

Chances are good I’ll be adding to this blog.