Most folks assume that a dog trainer has to be good with dogs. That’s a reasonable assumption and certainly not untrue, but a good dog trainer must also be good with people. It’s all good if your dog can behave for me but if your dog doesn’t know to behave for you, then it’s all for nothing! Here are three reasons why I train owners as well as their dogs.
Reason #1: Relationship matters
Dogs form associations with specific people. For example, by the time they wrap up their board & train program, they associate me with a high level of accountability. In other words, they know that when I’m around, they need to behave. They’re not afraid of me—not even a little—but they understand that I’m a person who means what I say. That’s why when I pull up at your house for a follow up lesson, your dog is suddenly a verifiable angel.
The real question is: Does your dog associate you with a high level of accountability? When he comes home from training, you have an opportunity to form new, different experiences with your dog to help him reshape his association with you. That’s where I come in. If I don’t teach you how to handle those first few weeks home, your dog won’t learn that he really does have to listen to you—like, for real for real.
The relationship that I encourage you to form with your dog post-training is all about trust and respect. You’re both learning to trust each other in new ways. For example, if your dog was leash reactive, he’s learning to trust that you’ll advocate for him when other dogs are around, and you are learning to trust that your dog won’t automatically take matters into his own hands. As you get more and more practice with this new way of life and new way of relating to each other, you begin to develop and strengthen your mutual respect.
Reason #2: Dog behavior occurs in context
You’ve heard me say this a thousand times and I’ll say it again: dogs are not robots! I cannot teach your dog to behave a certain way 100% of the time no matter what is going on around him. Training dramatically improves the situation, but dogs will still need human guidance. Even extremely well trained dogs whose owners have put in hundreds of hours of training make mistakes or bad choices from time to time. Good news: If your dog is a family dog and you just want him to be a calmer, better behaved version of himself, you do NOT need to put in hundreds of hours of training time—not even close! But you do need to be willing to provide your dog with lots of guidance in everyday situations. That’s what I teach you: how to put all the skills your dog learned in training to good use in your home and beyond.
The goal is to build a pattern of your dog responding to YOUR directions. In other words, we’re building a working relationship between you and your dog. Think of it this way: if your dog gets into the habit of responding to your guidance in low key, low stress situations, he’s ten-times more likely to respond to your guidance when the sh*t hits the fan. I coach dog owners on how to develop a meaningful working relationship with their dog using everyday moments and events so that their dog will listen to them when it matters most.
Reason #3: It’s not easy for the humans
This reason is just as important as the others. We form deep emotional attachments to our dogs, and we often have a hard time shifting how we think about our dogs even when we know it’s in their best interest. Emotional attachments are tricky like that. I empathize with my clients because I once had to make this shift, too. Before I was a dog trainer I sent my own dog to a board & train program and in order for her to start behaving nicely at home (as she had at training) I needed to make a lot of changes. It was hard but it is one of the most meaningful shifts I’ve ever made—look where we are now! I will always be kind as I coach you through this process but I also vow to always tell you what you need to hear, which may not always be what you want to hear.
Dog training can be an emotional endeavor, but I’m here for you! I’ve been where you are and if you’ll trust me, I can help you get where you want to go.
