Are you looking for a trainer for your growly, reactive, lunging dog?
Simple!
Just look in the phone book …
NOOOOOOO!!!
What may appear simple to the man or woman in the street is actually quite complicated and fraught with danger!
In any professional group there will be differences of opinion. We all know that. But in the dog training world the differences are critical! They’re between treating your dog kindly at all times, and being positively nasty to her!
So choosing the wrong trainer for your precious dog can have enormous fallout.
Take Dottie in the story I told last week. She was trying to do her best for her little Toby, but came seriously unstuck and ended up doing bad things she would never have dreamt up on her own.
Sadly, this is a common tale. I hear daily from people who were near despair. Only yesterday I worked with a couple who when I first met them were close to rehoming their dog as she appeared to have so many problems. No chance of her leaving now - they adore their transformed doglet!
Ute had tried three trainers, while her dog gradually deteriorated. She told me, “the first trainer made things worse by using what I consider force against my will.”
Jennifer sang a similar song when she sought help for her two puppies: “I had a trainer/behaviourist to them at 8 months who threw their leads at them because they barked at her then told me they were nervous and could bite if I didn't do something”
This extraordinary behaviour is clearly a popular technique amongst the old school trainers (they call themselves “balanced” for some weird and unbalanced reason) as Valerie had the exact same experience before she found me: “I am so glad to have found a trainer who can understand my feeling that there is no point in throwing things at an already nervous dog.”
And Stella hit the nail on the head when she recalled that her beautiful chocolate poodle was labelled by a vet and a trainer as “’difficult' or 'feisty’. It became a self-fulfilling prophecy.” Of course it did! If you keep telling a child he’s naughty, that’s exactly what he’ll be.
Even a young puppy can get the short end of the stick: “we had a 1:1 with a dog trainer which left us feeling much worse” said Satya of her 13-week-old pup. Really! Just a baby.
Money?
Buckets of it go into the pockets of these people who claim to have the dog’s interests at heart. See what Marita said:
“Three animal trainers and hundreds of dollars later I found Beverley. I wish I had found her sooner.”
So it’s not about the money! It’s about the success you have - and most importantly for me - the method you use to get there
As Burt Bacharach has it in “Alfie”,
Are we meant to take more than we give
Or are we meant to be kind?
I believe in love, Alfie …
When you walk let your heart lead the way
Are you letting your heart lead the way? Or are you letting someone bamboozle you out of your beliefs and integrity, and letting them do awful things to your dog?
A Secret Weapon
Thing is … I have a secret weapon.
Most of my students have discovered this - and that’s why they’ve chosen to follow me and study with me!
Elle got it when she told me, “you wear many different hats....dog trainer, people trainer, educator, counsellor, support/outreach, author, etc. etc. etc…’
And Chris put it even more succinctly!
Brilliant Family Dog? More like Brilliant People Trainer
My secret is out!
You need to find a dog trainer who has compassion for both you and your dog. Operating on the dog as if it’s a faulty machine, and ignoring the relationship between dog and owner is doomed to total failure.
So if you’re looking for help for your growly, reactive, lunging dog - or simply for your wild puppy or your dog who seems to be challenging - keep these thoughts in mind when you hunt.
And you may be surprised to learn that you don’t need a local trainer! If the expertise is with someone the other side of the world, that’s where you should be looking.
I have finally found sound advice and a trainer - even if you are half a world away. Joanne
So keep it simple by just staying with me at Brilliant Family Dog! Check out the possibilities now …