Dog trainers with exquisite mechanical skills and exemplary instructing skills. Dog trainers who behave professionally and who emphasise puppy and dog training.
You would think that this is what we have within our population of dog trainers. If we did, then I think we would be in a better place.
You will commonly hear that the only thing that two dog trainers agree on is, that the third dog trainer is wrong. We hear it so often it is cliché and is largely accepted, which informs our view of our evolving industry.
It is unlikely that professional regulation for dog trainers will be widespread any time soon. We don’t have any sort of minimum standards of anything right now, and this is difficult to establish in such a diverse and divisive atmosphere.
Because there are no standards, there are no standards.
This is not made any easier by the really, really confusing array of certifications and titles, and a stunningly large number of organisations to align with – each and every one can offer you something you just don’t get from another and so on.
Or plethora of educational institutions offering courses, seminars, webinars, books, articles, blogs, tips, clips and promising you that they, over all the others will offer you the very best.
And to add to the in-fighting among individuals, it’s present among professional bodies and organisations too, with one not recognising the achievements or certifications of another.
Developing some sort of structure is tricky because we would have to develop minimum standards in practice, but trickiest of all, there would need to be some incentive to do so.
Pressure needs to come from pet owners, but because of a history of expert advice offered and accepted by everyone from vets to groomers, from TV gurus to the random man in the park, it’s hard to see how there would sufficient motivation for the pet owning population to exert this pressure when I’m not sure many are aware or (dare I say) care about professional standards for dog trainers.
But it is getting better. It is unrecognisable compared to the so-called industry I started in and continues to grow and develop.
Dogs and dogma
Balance, in dog training, is a dirty word. The dominance of social media (I’m allowed to say the D word in this context!) means that polarisation of all things dog is becoming entrenched in our culture.
Listen, there are more than two ways to do most things and that’s the case in dog training. We are dealing with living beings, both two and four legged, and changing environmental conditions – that’s why behaviour exists, is modifiable and is so adaptable.
You can have a wide and varied toolbox without having to venture outside your comfort zone.
And having a comfort zone, that’s ok too. Choosing to train in a certain way doesn’t make you better or someone else worse.
In general, teaching and learning have been moving away from the application of aversive methodologies and emphasising the importance of mechanical teaching skills and careful management of the learning environment. This is good.
But exactly how this is applied varies and therein lies the problem – the dog training world is a polarised place and the more one movement promotes their mantra, the more another movement pushes further and further away.
Polarisation is not getting us anywhere, as the same arguments are rehashed again and again on the various stages, most of them via social media.
Despite our emphasis on un-labelling animal behaviour, we sure spend a lot of time trying to define more and more specific boxes into which we can squeeze our training.
“Positive”, “force-free”, “traditional”, “balanced”, “humane”, “welfare-friendly”, “working dog trainer”, “show dog trainer”, “crossover trainer”…
We are trying to stand out from the ‘others’ with whom we don’t agree, and in doing so pigeon hole our training, skill and knowledge.
Dog training can often be hostile. Social media, which has become an important part of dog trainer culture, makes this hostility more impactful. Clinging to a ‘side’ is negatively reinforced and that’s pretty powerful.
When we are starting out, we want to belong. We need the support, and we might not have the confidence to stand out or pull against the tide. It’s easy to be sucked in and to find comfort there.
That brings us to an interesting point of contention – we might be quick to apply these more modern approaches to teaching to our canine students but not so generous when dealing with fellow two-leggers.
Want behaviour change? You first!
Well, as we say in dog training, you get the behaviours you reinforce, not the ones you want. Behaviour is behaviour is behaviour and regardless of what label you are aligned with, we are technicians and facilitators of behaviour change, so we shouldn’t be finding this so hard, right?!
Science & practice
Something pretty cool has happened in the last couple of decades that has really accelerated our practice but also the trainer wars – dogs have become a popular subject of scientific study. Every week papers are published of scientific merit and we get to drool over them, working out the best ways to apply this new knowledge.
To do this requires a thorough understanding of the principles of behaviour and behaviour change.
We have a whole science of behaviour to call on, and although we still have lots to learn we have a good understanding of lots of areas of natural animal behaviour and how animals learn.
No modern dog trainer can function ethically, competently, effectively without this bread and butter.
Walk before you can run
We all want to sell our wares; it’s an industry after all, and each of us needs to eat and make a living. To do this each trainer is trying to get their unique selling point to the forefront.
In our evolving industry, with our competing educational and certifying bodies abound, there is an influx of courses and seminars and webinars and fads and trends boasting the latest methodology, or more advanced techniques and in some cases, information that will never be applied (realistically or correctly) by most dog trainers.
And as excited as I am about new discoveries and new ideas, I am just as concerned about the loss of focus on the very foundation that’s our bread and butter.
All the sexy stuff is great but to become a really great dog trainer, one of those ones that the world really needs, requires a simply excellent mastery of those foundations.
Becoming better
learn how to capture behaviour – how to arrange prompts to get behaviour without causing frustration or loss of interest
learn how to shape behaviour, without relying on extinction – be a better observer, be a better setter of criteria
develop exquisite timing
learn how to handle food rewards – how to get them from you to the dog, how to position them to promote learning
learn about motivation and how reinforcement functions
learn how to lure so that you get behaviour quickly, and can fade those lures quickly
learn how to fade prompts, without losing integrity or quality of behaviour
learn how to manipulate the learning environment so that you can progress and generalise learning
increase your ROR, and when you have increased it, increase it some more
build desired behaviours rather than break down unwanted ones
learn how to supervise dog-dog interactions
learn how to expose puppies to different experiences to best facilitate their behavioural development
train your dog, and live what you preach
develop the gift of foresight so that you can predict and prevent – be proactive, not reactive
learn how to safely organise teaching so that every one is safe
learn about muzzling, and barriers and proper management
become an amazing definer of criteria – don’t settle for good enough
plan your training, split criteria and be adaptable
forget about the sexy stuff, forget about aggression and biting and reactivity – get really good at training behaviours, and I mean really good
and once you have aced all that with dogs, start working with other species like prey animals who don’t like you, or predatory animals who can hurt you – dogs are forgiving and hide a multitude of our sins
develop skills in applying this to humans too
This list is the tip of the iceberg, and I haven’t even mentioned the people-training stuff, professional & business stuff or the rest of the dog stuff. (Can you add to this list?)
But if you get really really really really good at this stuff, the other stuff falls into place and all that advanced, pie-in-the-sky information fits right in, is beneficial and enjoyable, rather than overwhelming.
What the world doesn’t need more of…
We don’t need more egos who feature in their own videos more than dogs or dog training do.
We don’t need more dog whisperers, listeners, psychologists, experts, specialists.
We don’t need more gurus with massive social media followings, who can’t seem to demonstrate these basic skills with other people and their pets (as in, being a dog trainer).
We don’t need more rehabilitators, or aggression specialists, or reactive dog fixers.
We don’t need more organisations, or certifications or titles.
(Can you add to this list?)
Be a critical thinker, challenge what you are told and what you believe. Don’t get sucked in.
Above all else, what the world needs now are more great dog trainers.
Get out there and train, teach people, show off your skills, have fun with your dog and be a great dog trainer, making that difference.
This week we had Molly for her last daytraining session and she did so amazingly well that we got to take a walk in our local park and have lots of fun!
With Molly’s improvement in the foundation our work has laid, she and her family will continue to build on this closer to home.
Harry came for his first puppy session with his new family to get the best start with all that puppy stuff!
Zepp came for some behaviour work with his people. Among other things we worked on some sofa manners, including how to teach a dog to get off the sofa when asked:
Leo came for some behaviour work too, as we begin to work through some adolescent behaviour – dogs go through a teenage phase too!
Basil came for a training session to help boost his responsiveness and comfort with specific triggers, when out walking. As you can see, he’s pretty relaxed about this whole training business…
Double the fun, double the cuteness and of course, double the trouble, Meryl & Doug.
These two came for their first puppy session with their people, and everyone learned loads!
People Training
This weekend our Canine Studies – Foundation learners came for their second day of tuition. This course is for pet sitters and dog walkers and on Sunday they worked on learning theories, luring, capturing, shaping, and canine signaling.
On top of that they learned how to evaluate a dog’s weight using a body condition scoring system. Most pet dogs in development countries are overweight and what’s more worrying is that people, even including some pet care professionals, have trouble identifying a dog who is overweight.
Many of you will have seen this and similar BCS tools:
This great resource helps you more quickly evaluate the amount of fat carried on your dog’s ribs:
Share this far and wide – the first step in helping improve your pet’s health is to assess the extent of their weight gain.
AniEd Dogs
Dilis, Boomer and Zak were ‘working’ this week, along with lovebirds Decker & Daisy:
Daisy is even starting to play and initiate interactions with Decker:
Baby on the way? Or even potentially on the way? Get preparing and to start you off here is an excellent piece from Family Paws: Carry a doll? Should we practice?
Such a simple but great way of providing enrichment for cats, and I am certain that some dogs would enjoy this too, maybe with bigger and even stiffer bristles:
Playing with your dog is incredibly important in terms of developing and maintaining your relationship and there has been a little bit of work looking at dog-human play; here’s a covering of recent work in this area highlighting some of the best ways to play!
This week we had lots of applicants in for interview, well more of a chat really, for our new Canine Behaviour & Training Technician program that’s starting next month. CBTT7 will be starting soon and we can’t wait!
Awesome Pets & their People
Molly was back for more Daytraining this week and we were able to achieve more polite leash walking in new areas with much improved responsiveness and reduced vigilance from Molly!
Help your dog pass major triggers, when there’s no other way, like a large dog in a window (only a couple of metres from the pathway) barking at us, as is the case here:
Once we can surprise Ralph with his new recall cue when he’s mildly distracted, we can begin to build an approach and collar grab into our recall routine:
Not only does our new recall cue mean that the dog will always be rewarded, but also means that to access distractions they must recall first.
Lola came for some behaviour work – she is even more adorable in real life! She has spent much of her early life confined to a crate but is now in a great new home and we will be working through some behaviours to help her settle and better cope.
Teaching default sits is a great exercise – think of all the things that your dog can’t do if she’s sitting…!
More Canine First Responder course delivery this week for the Animal Care students of Ormonde College of Further Education, Kilkenny with everyone earning their certs and a greater understanding of what to do in an emergency.
This weekend, our CTI3 learners are back for their second weekend of tuition, working on Canine Health & Disease and Animal Learning & Applications.
They are working hard on learning about canine health, responsible ownership, disease and disease prevention, emergency care, environmental enrichment, learning theories, canine signaling, the effects of aversives and training techniques luring, capturing, targeting and freeshaping. They will certainly deserve their rest after all that!
Specific ingredients are often present in dog attacks to humans, the impact of many being preventable. This excellent piece looks at the building of a dangerous dog, in a pretty direct manner.
What would it look like if we treated other people we don’t know, like we do strange dogs? Would our expectations of dog behaviour change…?
We couldn’t blame these people for objecting to this harassment, yet may subject dogs to this and expect them not only to tolerate it, but to enjoy it. Not fair!
Reframing is key to many of life’s challenges, including some dog training challenges too: Training mindfully
Dogs have such an entwined relationship with humans that they have apparently evolved a heightened awareness for our emotional states:
Nail clipping is often dreaded by both people and pets, but just how important is cutting your dog’s nails, really?
Teach your dog to be more comfortable with nail clipping, rather than just managing their behaviour with help from this lovely clip:
Just like humans, visual acuity in dogs declines with age but dogs are more likely to become nearsighted, according to a recently published report. This may account for changes in responsiveness and other behavioural responses. Summary of this work here.
And to keep that vet visit and treatment as stress-reduced as possible this post offers a wealth of resources on doing just that: Less stress at the vets for dogs and cats
A nice straight forward piece here, Are Muzzles Cruel?…let me give you a hint…NO!
Congratulations to Lucca, an explosives detection dog, receives the Dickin Award, after serving with the US Marine Corps in Iraq and Afghanistan and losing a leg – go Lucca!
Molly did some really fantastic work during Daytraining this week and we made lots of progress when we went for short walks – go Molly!
Molly – treat stalking level: expert
Here she practices Crate Games, 1, learning to settle in her crate, that polite behaviour gets her nice things and that rewards happen away from the door:
This stunner, Balto, came for some behaviour work and we put lots of new exercises in place to help him and his family.
Practice collar grab exercises with your dog everyday, even if you only do five reps at a time – it all adds up, helping your dog feel more comfortable with collar handling, a vital skill.
Make sure to go at your dog’s pace, listening to them to maintain comfort and safety.
Elvis, and his buddy Millie, came for a training session too and we worked on confinement comfort…but really needed to spend more time working on posing…or at least both looking at the camera at the same time…
Bella and Ruby came for a visit too. Bella has just been adopted and we want to make sure that these two girls learn to get along and develop a great friendship.
We looked at lots of the best ways to manage their behaviour with separation and careful integration so that we can avoid the rehearsal of any unwanted or inappropriate behaviour.
On walks we are going to practice lots of parallel walking so that the girls can become more comfortable with one another, in wide open space, without direct approach or contact, and while everything is moving.
Here’s a top tip: do you own an adolescent dog, a new dog, a puppy or a worried dog?
Bring treats with you on every walk. Any time you or your dog spot something concerning that causes your dog to alert, stop and watch your dog closely.
Each time your dog looks at the distraction, feed them a treat, one after another.
Soon your dog will begin to get the game and look at the distraction and then back at you (hey! where’s my treat?!). Your dog is learning that distractions mean to focus on their person – without you saying a thing!
If your dog reacts, vocalises, can’t take food or is unable to look away from the distraction, the situation may be too much for them. Get them out of there and try again, when further away.
Rua and Loki are quite a pair – full of life and mischief! They came for some behaviour work to help them cope better with stress, learn to settle when apart and make life easier for everyone!
Blurry tails!
Loki is learning to happily wear a muzzle right now; an important skill for all dogs.
We recommend this training program for helping dogs learn greater comfort with muzzling and taking your time so that they are comfortable with the feel of the muzzle on their face.
If your muzzle training reaches a bit of a lull or you want to give your dog some extra help, try adding this exercise:
Prince, such a cheeky chappie, came for some behaviour work too and is going to be learning all about crate training and handling comfort from now on!
An unexpected visitor
A very sweet and friendly cat, yes, a feline, found us and we soon made friends. He has no collar or chip, and is injured and quite skinny.
He is very comfortable with our handling and contact and had a yummy lunch, before we brought him to the vet for treatment.
We have a lovely rescue space all lined up for him, should no owner come forward, so hopefully he is on the road to recovery soon.
We have named him Ollie!
Although we didn’t introduce him to the dogs, to prevent any distress, Daisy and Dilis had a great time sniffing one of the blankets he slept on, giving it a very thorough going over!
Olfactory enrichment!
People Training
Today our CN4 group came for their last day of tuition on their Canine Nutrition course.
We covered lots and lots, with some great discussions on homemade and commercial diets, food and behaviour, dietary adverse reactions, obesity and dietary support and management for a range of conditions.
A busy day with Decker lending a hand because who better to tell us about canine nutrition than the dog himself!
AniEd Dogs
These four troublemakers had lots of fun being office dogs:
More woofing to make up for the lack of Woofs last week!
The fantastic Jessie is still looking for her forever home!
Detail of an amazing piece of work, run by Morris Animal Foundation since last year, involving 3000 Golden Retrievers and their owners hoping to shed more and more light on genetic disease, particularly related to cancers in these dogs, all dogs and people too: San Jose dogs, owners join DNA studies to help find cures
Bloat or GDV, is a scary and often fatal condition particularly affecting large dogs (especially Great Danes) and one long surrounded in mystery. Works commissioned in the last few years is progressing to provide more information on the possible genetic basis of this and related conditions; a summary of this fascinating and not yet published work here.
Never heard of bloat or not sure what it looks like? Check out this piece on identifying the signs of bloat.
Dogs who are trained for the highly stressful and difficult job of being an assistance dog are very carefully selected, produced, reared and trained – this is not a job that any or every dog can do; read the ups and downs of such a journey here.
When we keep dogs as pets they are living in a foreign land; take some time to learn a little about their communication behaviour (I am sure that you have noticed that they can read humans pretty well!):
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AniEd Ireland 