The Mechanics of Dog Training

Picking the wrong dog trainer can be like taking your car to a dodgy mechanic to get fixed. A dodgy mechanic might take short cuts to keep costs down and maximise profits. You go to pick up your car and on the surface, the problem appears to be fixed, however underneath, the problem still exists. Not only is your car not fixed, but because you are under the illusion that it is, you continue to drive your broken car, placing it under extreme stress which results in even more problems than when you started. If you drive it for long enough, eventually your engine might just stop working all together.

This is exactly what happens when you pick the wrong dog trainer. Because the dog training industry is unregulated, anyone can call themselves a dog trainer or a behaviour expert, whether or not they have any education in the field. Without an education based in the science of dog training and behaviour, many "dog trainers" use outdated methods that often create more problems than they solve.

Often these methods appear to work very quickly at solving the problem. However, whilst on the surface everything appears to be fixed, just like our friend the dodgy mechanic, the underlying cause of the problem is still there. As you continue on with the "training," you place your dog under extreme stress until eventually the dog "explodes," or even stops working. What I mean by that is that either the dog's behaviour will return at a level far worse than when you started the "training," or the dog will shut down completely. More often than not, the behaviour will return a few months down the track and is much more severe than it previously was.

So how can you be sure you are getting the right dog trainer?

1. Make sure they have some level of formal education in the dog training field first. 
2. Do they use current science based methods?
3. Do they attend regular workshops and seminars to keep their knowledge up to date? 
4. What happens when the dog gets it right? The answer should be that the dog is rewarded with something the dog finds rewarding (food, toys, play etc.)
5. What happens if the dog gets it wrong? If the trainer plans to punish your dog, run in the opposite direction. Dogs need to be redirected, taught alternate behaviours, and set up for better success next time so they don't get it wrong. My answer to this question; kick myself in the pants for setting the dog up to fail!