The Human Half of Dog Training

A major part of my role as a dog trainer is helping owners overcome some of the barriers that they, often inadvertently, create when starting out on their training journey.  

I have put together a list of some of the client behaviours that are, at times, challenging. Many of the items listed arise solely because we are humans, we act and behave in the way we would do if we were being taught, the big difference however is, you cannot sit a dog down and explain in a rational way what is expected of them. Considering the list, it’s amazing that our dogs ever learn, some don’t, but I suspect the majority that don’t are in the hands of owners who just aren’t prepared to listen!

The list is by no means exhaustive and In no particular order of importance or frequency of occurrence:

1.       Clients are often influenced by media (both social and mainstream) celebrities who advocate outdated theories and anecdotal pieces of advice, that have no scientific or factual evidence to support them. Some owners bring these beliefs to the training field and are sometimes reluctant to move away from them, which ultimately can lead to a confused dog, as the handler struggles to let go of old beliefs for proven methods.

2.       Clients treat the dog more like a human infant than a dog. Frankly, I don’t blame them entirely, as many of the major dog industry companies use this as a means of marketing products and services.

3.       Some people (something we all do at times, especially when we are struggling to get a message across) lack self-awareness and confuse their dog with lots of talking, inconsistent messaging, arm waving and general disorganisation.

4.       Owners/handlers Inadvertently or knowingly reinforce bad behaviours- a very common trait, as is the tendency to blame the dog for repeating a behaviour that has inadvertently been taught by its owners!

5.       Some owners think that a single class or once a week, is sufficient enough for them to have a fully trained and compliant dog at the end of the training program!! Dream on, I still do elements of training with my dogs every day and they are 7, 4 and 2.

6.       Some owners are often in denial as to what constitutes being in control of their dog. We are legally obliged to have control of our dogs but some owners thinks it ok to allow them the freedom to run up to people or other dogs when out walking. When discussing this with owners, it is often difficult to extol the need for a reliable recall, meaning that the owner has a half-hearted approach towards training, which is such a shame as they have taken the time to attend.

7.       Some cling to the belief that certain equipment is beneficial to their dog’s welfare and therefore its training, the harness being a prime example (I’m biased, I cant stand the things when training loose lead walking).

8.       Some have philosophical objections to creating rules and boundaries for the dog by being afraid to say no or giving consequence for unwanted behaviour. They automatically assume that consequence has to be Spartan in its delivery but simply walking away, if the pup doesn’t come when called, is consequence (me, your passport to safety, is going to disappear if you don’t come when called) and is consequence enough to let the dog know there are rules and boundaries applied when you ignore cues.

9.       Some turn up wanting me to do all the work and train their dog for them- I am more than happy to demonstrate all the training methods but actually training their dog for them is completely futile, I am not the one who spends every day with the dog. Even if you purchase a fully trained dog, it will quickly slip into unwanted behaviours and start to ignore you, especially if you fail to reinforce the training.

10.   They fail to accept the dog’s genetic traits and expect their dog to behave in exactly the same way as their neighbour’s dog (or a previous dog they have owned). How many of them buy cocker spaniels with the expectation that is going to be happy with a quick 30 minute stroll around the block before returning home to lie on the sofa, just like next doors Greyhound!!

Diplomacy, empathy, knowledge and effective communication, all assist in breaking down some of the issues presented above and most people who attend training are completely aware of this, as one of the first things they nearly always say is, ‘It’s me you have to train, not the dog!!’