TV Dog Trainers Exposed!

By Aidan Bindoff

Who could fail to be impressed by the extraordinary results of TV celebrity dog trainers? In minutes they can turn anxious, aggressive, “dominant” mutts into angelic pooches who never set a paw wrong… or can they?

The wonderful thing about television is it’s value as an entertainment medium. TV producers (with some very limited exceptions) are not there to disseminate important information, they are there to sell advertising time or subscriptions. And nothing sells like a story of transformation that inspires hope, particularly if that story is about a beloved pet. It’s something any pet-lover can relate to. Particularly if you are like the majority of pet owners and struggle with training, obedience and doggy manners.

As a dog trainer I am often amazed at the remarkable success stories I see on TV programs about dog training. In minutes, these gifted individuals can turn a problem dog (or dog owner) around. Sure, I’ve had a few remarkable success stories myself, but I know they are the exception, not the rule. Big changes to serious problems tend to take more time than TV producers allow for.

The truth is that TV producers will only show the best stories, and even then they won’t show you the whole story. What gets left on the cutting room floor? Why do we rarely see follow-up? I know a local TV dog trainer has a string of unsuccessful cases that appeared to be successful on television. Those certainly haven’t been followed up and aired!

I also know that it’s easy to impress a client by asking their dog to do something very specific in a situation which sets that dog up for success. With a little knowledge and experience I don’t tend to make the same mistakes my clients will make, yet even my own dogs are far from perfect. The real world sets us up to make a few mistakes along the way. A 5 minute slot on a highly edited TV program is about as far removed from the real world as possible.

So what can we believe about TV celebrity dog trainers? Everything – with a grain of salt. Watching your favourite dog trainer on television may entertain you, but it’s value as an education medium is somewhat limited. Sure, remarkable success stories are possible. Experienced and knowledgeable trainers will get faster results than the general public. But the laws of learning do not change, and it pays to read, discuss and practise them. Getting your information from a multitude of sources would be a wise investment, as would seeking help from a competent ‘real live’ dog trainer if you have a dog behavior problem you need to solve.

Aidan Bindoff is Editor of http://www.PositivePetzine.com, a free resource for people training their own dog. Each edition is packed with helpful tips for training your dog using the latest pet-friendly methods that work fast and don’t require a degree in animal behavior to use.

Join now, and for a limited time you may download all available back issues (a $29.95 value) for FREE!

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TV Dog Trainers Exposed! is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

The link takes you to it. The comments are very interesting too!

Superb Article on Cesar Millan is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

Well, learning to be a dog trainer takes quite a lot of actual experience with dogs, and much of that experience would ideally be working with a really good trainer who was good at teaching also.

Do think a bit about what your approach to dog training will be. Many dog trainers still think they have to dominate the dogs in terms of being like a wolf pack, but more effective methods are known now, based on rewards for what the dog does. I write a lot about this on my blog and website.

Even without the cost of tuition in hand, there are a variety of things that you can do to begin to explore dog training as a career. You can volunteer at shelters or with local dog training clubs or trainers if you like their approach.  Or simply start trying things from dog training websites or books, on dogs you know, with the agreement of their owners, of course…friends, family, and neighbors may all have dogs you can practice on. If you don’t already know the dogs well, be sure to ask the owners if there is anything you should know.

Getting a thorough training and certification is a very good idea down the road, but you can learn a lot about the career without spending much, I’m sure.

Being a dog trainer is not for everyone. I have a good friend who is a dog walker, and I once asked him if he was interested in becoming a trainer. No, he said, with the walking, his interactions are mainly with the dogs, where if he began doing dog training professionally, he would have to be working a lot more with humans. He likes it best with just the dogs!

If you think you might be interested in becoming a dog training, here’s a page on my website where I review an inexpensive and useful book, Take the Class, by Silvia Kent, that will give you an idea what is involved. It’s available as an ebook, immediately downloadable, or as a physical book, with links to both from that page. Here is Silvia’s own description of what topics are covered. (She’s British which explains some of the spelling and terms.)

Section 1 – All About Dog Obedience Instructing

Difficult Owners, Difficult Dogs, Venues, Equipment, Class Patterns, How To Teach, How To Practise, Safety, Fun & Games, Enjoyment, Basic To Competition Classes, Articles, Dog Behaviour & A Whole Lot More!

Section 2 – The A-Z Of Dog Obedience Instructing

From Advanced Heelwork to ASSD, From KPT To Flat & Kill, From Box Training To Sendaways, From Companion Heelwork Corrections to Four Different Methods To Teach Three Different Finishes, From Footwork to a full Scent Progression & A Whole Lot More!

Section 3 – Trouble Shooting Foundation Exercises

From what to do when a dog won’t go Down to what to do about paddling on the Stand Stay; From Slow Returns To Overshooting Retrieve Presents; From Shaking Articles To Lagging On Heelwork – And A Whole Lot More!

I read the book a few years ago, and I remember enjoying it very much.

Want to Learn to Be a Dog Trainer But Have Little Money? is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

Here are five topics to discuss. Depending on the particular situation, you can do early interviewing over the phone, but you definitely need to spend time in person with anyone before choosing them.

• What is your background in dog training? Are you a certified trainer or a member of any professional groups? How long have you been training dogs?
• What methods do you use? (Here don’t say at first “Do you use positive methods only?” because that’s a leading question that they may say yes to when in fact they do use aversive methods such as electric shock collars or yelling harshly at the dogs. If they are of the school of thought that you have to be dominant over dogs — an old idea that is still strong, even though based on bad science — then be more wary.)
• After you describe the problem you want them to work on with you, ask if they have experience with it, how many dogs, and what their suggested training protocol would be. How many sessions do they estimate? Keep in mind that the actual number of sessions depends so much on your dog that if they are reluctant to guess, that’s a reasonable reply.
• The mechanics of working together: Where would you work and could I be present at the sessions? What times are you available? What do you charge and when do you expect payment?
• Can you give me several phone numbers of people you have worked for, whom I may contact?

Take your time in choosing a dog trainer. Sleep on it, talk it over with someone you trust, and then do it if you are happy enough with someone you have found. If you aren’t, just keep your eyes open everywhere and more trainers may come into your life. It’s funny how that happens when we are looking for something. Also, in the meantime, do work on the issue with your dog yourself, to the best of your ability.

Evaluating a Trainer You Are Working With

It’s worth remembering that most dog owners are in a vulnerable frame of mind when they start working with a dog trainer. Be aware that some dog trainers can be slick about presenting themselves and their approach as your last hope. Make that your dog’s last hope. So then you may have a lot riding on the success of this particular trainer. And if that person doesn’t deliver the miracles, who is likely to be blamed? The hapless dog owner, who could then have guilt to deal with as well as a dog who has been confused or frightened by the trainer.

Mighty unpleasant scenario, isn’t it? And I’m glad to say it is rare. But I have received emails from dog owners who have endured something of this sort, and so I just want to give you a heads up.

Of course, plain old mistakes can also turn up in dog training as in every task. That’s something else to watch out for.

Evaluating the dog trainer you are working with should be going on in your mind as you work together. Do give them enough time, do ask questions about anything you don’t understand, and chances are you will have a better trained dog — especially if you do any homework the trainer asks you to — and a new resource in the trainer. That’s well worth the work it may be to make it happen.

Dog Training Tips: How to Choose and Evaluate a Dog Trainer is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

Often the first step is to gather information: read a book, watch a DVD, go online to dog forums ( Dogforums.com is one) and websites like this one. Quite often the owner solves the problem by taking action on the information gleaned. And it works.

But many other times, the best choice is really to get the help of a good trainer.

Not just any trainer, of course, but a good one: a caring and knowledgeable person who uses up-to-date methods like clicker training or other pain-free approaches.

People may procrastinate on doing this for a variety of reasons: they keep hoping the dog’s behavior problem will take care of itself. They don’t know how to find a trainer or to evaluate any they hear of. The cost can be daunting or seem impossible. They may be very busy or even overwhelmed with the rest of their life — say, three kids under age 5, or a demanding 60+ hour work week.

But if you do get a good dog trainer, you’ll have someone who can make a huge difference. You’ll have someone on your team, a resource to be turned to time and again if needed. Just knowing you can have them work with your dog again later if needed may give you the oomph to take care of other problems on your own. If you want to take your own process of dog training to a higher level, they can be an invaluable resource.

How do you find a good dog trainer?

Here are several things you can do to start. Be sure and ask about the approach to dog training used by anyone you consider.

• Go to the dog trainer search page of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (I’m a member… you may have seen their logo on my webpages. )
• Ask your veterinarian
• Look in the yellow page
• Use local search on Google
• Check bulletin boards for dog training classes.

Once you find one or several possible dog trainers, how do you choose one? I’ll write about that in the next dog training tip.

Dog Training Tips: Sometimes You Need a Dog Trainer is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

Dogwise recently announced that the new 2008 edition of Terry Ryan’s Coaching People to Train Their Dogs is available now. If you haven’t heard of Terry Ryan, she is a renowned dog trainer whose books, lectures, and workshops have long been focused on teaching dog trainers how to teach people to train their dogs. This nearly 400 page book covers everything a dog trainer would want to know, in great detail — the Table of Contents alone runs nine pages!

To give you the idea, here are the chapter headings in that long Table of Contents:

1. Overview
2. Ethology
3. The Science of Learning
4. Husbandry (Health and Wellness Information; Training Equipment)
5. The Business
6. People Skills
7. Class Organization
8. A Toolbox for Remodeling Problem Behavior
9. Appendix
10. Index

You can see all the subheadings in each chapter at the Dogwise page where the book is presented. To give you more of the flavor, here are the first dozen subheadings under Ethology: Comparing dogs with humans, our dog’s ancestors, early relationships – speculations, an example of purposeful domestication using selective breeding, comparing dogs with wolves, wolf-dog hybrids, behavior: why do dogs do that?, phylogenetic behavior, fixed action patterns, ontogenetic behavior, temperament — nature and nurture, and instinctive drift — the Breland Effect.

Some of that sounds like heady going, but if you are training people to train their own dogs you will be happy to have a solid background in methods and theories. Here are some of my favorite subheadings from the People Skills chapter:

• Tell Me and I’ll Forget
• It’s Not What You Say, It’s What They Hear
• This is New Stuff — From Our Students’ Point of View
• The Talkers in Class
• Pet Loss
• Demo Dog — Your hand
• The Children in the Family
• Using Music as an Aid to Communication
• Remembering Names

As you can see, it’s very practical and useful! I’ve taught classes in other subjects and this practically (but not quite) makes me want to teach dog training classes. By the way, if you go to look at the pages from the book shown on Dogwise, be sure to click on "Zoom In" or you will be squinting.

At $65 the book is an investment, but if you are already a dog trainer or seriously considering becoming one, I suspect this book will pay for itself many times over in the creative and useful ideas, lesson plans, guidelines, and much more that you can turn to. It can inspire you when you hit lulls. It can extend your abilities way beyond what they are now. Got a recalcitrant puppy (or puppy owner) in your class? Get some ideas here.

No wonder Whole Dog Journal put the 2005 edition on their list of the Best Positive Dog Training Books. Noted dog trainer Jean Donaldson, herself an acclaimed author and Director of the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Academy for Dog Trainers, said, "Thoroughly researched and thoughtfully written, this text is an excellent survey of many boggling complexities of dog training today." Reviewers at Dogwise, all dog trainers themselves, spoke highly of the book.

If you’d like to know more about Terry Ryan and her work, see her website at http://www.legacycanine.com and there is a nice page listing her dog training tips at http://legacycanine.com/pages/terry-s-tips.php — these would be of interest to any dog or puppy owner, not just dog trainers.

Click on the image below to take a look at the Dogwise page. When I wrote this review, Amazon didn’t have the new edition, though they might later.

Coaching People to Train Their Dogs is a post from: Training Dogs Blog