Monday, August 9, 2021
5 Questions You Should Ask Your Dog Trainer
#AlphaDogTraining #dogtrainerssaltlakecity
5 Questions You Should Ask Your Dog Trainer
Published by Alpha Dog Training
(801) 910-1700
Believe it or not, the dog training world is completely unregulated. There are no requirements or licenses needed. There is no one checking in to make sure the services being provided are ethical and humane.
To make things worse, in our beautiful state of Utah, there is no kennel inspection process which leaves little protection for you or your dog should things go wrong with your trainer.
Unfortunately, meeting with the wrong dog trainer or having your dog subjected to the wrong techniques can lead to life-long damage. And the pieces aren’t very fun to pick up.
Here are the 5 things I think are the MOST important to ask your dog trainer when you meet them:
1. How many years have you been working in the field of dog training and/or behavior?
1. Always ask your trainer how long they’ve been practicing. I want to know a dog trainer’s history and how much experience they have in behavior modification. You want to know how much experience your trainer has producing positive behavior change results in their career. Does their experience match what you are seeking?
2. What type of dog training have you done?
There are tons of different fields withing the dog training community, from competition obedience and agility, to nosework and search and rescue, working dogs, such as police K9’s, to pet dog basic obedience training to behavior modification of aggression, fear based behaviors and more.
1. You want to make sure the trainer you are working with has experience dealing with the problem behaviors or goals you are seeking to achieve. For example, a highly experienced police K9 trainer may not actually be qualified to work with aggression. A trainer such as myself would not be qualified to teach a competition agility course. An ethical trainer will refer out cases they do not meet the criteria to see.
3. What type of preliminary education in learning theory, behavior analysis, animal husbandry, and ethology do you have?
1. Having “lived and worked with dogs all my life” and I took a course with “so and so famous trainer” doesn’t cut it, unfortunately. In a time in which we can teach tigers to let us trim their nails through positive reinforcement, it’s silly to have animal trainers out there who don’t have a solid educational background in the animals they are training.
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3. The trainer you are working with should have a degree in psychology or animal behavior (not just science) in addition to canine husbandry and ethology, or a certification(s) that demonstrates their knowledge in all of these areas. If the trainer you are working with does not have a solid understanding in all of the above categories, they may be missing important components of a comprehensive training plan.
4. What do you use to reinforce and reward correct behavior?
1. An experienced and qualified trainer will be able to assess your dog’s personal wants and desires. Yes, food is always a primary reinforcement tool, but there are many other motivators that can help your dog feel successful with training. Praise, play, sniffing, and running are just some examples. Your trainer should be able to access all of these reinforcers to be able to produce and train you to get the most desired behavior from your dog.
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5. What if my dog makes a mistake?
1. An experienced and qualified trainer will assess your dog’s environment and teach you the best way to set them up for success first and foremost.
They should also be able to foresee situations that may arise with your dog, and teach your dog alternate behaviors, so you are prepared with a positive reinforcement approach in “uh-oh moments,” while you are working on modifying the initial problem behavior.
2. Your dog trainer should avoid the use of punishment (physical or emotional intimidation). Punishment is confusing, harmful and sometimes detrimental to a positive outcome and emotional well being of the learner. The fallout of the use of punishment…yes, even something as simple as a squirt bottle- is usually not worth it.
3. Alpha Dog Training of Utah has the answers! Feel free to contact us at any time, (801) 910-1700.
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