Choosing the right trainer for you.

We are a nation of dog lovers. Between 2012 – 2020, the average number of companion dogs remained steady at around 8.5-9 million. This figure jumped to a whopping 13 million dogs in the UK in just the last 2 years alone (1). As a result, the canine industry is now a booming market, seeing a significant rise in professional dog walkers, trainers, daycares and grooming. So, it may come as a shock to many to find out there is no regulation around many of these roles, and with no industry standard to adhere to, the training industry is awash with inexperienced, uneducated, and sometimes dangerous ‘professionals’ all vying for your hard earned cash to train your best friend.

With so many professionals to choose from, how can we be sure we’re doing the best for our dogs?

Let’s explore some things you can look out for to give you the green or red light when choosing the right trainer for you.

Firstly, as with every discipline, continued research and development means we are always finding new information, and sometimes that might be in direct conflict with previous findings. For example, and this is the BIG one:

The Dominance Theory/ The Alpha Theory.

Back in the 1930’s-40’s, Swiss animal behaviorist Rudolph Schenkel studied the heirachial behaviour of unrelated wild wolves in captivity. His research concluded that they co-existed within a pack mentality and would assert aggression and dominance in order to establish a hierarchy within the pack – with the the ‘Alpha’ being the fittest/strongest/most aggressive and therefore having access to the most resources.

However, (and this is all very simplified and condensed) further studies and research found this theory to be wrong.

Firstly, the captive environment was not conducive to an accurate representation of their natural behaviours in the wild.

Secondly, and probably most importantly, domesticated dogs and wild wolves are not comparable.

Scientist, David Mech, a wolf expert who wrote "The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species," in 1968, (published in 1970, republished in paperback in 1981, and currently still in print) initially subscribed to this theory in his research, but soon began to realise he was wrong. Despite his attempts to debunk his theory the public ran away with it and, to this day, it is still being applied to some methods of training.

It saw a resurgence with the rise in popularity of television personalities such as Cesar Milan, who promoted methods such as the Alpha Roll as a way to assert your role as pack leader, or to justify punitive training methods to gain your dogs respect.

Whilst we don’t need science to tell us that punishment and abuse has no place when working with our dogs, it is still widely used, even today.

Now that we know better, it is our responsibility to be better for our dogs. We know that positive reinforcement methods work for all species, so why would we choose to deliberately cause pain, fear or discomfort when training them?

Balanced or Force-Free?

When looking for the right trainer to suit your family, look at the language they use. This can be very telling. A trainer using aversive methods will likely use terminology such as corrections, commands, alpha, pack-leader, dominance… If they do, run! None of these indicate any understanding of canine behaviour, motivation or reinforcement. This would be considered a balanced trainer. It sounds ok, but balanced simply means they use all 4 areas of the quadrant, which includes punishment. (We’ll look at that another day).

Be also aware of the trainer who uses punishment but delivers at treat immediately afterwards. Despite the ‘reward’, this is not positive reinforcement. If I were to scream in your face for getting a quiz question wrong, but then give you a bar of chocolate, does that chocolate erase the stress or fear I caused by screaming at you first? Of course not! It’s quite likely that next time I ask you a question you will feel anxious about answering in case you get screamed at again. In fact, you might not offer any answer at all now, because that way you can’t get it wrong.

Ask your trainer how often they update their knowledge. Are they running off the back of  ‘30yrs experience’ but haven’t engaged in any education since 1992? Do you know how much we have discovered since then?!

Another deflection you may come across is the argument for qualifications. There are a few big league social media influencers who love to spout that qualifications are irrelevant in an industry with no regulation, but actually, what it shows is that your trainer is committed to continued professional development despite the lack of requirement.

Memberships to bodies such as the IMDT or APDT for example, require vigorous written and practical assessments, being able to demonstrate a clear understanding of learning theories, canine behaviour and motivation. They also have a strict code of ethics to adhere to. It shows your trainer is prepared to invest their income back into further building on their knowledge, and all because they want to do the very best they can for you and your dog.

Be aware! There are some bodies who just require an annual membership fee, so don’t be afraid to research them before you proceed. (Again, a good trainer will actually be delighted to hear you’ve done this, you are our favourite client!)

What equipment does your trainer suggest? ANYONE recommending e-collars, shock collars or prong collars is a huge red flag. They will attempt to justify the use by claiming they do not hurt/scare/damage the dog. Newsflash, yes they do! Again, another rhetoric is that they only cause pain if not used correctly. What if we just used effective, positive training methods instead? That way we know there’s no risk of injury! (There are few exceptions for certain pieces of typically equipment, but you and your trainer will know if this applies to your case. Prongs and shock collars will never fall into this category).

Do they guarantee results? And/or within a specific time frame? Nope, not really possible. Each dog is as unique as you and I, and that means they can’t possibly all learn how to walk on lead within the same time frame. They are likely to have different learning styles, favour different types of reinforcement and as such, your trainer may have to try a different approach with your dog than that of your neighbours. This is not inefficacy, this is a skill set.

Does your dog have complex needs?  A good trainer can recognise a behavioural issue, and will know when it’s appropriate to refer onto somebody with the right experience and skills. Training and behaviour are not exclusive, but a behavioural problem will never be remedied with training alone. If you hire a trainer who then goes on to tell you they are out of their depth, they haven’t ripped you off. In fact, they have been incredibly ethical by refusing to ‘have-a-go’ and potentially cause more problems than you started out with.

     How does your prospective trainer talk to YOU? Are they understanding and empathetic, or are they judgey and critical? You are reaching out for help, that’s a big deal! If your trainer makes you feel bad or uncomfortable, they aren’t the right fit. They should be building you up too. After all, they are there to teach you how to teach your dog!

How does your dog respond to your trainer? If your dog is uncomfortable, find one your dog likes. If your dog isn't relaxed in their company, how much capacity do they have for learning? If something is making you feel uneasy, you aren't going to be in a good place mentally to take in and store new information. Your dog isn't that different.

Finally, I know times are tough. We’re all feeling the impact of the cost of living at the moment, so it’s tempting to shop with your wallet, but that may not be the best choice in this case. Question why the service is so cheap. Is your trainer filling classes with too many puppies? Are you actually getting any value from that? Are they earning a living from their job, or is it just a bit of money on the side to them? Shop around. A good trainer has invested heavily in their education, will generally travel to you, is self employed and has to account for their own deductions, will provide equipment, and works outside of the hour you’ve paid for; emails, reports, admin, accounts etc. Not to mention, you’ve got your dog for 15+ years, you are investing in their welfare and future. We don’t necessarily choose the nearest school for our children, we want to get them into the best school we can to give them the best start in life.

Take your time, ask questions, and choose wisely.