What’s the danger in deciding on a trainer or instructor for your dog without asking questions? You could choose a trainer or instructor who gives you information or instruction that is ineffective and, in some cases, even counterproductive. Your puppy who peed in the kitchen could start eliminating all over the house instead. Your dog who pulled on walks could become afraid to go outside. Your dog who was once fearful could escalate to aggression. And you could blame the dog for behaving badly.
Your dog doesn’t get much choice, but you do—trainers and instructors are everywhere, although certainly not everyone who says they’re a trainer or instructor has the answers you need. Some will assure you they have ALL the answers—though you’re certain you don’t even know all the questions!
I asked dog professionals, “What questions would you ask trainers for your dog?”
Jessica Stinson Hudson (Alabama)
▪ What methods do you employ to train?
▪ Can you train a dog without force/touching/physical interactions?
▪ What skills do you feel are most important for pet dogs to learn?
▪ What have you accomplished with your own dogs?
▪ What organizations are you involved with?
▪ Who are some well-known trainers you look up to?
Kim Campbell Thornton (California) Have you worked with (my type of dog) before? How many of them? What have they taught you about training them?
Leslie McGavin Clinton (South Carolina) What do you think of the concept of “alpha dog” and dogs who are trying to be dominant and controlling?
Photo by Erin Saywell
Alyssa Buller (Indiana) “What do you typically do when a dog growls at you?”
I think this is a good question because it gives you an idea of how the trainer handles potential conflict with the dog. A large majority of people are extremely intolerant of a dog’s issuing a warning signal like a growl.
“Can you get my dog to a point where they work for only praise?”
I like to ask this question in this way to see if they will play along.
“What do you think of trick training?”
I have personally met a lot of trainers who believe a dog’s training should consist mainly of obedience and impulse control, or obedience and confidence-building, things like that. As if trick training isn’t for “real” trainers or something, and I couldn’t possibly disagree more with that. I think trick training is actually a requirement.
I think of it this way, for the average pet owner:
▪ Obedience/manners = impulse-control exercises and behaviors that are “necessary” in everyday life.
▪ Tricks = unnecessary behaviors that require more “doing” on the dog’s part than impulse control.
So generally, that means obedience is for us, tricks are for the dog. And why would we ever train solely for us? It needs to be fun for the dog, too. You’ll actually see better obedience if your dog loves working with you because it’s so engaging and fun.
Summer Storm Kingery DVM (North Carolina) Something I ask trainers is, “How do you handle a dog who barks excessively? Please give me some examples of your experience.”
Barking is less of a pressure situation than aggressive behaviors might be, and it is often a harder behavior really to train away. I want them to come up with different strategies and to explain that a lot depends on why the dog is barking. I want at least one strategy that looks at barking as a self-reinforcing fun behavior for the dog and tackles that, as I find self-reinforcing behaviors the most difficult to deal with.
It also gives a trainer an opportunity to acknowledge breed challenges (dogs bred historically to bark in tunnels are different than dogs bred to precisely herd livestock), environmental challenges (apartments vs. houses vs. yards vs. shared spaces), and management challenges (unintentional reinforcement, backchaining by giving treats to silence barking rather than to reinforce not barking, timing issues).
I find this one question can often distinguish a great trainer and help me to understand their thought processes and methods.
Manda Lorian (Wisconsin) I would want to make sure they used empirically supported procedures focused on the extinction of maladaptive behavior and the positive reinforcement of adaptive replacement behaviors. If they mention Cesar Millan and they’re not using him as an example of what not to do, they’re out.
If you’re interviewing someone who might work with your dog and with you, I’d strongly suggest asking one more very simple question: “What species other than dogs have you trained?”
I find it to be a very effective “trick” question. I’d be extremely likely to walk away from a trainer who didn’t include “human” in their answer. I am the species you must have an enormous amount of experience and education to “train” successfully. I must be taught appropriately, first and foremost.
I want to find a “trainer” who’s trained more than dogs—people, yes, but what about all those other species that are not canid? If a “trainer” of dogs scoffs at the thought of “training” chickens, or goldfish, or cats . . . that “trainer” knows much less about training than they have the ability to imagine.
They don’t know what they don’t know, and they have no interest in finding out.
I said last week that today we’d talk about a crazy protocol that’s being suggested by “trainers” in videos on YouTube. I’m not going to post links (in the hope they get no extra hits due to my direction), but I suggest that, if you’re curious, search: “Spitting In Dog’s Mouth To Show Dominance” then choose Videos. The one with “balanced trainers” is short and shocking.
The theory: mother dogs feed puppies by regurgitating into their mouths.
What you’ll see in the videos is “trainer” after “trainer” hunching over a big dog, up close and very personal, then reaching around the dog, with the “trainer’s” face literally in the dog’s face—then the “trainer” forces the dog’s mouth open with both hands and continues to hold it open . . . while the “trainer” hawks a loogie directly into the dog’s mouth. Again . . . and again.
To show “dominance,” of course.
Could this treatment of a dog be dangerous? Oh, heck, yes—the “trainer’s” face is less than inches away from the dog’s face. In other words, should the dog object, there is no way that a bite could be avoided. They’re all big dogs in the video; I’ve yet to see how this maneuver would be performed on a small dog without its being even more physically intimidating to the dog . . . and more ridiculous.
Here’s the take of one brilliant blogger on this protocol:
Other advice includes spitting in a dog’s food, or even in its mouth. Seriously. Apparently, mother dogs do this with their baby dogs and it establishes you as the “dominant leader.” Are you absolutely off your rocker? Spit in the dog’s mouth? Apparently it’s calming. Or complete crap. But hey, my neighbor’s friend watched a guy on a YouTube video who was told to do it by a long-dead dog trainer of dubious credentials, and so it’s something I should do with my dogs. That is actually the train of “expertise” that was quoted to me about why someone spat in one of my foster pup’s mouths. I didn’t let him have the dog on account of him being a complete knob. I didn’t actually believe he was telling me about some genuine dog training technique until I read a little on the subject. I just don’t have words. I did however, want to roll him on his back, hold him by his neck, and make him submit. I used to do competitive jiu-jitsu, so it’s always a possibility with me. In lieu of that, I told him that I couldn’t possibly let him take the dog until he had read Dr. Ian Dunbar’s “Before You Get Your Puppy” book. He told me it was too long, at 65 pages, and there was too much in it. I told him to forget the dog. I guess he probably went and bought one from a breeder who didn’t care less if he spat in a pup’s mouth or rolled it to show it who’s boss.
http://www.woofliketomeet.com/2016/04/the-dominance-myth/
The animal professionals who commented on my Facebook post about mouth-spitting agreed:
Sonia Fetherling (Illinois) I offer $1,000 for video of a dam spitting into her pup’s mouth while using her paws to separate and open the puppy’s jaws!
We are also in awe of the audacity of the animal professional who’s trademarked The ForceFree Method . . . of shock-collar use. (“[I]ncludes a high tech ecollar manufactured for gentle instruction.”)
“Disgustingly brilliant,” says one animal professional.
Would you spit in your dog’s mouth to achieve “dominance” because you saw a guy do it on a video? I think not. You’d see how close the guy was to being bitten. You’d laugh because prying a dog’s jaws open and holding them that way to spit in the dog’s mouth isn’t something you imagine would be wise to do at any time, especially in the middle of a pandemic! You’re too smart to fall for that.
Be smart. Not everyone who’s made a video or paid for a website is the trainer who will be the best choice for you and for your dog. Some of them are, frankly, phonies—and few of them know that. As in all decisions you make about the animals in your care—and by extension, about the humans in your family and the friends and neighbors with whom your animals come into contact—it’s up to you to do your due-diligence thoroughly. Check references, read reviews, watch them work.
Ask more questions!
Helen St. Pierre (New Hampshire) I am always super-thrilled and grateful when clients ask me how I became a dog trainer and why. I also love when they ask me for references and what my techniques are. It shows me they truly care about who they are hiring to work with their animal.
Educated, experienced, ethical trainers will be happy to answer, and happy that you asked.
