Today, the profession of canine educator has the wind in its sails.There are a multitude of training courses that grow like mushrooms with a large number of different methods to educate our canine friends.
So how do you choose the one in whom you will trust to educate your faithful companion?
We give you in this article some advices in order not to fall on a swindler.
DON’T MAKE THIS MISTAKE WHEN CHOOSING YOUR DOG TRAINER
HE DOESN’T TALK ABOUT HIS TRAINING IN DOG TRAINING
If there is one thing we want to fight about, it is the lack of recognition of the training to be a dog educator.
Many professionals think that only experience counts. And of course it is important. But one of the most important elements when working with living things is continuous training.
The dog is an individual that we are constantly learning about, so it is more than necessary to keep up to date in order to have the best possible knowledge.
The problem is to see that the activity develops too quickly with people who do not really know anything about it, at the risk of distorting our profession.
HE JUDGES YOU AND THINKS HE IS THE BEST
When you become a dog trainer, you don’t work only with the dog, but mainly with its human. We find ourselves in front of people who are distraught and need our help, to be listened to and advised, and no matter what mistakes were made before we came, we don’t have to say that what they did was nonsense. I don’t understand the point of making clients cry by telling them that they destroyed their dogs so that the show could sell.
Empathy and non-judgment are qualities to have as a good dog educator.
Being a good dog professional is also about questioning yourself, as mentioned above, we work with living things and it is a constantly changing environment. Let’s take an example: If you go to a restaurant and there are dishes from different horizons offered: Chinese, Indian, fast food, gourmet, etc., won’t we ask ourselves the question: “What is the best way to prepare a meal? But if we choose to go to a restaurant that specializes in one type of cuisine, we will (normally) be satisfied with our food. Education works on the same principle. If your educator claims to be able to solve all the problems of the world, run away, because the quality of the work may not be up to the mark.
DON’T MAKE THIS MISTAKE WHEN CHOOSING YOUR DOG TRAINER
IT CRUSHES OTHER DOG TRAINERS BY MAKING THEM LOOK INCOMPETENT
At what point are we legitimate to practice?
Do we have to be at least 40 years old?
Do you need to have trained or re-trained 100 dogs?
Is it necessary to have practiced for a minimum of 10 years?
Is it necessary to have a great reeducator dog?
Is it necessary to have 800,000 followers on social networks?
In my eyes, a legitimate professional is someone who will be able to adapt to almost all of his clients, who will respect his client AND his colleagues without breaking their backs for free without knowing them (even if our methods are different), who will accept to take advice elsewhere if the situation blocks and who will continuously train.
We see a lot of “professionals” acting tough in front of the camera, crushing the work of others without even knowing them. Except that this Hollywood way of working has no place in the dog world.
When you become a professional in education, you have to be respectful of others, even if you don’t agree with the work of your neighbor.
IT DOES NOT ADAPT TO THE DOG AND WILL LEAVE YOURS IN 4 DAYS TOP CHRONO
Whether it is in front of Riri the Yorkshire or Rex the Rottweiler, he will use the same protocol without thinking.
Whether a dog pulls on the leash, barks at other dogs, growls at guests or doesn’t listen to the recall, he will do the same thing ALL THE TIME. And yet, these are all different issues that are unique to each individual.
If it were so simple to have a universal method for all dogs, we wouldn’t have to do this work. And the education of a dog lasts a lifetime because we live with a… living being… Moreover, this educator has this gift in him that makes him unique and to whom you should turn. And if he makes a mistake, it will never be his fault (remember the questioning at the beginning of the article?).
DON’T MAKE THIS MISTAKE WHEN CHOOSING YOUR DOG TRAINER
HE HAS A DOG REGULATOR / EDUCATOR / THERAPIST
Ah this famous magic dog perfectly coded who knows how to make himself understood by all the other canines of the planet. This dog was born for this and he takes his job seriously.
Except that whatever the dog in front of him, he will turn it around in two three movements and the “problem” will be solved. On the surface… And yes, Titou growled because he was uncomfortable with this miracle dog that came at him like a bomb and he was turned around like a pancake. Two solutions: Answer louder and be crushed again. Or keep quiet and the educator will praise the merits of his unique dog therapist in France.
There are many dog trainers, and I understand that it is difficult to make a choice when faced with all these methods. But don’t be fooled by a few well shot videos and a hundred likes on the networks.
Choose the person with whom the feeling will pass and who will not rip you off.
