After being a dog trainer for over twelve years, I’ve noticed several questions people ask about my career on a regular basis. Some of the most common ones include, “Which kind of dog is the easiest to train?”, “Have you ever had a dog you had to ‘give up’ on?”, and “Is it scary going into houses with dogs who might bite you?”.
Interestingly, while these questions might seem unrelated, they all have pretty much the same answer. This is because, truly, the biggest difficulties experienced in being a dog trainer are not with the dogs themselves… it’s the owners who usually present more of a challenge.
The answers to the questions? Very simple. The dogs who are easiest to train are the ones with the owners who practice the most. The only clients we’ve ever had to “give up” on were human, not canine. And (thank goodness), the majority of dogs whose homes we enter are not scary at all… even when there is an aggression problem, responsible owners will respect our request to have the dog on a leash when we arrive so we don’t have to worry about being bitten.
Thankfully, the majority of humans we work with are realistic people who realize that they must put some effort into their pet’s training. After all, we can come each week and teach the dog what is the right or wrong way to behave. We can teach the person how to enforce it as a way of life on a day-to-day basis when we’re not there. But if “homework” is not done, the dog will think he only has to behave during lessons. Conversely, owners who do practice daily are usually pleasantly surprised at how quickly the behavioral issues with their pet diminish.
In some respects, training your dog is similar to learning to play an instrument. Sure, if you take piano lessons once a week, you may learn to play the piano… although maybe not very well. However, if you practice for half an hour each day, you will much more likely become a good piano player. Even further, if you practiced three hours every day, you might become an award winning concert pianist!
With dogs being pack animals, leadership is extremely important. In addition, everyone, whether human or canine, cannot get really good at something if they rarely practice. By working with your dog for at least half an hour every day, you can accomplish two things: Giving your dog daily practice so he can get good at the things you want him to learn, and providing your leadership on a consistent basis.
With dog training, just like many other things in life, “Half an hour a day, keeps mischief away!”
Lori Verni-Fogarsi has been an author, speaker, small business consultant, and Certified Master Trainer for 18+ years. Her novel, “Momnesia,” (contemporary women’s fiction) has been designated a National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist, and her nonfiction book, “Everything You Need to Know About House Training Puppies and Adult Dogs,” has been widely acclaimed in its genre. To learn more, please visit www.LoriTheAuthor.com and join Lori on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LoriTheAuthor.
