I was blessed to find Sara when I was looking for a training classes for Sampson. Sara is one of those dog trainers who understand people. She trains dogs in traditional training methods, and she recommends what she thinks will work for your pet but won’t MAKE you do it her way. She is wise enough to understand that not all methods work for all dogs.
Even though Sara does not use treats in her training classes, she does not discourage me from doing so. Most of the dogs know I have treats because after class I am very free with whatever I have left. On Thursday night; we did some heeling work, but we also practiced a lot of the down and sit stays. I was amazed with Delilah because while she will do a down at home, she really fights me in a training class, but she was so good that night!! She went into her downs very easily (of course I had treat in hand to reward her.) Her stays had me a little confused; at times she got right up and followed me, or came to me without being called, but then there were the times when a lot of dogs were getting up and she just stayed there! I really cannot figure her out.
There was one funny incident when one of the women called her dog and he got up and came to lean against me. That would be my Brockway; the outrageously HUGE Alaskan Malamute.
The whole point of this post is to remind you how important it is to feel comfortable with your trainer, if your trainer is forcing you to do something you don’t feel is right for your dog, then you should find another trainer.
This is the Saturday morning blog hop hosted by Two Little Cavaliers…..hop on.
You can link up here.
Hey jodi…I totaly agree with you. It is crucial to find an appropriate dog trainer. You must make sure the trainer has qaulifications and is open to different methods and can explain his/her training methods with you. Liver treats make a huge difference in what I can do with my patients and you should see how powerful those treats are in making my patients associate vet clinic wiht a positive experience…
Dr Rayya, what works with S & D is liver, beef and cheese. Those dogs will do just about anything for those foods!
Well said Jodi, you should always feel comfortable with your trainer and never feel pressured to do something with your dog you don’t feel is right. I’m very fortunate for Cheyenne’s field training work we have such wonderful trainers.
A good trainer is hard to find Misty, but so very important. I’m glad you have found a wonderful one.
I have not worked with a professional dog trainer in years. I am adding to my pet family soon, and really appreciate this post as I will probably need to train my new pet.
Oooooh that’s exciting Molly. What are you getting? Let me know if I can help in any way.
I couldn’t agree more. Our trainer(s) was a game-changer for us. She came into our house on a day I was a bundle of nerves. She instantly helped me AND my dog relax. I am now fortunate enough to call her a close friend.
Same here Kristine.
So very true! If you are not comfortable, then your dog will not be either. How much progress will be made in that situation? : )
I think it would only cause frustration. 🙁
A good trainer is like gold, in my opinion. It took us a looong time to find the right field trainer for our dogs and once we did, look how quickly they progressed. Before that we were just spinning our wheels. You are lucky to have found Sara.
Thank you, I feel the same way!
I’m glad you are happy with your trainer and I’m sure the 2 brown dawgs are as well! You have done a great job with them.
Hi Jodi, great post. Loved the part where you said that Brockway came and sat by you! Love the picture.
Thank you! It was funny when he did it; thankfully no-one minds that I always have a tasty treat in my pocket. 😉
I’m glad you are happy with your trainer and all, but I feel the need to question something in your post. You said your trainer uses ‘traditional’ methods, and then you went on to say that Delilah usually fights you on your ‘Downs’ in class….do you think maybe traditional methods could be the reason for this? Some dogs fight being ‘forced’ into doing anything, but if they think it’s their idea, they’ll happily obey. It’s just a thought.
That’s a really good question Donna, thank you for asking. While my trainer uses the ‘traditional’ methods, I stopped that long ago. I will use a treat to lure her but even then she sometimes resists. This past week she did fantastic and I attribute that to me treating her more.
So glad to hear that isn’t the case…and glad to hear that increasing the rewards helped so much! 🙂
We had a trainer once, before we knew better, who had us walking up our Dobe’s leash and then shoving his shoulders to the ground in order to get him to ‘Down’, so that was what I was picturing…
I regret it to this day, and it didn’t make him obey either.
@Donna, yes that is still how it is taught. I never liked walking up the leash so I didn’t do it, but I would try to push her down. I’m glad I know better now and like you I still have regrets. 🙁