Choose your dog trainer or behaviourist carefully

GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS - Choosing the perfect school for your child will be one of the most important decisions you will make as a parent. Before choosing the school, you will most probably do some research regarding the teachers and you will make sure that the teachers are well qualified with some experience in teaching.

You would not approve of a school that uses outdated teaching methods for instance, and you would want to make sure that school is a good positive experience for your child.

When it comes to our beloved four-legged family members, the same research should be done regarding training methods before enrolling or allowing a behaviourist to help with your dog.

Local animal behaviour practitioner George van Huyssteen explains:

Be very careful of trainers who say they don't train dogs using food or toys. There is no magic wand when it comes to training dogs and even less so when designing a behaviour modification programme. Dogs will work either to gain pleasure or to avoid fear or pain. Food and toys are the best motivators you can get.

A trainer who suggests these are not necessary most probably uses force and intimidation to get dogs to do what they would like them to do, not considering the welfare of the dogs. In the case of behaviour modification, punishment is mostly used by such trainers, and the fallout of that is normally fear.

If you want a happy, well-adjusted dog, you need to train them in ways that make them feel good, or not good, but great.

Be very careful of trainers who say they don't train dogs using food or toys.

Below are a few things to be wary of when looking for a new trainer or behaviourist.

The guarantee of immediate results

Behavioural problems do not develop overnight. Such problems can develop over weeks, months, or even years and WILL take time to resolve. A trainer who promises a quick fix will most probably make use of highly aversive training methods. While these "quick fixes" might appear to work very well in some cases, in many they don't - and they often create even more unwanted behaviours.

Every dog is also an individual and every different dog will respond differently to punishment. Punishment might suppress certain behaviours (yay, my dog is not doing that anymore), but the emotional state behind the behaviour will not change. Fear and aggression are common outfalls of these training methods. A qualified trainer or behaviourist will consider this.

The trainer doesn't want to mention any qualifications or experience

Dog training has become a science that needs to be learned. Unless someone spends time formally studying how dogs learn and what influences their behaviour, they will never have the full knowledge necessary to be able to help you and your dog properly.

Qualified trainers are proud of their qualifications and will want their clients to know what these are. When there is no mention of any qualifications in the trainer's bio, then they likely don't exist.

No mention of training methods

A trainer with nothing to hide will be open and upfront about how they train, what methods they use, and why. Trainers who never mention their training philosophy either don't have one (so anything goes), or they don't understand what they are doing and can't explain it clearly to clients.

They may also be hiding what they intend to do to your dog because they know it may be controversial.

Choosing the right trainer for your dog should be just as important as choosing the correct school for your child. There are many very good, experienced trainers out there, but be careful of the quick fix. It might turn out not to be in the best interest of your dog.

A trainer who promises a quick fix will most probably make use of highly aversive training methods.