Choosing the right dog trainer for your puppy

I often meet clients who have been to puppy training classes for a few weeks. They then call me because they find over the course of five or six weeks, the puppy has learnt nothing. This is why choosing the right dog trainer for your puppy is so important.

A lady has been trying to get hold of me all week, desperate for some help with her 18 week old Cocker Spaniel. When we finally spoke she explained that she had been to puppy training course but she now wants to come to me ‘to start training’. The puppy basically has a sit command and not much else. The emphasis on trick/treat training at the classes wasn’t what the owner was looking for. The dog has no heel work. He pulls towards people and dogs because he has been encouraged to be ‘sociable’ at the lessons.

Added to this, the owners live on a farm and the dog has been allowed to run free, so consequently has no recall. The crate hasn’t been used and the dog sleeps on the beds and the furniture. He is fussy over his food so is being fed titbits of human food. Basically, he has been spoilt and the trainer has done nothing to help instil good behaviour in the dog.

Build on good foundations

The owner will now have to spend more on correcting the unwanted behaviours and then putting in good foundations. I was always advise people to think very carefully when choosing the right dog trainer for their puppy. It’s like building a house; good foundations and the house will go up well, shaky/no foundations and the whole house is in trouble. The first 12 – 18 weeks of training are fundamental. Classes might be cheap but five or six weeks of some trick/treat training is not going to achieve what you need in the long term for your dog.

Posted: June 14, 2019