Hi, my name is Debbie. I’m a dog trainer in Buckinghamshire and my dog isn’t perfectly behaved.
It’s a common experience for me to be out with one of my boys and hear someone comment on their behaviour, good or bad, by mentioning my day job.
As a dog trainer who is well-known in the local area, going out for a walk, visiting the vet or attending a class with Rem or Dave can be a bit like letting TV cameras into my life: every move feels as though it’s being watched and analysed. To be fair, that’s probably a mix of reality and my own self-consciousness but I thought it was worth discussing this conundrum in a blog.
Each to their own
Firstly, there’s a huge factor people who expect a dog trainer’s dog to behave perfectly aren’t considering: all dogs are different. Yes, they’re as individual as we are and they come with personalities, experiences, behaviour issues and quirks that we aren’t always aware of when we first get them or develop over time.
So, just because a dog trainer is highly experienced in how to train, that doesn’t mean they can counter every external influence that comes their way.
Have you ever been to a builder’s house?
I’ve nothing against the construction industry, I promise! But, it’s a well-known quip that they’ve never quite finished the renovations in their own home. The same applies to hairdressers always having a good hair day, or teachers having immaculately behaved, genius-like children.
As dog trainers we probably recognise and can deal with some of the more subtle elements of training but, if Rem becomes anxious or Dave gets too engrossed in a smell to recall immediately, there’s little I can do to stop their inbuilt instincts.
Doing the groundwork
As a dog trainer, I agree that I am privileged to be able to set my dogs up with the best possible start. I automatically know what to look for at each stage of their development so will be more likely to nip bad habits in the bud but I still don’t know what I don’t know. If one of my pets has a strange reaction to something they experience, I won’t know until it happens. And, if this is while we are out walking, I may well come across some comments from surprised onlookers who don’t know the individual character and history of my dogs.
The concept of training
At Potter Paws, we always talk about training owners just as much as training dogs. And this is very relevant here because we all need to remember that dogs aren’t machines. They are animals with their own thoughts and emotions and reactions and so, while we can encourage them in ways which fit in with our lifestyles, we shouldn’t assume we can mould them into the perfect creature which never does anything that puts us at an inconvenience. This is when we need training: dog ownership is about compromise. In return for having a loving pet, maybe we must accept that we have to take the rough with the smooth and, sometimes, our clean carpet or a lovely newly planted rose bush in the garden might need to become collateral damage!
After all, they do say it’s a dog’s life!
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