Training Classes For Your Dog

It was a breezy summer evening when approximately 12 dogs from various breeds were all assembled in a small group at a local city park in San Diego, California. At each dog’s side, its owner stood by, attentively listening to the dog training instructor whom was in the middle of the group

“Today’s lesson will teach you how to give your dog the “Down” command.” He went on to say: “Now with your dog sitting by your side, and with a little bit of slack on the leash, loudly say the word ‘Down’ and then step on the leash hard so that your dog is forced to the ground and knows exactly what the down command means. This will show your dog that you are in charge and capable of making him go down whether he likes it or not.”

Like mindless listeners, the entire class obeyed the lesson and literally crammed the heads of their dogs down into the ground by stepping on the leash. By the time the entire training session had ended, it seemed like every “down” command ended in shrieks and moans from every dog. There was mass hysteria while the toy dog breeds fought off the leash and collar and the larger dogs just got confused, not understanding the forcefulness of the lesson.

Any dogs that rebelled against their owners and the leash in the attempt to force them down were asked why the instructor to stay behind for some “special handling”. This special handling only turned out to be a much more aggressive counter-lesson with a rolled up fist and an aggressive action towards the dog.

Is This Worth Saving A Few Dollars?

The above story is an all to common practice unfortunately all over the country. Anyone that reads manuals, books, watches videos and dvd’s on dog training, and research can seem to feel themselves qualified to be a trainer. This is not always so. A good trainer is someone who has more than a layman’s knowledge of dog behavior and training.

Finding the right trainer for your 4-legged friend is worth the extra effort! Being a good trainer does not mean being an egomaniac or someone that regards training as a business instead of an educator! It is like the old saying, anyone can teach but not everyone is a teacher! You would not let just anyone be responsible for teaching your children in school and that is why teachers must go to school and receive a teacher’s license based on their necessary degree.

So with that in mind, not everyone that professes to be a dog trainer is an actual dog trainer! Hiring a quality trainer is a financial investment but that financial investment should be with someone who has the qualifications to back up their methods! A good trainer will be knowledegable about breeds, their abilities, use modern positive training methods, and will create a positive learning environment for both you and your dog!

The point here is to let all of you dog owners know that it is much safer to work on your own training abilities by using qualified information instead of hiring the wrong person to do the job. And there are some organizations, such as “Petco”, is nationally recognized animal pet store, that hires professionals to teach obedience and training classes for your dogs each week.