Dog Training Methods and Tools

There is a joke among dog trainers that if you get three trainers together, the only thing 2 of them will agree upon is that the third person is wrong.  Sadly, the dog training industry can be a very fractured industry, mostly due to disagreements in the types of methods and tools trainers choose to use.

When I started training 20+ years ago, the main method of dog training involved choke collars and prong collars. I trained that way for quite some time and it was effective.  There really wasn’t anything else widely accepted.  While those methods are still available, in the past 20 years there has been a huge movement to change dog training methods.  There is a wealth of scientific research and the development of so many different tools and methods it can make your head spin.  I wrote about my own journey as a crossover trainer on my blog.

So how do you know what method and tools to use? How do you know which trainer will be the best fit for your clients?  I have a couple simple ideas I would suggest in making that decision for your training center.

First of all…your training method should be in line with your overall philosophy of dealing with dogs.  The Dog Gurus work with dogs off leash in a way that eliminates the need for intimidation, physical manipulation, or force.  For this reason, we would recommend a trainer with a similar approach to dog training.  Everything you do at your center should be aligned with the basic fundamental beliefs you have towards dogs.  Your trainer will represent your business so be sure that they are in agreement with your business values, whatever those might look like for you.

In The Four E’s of Excellence (one of your special gifts you received when you joined The Dog Gurus), we make the following recommendations about safe off-leash play management:

“Any method can be misused so it is also important to have quality control procedures that confirm proper ways to manage dogs in your care. Positive methods of managing dogs are required and preclude the use of prong collars, choke collars, electronic shock collars, muzzles, and physical manipulation to handle dogs in off-leash play. “

While this is our recommendation for off-leash play, we want a similar philosophy to anyone we would hire to train the dogs.  That way your daycare and your training are in alignment with your philosophy of dog care.

Second…watch the dog’s body language.  You’ve learned all about canine body language to keep the dogs safe and happy in dog daycare.  Use that knowledge to assess the training methods being used with the dogs.  While a certain amount of stress can happen when training a dog, it should be brief.  Good training methods are designed to help the dog learn and limit the exposure to periods of confusion.  Prolonged avoidance, fear, or intimidation during dog training is not desired.  Dog training should be fun for the people and the dogs! The pace of the training session should be set by the dog and determined based on the dog’s body language.  Use your observation and understanding of canine body language to determine if the training is going well.