Before you start your training journey, make sure you have all the equipment and support you need to achieve success with your dog. It is significantly easier to train good behaviours from the start than to rectify unwanted behaviours later. Ensuring you have the right trainer to assist you is a vital part of successful preparation.
What does a dog trainer do exactly?
So, how do you know when it is the right time to get a trainer, and how do you find the right one? Before we can answer those questions, we must first consider what it is that a dog trainer does. Without the full information of what a dog trainer can do for you and your dog, you may miss out on some of the key services they can provide.
Dog trainers support owners all over the globe with things as basic as teaching your dog to sit to much more complicated tasks such as driving a car or an aeroplane… Yes, dogs have successfully piloted aeroplanes! So knowing exactly what your trainer can help with is crucial to finding the right one.
Choosing a breed
Support that dog trainers provide can start even before you’ve chosen a breed. They can help you with that all important process of choosing exactly the right type of dog for your household. The breed you choose matters, because not all breeds are suited to all lifestyles and environments. There is a huge difference in the abilities and instincts between various dog breeds. For example, a Chihuahua, as a particularly small breed, would not be well suited for the hard work that is the life of a sled dog.
People will often choose the breeds that they like aesthetically, or perhaps they’ve met a very well behaved one that a friend or family member owns, sometimes they just pick what’s popular or ‘in’, and sometimes they don’t have a complete understanding of what those breeds’ distinguishing features are like in real life to manage and live with 24/7. This can end up with puppies and dogs being rehomed because they just can’t cope or fit in to the household and currently, rescues across the UK are full with dogs needing to be rehomed.
To help you find the right breed, a good trainer will talk to you about the life you’d like with your dog. Are you looking for a cuddly companion, a running buddy, a dog that will enjoy a busy family life? Trainers will factor in size requirements, the limitations and skills of certain breed types, the limitations and skills of the owners, and the time and energy you’ll be able to commit to training your dog.
Once you have selected your breed, the next step is to find the right breeders and ensure the puppy you choose is healthy and unlikely to bring home any unwanted genetic traits or learned behaviour. Your trainer can help with finding a suitable breeder and can even come with you to observe and meet your puppy to check everything from the mum to where the puppies are being reared, each individual puppy’s temperament and much more.
Puppy farms
Puppy farming is a huge problem in the UK. Getting your puppy from a licensed breeder is crucial. Every puppy bought from a puppy farm puts funds directly back into the pockets of unlicensed breeders, which continues the cycle of unethical breeding of dogs that can end up with numerous health and behavioural conditions. This not only has significant detrimental impact to the dogs, but also to the unsuspecting owners who are often footed with huge bills to cover the problems that can arise.
Dog trainers can also help you decide if getting a puppy is right for you at all – some owners are much better suited to rescuing as the demands of puppyhood can be too much for some people to manage. If it is the case that a rescue dog will be the most appropriate option for you – trainers can come with you to the rescue centre to ensure the rescue will support both you and the dog you bring home in the initial introductions and the continual adjustment that rescuing a dog can be. They can also support you in finding the right rescue dog, ensuring that any existing behavioural issues or health conditions will be something your household can manage without undue stress on either humans or canine and what that training will look like in practice.
It is important to note that training is not just for the dogs. Humans can benefit from it as well! A good trainer can help you create a successful environment for both you and your rescue dog. This support can be vital to ensuring the dog’s ability to thrive in their new home and can help reduce the ever-increasing number of dogs being rehomed and dogs being returned after failed adoptions. It can further help people feel like they have the understanding needed to manage all situations that may arise.
