08/14/2022
This is my rant for today. Why does the world of dog training have to be so full of lies and deceit? Finding an honest dog trainer is so difficult.
Recently a dog trainer chastised me for openly calling my Malinois an as***le. What if people judge me for such statements? What if people judge their own dogs harshly or Malinois in general because of my statement?
First off, it is not as if he is not loved... so let's all put that theory to rest. He has spent the last 10+ years being loved all while I evaluate his temperament an behaviors honestly.
Most trainers would show you how well trained he is (and he is, and has several titles) and hide or never talk about the struggles of owning a difficult dog. They want you to be so impressed by their seeming prowess that you then listen to whichever dog training method that they are peddling, whether positive or negative. When really, both and balance make for a well trained dog.
They don't want dog owners to know that owning a difficult dog means a LIFETIME of controlling that dog's behaviors and his environment. Good dog trainers know this, we can’t let our guard down for a moment because we literally can't change his temperament or how he feels about situations. We can only teach him to control his behaviors.
We can't force dogs to like all people, we can't make dogs like all other dogs and we can't keep them from killing your cat. And, if we were honest with dog owners we could at least allow them to realize the amount of maintenance that goes into owning a difficult dog, instead of making deceitful open ended promises that gives owners hope in desperate situations.
Trainers do this because they know they can affect the dogs behavior during training and show miraculous results quickly, because we are good at our craft. Everyone thinks they can train a dog or all dogs... but training animals and behavior is intricate and requires skills and knowledge that the average person does not attain, regularly. Not everyone thinks they can be a brain surgeon, people should realize not everyone is a good much less honest dog trainer.
When difficult dog owners fail, they are either too ashamed to contact the trainer or the trainer is quick to place the blame on anyone but themselves after promises of success for every dog. They will blame the owner, the breeder, the vet...
Earlier this week the world saw a well renowned working dog and pet dog training facility whipping screaming dogs tethered to the middle of 2 trainers equipped with prong collars and horse whips. Dogs screaming and being shoved to the ground (all with no signs of misbehaving btw). There are BAD & EVIL trainers out there who will use boarding and training as an excuse for fast cash and barbaric methods they would never show in front of the dogs' owners. Empty promises are made and any means necessary to provide a show for the dog owner are used to monetarily profit.
Dog owners need to do the dog training themselves. I can get a dog to do almost anything. I am adept at controlling aggression, reactivity and communicating with animals. That doesn't mean that the owner will have the skills need to keep up the training. It's true, laziness and dog owners is not a good mix. You especially can't be lazy with a difficult dog.
The hard truth is that the dog owner often creates some of the bad behaviors and untill they fix their part of the behavior problem their dog will never be able to be controlled by them.
Every relationship needs work to maintain. You can't send your spouse off for a month of secluded marital counseling expecting a great change in your relationship and not want to be bothered or involved. Seems ridiculous right? So why, then, do dog trainers offer this as some kind of miracle cure for difficult dogs?
Many trainers are unethical but that can cross a scary line when dog owners are not involved in and witnessing the training process. If it seems to good to be true, IT IS.
And let's start being honest about behavior, genetics and breed. Unicorns (meaning a dog that goes against breed standards and genetics) exist, but they are unicorns.
I had an individual contact me yesterday who's client wants a Standard Poodle that can do competition IPO and bitework. It may exist, but the person is looking for a unicorn. There is a genetic reason you don't see Standard Poodles on police forces. There is a genetic reason Belgian Malinois puppies bite, HARD, have aggression issues and are beasts. They are genetically manipulated for certain behavior traits. Ridiculous thing was looking for normal Malinois puppy videos to forward to this individual and seeing some video on YouTube about rehabilitation of a 7 month old Malinois that had a bite case. Of course it bit, 90% of Malinois puppies should and do bite 🤦♀️
But it is critical to be honest with this individual and let them know the client is not likely to find a protection sport Standard Poodle. Either they really want a Poodle or they want to compete in protection sports. That unicorn will be nearly impossible to find and train. Don't fall for the person who will charge thousands to find the "right puppy" only later to blame trainer or breeder for the failure.
Your Australian Shepherd is likely to want to herd, your Pointer is going to want to hunt, your Pit Bull is likely to have animal aggression issues.
Stop gaslight good owners by saying "if they were raised right ".
By lying about shelter dogs and why they likely made it into shelters we are literally killing more animals. I have had 2 friends recently who's rescued bully mixes have killed their other pets. Both had been in the home a year or more. I wonder if killing other animals is the reason they were there in the first place, because let's be honest shelters and rescues lie too. They blame the owner, think it's an isolated incident, or simply provide 0 information to the next unsuspecting owner.
People LIE. They want all dogs to be adopted. They don't want their dog or their ignorance judged, many times at the expense of a bite. The most terrifying thing a dog owner can say to me is that their dog would never bite or is not aggressive. The owner of a happy well adjusted, social dog would never even think of saying that because aggression doesn't even cross their mind. Remember that. If someone wants to convince you how non-aggressive their dog is, ask yourself why they are even mentioning it.
Although I feel the owners probably ignored warning signs, I believe the blame lies with the trainers and individuals who continually propagate the notion that all dogs are good and all behaviors can be changed. THEY CANNOT.
Don't adopt or rescue a fighting breed if you have pets or children and are not a professional. Don't ignore the desire to chase, growling or any aggression, thinking"my dog would never". Ignoring behaviors leads to an escalation in behaviors. All these dogs need is "the perfect storm" of stress where their aggression or prey drive is over the regular threshold for a bite or attack.
Not all dogs deserve good homes and to be released back into society. Euthanasia is a perfectly viable option for difficult dogs and dogs with aggression. Stop blaming good people for inadvertently getting difficult dogs, and instead start pushing the honest train.
It may not always be a pretty package. I can't change your dog's genetics or temperament. Honesty may mean some dog trainers lose money to the deceitful hustler who's just around the corner. But I will always happily be the trainer who admittedly tells the truth, calls my dog an as***le doesn't recommend every breed for every person and who isn't afraid of euthanasia. At least it helps me to sleep at night
In home dog training, pet sitting in Anne Arundel County MD. Group dog training classes will held at Hog Dog Productions in Millersville, MD
