Dog Trainer Help Desk (2024)

04/10/2023

When I first work with a new dog training student, I ask 2 fundamental questions:

What is dog training? What should it be?

In my earlier years, I was so busy learning about how to train dogs, it never occurred to me to ask these 2 important questions.

But somewhere along my journey I started asking "why?" questions:

❓️ why do we things that way

❓️why do we believe that

❓️why is the dog behaving that way

These questions continue to lead me on a path of redefining what I want my training to be about. Rather than trying to change a symptom that I saw, I now want to get to the root issue whenever possible. What thoughts or feelings are creating this behavior and how do I change those?

Rather than stopping the growl, how do I get the dog to not feel the discomfort that caused it in the first place?

It's been an exciting, enjoyable and complex journey that has reignited my passion in this field and reminded me that I am a lifetime student with lots more to learn.

03/10/2023

Do you know how to talk to your clients about working with primitive breeds? Unlike many of the more domesticated breeds, primitives are known for being less naturally cooperative.

If your client is expecting their Basenji to be trained into becoming a Golden Retriever, you're setting everyone up for a frustrating training experience.

Many clients do not realize the unique traits of primitive breeds and having an early discussion in your training relationship can set realistic expectations and even help them celebrate who these dogs are.

I'm currently working with two different Formosan Mountain Dogs and got my clients on board right from the start to understand who their dogs are and how that effects their training. This has allowed for happy clients, happy trainer and increasingly happier dogs.

If you want help better understanding working with primitive breeds or talking to clients about their training, get in touch to schedule your free zoom coaching session.

📧 [email protected]

01/10/2023

It's easy to feel under pressure to come up with an immediate solution to a training problem. The better you are at collecting the right information early in your client onbaoridng process, the more prepared you will be.

But we all have moments where we need more time, to do a little research, to chat with a colleague, or to reach out here to the Help Desk to get the best possible answer.

That's not the sign of a weak trainer, that's the sign of someone who puts their client's results first and wants to grow ❤️

25/09/2023

FAQ's

1. What is your training philosophy?

We all knew this question was coming right?! Let me start by getting the jargon out of the way before diving into what I think is a more meaningful response: I began as a "balanced" dog trainer, switched to force free, and have settled on LIMA.

I have to say, that jargon is pretty uninteresting to me though, so I'll share a bit more about how I think about dog training. I care about dogs. A lot. I take it very seriously that I am responsible for the quality of life my dogs have and want to help other dogs live their best lives whenever I can. I think deeply about the disparity of power between people and dogs and how that shapes our perspective. I believe passionately in the importance of two way communication between person and dog.

I believe we are coming out of an era that has emphasized an obedience first type of solution for dogs who are struggling with emotional dysregulation problems. Instead of just changing what a dog's body is doing through commands, I want to understand why a dog is behaving the way they are, help them become dogs who predict the world is safe, have strategies to cope with stress, have handlers who know how/when to intervene, and can respond to guidance appropriately. I find this approach more successful, fulfilling and interesting.

I also want to teach my human clients to be critical thinkers. If there is one thing I want every person who trains with me to walk away knowing its: I see my dog's behavior has changed, this is what that change means, and this is what I need to do to help them. This approach dramatically increases the odds of a client staying successful with their dog when I am not there to give them direct instructions.

I also believe that as a trainer I have to consider the real life living conditions/implications that dogs and people are in, the effects problem behaviors are having on the entire family, and the dogs/situations that for whatever reason who aren't as responsive to just force free intervention.

Long story short, I believe in flexibility, nuance, kindness, science and looking at each situation to come up with the best possible solution to help a dog get to the best version of themself.

So in a practical sense, during a coaching session together I am familiar with all types of training and will meet you where you are at and share where I would go and why I would choose that route. The session will be about getting the best possible results to help your client and their dog live better together and won't focus on labels. It will be a safe space to share what you do and (hopefully) will plant some seeds about where you may want to head.

2. What is your training background?

I have always loved animals, and especially dogs. So when I finally became an adult and moved out on my own, I wasted no time adopting my first dog. Like many of our clients do, I did no research and simply strolled into an adoption event and adopted the first cute dog I saw. A chow chow mix who I named Rocky. I immediately and unknowingly jumped into the deep end of dog behavior.

I was finishing up a degree in modern literature at UC Santa Cruz (a field in which there is no clear job waiting). It was Rocky who lead me on the path to pick up and move to Canada to attend a trainer's course and start me on this journey.

When I returned home, I got a job helping manage a large scale doggy daycare and boarding facility. This is where I got tons of hands on experience in observing and managing dogs.

I was eager to work on my training skills so I adopted a Malinois named Ruby (for those keeping score I now had a chow and a malinois...). I now know how incredibly blessed I was to have landed such a smart, social, sassy, and willing training companion. Ruby was something special and though she has since passed, I think about her and miss her often. (Thank you universe for giving me 16 years with her).

It was Ruby who allowed me to enter many new worlds. We dabbled in schutzund, got an introductory title in sheep herding, got certified in therapy dog work, played in dock diving, trained in agility, competed in disc dogs, participated in commercial photo shoots, starred in TV shows, tried out AKC obedience competition, and just adventured hard together.

In each new sport, activity, or training endeavor, I was exposed to more, I practiced more, I was humbled more, and I grew more.

As my training sophistication increased (as did my access to more readily available information and new perspective,) I began to make changes to my training. I asked more "why" questions, I explored more neuroscience material, and thought more deeply about emotions and their impact on behavior. I completed a certification in Companion Animal Applied Behavior from the University of Washington.

While I had paid for and participated in lots of formal training, it was my solo geeking out on all things dogs where I gathered the most transformative information from a wide variety of sources. This is where I still continue my day to day growth.

3. Where do coaching sessions take place?

Yay, an easy question! Sessions will take place on zoom.

4. How much do coaching sessions cost?

I am currently "beta testing" this business to see...do I like it? Do you like it? Am i benefitting the training community? Does it fit in my schedule? So as part of this testing phase, the first coaching session is free. This allows you to get a feel for who I am, what I have to offer and if I can benefit you.

Should we both decide this is of value, further coaching sessions cost $35/hour. Payment required to schedule. Payment types accepted: ACH bank transfer, venmo, zelle.

5. What other boring details do I need to know?

There are no refunds or reschedules allowed for missed appointments. Including (and especially) the free ones! You may cancel and receive a full refund or reschedule with 48 hours advance notice from the time of your appointment. Recording of sessions is not permitted. You can (and should) take notes. Some coaching sessions will include an outline that will be provided to you for use during client sessions. Any provided content in proprietary and is not to be published, shared or sold.

6. What should I know before working with you?

I am a deep thinker when it comes to dogs/dog training but also have a lot of practical knowledge. During a coaching session you can expect to get immediate, helpful knowledge but also some seeds planted about different ways to think and work with people/pups.

Also, I will shamelessly share pictures of my dogs any chance I get.

7. How can I reach you to get additional information?

[email protected]

24/09/2023

Welcome to Dog Trainer Help Desk. When I started out in the field of dog training in the early 2000’s it was a different time. There was no social media, youtube, FB groups or podcasts where I could go to gain more knowledge. I was a young trainer who had recently graduated from an accredited trainer’s program who felt like I didn’t know what I was doing and didn’t have anyone to help me. I navigated those early years with lots of stress, frustration and self doubt. I paid through literal blood, sweat and tears to learn much of what I know now.

As I learned more, my business grew and I was able to start assembling a team of passionate and talented dog trainers who I could mentor. As I prepared them for what they would face working with dogs and people, how to troubleshoot difficult situations, how to assemble treatment plans for complex problem behaviors, and how to maintain a growth mindset, time and time again I wished that I would have had access to a someone to guide me in this way (back then and even now). Having a coach who is a few steps ahead of you, has some different education/pov, and can help you grow is just invaluable.

That’s what Dog Trainer Help Desk (DTHD) is all about. For the past decade I’ve been helping students, apprentices, and my own team of trainers hone their craft, learn how to handle sticky situations with grace, and provide the best training possible. I know there are so many others who could benefit from what I have to share.

Before I jump into what DTHD offers, let me note what it doesn't. While I have certainly dabbled in other forms of dog training, this page is about helping professional (or aspiring) pet dog trainers. That means working on obedience training, puppy training, and treating problem behaviors (behavior modification). I think it's important for me to stick to what I do best.

So how can DTHD potentially help you? Here is what I have found to be most beneficial to the trainers I have worked with:

Lesson Planning: During this zoom session you and I will review the information you have about the dog/client to more deeply understand what’s going on and why. Then we’ll prioritize what training needs to take place at your next session. From there, we’ll break down the session into a structured format including a lesson outline document for you to keep/share with your client and use during the lesson. Lastly, we’ll prepare for the “what if” scenarios so that you’ll know what to do when the dog won’t take food, the client tells you they already tried that and it doesn’t work, the supposedly people friendly dog is lip curling at you, the handler starts crying and everything in between!

With lesson planning you can go into your session feeling prepared, professional and organized.

Troubleshooting: Have a difficult case that is not showing results? What about a difficult client who you’re not sure how to handle? Just want a second set of eyes to review a treatment plan? I can help! Firstly I’ll note, DTHD is about offering you support (not about judging you). I will always share my pov about the most effective strategies to work with a client and their dog and why I have landed on them. This will not be a lecture about why I’m right or why your approach has been wrong. And I may very well learn something to grow my training from you!

The first thing we’ll do is complete a case review together establishing who this dog is and what you have worked on so far. We’ll go through the details discussing ways you can improve things you have already implemented (if applicable) and/or discussing new skills/treatments in the short term (what to do at your next lesson) and projecting into the longer term (a roadmap of this dog's treatment projected into the future). We’ll also delve into utilizing effective client coaching principles so that you are prepared to prevent and/or address challenging client situations and keep your 2 legged clients on track.

Skill Growing: You don’t always have the time/resources to head off to a seminar or take a general class on a subject to expand your skills. As a dog biz owner myself, I know that coming up with free time can be challenging. Instead, if you want to gain rapid and customized training education to meet your skills where they are at and push you forward, I can help.

I’ll begin by collecting some information from you about the specific area in dog training that you want to grow in and what your current approaches are. Then I’ll put together a mini class highlighting any ways to improve what you’re currently doing, approaches you can add to your tool belt, common pitfalls to avoid on the subject, and general education/information relevant to the topic.

I will always include how to utilize effective client coaching strategies in any topic we cover because knowing how to convey information appropriately to clients is one of the most critical parts of dog training.

Team Training: Do have a team of trainers or training students? What do they know about the very critical art of client coaching? If you haven’t provided them with insight about how to read clients so they can meet them where they are at (in terms of skills/knowledge,) convery clear information, stay organized, create accountability for best results, and handle the difficult situations that will come up, then they simply don’t have all the tools they need to best represent your business or school to it's best.

I can help. I teach an easy to understand and easy to implement client coaching course for trainers that will help anyone in the field feel prepared to use best coaching principles and navigate challenging situations. Simply email me to learn more about what I can offer your team.

Dog Trainer Help Desk

04/10/2023

03/10/2023

01/10/2023

25/09/2023

24/09/2023

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share