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Choosing From the Best
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When are dog training schools appropriate for teaching your dog new tricks?
If you are considering sending your pup off to the canine version of bootcamp for a few weeks, there are a few things to consider first.
Generally speaking, dog training schools can be a great place to help rid your dog of problem behaviors and teach him to respect the authority of people in his life. However, if it turns out that YOU are the root of your dog's problem, it could be that you're the one that will benefit most from the training, not your pet!
If that's the case, you might consider going to dog training classes with your dog, where you and your dog attend several sessions together over the course of a month or two, so that you, the handler, learn to work effectively with your dog.
Dog training schools are generally thought of as sleep-away schools that board your dog for a number of weeks and have a professional dog trainer work with him on a daily basis to help him learn basic obedience. Dog training schools can also help alleviate bad habits and big problems such as aggression, dominance, housetraining, and fearfulness.
A good dog training school will not only take the time to indoctrinate your dog with what is expected of him, but the teachers there will also take the time to help YOU understand how to communicate effectively with your dog so that the good behavior he mastered at doggie college stays with him when he's back at home.
Why do dog training schools work so well?
In a dog training facility, the professional trainer represents an authority figure to the dog, as well
as a source of affection and entertainment. It is easy for the trainer to capture the dog's attention
and encourage the desired responses, as well as discourage undesired activities.
The dog is away from his normal routine and not around the stimuli that can encourage his bad habits. He is also away from you. Believe it or not, sometimes we as dog owners inadvertently encourage the very behaviors we wish our dog to avoid. For example, have you ever spoken to your dog in a soothing voice, trying to calm him down as he barks agressively out the window? Your dog may interpret this as praise or encouragement of the barking activity. Your tone may actually be encouraging him to bark MORE!
Choosing the right dog training school
At some schools,
owners can come visit their dogs on the weekends. In other cases, the dog owner may be too far away
from the school to make regular visits easy to manage. Some astute dog owners decide to board
their dogs at the training school while the owner is away on vacation.
If you do that, you save on the cost of the normal pet boarding kennel fees, and you don't have to be lonely missing your dog while he's away being trained.
Some dog training schools are really excellent. It makes sense to look into a number of them, though, before deciding where to send your dog. Ask for references of other clients they've had who have been satisfied. If you can try to find out about any dissatisfied customers that they've had and the nature of their complaints. Also, be sure to inform the school of how you are hoping they can help your dog, and let them assess whether that's something they think they can be effective with.
As you conduct your research, inquire as to the school's training philosophy as well as its methods. You will want to avoid schools that use physical punishment, such as hitting dogs, or other archaic techniques.
Here's a short list of some good questions to ask:
- How much time does the trainer spend with my dog each day?
- Do you have a guarantee of the level of competance my dog will reach during this period of time?
- Do you have any classes to teach me how to work with my dog once he is trained, in order to maintain his progress at home?
You'll also want to find out about the staffing and cleanliness of the facility.
- How long does each dog
- Do they get time in a yard?
- Will your dog be playing with other dogs outside?
- Will they be bigger or smaller dogs?
stay in his kennel each day?
I've seen a Rottweiler attack a Dauchsunds in a training class, trust me, you wouldn't want to be the owner of either dog that was involved in that type of altercation.
- Is there a veterinarian on call, or what happens if your dog gets sick?
- Do they have the ability to take care of the dog's special medical needs?
- How often are the runs cleaned?
Essentially you want to make sure your dog returns to you healthy and happy in addition to knowing his P's and Q's.
After you've done your homework, you'll feel very confident leaving your dog in good hands in order to be both trained and cared for while he is at the dog trainign facility. It's a good idea to make an on-site visit before you definitely select the school, trust your gut and get a feel for the people who work there as well as the kennels where the dogs are kept.
Sign your dog up for class, and put down a deposit. It will be a real relief when your dog comes back from the dog training school, obeying commands, being gentle with people and things, and knowing that you loved him enough to help him learn to communicate with you!
