Maybe you are planning to expand your family by getting a puppy. Or maybe you already have a dog with whom certain issues are not yet going so well. In both cases, it makes sense to have a good dog trainer at your side with whom you can work intensively and regularly. However, it is sometimes not so easy to find someone who is good and wins your trust. In addition, there are also trainers whose methods are questionable. Therefore, we have summarized in this article for you five tips that make a really good dog trainer from our point of view.
Breed specific advice – at best already before selection of the dog
A perfect trainer will ask you some questions about your circumstances and the breed you are planning to get before you buy the puppy. Usually he or she will also give you a recommendation if this breed suits you. Please do not take this advice personally, especially if the trainer advises against a particular breed. Rather see this tip as a chance, because in the end it is about a living creature that will accompany you for several years. For a good and happy life together for you and the dog, therefore, no optical criteria should be in the foreground, but character criteria.
2. the welfare and interests of the animal are absolutely paramount.
The perfect trainer will always design the training plan in such a way that the dispositions and physical and character traits of your dog have priority. This can be expressed, for example, in the fact that breed-typical characteristics are promoted. For example, the training sessions for a Golden Retriever will probably focus on retrieving rather than chasing games. Exceptions are possible, of course, depending on the dog’s interests, but the general framework should be right. In addition, exercises should be built up much more slowly and carefully with fearful dogs than with active and offensive dogs.
3. there is no physicality in training – and not the slightest!
This point is from our point of view the most important. Again and again we see in negative examples that even small physicalities are used when the dog does not function as it should. This can be the supposedly light slap on the muzzle when the dog begs or the active jerking on the leash when he does not walk. From our point of view, these are absolute no-goes – not to mention hitting or other physical punishment. Unfortunately, you can see in videos again and again dog trainers who practice and teach jerking on the leash (meaning active jerking, not standing still or changing direction without pushing) – even with dogs that are capable of learning and enjoy working with people. Our tip: If you meet such trainers, show directly a clear name and break off the training immediately! Because physicalities of any kind damage the relationship with your dog in the long term and are also not irrelevant under animal welfare law.
Occupations for mental and physical workout are in the foreground
Good trainers can also be recognized by the fact that they do not focus on discipline and obedience for the benefit of humans, but rather on breed- and species-appropriate exercise for your dog. In the end it’s the mixture that counts. An intensive search game of only a few minutes can be just as exhausting as the hour-long walk. And yet, both mental and physical activity are extremely important to most dogs. If both are in balance, you will not only automatically have fewer to no problems (for example, destroying objects), but you will also build a stable and happy relationship with your pet in the long run.
5. the trainer listens to you and pays attention to your specific concerns.
This is perhaps the second most important tip. Only if a trainer is willing to listen to your individual needs and not stubbornly insist on his or her specific methods, will you be able to work together in the long run and make real progress. If in doubt, take more time to find the right dog trainer instead of running the risk of having to switch from one to the other. Because this ultimately unsettles not only you, but especially your dog.
If you pay attention to these things and also develop a good gut feeling for the topic of dog training and listen to your common sense, nothing should stand in the way of finding an ideal trainer:in. In the best case it should also fit well humanly, because ideally you will spend a lot of time together. Please note, however, that these tips apply primarily to dogs without abnormalities. For dogs with difficult histories, of course, other criteria may be in focus, such as a controllable interaction with conspecifics or people. Also in this case, of course, violence should never be used against animals.