23 Zář Part 4 – First lesson – the training

In the last part of this series, we discussed what to look out for in a trainer’s personality when you meet him for your first lesson. We talked about some red flags and personality traits that might seriously hamper your trainer’s ability to teach you and work your dog effectively. 

This fourth part is dedicated to the organizational and practical aspects of the training itself. Your trainer might have the most wonderful and compatible personality, but if his training methods aren’t up to the task, you might have to look elsewhere.

• Just one dog at the field. This is perhaps the easiest, most objective sign of a good dog trainer. When working with a dog, that dog should be the only one at the training field (barring a few unusual exceptions that surely shouldn’t include you at your first session).

This doesn’t mean the lessons should be only one-on-one. That’s not necessary; on the contrary, it’s beneficial to watch others and learn from them. But at any given moment, there should be just one dog on the training field. The only exceptions are training long down with distraction (where you’ll have one dog working, the other one lying down), or the odd exercises where there actually are more dogs on the field during the trial (like some exercises in OB). 

Working with multiple dogs at the same time is never a good idea, especially if they’re young dogs or puppies. The distraction is far too great and, most importantly, unnecessary. During regular trials, your dog will be the only one at the field, with maybe another dog lying down at the edge. 

So if your new trainer insists on working with multiple dogs without a very good reason to do so (Sadly, most often the reason is more money in a shorter time period.), it’s probably not a good idea.

• Individual approach to dog and handler. It’s one thing to have just one dog at the field. It’s another thing to really perceive every dog and handler as unique personalities. You shouldn’t feel like just another cookie in a cookie-cutter. 

Of course, every trainer has his unique approach, system, and methods, and that’s fine. But he needs to acknowledge that every dog is different, that every handler is different, and act accordingly. A young, inexperienced but talented handler with a good dog requires a very different approach than an older handler who just wants to do some trials for fun with their family dog. 

The former could benefit from some pushing and a stricter regime to really make them work hard and reap the benefits. The latter needs a lighter approach with more motivation to enjoy themselves and not dwell on unnecessary details. The same goes for different dogs. 

A good trainer recognizes what kind of person you are, what kind of dog you have and what kind of team the two of you form. Then, he can adjust his training to fit both of you. 

You are unique, your dog is unique, and you both need a unique approach.

• Genuine interest, activity. This may sound kind of obvious, but it sadly isn’t. When at the session with your trainer, you should feel like he is genuinely interested in you and is really working hard to help you. 

I have seen trainers just sitting in a chair at the edge of the field, shouting commands at a confused handler. That’s no way to train. Your trainer should stay close by, watch you carefully, notice details, talk to you, help you. 

Not let you do your own thing and then criticize you afterward or just say, “Yeah, that was good,” and move on. 

You should feel like he cares and puts forth some effort. You paid for it, so you should get your money’s worth.

• Has a system. This one might actually be a bit tricky to find out on your very first lesson. I recommend you ask some questions and try to assess this. 

I believe that one of the most valuable things a trainer can provide is a good training system. He should have a very clear plan for all the exercises and which steps logically take the dog through the process. That’s a ton of information. Obviously, not every handler and certainly no beginner should be required to remember it all. 

That’s where a trainer comes in. Of course, he has to adjust his system to suit you and your dog, as I have written in the previous points. But he also has to use some sort of reliable, proven structure you can lean on and depend on. 

Try asking questions like, “Ok, I get this, what will be the next step? Can you roughly outline how we will get to the final stage?” A good trainer might sigh (because he knows this will take some talking and his throat is already sore, believe me), but he will be able to answer this.

• Has some knowledge of other systems. Having his own system is important, but that doesn’t mean a good trainer sticks his head in the sand and pretends his is the only one. 

There is not just one working system. People win competitions using very different approaches, of course. Most of the top-level handlers and trainers use very similar basic principles, but their methods may vary widely. That’s fine. 

It’s ok that your trainer has chosen what he thinks is best, has built his own system, and has proven it works on his own dogs and his clients’ dogs. But he should have at least some basic knowledge about other methods. He doesn’t need to be an expert. (I think that’s impossible as the array of training methods is very wide.) 

But he should have some idea and be able to explain why he thinks his method is better. Because he should have gone through some sort of thought process to determine why he chose his particular one. 

So if he shows you his method and you say, “Interesting, I have heard of a different approach that goes like this. What do you think of that?” he should be able to provide an answer. It doesn’t have to be crazy detailed, but you should be able to tell that he knows what you’re talking about. He should have considered it and has a good reason to believe his method will work better for you and your dog.

• Always answers the “Why?” question. This is a powerful one in how simple it is and how much it tells about what kind of trainer you are dealing with. 

I pride myself on being able to answer any “why” question my clients ask me. And I am convinced every trainer should be able to do that. More than that, he should answer “why” questions before you even ask them. 

Anytime the trainer tells you to do something that doesn’t feel insignificant, he should make sure you understand why you are doing it. It is never enough to know you have to do something. You’ve got to know why. If you want to be a mindful handler (and you probably do, you are reading this blog after all), you should consider that one of your top priorities. 

Really pay attention to this. If the trainer doesn’t explain himself, ask. If you get the answer, “Because I said so/Because that’s how it’s done/Just do it,” run away and continue your search. 

This trainer isn’t for you. You want to be good, you want to understand, you want to be mindful. You don’t want to mindlessly follow orders.

• You generally agree with his system and methods. This is kind of an obvious one, and I wouldn’t include it if I didn’t have some rather disturbing experiences with some of my clients. 

When training with someone, you are of course there to learn from him. But he should give you a general overview of how he trains, some basic principles, and what he bases his system on. And you should agree with his views. That doesn’t mean you never get into an argument or disagree on something. That’s fine. But your general directions and visions about dog training should be similar, even though yours might be a bit unclear when you are just starting out. 

As I said, this seems like a no brainer, but surprisingly, it isn’t. Numerous times, I’ve had new clients come with dogs that looked like they were afraid of the training field or of one particular command. 

I had a cheerful German shepherd who totally shut down and tried to flee the field after hearing the command, “Down!” I was beyond baffled by the sudden change in the dog’s behavior. I asked his handler – a young, inexperienced girl, very much in love with the dog – why that happened. She told me her former trainer taught her to train “down” by hitting the dog on his head to make him go down. 

I was baffled again. “Did you want to do that? Did you think it was a good idea to hit your best friend over his head when he doesn’t even know what ‘down’ means?” She looked taken aback a bit. “Well, no, but he was my trainer so I did what he told me…” 

It seems like a no-brainer, but it isn’t. You’ve got to agree on the general methods. 

And that leads us directly into the next point:

• Respects your point of view and is at least somewhat flexible. Take the example of the handler from the previous point. What should she have done differently? She should have said very firmly that she didn’t want to hit her dog over his head. She should have demanded an alternative method for the “down” command. 

What should a good trainer do? Accept her point of view even if he would hypothetically think the best method is to hit dogs over their heads (It isn’t, but for the sake of argument…) and offer some alternatives. Perhaps, he could explain why he thinks the method he suggests is the best way and show her the downsides of the alternatives.

This a must-have. You shouldn’t be afraid to reject anything your trainer suggests, especially if it has something to do with correcting your dog. Corrections are a tricky business, and they must be done well. Not everyone wants to use them with their dogs. That’s fine. 

I believe they do belong in a well-thought-out training system, but I would never in a dream force them on any of my clients. I explain to them why I think it’s a good idea, educate them on what problems they might run into if they don’t do what I suggest, and offer alternatives. Then, they can make an informed decision. 

It shouldn’t come up very often that you disagree with your trainer; if you find yourself in an argument every session you might have picked the wrong trainer. But when it does, this is how it should be resolved. If you get mocked, ridiculed or told that there is no other way, then first of all, that’s bullshit, and second of all, leave. You deserve better service than that.

• Has no problem admitting he doesn’t know. Last but not least: something many trainers, including myself, struggle with. No one is perfect, no one is all-knowing – not even the best trainer in the world – and sometimes there comes a question we just don’t know the answer to. 

There is no shame in that, and you shouldn’t get the feeling that your trainer is hiding this fact from you. He shouldn’t be trying to dodge a question or cook up some vague, general answer just so that he doesn’t have to admit he doesn’t know. 

Of course, this situation shouldn’t come up often. If you hear “I don’t know” multiple times in the session, something is likely wrong. But if you get an honest “I don’t know” followed by some explanation or elaboration, that’s actually a good sign. 

I sometimes resort to this when clients come to me with some new method they picked up on the internet or from another trainer and ask me if it will work. 

“I don’t know. I’ve never tried this method, nor have I seen a dog trained like this. But here is what I think could happen, and this is why I think that…” That’s my answer, an honest one. 

Your trainer should be honest with you, and you should be grateful for that.

That’s it, a few points to look out for during your first session with a new trainer. Usually, you should be able to tell if you are a good fit after the first lesson and decide if you want to commit to your new trainer (often by purchasing multiple sessions, a whole training cycle, or something similar) or keep looking. 

If it isn’t a good fit, be honest with him. Tell him, don’t just leave and never contact him again. Be fair, thank him, and if you can, let him know what you didn’t like. I always welcome constructive criticism. It might help me become a better trainer. 

If the session goes well and you decide you want to keep working with that particular trainer, then congratulations! You have made a huge step in your dog training journey, and I assure you all the hard work done choosing the right one will pay off. 

In the next installment of this series, I will give you some pointers on what to look for after a few more sessions and how to settle in with the new trainer.