You need the training, not the dog

“I don’t need training, the dog does”

If you ever want to get off to a bad start with a professional dog trainer, just make sure you repeat those words and i can guarantee there will be very few that will want to work with you. I have recently lost a few prospective clients, as they became rather offended when I hinted to the fact that it is them who needs the training to learn how to effectively manage and teach their dog what is required. Because lets face it, if they knew what to do and how to train their dog, then they wouldn’t be calling me up to fix their problems.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”

Very commonly I am told by my clients when I am out working with them and their dogs, that “Chris, this is more about training us, the dog is fine, we are the ones who need the help”. These are the clients that also generally get the best results, as they are open to change and are aware that in order to change and improve their dogs behaviour they must first change how they interact with the dog, as what they were doing previously wasn’t working. Even though I am great at helping pet dog owners with training their dogs to be an enjoyable companion and resolving behaviour issues,there are still plenty other aspects of dog training that I continually seek to further develop my knowledge and experience in. When it comes to training my own dogs for obedience and tracking competitions I train with other great trainers who have more experience than me and can help show me how to get the best out of my dog. (That’s me below on the left with other dog trainers that I compete and train with)