There are some dog trainers who say dog training is not a complicated process. It’s the dog trainers who make it seem that way.
This is a powerful statement.
That statement can either shut down an eager dog owner who really wants to have a better life with their dog. Or motivate them a little longer to get some results before they throw in the towel and become content with their current results of getting their dog to perform a command for close to a minute.
*In a quiet and controlled setting.
*And with food in their hand.
If that’s all you were hoping for. Then no… Dog training is not a complicated skill.
Anyone can teach a dog, one skill at a time, in a quiet, controlled setting, with food or a toy, for a very short duration of time.
If you are looking to do more than that or maximize the potential your dog really has…
Then Yes! Dog Training is absolutely a complicated skill.
Treat training (R+ training) is a very complex skill to have if you plan on increasing the duration of the commands. If you are introducing more complex distractions.
And overall, hoping to explore more than just a controlled quiet environment.
There’s timing. Reading your dog. Keeping a close eye on your surroundings. Trying to push boundaries without losing your dogs interest or any small confidence they may have developed. Plus a lot of other variables that aren’t shared in those How-To-Do-Videos.
Treat training is a great method for teaching.
Most people that have dogs have large drives and the food or toy method doesn’t always work out the way they show in those videos. For those that have jobs and can’t dedicate their entire days to dog training. It is a very complicated skill.
When R+ training isn’t working for your dog. Many explore the world of prong collars. Prong collars are also a great tool that require a lot of skill. If you have seen and felt a prong collar, you understand why. You want someone who can teach you to effectively train your dog. If you don’t believe us. Throw a prong collar on your high drive dog and send us a video of your rodeo dog show. Please be safe and don’t get bit.
Prong collars are a great tool for managing hard to teach dogs with high drives.
There are limitations. They are a great tool until you are no longer holding the leash that is attached to the prong collar.
Prong collar dog training is an absolute skill.
Then there’s the e-collar. There is a new fascination with these tools because so many dog trainers post videos of their dog performing all of these commands with ease.
E-collar dog trainers have a lot of working variables they have to stay on top of. Many e-collar trainers incorporate R+ and/or prong collar work along with their e-collar training. So they know all 3 methods.
The e-collar is a myriad of complicated skills that are needed. E-collar trainers teach dogs all these commands in a short amount of time without having dogs lose their confidence, shut down mentally or emotionally, become terrified of the trainer, or become a confused wrecking ball of a dog. These successful e-collar trainers, must have a strong understanding of dog behavior that R+ trainers think they know but don’t really understand.
E-collar trainers see the real behavior side of dogs because they are teaching a dog to work for their dog owner. They aren’t asking their dog owner to work for their dog. This was a belief practice that was lost a long time ago. Now, treat trainers only go as far as the dog wants to go.
Let’s be honest. That’s why most treat trained dogs can’t leave the house or dog owners can’t have pleasurable walks on a large scale around the world.
If this was true, the dog shelters would be empty and the dogs getting returned or dumped would no longer be this large scale problem.
All of this, circles right back to the fact that Dog Training is an absolute complicated skill that many want to have but only a few have made it an art.
For working professionals, find a great dog trainer to train your dog. So you can go enjoy living your life with your dog.
