11/18/2020
Back before I was a dog trainer…
When I had a dog that suffered from pretty much every behavioral problem in the book…
I remember feeling a little deflated when I worked with my trainer.
It seemed like every time I handed them the leash…
My dog instantly snapped to attention…
Like he’d been in obedience training his entire life.
And then the moment the leash was back in my grasp…
My dog seemed to develop selective hearing…
Pulling all over the place…
And acting like I didn’t exist.
It was frustrating.
And it made me feel like my dog had more respect for my trainer.
And I was nothing more to him than a free meal.
I mean, I paid his bills, gave him the best care, fed him the best food, and he could care less about me.
And you know what?
That hurt.
These days…
Now that I’ve learned a thing or two…
It’s rare that I take the leash from my clients.
But it’s not uncommon when I do for my students to say things like “He’s SOOOOO much better for you”…
And then make that mean the dog likes me better…
Or make it mean they are no good at this.
But the truth is…
Your dog SHOULD be better for your trainer.
They have more experience than you.
Doing this is (or at least, should be) second nature for them.
But you are just starting out…
Even if you’ve been at this a few months…or even a few years…
Your trainer has (or at leash SHOULD have) more experience than you, with more types of dogs.
I mean, personally, I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years. I’d better be a decent handler by now 😉
And just because they HANDLE your dog more effectively than you do (because that’s really what this is about)…
That doesn’t mean your dog doesn’t love you.
It doesn’t mean you won’t be good at this.
And it certainly doesn’t mean you are a bad dog owner.
It just means your trainer is a more experienced handler.
So don’t worry if your dog behaves better for your trainer.
Worry if they don’t.
(Of course, assuming your dog has a relationship with your trainer 😉)
