Why Do I Need A Dog Trainer?

I introduced myself to a neighbor a couple of days ago, as she has a dog and her dog was a super cute elderly dog and I wanted to ask to pet. It doesn’t matter how many dogs I see in my profession, I just really like dogs and enjoy meeting them all
We got to chatting while I loved on her dog. Small talk is probably the bane of most people’s existence but here’s the thing: I’m a yapper. If you know me at all I basically don’t shut up unless I’m tired.

“What do you do for work?” She asked politely.

“Oh, I’m a dog trainer. I travel to people’s homes to train their dogs.”

Normally, this is met with surprise, curiosity, and a bunch of different dog related questions. I know it annoys some trainers but as I said, I’m a yapper. Instead she scoffed.

“Why in the world would someone pay someone to train their dog? It’s not like it’s rocket science. You can look at tutorials online, she said.” I paused.

“Well, some people don’t really have the time, and some people need their dogs to do very specific things.” After my lame, not well thought out answer, I steered the conversation away to ask more about her dog, and shortly excused myself thereafter.
It got me thinking: There are probably a lot of people with this opinion, actually, even if they might not be so brash as to say it to my face. Especially, as she pointed out, there is so much information online. So, here it is: Three reasons why someone might need a dog trainer.

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1. That’s a lot of research!
Simply put, many people are busy. While they might have time to play with their dogs, take them for walks, etc., they may not have the time to sift through hundreds of videos and articles, while also trying to figure out if the person who created the video or article is actually a reliable source.

There’s tons of unreliable sources since anyone can put anything on the internet… Research can be difficult and take time better spent with your dog (and family!) Hiring a dog trainer takes this burden off of you completely, since you are working with someone who has (ideally) gained the necessary education and skills.

2. Troubleshooting
Have you ever watched a video tutorial, followed it exactly, and your dog responded way differently than the (probably already trained) dog in the tutorial? Yeah. That happens a lot, because dogs are individuals. The way you found online might not work for your dog’s learning style, anatomy, or confidence levels.

As a small, kinda inconsequential example: I had a client who could not get her dog to lay down on cue, after trying for a very long time. I asked to see what she had been doing. She did a treat lure straight to the ground and her dog was just lowering and hanging her head. I noticed the dog was locking one of her front legs, so I then lured the dog down and over her left shoulder so that the leg would release. Poof! After 5 minutes she could lay down on cue.

A dog trainer typically has had their hands on hundreds of dogs. After working with hundreds of dogs, a dog trainer can pull up a mental manual for every training issue they’ve ever had with any other dog. You can’t get that through a video!

3. A second set of eyes
While your dog is learning, you are learning too! Often when an owner is focused on a certain handling skill, they might overlook their dog’s facial expressions and body language. While focusing on their dog, their handling skills might start to slip. Perhaps your dog begins to have a reactive outburst, but you were too busy speaking to a neighbor to notice what the trigger was! Having a dog trainer can fill in those attention gaps and help you get the complete picture so your dog can learn more quickly and effectively. A dog trainer can point out nuances you might have missed and fix things before they become a bad habit.

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There are many more reasons that a person might need a dog trainer, but these are some simple ones. Maybe next time someone asks me this question, instead of being taken off guard I can continue to do my favorite thing: Yap. Probably while the person backs away slowly. That’s sort of my style.