How to Choose the Right Sacramento Dog Trainer for You and Your Pup
Will dog training help with my pup’s struggles? What are corrections, and which ones are okay? Are any of them okay? What does science have to say about dog training? What is “balanced” versus “positive reinforcement” training, and what kinds of certifications should I be looking for in a dog trainer, if any?
Almost every pet parent has been there. and I think it really is one of the biggest challenges in your pet parent (or pet guardian) journey.
First - as a disclaimer, I am not an animal medical professional, and nothing here constitutes or is a substitute for professional medical advice. There is always a chance for a health issue (such as pain, discomfort, or an undiagnosed condition) behind your pup’s behaviors, and it is key to seek out the advice of a trusted, licensed veterinarian before looking at training options. Additionally, some training “styles,” correction methods, and collars or tools can pose different health risks to your pup. All of the advice I can share here is based on my own opinion formed from my years of experience loving and caring for pets, working with pets as a photographer, and from reviewing the current available research, utilizing my background studying the environmental sciences.
Please talk to your vet before searching for a trainer or implementing any new training methods to rule out a medical condition or cause.
Look for a dog trainer’s education and certifications.
Important to note: Dog training is not a regulated field or job title. Therefore, anyone can call themselves a dog trainer, or start a dog training business. This also means that not everyone who trains dogs is knowledgeable of proven, evidence-backed methods to benefit you and your pet (or even knowledgeable of the hazards of certain training methods).
That being said, thankfully, there are organizations offering high quality, in-depth classes and certifications for dog trainers. These can be specialized, like fear-free certification classes, or general, like trainings on effective and evidence-backed dog training practices. Look for these (and verify them, when possible) to note a trainer’s education and abilities in their field.
One of the most well-known and well-supported certifying organizations in the field of dog training is the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT - dog trainers will have CPDT-KA or CPDT-KSA certification and be verifiable on the CCPDT’s online database),
There are multiple high-quality dog training programs out there, so take a look at any credentials a dog trainer has before moving forward. “I have been working for X years,” and “My pet parents get the results they want” are not credentials indicating safe, dog-friendly, or evidence-backed methods.
2. Avoid working with trainers who base their training methods on unscientific and/or disproven philosophies.
If you have looked at a wide range of dog trainers and their websites or social media feeds… you might have seen some trainers use common (but misleading) buzzphrases like:
“alpha”
“dominance”
“pack leader”
“Mother Nature”
“balanced approach”
One recent study found that these phrases are more likely to be used by dog trainers who: 1. lack education and certification in their field, 2. rely upon aversive, punishing, and/or fear-inducing methods to create behavioral change, and 3. do not cite scientific data to back their methods.
In addition to this, the “alpha dog” concept has long been disproven. In fact, it was disproven by the very same scientist who popularized it! After International Wolf Center’s founder, scientific researcher Dr. L. David Mech, published a book that included a paper about “Alpha” wolves, he observed wolves in the wild… and found that the behaviors of wolves in captivity (surrounded by strange, unrelated wolves) were not at all representative of natural wolf behaviors. He took many efforts to repair the mistake, but the damage was done. Any trainer who shares or relies upon “Alpha” language in their training work is not up-to-date on canine science.
On the flip side, dog trainers with certifications and education in the field were more likely to use terms like: “positive reinforcement,” “reward-based,” “fear free,” and “science”. So consider these terms a green flag when choosing the right dog trainer for you and your pup!
3. Watch out for the use of potentially harmful gear, tools, and “corrective” agents.
Both the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommend avoiding aversive training methods, due to their impacts to dog physical and emotional health, as well as the evidence of success with reward-based training methods. Most pet parents unknowingly provide corrections - for example, saying “No!” or clapping our hands to mark an undesired behavior. But some aversive and corrective training methods are much more damaging. Some of these aversive corrections and punishments to look out for in a trainer include: high-level shocks through e-collars, physical discipline (by hand, with rolled up magazines or other objects, or “alpha rolling”), yanking with a leash, “popping” a prong/pinch collar, and more. These methods may “work” on the surface by changing an undesirable behavior, but they also come with risks that can range from inconvenient to emergent, can increase dogs reactivity, and can hinder your family’s training goals. Some of the risks involved with aversive/“corrective” tools are:
Unintended behavioral changes. Because dogs are not people, oftentimes the “common sense” lesson we think we are teaching our dogs is not the lesson they take home. For example, a dog who is punished (through corrective methods) for growling can stop growling, and instead bite without warning. In other cases, dogs can form “superstitious” beliefs, where they associate unintended situations, people, or objects with fear, and this can cause unintended and even aggressive behaviors. Additionally, adding new situations that induce fear, pain, and/or discomfort to your pet’s life - especially in an already-reactive or fearful pet - can lead to regressive, stress-induced behaviors.
Damage to organs - especially the thyroid gland, which sits in the front of the neck.
With dogs who have yet to learn desirable (to us) leash behaviors, relying on a collar alone comes with health risks by the pressure it puts on a dog’s sensitive neck. This is amplified by utilizing tools like pinch and prong collars, which can inflict more direct pressure upon the thyroid gland. Studies have found that dogs who pull and dogs who are exposed to collar corrections are more likely to experience cervical, thyroid, and soft tissue damage.
Retractable leashes can also increase the risk of thyroid damage due to their sudden, “snappy” jerks when stopping or locking the leash. Avoid a dog trainer who encourages the use of potentially harmful tools, especially in a dog prone to higher-risk behaviors (leash pulling, fearful jerks or flight responses, etc.)Negative impacts to your dog’s stress and mental health. In the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior’s position statement on animal training methods, they noted that, in multiple studies, dogs trained with aversive methods expressed more stress behaviors including tension, lip licking, yawning, yelping, and more, while pups who were trained with reward-based methods showed “increased attentiveness to their owner.” Aversive methods were also associated with more reported aggressive behaviors and overall behavior issues in the long term. When it comes to actual training results, a 2004 study performed by the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare found that dogs trained exclusively with rewards showed highest obedience levels, “balanced” or combined reward-and-aversive-trained dogs had lower obedience levels, and dogs with exclusively aversive-based training showed the lowest obedience levels and, worse, damaged dogs’ future ability to learn new behaviors.
Ultimately, your dog’s well-being and happiness, as well as your relationship with them, can be impacted positively or negatively by the way they are trained. Sometimes, we also have to admit that the behaviors and training methods in our best interest aren’t always in our pets’ best interests. Aversive tools, while behaviorally effective at times, are potentially more damaging and less effective than rewards-based training. Rewards-based training requires consistency, time, and effort(!!)- but, like in most areas of life, the quickest fix is not necessarily the best in dog training.
4. Practice patience and compassion - for yourself, as well as your dog.
Training a dog isn’t easy, and neither is finding a trainer who is up-to-date on the research related to their field. It’s impossible for our dogs to entirely understand us and our world - and, sometimes, it can feel seriously hard to understand our dogs (I see you, parents with poop-eating-pups). You’re doing the research, taking the time, and putting in the work to help you and your dog (whose needs we have to be met, too) exist together peacefully. We’re all bound to make mistakes and learn new things along the way. Don’t beat yourself up over slip-ups, unknowns, missed behaviors, or moments of frustration. You’re human. And they’re a dog - so know that they’re doing their best, too.
