Putting It Bluntly…

Forthright Moves Everything Forward - Faster.

“We reserve the right to refuse services - without explanation,” is stated on my website in a couple places and, yet, no one has ever called me out on this two-part proclaimation. Given the number of (formally) benign phrases and practices that some people now find offensive, I am a bit surprised.

Does this exclusionary proviso seem blunt? Since I began training professionally, I have turned away very few potential clients. The exclusion most often involves training issues with non-hunting breeds. An exception that involves gun dogs may be an issue that requires extensive, long-term, efforts to remedy. The concern being that the time, cost, and potential for success (the lack, there of) will end up creating hard feelings.

Placing our feelings aside for the moment, let’s have a look at how this statement came about and its real intent.

People come with all kinds of personalities, persuasions, and pre-conceived ideas. Most are easy to work with (or around) – at least, ignore – but, within some of these three P’s, you’ll find a mix that resembles the familiar “oil and water.” When teamwork is essential, over-coming strong, diverse, opinions can create a huge road block toward the intended destination. All one needs for reference is the current state of our government.

I’ve got all the “advice” I need - thank you!

What might sound like snobbery, could simply be an attempt to avoid undesirable conflicts. “Conflicts,” you ask? “What kind of conflicts?” Well, in my years of teaching and training, I’ve come across a few - let’s call them, “misunderstandings” - that I’d rather avoid now. When I was obligated to the state and an educational institution, dealing with various personality types just came with the territory. Now self-employed, I do not feel a strong responsibility toward solving secondary differences while trying to accomplish a primary goal.

“Differences and conflicts?! How can training dogs (and people) be that confrontational?!” Well, it isn’t often and that is because I look for early warning signs. Let’s have a look at some of what I have experienced while enjoying the role of “educator.”

1. “I pay your salary – (you owe me).” - Though seemingly true, as a professor of technology in the state of Idaho, this statement wasn’t entirely correct. The worst of it is, from the standpoint that training is a cooperative venture, this mindset blocks the educational process from the onset. The idea that one side MUST complete a task - come hell or high water - while the other party provides little to no effort is a failed philosophy.

For starters, it is not teamwork but a challenge; one side daring the other to succeed. And, secondly, training is not the purchase of an item promised, it is a process that should reach the highest level that the participants can accomplish. All that is owed is an honest effort from everyone involved.

Money? I’m more interested in your dog…

2. “I want it my way.” - There are a million-teen ways to train and learn a skill. In education, they often referred to a concept called an individual’s Learning Style. The idea was to revise a teaching strategy to the learner’s strongest learning style. College students came with an almost endless array of personalities and characteristics; both physical and mental challenges that was part of what made teaching interesting. However, the instructor having to adjust to mulitple learning styles has its obvious drawbacks.

The main obsticle being, if it is true that learning styles exist – and I believe they do – then, conversely, there must be teaching (training) styles. If you desire the best outcome in a training experience, it makes sense to allow the trainer to apply his/her most familiar tools and techniques. When someone tells me that they saw this technique or read about that method, I can almost guarantee that I have heard of it – perhaps even tried it – but that doesn’t mean that all techniques are in my wheelhouse.

With an owner’s unrealistic view of the dog’s abilities at the start - adding discord on where to take the dog and how to get it there - it is very unlikely that satisfactory progress will be made, (Refer to #5 and #6).

I may be a “Jack” of several trades but only a “master” at some…let’s say, “a few”.

For example, I’ve had dogs find antlers and had them trail wounded game; but I won’t claim to be an expert trainer at either.

3. “I want my dog to start work on birds.” - That is like someone saying, I just want my kid to play professional baseball. To obtain a goal takes stages - new skills built on previous skills - there are no short-cuts to true success. Though an early introduction to birds is used to spark interest, birds alone, ignoring foundational skills and manners, will likely end in disaster.

4. “This is too slow, my other dog(s)…” - I’ve heard it implied a couple of times that the method I was using was the reason for a dog’s slow progress; that a client’s previous dog(s) were way beyond the current pupil by that period. Dogs, like humans, progress at different rates based on so many factors that entire articles have been written about them. I suggest going in prepared for the long-haul and, if it doesn’t require a great deal of time, you’re happily surprised.

5. “I decided that I want to work on…” - Part of my job is to assess the dog being trained, ask the client what their end goal(s) may be, and create a plan or strategy to get us there. If the dog pupil is slow at picking up a stage of training, that might mean changing a tactic – which sometimes happens – but that shouldn’t mean that a skill or stage should be skipped.

When the weather isn’t right for pouring a concrete foundation, you don’t often skip it and start on the roof. It’s normal to stumble on the way to perfecting a skill and the correct technique is to take a step back to where the dog was successful and go forward. Changing your mind altogether will likely be a greater set-back.

6. “I use _-blank-_ to train my dogs.” - Whether it is special treats, a harness (vs a collar), the use of electric collars (or not), tables, barrels, and so on; your training methods should be set aside once you’ve hired someone else to train your dog.

So, what’s the answer? I believe it’s fairly obvious. Find a trainer that you can work with; one that is familiar with the tools and techniques you can accept. Then, trust the trainer and the process.

Prior to deciding on a trainer, it’s a good idea to do a little self-evaluation, as well. For example, I would say that most dog trainers are very confident in what they do. Therefore, if you know you’re a Type-A personality with pre-conceived ideas about how things should be done – good luck getting anything accomplished. Two folks leading an enterprise, like a two-quarterback system in professional football, never works out well.

My prefered training method(s) require teamwork.

So, my bluntness should not be considered rude but a straight-forward attempt to avoid any and all misunderstandings BEFORE they happen. In response to the second part of the original statement, there’s no reason to discuss “why” I feel a potential client and I cannot work together since it’s as much due to my personality as theirs. In this way, both parties have a way out with no harm done.

Personally, I’m not good at reading between-the-lines. This two-part provision, stated up-front, along with offering a free visit and evaluation prior to taking on a joint gun dog training venture, is the straightest road to mutual success.

-          Enjoy Your Dog!

For additional information - Though more like “Tips” than “Steps”, take a moment to read:

Sporting Dog - PRO (website)

10 Steps To Take Before You Hire A Professional Dog Trainer.