5 Things Professional Trainers Do (that you can too!)
When you hire a professional dog trainer, you’re actually hiring a coach who teaches you how to become your dog’s trainer. Save some money and time by trying these 5 easy ways to begin acting like a dog trainer!
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1. ACT - Always Carry Treats
Easy right? Whether you’re working with a new puppy, a new rescue, or a reactive dog, having a quick and easy way to access reinforcement is key. There are of course many different creative ways we can reward our dogs for desired behavior, but food tends to be the easiest and most convenient option for many dogs. Out on walks, or even around the house if you’re feeling ambitious, we highly recommend having a quality treat pouch on you. We promise they make training so much easier than trying to stuff treats into your pockets. Even if you don’t dole out a single cookie on an outing, it’s great to have just in case your dog does something extra-impressive and you want to reinforce that!
A brown and white spaniel taking a thin, long dog treat from a hand coming from off screen.
2. Notice Good Behaviors
Us humans have a pretty strong negative bias. We’re really good at noticing our dogs when they’re chasing the cat or barking at the neighbors, but we conveniently miss the hours of calm behavior preceding that. One actionable step you can take to improve this skill is to implement SMART x 50. The goal is to get through your allotment of daily shelf-stable treats just by feeding your dog for the things they’re already doing “right!” The more we notice and pay for the good, the more it will happen for us.
3. Use Management
You might think that professional trainers work on training with our own animals all the time. Guess again! Of course we do regularly train with our pets at home, but we also aren’t afraid to incorporate management to make our lives easier. There is nothing morally wrong with choosing to not train something if there is a safe and reasonable management option available. Just because we can train something, it doesn’t mean we have to. It’s okay to use those baby gates, white noise machines and stuffed food puzzles to your advantage.
A brindle dog with cropped ears pops up with their muzzle and paws from behind an earth-toned wall.
4. Learn Body Language
Having a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of canine body language is crucial to doing our jobs well as trainers! Taking the time to learn subtle signs of stress in dogs can help prevent so many potential conflicts. If you really want to become an expert on canine body language, getting hands-on experience observing dogs from outside of the local dog park or even volunteering at your local shelter can be hugely helpful.
A small tan and white dog in a black harness looking just off-screen with dramatic whale eyes, pinned ears and a tight muzzle.
5. Practice Clean Mechanics
This one is going to sound nerdy, but stick with us! One of the reasons a dog does so well for the trainer, and not as well for the pet parent, is that trainers have spent years polishing their mechanical skills. Believe it or not, trainers aren’t magic. Clicker training is a skill just like any other, and practice makes perfect. If you feel like you are struggling to work with your dog, take a few minutes to work on your training mechanics without your dog. The difference might surprise you!
We hope this helps you put on your trainer hat with your dogs! When in doubt, you can always reach out to a qualified professional for more direct guidance. Questions? Comments? Drop us an email at clickstartdogacademy@gmail.com!