Have you considered a “doggy boot camp?” Don’t do it. Don’t outsource dog training. Most people hear about “boot camp” dog training and love the idea. Who wouldn’t? You send your dog away for a week or two and, when it comes back, it’s a model of canine good behavior. The problem is that your dog doesn’t behave for you. He behaves for his trainer. Be the trainer!
We had a conversation this week with one of our students. It was about outsourcing dog training, but we didn’t realize it at the time. Her question was “what was the most difficult breed of dog you’ve ever trained?”
Brussels Griffons are challenging to train…
Thinking about it, Hope answered that the Brussels Griffons were the most challenging because they seem to ignore you entirely for hundreds of repetitions. Then, all of a sudden, they “get it” and have it forever.
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment. Then it occurred to us that she wasn’t asking which of our dogs was most difficult to train, but of our students’ and clients’ dogs. Ooops.
We are people trainers!
Most people don’t realize that trainers like us don’t train other people’s dogs. We teach the people how to train their dogs. Technically, we suppose, that makes us people trainers, not dog trainers. We don’t outsource training.
The easiest explanation we have is that dogs listen to the person who teaches them. If you send your dog away to “boot camp” and someone else actually trains your dog, your dog will be absolutely obedient to that person. But unless you’re planning to adopt/marry/cohabit with that person, the training will deteriorate over time. You may have a session or two with the trainer and learn the words and motions that your dog’s been taught to respond to, but, if you’re like most people, it’ll slacken over time.
It’s DIY!
And you’re missing all the fun! We think it’s just so sad that “training” and “playing” aren’t the same for most people. Our dogs adore our training games – and we love playing the games with our dogs. We wouldn’t let anyone steal that joy from us – the little wiggle celebrations our dogs have when they know they’ve done it right. Their willingness to “try it again” when it wasn’t so good.
Training games are a journey you take with your dog. You both learn and grow and play. You’ll become a better communicator – with people as well as with dogs. You’ll become more adept at switching gears – especially as you recognize when you’re “losing your audience.”
Playing training games with our own dogs has made us better teachers, students, listeners, and speakers. Dogs are wonderful playmates for growth. Don’t let anyone take that experience away from you.