I absolutely will
never use, and do not advocate, the use of electronic shock collars! - a good
dog trainer, behaviorist or experienced handler would never need one.
John M. Rubin
John's Natural Dog Training
Company believes every dog and their owner deserves a mutually beneficial
relationship. In order to achieve this, clear communication between
the two must be established. This is best accomplished by teaching
owners how to understand and use their dog's innate characteristics to create
and build upon a foundation of trust, understanding and acceptance.
Appealing to your dogs true nature will establish clear
communication. Once this has been accomplished, a lasting bond occurs.
Your dogs cooperative nature can be captured and utilized in such
a way that anything is possible!
The successful raising and training of any dog begins with the
owner's ability to use "dog psychology." Those dog owners who achieve this
knowledge and understanding will have greater success with their dogs. John's
Natural Dog Training Company has designed each program to help you achieve this
knowledge.
Our methods are simply this; We teach you to
understand how your dog thinks, learns and communicates by helping
you to understand the psychology of your dog. By
using your dog's natural instincts, we teach you to employ positive
reinforcement to establish and achieve obedience. By utilizing your
dogs energy and spirit, you will learn how to re-direct your dogs
focus away from it's environment towards you. Your dogs loyalty to
you is instinctual. By clearly communicating with your dog during
the teaching/training/playing process, this natural trait will be
strengthened. Yes, your dog can, and will learn to walk on a loose
leash. (there's no "illusion" to it!)
What We Don't Do
We
do not use food-training. Your abundant praise is your dog's
reward! Why carry around treats when you can use your voice to
reinforce his/her good behavior.
We
do not use fear-based, submissive-dominant techniques. (Alpha
Roll) These
methods only serve to confuse your dog and destroy her self
confidence. Your dog should never fear your hands as they should
only be used for petting and hugging - not shaking, spanking, or
rolling your dog as a form of correction. (Also a sure-fire way to end
up in the emergency room because your dog took a chunk out of your
arm.)
We
do not use, and will never advocate the use of electronic
training (shock) collars! A good dog trainer, behaviorist, or
experienced handler would never need one. Many great dogs have been
ruined by the use of shock collars. We have worked with many in an
attempt to help. We are successful most of the time. But, these dogs
will always have limitations. Sad, but true.
We do
not use gimmicks. (No clickers, cans with coins, treadmills or Tabasco
sauce!) All you will ever need is your voice and a little bit of
patience and a whole lot of love. Your dog will respond to you simply because you're you!
We do
not believe your dog literally must view you as it's pack leader. You are
not a dog and we are quite sure your dog knows this. However, by
utilizing our training methods, we help you to establish yourself as
your dogs "guardian". A much more realistic view of your
relationship with your dog as he or she also assumes this role when
need be. You will naturally assume a leadership role when you learn
to communicate with your dog - we show you how.
With so many dog trainers out there, we know your
decision as to which one to use can be difficult. About 95% of dog
trainers today use food-training. Of these, approximately 75% of
them use clickers, and about 10% use electronic shock collars. Most
claim they will train your dog quickly. Our 20 years experience in
dog training has shown us that a quickly trained dog is usually not
a well trained dog. (We know because many owners hire us to
"re-train" these dogs on a consistent basis.) Food-training and
shock collars are more common because owners see
instant results! But, those instant results are rarely long-lasting.
Since the
dog trainer has never made the effort to learn and understand the
dogs true nature, they are therefore unable to pass this knowledge on
to the owner. They love dogs, but do they really "know" them?
What We Will Do
We do provide you with a comprehensive training program that
utilizes the psychology of your dog to train him, or her,
effectively and this takes time and consistency. Both you and your
dog have work to do and things to learn. We want your training
program to be fun and effective for both you and your dog.
We do
teach you to use your voice, hands and body language to positively
reinforce your dog's good behavior.
We teach owners how
to gently and effectively train their dogs, on-leash, all basic obedience
commands.
We do
believe that owners must take the time to teach, using patience,
consistency, and positive reinforcement, to establish trust and
understanding with their dogs. Along with a leash and collar, these are the tools we use to help
you train your dog.
John's Natural Dog Training Company of San Diego's
methods are unique. We individually evaluate each dog, their family, and environment, to determine the
best training program for them. No two dogs are alike. Every owner
has specific needs, wants, and desires concerning the education of
their dog. We work with you to achieve these goals.
What Every Owner Should Ask Before Choosing a Dog Trainer
- How many years have you been a full-time professional dog trainer?
- How many dogs on average do you train per month/year?
- Have you ever received and AKC Obedience Title on any of your dogs or a
clients?
(In my opinion this is far more telling about a trainer's experience than a
Dog Trainer's Certification as the time, knowledge and work that goes into
working with a dog and competing in the AKC Obedience ring is much more than
what is required to become a certified dog trainer. Also, the AKC Judge
could care less if you and your dog title - you have to truly prove you know
what you are doing.)
- What methods of training, and what equipment do you use and why?
- Can I observe a dog training class?
- What is your refund policy?
- Can you supply references?
Analysis
- The number of years a dog trainer has been training dogs full-time can
tell you a lot. Obviously the more experience with dogs, the better. You can
trip-up a lot of interviewees here as well. If they hesitate, change the
subject or do not directly answer your question, this is not a good start.
- The methods they use, and the equipment they use or recommend will give
you a better idea of their experience and knowledge. Again, hesitation or
unwillingness to explain can be a disqualifier.
- If a trainer is not willing to allow you to observe a class - big red
flag. You would have to wonder what the problem is.
- The refund policy is very important because things happen. Dogs and
people get sick or injured, family issues arise, or you just don't like the
trainer in person. Sadly, some dogs just don't work out and need to be
returned. Many rescue or shelter dogs come with issues that busy families
are not made aware of beforehand and are not prepared to handle.
- Finally, references are always good to get. You are paying your hard
earned money to get the right training for you and your dog.
Finally, Things to Ponder
When a dog trainer claims these items listed below, think
"marketing gimmick" or at least inexperience.
- Free Consultation
- Celebrity Clients - Dog Trainer to the Stars
- Fast, Guaranteed Results
Analysis
- The dog trainer that offers "Free Consultations", in my
opinion, has the need to drum up
business or competition is so fierce that they use this as a way to get
their foot in the door. You will most likely get very little training or
information during this consult and more likely will get a lot of false or
misleading information designed to push you into using their services. More
often these days you will receive a demo on remote e-collar (shock collar)
use - and on your dog! You are paying for experience and knowledge so it
probably is money well spent when you pay for a consult.
- I can only speak from experience, but I value my clients
privacy. I would never exploit famous clients in an
effort to boost my reputation. Besides, what makes their endorsement a better reference
than your next door neighbor or a stranger at the dog park?
- As far as fast results, dogs are ever-evolving. Every
day they change, grow and mature just like we do. The term "results"
and "guaranteed" are both vague and extremely subjective. What the trainer thinks and
what you think can be very different. You
have to live with your pooch so you must decide based upon your needs.
Another HUGE consideration; A good trainer is training you too! Think about
your first roommate or when you brought
your first child home from the hospital - it is really no different (except
they're human and it should have been easy but was not!). Training your dog
takes patience and practice. Learning to communicate with your dog in order
for you to happily live together will take time.
877-447-8597
www.johnknowsdogs.com
