5 Things Dog Trainers Do Best

Dog trainers are a one of kind. We all come from different backgrounds, careers, and experiences. We have different styles and beliefs about what we do, but still, there are a few things we all share. We all share some pretty awesome strengths. Here are some top 5 places where we shine:

5. Get Up Early

Dogs can’t tell time. As long as they’re rested, they can work and most of the time that means starting your first dog in the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes this is to avoid the dangerously hot temperatures of a summer afternoon, sometimes its because we have early appointments, meetings, trade shows, or just a lot of dogs we’re working with that day. Whatever the reason, we’re usually up, out, and geared up with the dogs before most people have breakfast.

4. Exercise Adaptability

Training dogs is a lot like having children: no one plan fits all. Every dog presents its own unique set of skills and shortcomings. Each has his or her own way of learning. We have got to be willing and able to adjust our plans so that each pup gets the most out of his training time. We’ve got to be able to go back if a dog is showing regression and we’ve got to be willing to develop new plans if our timelines are thrown off by illness or injury.

3. Seek knowledge

Dog training has come a long way over the years, and most of that is because we dedicate ourselves to honing our craft. We all know there is more than one way to accomplish an end goal in training so we’re always open to hearing other people’s experiences or investigating new products. We know that the day you think you know it all is the day you need to get out of the business, and we’ve got no desire to move on.

2. Be Consistent

Consistency is ingrained in the DNA of a dog trainer. Consistency is key to dog training, and we know it, so you better believe we are some of the most consistent people you will ever meet. We set expectations and we react to missed expectations the same way every time. It might seem a little boring to some, but it’s what gets the job done.

1. Have Patience

Mercy do we have patience. We may not have been born with it but it has been beaten into us over the years because above all else, this is what breeds success. We’ve learned patience with our dogs because you can’t rush a champion. We’ve learned patience in ourselves because we’ve made the mistakes, and while early on we may have berated ourselves for those, we now know the lessons we learned from those mistakes are what have made us great. We’ve learned patience in new handlers because we know we were there once, too, and no one is perfect out of the gate. The important part is they’re willing to be patient and keep trying.

Obviously, there’s a lot more we’re great at, but these 5 topped our list.