In today’s world, it is easy to question if obtaining formal education in any discipline is “worth it”. After all, why should anyone hire a plumber when you can go on the Internet and find out how to fix a leaking faucet? Why hire a mechanic when you can look at a video on YouTube and resolve an issue with your car? Why hire any expert in any field when you can just simply…Google it?
Trying to fix things yourself can be a noble quest, but it often comes with consequences. It’s one thing to try and fix a leaking faucet by following some directions from @plumberguy23421 on an Instagram Reel; it’s quite another when the stakes are higher and the process is more complex.
After all, there aren’t too many of us who would trust a random influencer on TikTok to guide us through performing open heart surgery on a family member, so we leave it to the professionals who have decades of experience behind them to carry out the procedure.
So experts still have their place in a number of different industries – and the reason they have their place is because they have spent years learning about their craft so you don’t have to. They don’t just understand the ‘what’ – they understand the ‘how’, the ‘why’ and the ‘when’. Their education has taught them not only the fundamentals of learning theory in their craft, but how to problem solve when the need arises.
This leads us to education in the world of dog training. There is no shortage of dog trainers on social media who have entered the industry over the past few years. In fact, at the height of the pandemic, many people started offering dog training services, even though they had little experience and zero education. This was problematic, not only because it is arguably unethical to offer services that you are not qualified to perform, but also because it actually resulted in worse behavioral outcomes for many dogs. The shelter population exploded during the COVID era because more people were working from home and wanted companionship, but the issue was exacerbated because unskilled dog trainers were unable to deliver on their promises to help. Owners surrendered their dogs because they thought the behavioral problems were unfixable, not realizing that it was only unfixable at that moment because of the trainer they were working with.
For me, education in any craft I have pursued has been a lifelong endeavor, and dog training is no different. I want our clients at K9 Evolutions Dog Training to see the transformation in their dogs, and I’ve always known that a good education underpins my decades of experience of working with man’s best friend. That is why, several years back, I spent six months at the International School for Dog Trainers, learning about every aspect of the world of dog training through graduating their Master Dog Trainer program. This mixture of hands-on interaction with dogs, combined with classroom theory to understand the fundamentals of canine behavior, provided me with a wide range of knowledge for working with our clients. On top of that, I continue to engage in ongoing training activities with my own personal dogs, and continue to read up on new literature and studies to stay updated on the latest developments in the field.
In this article, I just wanted to outline my thoughts on the reasons why formal education in dog training matters, and why it sits at the heart of everything we do at K9 Evolutions Dog Training.
A note about online dog trainer programs
The industry is also fraught with many people getting ‘dog trainer certified’ through online-only classes; there is absolutely no substitute for hands-on experience with hundreds of dogs of different breeds, dogs with behavioral problems all over the spectrum and experience in different facets of dog training be it working dogs, service dogs, sport dogs & pet dogs. In person, hands-on dog training under the watchful eye of veteran instructors and colleagues in your field is priceless. It is pretty difficult for someone to make sure you are a good dog handler through online training, let alone help you become a better trainer with video snippets or even a FaceTime. There simply is no substitute for in person learning in dog training, in my opinion.
Now, can someone learn a great deal from training under someone very talented? Absolutely. However, going to a professional dog training school in the industry is far more concentrated and intense, and I know of nowhere else where you’ll have exposure to such a vast amount of dogs in various fields of dog training with every kind of breed – and have to troubleshoot behaviors all over the spectrum in dog behavior. Not to mention the fact of having to meet the benchmarks when it comes to being graded, not just on the huge amount of information, but student practicals where you are graded on training a dog on something specific and complicated, and having a deadline of only two weeks to complete it!
Enhanced knowledge and skills
When you search for a solution to a problem on the Internet, you’re looking for a quick fix. You’re not trying to understand the reasons why something may be broken or how it should be resolved – you simply want it fixed.
Dog training doesn’t work like that. It isn’t a one-and-done situation. There are so many underlying reasons why dogs behave in the way that they do. Enrolling in a formal education program gives you the basis of knowledge to understand how dogs learn and how certain behaviors can develop. Even better, at a program like the one I enrolled in, it was so comprehensive that I was able to learn about so many different types of dogs and how they are trained – not just pet dogs, but service dogs and working dogs, too. This creates a broad base of knowledge for a trainer to be able to move forward and help their future clients.
Different perspectives
There is no one-size-fits-all method when it comes to training a dog. There are a number of different perspectives that we can gain from learning from experts in the field, particularly those who have been immersed in it for decades.
Gaining a formal education in dog training allows you to understand the spectrum of opinions on all types of issues – from ethical considerations, to the best way to achieve longlasting training outcomes. As we have discussed previously, I believe in a balanced approach to dog training that utilizes all four quadrants of operant conditioning. Learning from trusted experts in this industry, in addition to reading peer-reviewed research in your own time, helps to shape your perspective on how to approach dog training.
Problem solving
In any field, the true test of a craftsman isn’t when things go exactly as expected – in fact, it’s when the opposite occurs.
In dog training, problem solving is rooted in the education you have received, and combines with the experience of working with a variety of different dogs. Once you understand how dogs learn, you understand how your inputs (and the stimuli of the world around them, their learned history, genetic traits, etc.) can influence their behavior. Based on their response to any of those factors, you can then either move forward with your original plan, or pivot and adjust as you see the dog’s behavior develop. You have to be able to diagnose what is actually occurring before you put the remedies into place – and that’s where the education gives you that knowledge.
Ongoing learning
Research is always showing us new ways to tackle problems, or providing us with information to validate (or repudiate) what was previously understood. Our overall knowledge and understanding doesn’t stand still – and nor should we as a dog training community.
Whether it is engaging in conferences, webinars or workshops, reading up on new research, or listening to respected voices on podcasts, there is no end to the learning process – and I wouldn’t have it any other way. This process of ongoing learning helps me to be a better dog trainer, and that helps the dogs that I work with.
In conclusion
I wanted to write this article because I felt it was important to convey the message that education in the world of dog training matters. But it doesn’t just matter to the clients we work with, or the behavioral outcomes we see in the dogs we train. There are a number of people who want to embark on this career but don’t realize the level of knowledge required to be successful.
So, if you’re someone who is considering getting into dog training as a career path, I would definitely encourage you to do so, but on one condition: Get your education. Learn why dogs behave in the way they do. Understand the why, how and when, not just the what. You’ll be a better dog trainer, you’ll have happier clients, and you’ll lift up the standard of behavior as a whole across the industry.
