Dog Training As A Profession
I recently heard someone refer to dog training as a luxury. While this may be true for some (and consider yourself lucky if it is) to others it can not only make huge life improvements, it can be downright life-saving.
I spent the majority of my 20’s bartending and the majority of that time, I spent hating it. The biggest reason? I knew I was not serving a greater good. No amount of mental gymnastics could put a positive spin on getting frat boys drunk.
Dog training? I am beyond grateful to have found this line of work. I could go on forever trying to convey my gratitude and how much I love what I do. It is incredibly rewarding. It is also incredibly taxing BECAUSE I care so much about what I do.
Do I get some ‘easy’ dogs? Absolutely. But here are a few highlights from my past year:
A couple just signed up for the membership for their newly adopted aggressive Rhodesian Ridgeback. Made it clear (without having been asked) they were opposed to an e-collar and kennel. Before we could get to the in-person behavioral analysis, they texted me saying the dog snarled at a visitor and they had put the dog down within an hour of the event. They demanded a refund.
Several child-bite cases. Some owners admitted fault where it was due. Some owners admitted fault where it was not due. Some put highly unreasonable expectations on the dog to show absolutely no discomfort even with children pulling, crawling on, and poking their eyes.
I’ve had several owners admit to using physical force to punish their dogs.
A few disclosures of domestic violence happening in the home.
Families still trying to figure out how to satisfy their high-maintenance dog, welcoming their first child.
Dogs I loved deeply needing to be rehomed or euthanized.
The list goes on.
The point, however, is that most of my cases are NOT easy. And I don’t mean easy or not easy for me. These are cases where someone - either the dog, the owner, the family, or the public - are either mentally or physically living in a deficient state.
The dog is unbelievably stressed, but the novice owners don’t have the knowledge to read dog body language or effectively communicate with their dog.
The owner’s life is severely impacted by the amount of management the behaviorally unsound dog needs in order to maintain even a baseline level of functioning.
The dog has a bite history and one more strike, either legally or personally, the owners will need to rehome or behaviorally euthanize their dog.
The owner is so mentally drained, tapped on resources, and feeling hopeless having felt they have already done everything possible for their dog to live a better life and nothing has gotten better.
However, with training, they are able to see, not only how amazing it can be, but just how much not getting help affected all lives involved.
A friend of mine often uses the phrase ‘explaining color to a blind person’. Simply put: you don’t know, what you don’t know. Dog-training truly does save lives and it’s something I am constantly amazed at seeing with my own eyes.