I hired a dog trainer. Here’s why and when to get help.

Recently, I hired a dog trainer. You might ask why I hired a dog trainer when I am a dog trainer myself. Several reasons that might sound unexpectedly familiar! 

My new puppy, Rave, is having some conflict with my older dog, Arlo. This is nobody’s fault! They were introduced slowly and properly and initially got along great. Unfortunately, despite both dogs being dog friendly, their relationship has deteriorated over the last several months. After working hard on fixing the situation myself and not seeing progress, I decided to hire an expert. Here’s why:

1. Find an expert. The truth is, we can’t be good at everything. If you have a specific problem, there’s probably an expert in that problem out there. My specialty is working with young high energy dogs and puppies, but I’m not prepared to deal with the conflict between Arlo and Rave within the household. I recognized that this was not my specialty and reached out to find an expert.

If this situation feels familiar, it’s time to find an expert. Ask a range of trainers whether or not they specialize in your problem. If you aren’t sure about the person you are working with, consider the following: is the trainer you are working with honest about their specialties? Do they promise to fix any and all problems? If so, that’s a red flag! I have a speciality because I care about getting people the help they need, even if that isn’t my training.

2. The problem isn’t getting better. Whether you have a lot of training experience or almost none, we will all eventually come up against a problem we can’t solve on our own. I tried to solve the problem on my own, but when I realized we were plateauing, I knew I needed extra help.

As a dog trainer, I felt like I should have been able to “fix” my own dogs, and I waited a month or two before reaching out, which was a month or two longer than I needed to stress about it. If you don’t know where to start or aren’t seeing much progress after a week or two, then it’s probably time to reach out! Don’t wait as long as I did. 

3. An outside perspective is valuable. Outside perspective is often crucial in making reasonable progress and providing new ideas. Even though I’ve studied aggression in dogs, I was too close to the situation and too emotionally involved to do my best training.

After reaching out to get help, I felt relieved. I knew I had an expert and outside perspective that could help me make the progress I wanted to see. A good trainer isn’t just an expert; they are a confidant, mentor, cheerleader, and emotional support for the difficult situation you’re in. This is why finding the right trainer for you is so important!

Do any of these reasons to hire a trainer sound familiar? Reach out and we’ll see if we are a good fit. If not, I’m happy to refer you to the right expert!