Consumer Alert, Scam Alert on DOG TRAINING and Most Dog Trainers

Shhhhhhhhhh...Five Secrets
Most Trainers Hide from You ( Good Stuff )

A chapter of our book which you might find useful.

SECRET # 1:
Do They Ask You to Starve Your Poor Dog Before the Class?

Be especially careful if the training theory involves food bribery. If the book, the trainer, or the dog school that you are considering, is advising you NOT to feed your dog before the class and asks you to show up with a pouch of cut up hotdogs, you better believe that you are dealing with another cookie trainer.

These trainers mislead you by promising you a dog that will eventually listen to you just as well, even without the use of food forever and ever after. From experience in training thousands of dogs, I've already done your homework and tell you for a fact, that this is simply NOT true.

I honestly believe this could be-

Think about it. Would you still work for your company or for your lovely boss if they stopped paying you? Then why should your poor dog? You should be able to get your dog to mind you with or without any treats, anywhere, at any given time. And I can show you how. That, my dog-loving friend, is what you call Real-Life Dog Training. I hope you see the logic here. Treat-trainers ruin dogs with this theory and look you square in the eye by lying to you that your dog will obey just as well, even when he is totally weaned off the treats.

They’ll make statements such as: “Nothing in life is free. Therefore, your dog should work for food in order to respond to you.” Nothing FREE? Let’s think this through. You actually provide lots of things for your dog totally FREE. Don't believe me? Here’s the list:
Free food, free rent, free medical, free dental, free vision, free toys, free baths, free walks, free grooming, free belly-rub scratches, free body massage, free treats, free car rides, free play time, free doggie bed, free doggie house, free rawhides, free cleaning after your dog, free retirement plan, and if you own more than one dog, free companionship. Some even get free 401 (K)'s. Did you feel the bucket of cold water thrown at your face? If not, you might want to actually jump in the pool. As you can see, your dog doesn't live that long but has it made.

Think about it. Growing up, did you get paid for cleaning your room, mowing the lawn, washing the dishes or doing your homework? No, you did it because you were told to do so by your parents, and because you lived under their roof.

The least your dog can do for you is to sit, down, stay and walk politely on leash without being bribed with treats. Some of these dogs listen only based on what you are holding in your hand. Is it your dog’s favorite treat? If not, they won't do much for you. Basically the dog's saying, "What's in it for me?" You just won't believe how many of these dogs I get on a regular basis and end up retraining them and their lovely owners.

You'll also notice that “treat-trainers” rarely have any skills or possess any knowledge in dog psychology and canine behavior dynamic. This is why they solely depend on a pouch of yummy treats to get your dog to mind. That's not training. That's bribery and anybody can do that. You either have to get lucky or smart to be able to get your dog to listen to you just as well without any treats. Do you honestly want to gamble with this when the odds are this much against you?

Don't feel badly. I, too, have been misled by these cookie trainers for years and had to finally wake up and smell the coffee. Bottom line is, if you don't have a pouch of hotdogs and a starving dog around you 24/7, don't train it by relying on treats. Or, pay the consequence the hard way. This method especially stops working around daily tempting distractions. Use positive reinforcement, through praise, love, affection and respect, but without giving your dog treats just for being alive. That is being smart AND practical.

If you are a cookie trainer reading this, you either get it or you don't. Just not yet. If you don't, go back and starve that poor dog by taking him outside along with your bag of beef jerky, and call it training. There is a big difference between reward and bribery. Reward your dog with treats sometimes, but only at the very END of your training session. If you do it in a luring fashion and in front of each command, you are conditioning your dog to listen to you only when you have treats with you. Your dog's basically thinking, "Wow. As long as you keep those treats coming, I'll do whatever you ask, mommy."

SECRET # 2:
Ask for References! Especially When There are NO Group Classes to Observe.

Just like any business, there are crooks and scam artists everywhere and it’s no different when it comes to hiring private dog trainers. If there aren’t any group classes for you to observe or real owners to talk to, make sure you don’t skip asking for references.

Never get fooled if they are member of any organizations, member of Better Business Bureau, how impressively trained their own dogs are, or even a video clip of well-trained dogs being displayed on their web site.

If they truly are as good, as professional, and as promising as they claim to be, then their clients would naturally rave about them. Wouldn't you? Think about it. If you are so pleased with a trainer, wouldn’t you automatically become a walking billboard for them? Of course you would! We already do that when we rave about good books, good movies and good restaurants. You can ask me for references and even meet my clients and their dogs in person. They won't mind at all.

Client's confidentiality might be their usual excuse for not giving you any names. They might as well say: just accept what we tell you and the rest is on your bank account.

Client's confidentiality? Oh come on. You are not asking for people’s last names, their addresses, or even their e-mails, are you? So why won’t they give you any references? This either means, they are not good at what they do, don't have a good relationship with their clients, or didn't deliver what they've promised. They might say, "Oh, I could give you my brother or my best friend's phone number to rave about me." Tell them that you'll take it. Let's see what your brother and your best friend has to say about you first. Do you see where I’m going with this?

If they do give you references, get at least five. Two recent ones and three from six months to a year ago. This is where you ask about the trainer’s personality, professionalism, how they treat you, your dog, how many lessons it took to accomplish certain things, and if you can improve anything with the trainer or their services, what would that be? And if you still planning to choose a cookie trainer, this is where you'll ask if the dog still listens just as good without the use of treats around real world DISTRACTIONS. Ask how about around dogs, cats, kids, the mail carrier or your guests. And if the dog truly is completely off-leash trained after only 4-5 lessons. Don't forget that off leash control means, you might as well throw your leash away. Your dog must listen to you without any hesitations, when you say: Stay, Come, Quiet, Leave it, Bring it, Drop it, Off, NO Bite and Leave it, anywhere and any time to even in different outdoor settings. Also, ask what does lifetime mean. Life of the dog, your life, or lifetime of Free phone consultation? Read the fine print of the contract to see if there any any expiration date. Sorry, but you can't train a dog to listen off-leash over the phone, can you? What are you going to do? Hey, "Listen pal or I'll have you chat with the trainer. He's only one phone call away." For example, our lifetime means for as long as you live and you remain a dog owner. That's right. This dog or all of your future dogs are covered without paying a dime more.

Unfortunately you'll notice that dog trainers are famous for treating the poor OWNERS like dogs. If you don't really care about the trainer's character, no matter how good he/she might be, you won't be as productive. I always tell my trainers, "Don't treat the owners like dogs, because dogs can't refer you to anyone and they certainly don't know how to write your check". :-)

SECRET # 3:
You Just Can't Break Your Dog's Daily Bad Habits in a Group Setting

Most owners make the mistake of assuming that by joining group classes they can solve the dog's bad habits which started from home, in a class. How can you learn to properly house-train your dog, stop it from jumping up, play-biting, growling, chasing cats, counter surfing, being hyper, acting over-protective once the door bell rings, in a group of ten more dogs and ten more owners who also have their own agenda? So it just makes more sense to focus and solve these issues from your home or in private without any distractions. Just like us, dogs also learn much better and faster in a one-on-one setting with no distractions or as little distractionss as possible.

No matter how good the trainer might be in breaking your dog's bad habits or solving its behavioral issues, you will be able to address each one individually. Once you are happy with your dog's progress and command response, then it is wise to join the group classes so you can get your dog socialized better and work on your distraction-proofing technique. Sadly, most owners and dog trainers do this backward. This is why we don't really see that many well-trained dogs among us. Almost every owner is into cookie training and they all just about failed a dog obedience class.

We are one of the few training dog training schools in the industry who can get your dog completely off-leash trained AND break its bad habits. Among trainers, this is extremely rare. Even if your dog is considered aggressive, there still might be hope and we can turn it around and save your dog.

Don't be fooled by web sites or brochures that say: WE CAN TRAIN ANY DOG. Nobody can train any dog. Nobody. That's like saying, a counselor, a therapist, a psychologist or even a psychatrist, can cure ALL of his/her patients. How can that be? There are some dogs that are just un-trainable. No matter how good an expert might be, some dogs are beyond being trainable. Just like some humans will always end up back in jail, in therapy, or in rehab. Unfortunately, it is the same with some dogs. So when a trainer brags about that he: CAN TRAIN ANY DOG. Ask them, “Train the dog to do WHAT?”

All this really means is that they accept any breed of dog. That's all. Instead, ask about how confidently they stand behind their credentials and training method. All trainers laughed at me when I first announced the guarantee in my courses. I don’t hear anyone laughing anymore and still stand behind my programs with a written guarantee. Doesn’t this put your mind at ease compared to those that change the subject or get defensive when you ask for any guarantees or any references?

What will impress you even more is: You'll see how I shape your dog's behavior for the better WITHOUT any yelling, hitting, slamming your dog on its back or by constantly bribing with treats. It’s fair to say I must be doing something right! The video clip of me working these dogs on this site will prove this. Again, seeing is believing. Talk is cheap. Anybody can bluff.

Just about ninety eight percent of all trainers are part-timers and hobbyists. Someone who trains dogs every Wednesday night or on weekends is NOT considered a professional. You are most likely dealing with an amateur. What‘s wrong with hiring an amateur? Nothing! Except it will definitely show in your results and in how fast your dog gets trained. People want results and want them NOW. Everything is fast-paced these days and nobody has any time or patience left. When you hire a pro, you will definitely see results and see them FAST. So how do you REALLY know who is a professional and who trains dogs on the side? Simply ask them. But here's how to do it, SMARTLY.

Ask them outright whether they train full time or just as a hobby. If their response is full time and as a true professional, then ask for their business license number. They must have this if they are a legitimate business. Just meeting in parks or their house isn’t good enough. You might be dealing with a karaoke dog trainer. Arrange a meeting with the trainer face to face during the DAY or on a weekday(s). Since most people work daily, it will be hard to fool you with this one.

You see, it’s very hard to be good enough, passionate enough and serious enough to be able to train dogs successfully for a living. I did it part time for eleven long years. Another clue is, see whether they are listed in the phone book, have a business card, whether they've written a book or even have a website. It's strange not to have a decent website these days. Wouldn't you agree? I know some that have three websites, but that might be another sign of desperation. There are enough dogs for all of us. These are the folks that always see the glass half empty.

Most importantly, see how trained their own dogs are. Mine are on my video clip on this site or you can arrange to meet me in person. But what will impress you even more is seeing that positive change in your own dog(s).
That's what really counts, doesn't it?

Written by Kevin Salem

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