Responsible ownership doesn’t stop at choosing the right food, vet or exercise. It also means choosing the right trainer.
Finding a dog trainer can feel overwhelming. There are countless trainers, schools, courses and training philosophies available, and every trainer will tell you that their way works.
So how do you decide who is right for you and your dog?
One surprisingly useful place to start is by looking at the equipment they use.
Equipment doesn’t tell you everything about a trainer. However, it can give you valuable insight into their training philosophy, how they understand behaviour and, importantly, what happens when your dog gets something wrong.
Start by asking: “What does my dog experience during training?”
Dog training is about much more than teaching a dog to sit, stay or walk nicely on a lead.
We have a much greater understanding of how dogs learn, how emotions influence behaviour and how fear, frustration and stress can affect learning.
A responsible trainer should be able to explain:
And this is where equipment becomes important.
Equipment does not teach your dog. We do.
This is one of the most important things for owners to understand.
A piece of equipment cannot teach a dog how to walk politely, come when called, disengage from another dog, settle calmly or make better choices.
The trainer teaches those behaviours.
Equipment should never become a substitute for teaching.
When equipment is used to create pressure, discomfort or physical consequence in order to make a dog stop or change a behaviour, the equipment itself is not teaching the dog what to do instead.
It is influencing behaviour through an aversive consequence.
That distinction matters.
What about slip leads and training collars?
This is an area where I encourage owners to ask very specific questions.
A slip lead, choke chain or other collar used to tighten around the neck when the dog pulls or moves away is an aversive training tool because it relies on pressure or discomfort to influence behaviour.
The same principle applies when a collar is deliberately used to deliver a correction.
The terminology can sometimes make this confusing.
You may hear:
The terminology doesn’t change the underlying mechanism.
If the equipment is being used to apply an unpleasant consequence in order to reduce a behaviour, it is aversive.
And the important question becomes:
What are we actually teaching the dog?
If a dog pulls and the lead tightens, the dog may learn that pulling results in pressure around their neck.
That is very different from teaching:
“Walking beside my person is rewarding, predictable and worthwhile.”
Those are two fundamentally different approaches to learning.
What about Gentle Leaders, Halti and other head collars?
Head collars are sometimes described as “gentle” because they do not sit around the dog’s neck in the same way as a traditional collar.
But the name of the equipment does not determine whether its use is aversive.
A head collar can restrict or redirect the dog’s head and can create pressure around sensitive areas of the face and muzzle when the dog moves against it.
Again, the question should be:
What is the equipment doing, and what is the dog learning?
Calling something a “Gentle Leader” does not automatically make the training gentle.
The same principle applies to any piece of equipment.
Look beyond the name. Look at how it works.
The important distinction: management versus teaching
There are situations where equipment can provide safety and management.
A harness and long line, for example, can allow a trainer to safely work on recall without allowing a dog to run into danger.
But management is not the same as teaching.
A long line doesn’t teach recall.
The training does.
A harness doesn’t teach loose-lead walking.
The training does.
A barrier doesn’t teach a dog how to cope with distractions.
The training does.
Food doesn’t magically teach a behaviour either.
The trainer uses reinforcement to teach the behaviour.
Equipment can support a training plan, but it should not become the training plan.
So what should owners look for?
Look for a trainer who can explain how they teach, rather than simply showing you what equipment they put on the dog.
Ask:
“How will you teach my dog to walk nicely?”
Not:
“Which collar will stop my dog pulling?”
Ask:
“How will you teach my dog to come when called?”
Not:
“What will you use if my dog ignores me?”
Ask:
“How will you teach my dog to cope around other dogs?”
Not:
“How will you stop my dog reacting?”
These questions shift the focus from controlling behaviour to teaching behaviour.
And that is a very important distinction.
What about food, toys and markers?
Positive reinforcement gives us an opportunity to teach dogs what behaviour we would like them to repeat.
Food, toys, play, access to the environment, sniffing opportunities and other reinforcers can all be used strategically.
A marker, such as a clicker or a consistent verbal marker, can also provide clarity:
“Yes, that behaviour is what I was looking for.”
This creates communication between the dog and trainer.
The dog isn’t simply trying to avoid getting something wrong.
They are learning how to make successful choices.
The question every owner should ask
There is one question that can reveal a great deal about a trainer’s philosophy:
“What happens when my dog gets it wrong?”
Every dog gets things wrong.
Every dog has difficult days.
Every dog becomes distracted.
Every dog sometimes chooses the squirrel, the smell, another dog or the interesting person instead of us!
That’s normal.
The important question is what the trainer does next.
Do they increase pressure?
Do they correct the dog?
Do they become frustrated?
Or do they stop, reassess and ask:
“Why was my dog unable to succeed here?”
Perhaps the environment was too distracting.
Perhaps the behaviour was too difficult.
Perhaps the dog hasn’t learned the skill sufficiently yet.
Perhaps the dog is tired, frightened or overwhelmed.
Perhaps we simply moved through the training stages too quickly.
Good training doesn’t just ask:
“How do I stop this behaviour?”
It asks:
“Why is this behaviour happening, and what can I teach instead?”
Look for a trainer who keeps learning
Dog training is an evolving field.
Our understanding of learning, behaviour, cognition, welfare and canine emotions continues to develop.
A responsible trainer should therefore be interested in continuing education.
Ask about their qualifications.
Ask what courses, seminars, conferences or professional development they have completed.
Ask whether they continue to study current research and developments in canine behaviour.
A certificate on the wall tells you when someone qualified.
Their continuing education tells you whether they have continued learning since then.
And sometimes, the equipment being used can provide a clue as to whether a trainer’s methods have continued to evolve.
Your dog deserves a voice
As dog owners, we make almost every important decision for our dogs.
We choose their food.
We choose their veterinary care.
We choose where they live.
We choose how much exercise they receive.
And we choose who trains them.
That is a significant responsibility.
Your dog can’t tell you:
“I’m frightened by this.”
“I don’t understand what you’re asking.”
“That equipment is uncomfortable.”
“I’m too overwhelmed to learn right now.”
They communicate through their behaviour and body language.
It is our responsibility to learn to listen.
Before you book your next dog trainer
Ask a few simple questions:
What equipment do you use?
Do you use slip leads or collars as training tools?
Do you use head collars such as Halti or Gentle Leader?
Do you use prong collars or electronic collars?
How do you teach a dog a new behaviour?
What happens when a dog gets it wrong?
How do you manage fear, anxiety or frustration?
How do you adjust training for individual dogs?
What qualifications do you have?
How do you continue your professional education?
And perhaps most importantly:
“Can you explain why you train the way you do?”
A professional trainer should be happy to answer.
Choosing a trainer is part of responsible ownership
There is no shortage of people offering dog training.
But your choice matters.
Look beyond the photographs of beautifully behaved dogs and impressive “obedience” demonstrations.
Look at the philosophy behind the training.
Look at the equipment.
Look at how the trainer communicates with the dogs.
Look at what happens when things don’t go according to plan.
And ask questions.
Because responsible dog ownership isn’t simply about having a well-trained dog.
It’s about learning how to communicate with your dog and teaching them the skills they need to navigate the world successfully.
At Canine Coaching, I don’t believe my job is to train your dog for you.
My job is to teach you how to teach your dog.
I want owners to understand why their dog is behaving the way they are, how dogs learn, how to recognise communication through body language, and how to create training environments in which their dogs can succeed.
I teach owners how to use reinforcement, how to build behaviours progressively, how to adjust the difficulty, and how to help their dogs make good choices rather than simply correcting the wrong ones.
Because the most important relationship in your dog’s life is the one they have with you.
Equipment can help with management and safety.
But a harness doesn’t teach loose-lead walking.
A long line doesn’t teach recall.
A head collar doesn’t teach calm behaviour.
A slip lead doesn’t teach your dog what you would like them to do instead.
You do.
And that is why choosing your trainer matters.
You aren’t simply paying someone to make your dog behave.
You’re investing in learning how to understand your dog, communicate with them and teach them the skills they need.
No force. No fear.
Just owners learning how to teach their dogs with understanding, clarity,empathy and compassion.
It’s about making sure the journey to becoming a well-trained dog is one your dog can experience safely, clearly and with confidence.
Then you’re going to love what we can do for you and your fur baby…
