The dark side of TV trainers
I often get told I have such a cool job! And, yes I do but not for the reasons people assume. When it comes to the daily grind of helping a dog and their owners learn, if I took a camera in to document it, you would be bored!
Unedited, dog training is a bunch of very simple often mundane techniques that need to be repeated time after time after time. Sometimes the changes occur within an hour, but actually more realistically those ‘miracle’ changes happen over days, weeks, months sometimes even years.
Not to mention the fact that some issues originate from bad breeding and genetically passed down behaviours. In these terms we need to think management instead of cure and that quite frankly does not make good TV!
So how do the production companies make dog training look so exciting?
Firstly, they often choose dogs that are pretty vocal so that the changes look more drastic.
Secondly for the benefit of the audience, the dog has to be put under stress and into circumstances that force a reaction. That doesn’t benefit the welfare of the dog or the trainers job in dealing with it. It’s merely a way to show you, the viewer, the ‘before’. It’s unnecessary stress and fear.
My job as a good trainer is to make sure I’m not putting the dog into fight or flight mode (I don’t need the dog to show me the reaction to know there is a reaction), instead I keep them at a workable distance to address from a place where they are still in control of themselves. Equally it’s important I never push the owners in to situations that also induce too much fear.
Dog training should happen at the pace of the dog. Full stop!
Which leads me onto the next point.
Im sure I don’t have to explain to you just how heavily edited TV is. These shows give off the impression these tv trainers can achieve ‘miraculous’ results in a day. These shoots often go on for weeks and it’s rarely the tv trainer that does the work with the dog, it’s trainers behind the scenes. It can really make you feel rubbish as a dog owner when your dog can’t achieve things this ‘quick’. Don’t worry it’s an illusion!
The most urgent thing I think needs explaining is just because they are on tv does not mean they in any way appropriately qualified or even hold any qualifications at all. It also doesn’t mean the techniques they use are the best for your dog. Often they are balanced trainers that use aversive methods and /or tools.
It also shows some harsher methods that work right? Well here are some things to consider:
yes aversive methods can work but because the dog has had to endure more fear, suppressing behaviours rather than addressing them is very dangerous and can lead to worse behaviour in the long run.But as tv is so instant, you will never see that part.
It’s easy to miss vital errors these trainers are telling you to make when you haven’t got the trained eye to spot them.
The aversive equipment used can just as quickly stop working when removed as when applied. Plus just as an aside, it always baffles me why people choose to punish before just simply teaching a dog….
Quite often it makes for better viewing but not better considered welfare.
Before you watch these shows or trainers on social media, ask yourself some questions.
Are there kinder ways to teach this behaviour? (usually yes!!!)
What qualifications does this trainer have? Unless associated with the abtc council or the imdt or studied behaviour in a university setting, they aren’t usually worth the paper they are written on
How do they make the owner feel during the process?
How long do you think realistically that 2 minute edited clip actually took to achieve?
If you are finding yourself getting confused by conflicting messages (I don’t blame you!!!) feel free to run it by me. I use the least aversive methods available to me, I take the owners feelings in to consideration and on top of qualifications I am close to being registered with the abtc council.
Happy training! 😀🐶
