Training Standards

As an almost entirely unregulated industry, dog training has no uniform standards that professionals must meet or adhere to. That means no licensing body, no official oversight, and as such, no accountability. Now on one hand, I believe it’s a serious drawback to the profession as a whole that anyone can hang a shingle and call themselves a dog trainer, regardless of skill or education. On the other hand, I've come to feel that it's been a great boon for me personally to be able to develop and adjust my own standards for what it means to have a “trained dog” as I acquire more information and experience.

If you talk to multiple trainers, you'll get multiple answers on what a properly trained dog actually is. An agility dog trainer has one set of standards while a show dog trainer has another. Police k9s must perform different functions than service dogs. Search and rescue dogs are trained to different standards than bomb detection or diabetic alert dogs. All of these dogs are amazing, and it takes great trainers to shape them into what they are.

I had a lot of ideas about what I wanted to do as a trainer coming out of school. Police k9, service, and search and rescue were all notions that I babbled about incessantly to my wife and anyone else who would listen. Though I still keep up on those areas of training in my personal quest for continuing education, I know now who I am as a trainer. I am a pet dog trainer. My standard is to ensure the health and happiness of dogs, and to foster healthy and clear communication between a dog and their human.

While training pet dogs may not require the strict standards that some of the other fields of training I mentioned before demand, it is to my mind the best standard for satisfying my primary impulse for leaping into this business in the first place-- to keep more dogs in safe and healthy homes, and out of shelters.

Toy Recommendations

With the gift giving season upon us, I thought I'd throw out some recommendations on what to give your pups this year (and what to stay away from).

First, here’s what to stay away from.

Let's just make a blanket rule: no animal byproducts. Some common examples of what I'm talking about are rawhides, bully sticks, deer antlers, pig hooves, cow tails and especially actual bones. The reason-- just about none of these are very safe for your dog to chomp on, and believe it or not they can make it much more difficult to teach your puppy what's ok to chew on and what's not. The same cow hides that are used to make leather shoes and boots are also treated with a plethora of chemicals to make rawhides. Rawhides, bully sticks, and tails also tend to expand when wet, so when your dog is chewing off little bits they have the potential to expand and cause blockages in the throat or digestive system. Antlers, hooves, and bones all have a tendency to crack and splinter under hard chewing. The potential damage there is far too high to risk as far as I'm concerned. Add to that the aforementioned chemical treatments that these receive as well, and you’re really just giving your dog a deep well of risk to keep them occupied.

Alright, enough of the stuff I don't like. Here are the bones, balls, and toys my dogs and I enjoy every day.

To start, you should know that I'm a paid spokesman for exactly nothing and no one, so this really is just a list of stuff I like.

Nylabones: These are just about the only bones I give my pups to chew on. I can see about half of their product line littering my floor as I type this. I'm sure there are other quality bones out there, but these are what I trust in terms of safety and durability. The material is unlike anything else in your home, which cuts down on the chances for mistaken chewing. They also don't splinter or crack. Instead, they tend to shave off in tiny specks which pass through your dog safely.

Kong: When filled with peanut butter, cheese, or even just your dog’s daily meals, these toys are an excellent way to provide a lasting and mentally rewarding snack, treat, or meal. Or, just use them as a ball. The unpredictability of the bounce is especially enticing for most dogs.

Chuckit: I think the kick fetch ball in Chuckit’s line may be my two younger dogs' all-time favorite toy ever. These toys are definitely created with going out to the yard or field in mind, not for lying around the house and chewing. A dedicated dog will strip these bare in no time, so make sure to keep them out of the way until playtime, unless you want to buy them over and over.

JW brand: These toys also seem to be geared toward fun and activity. Their construction of the rubber seems to be similar to that of Kong, although I don't know if that's true. What I do know is that my dogs love these toys. The Bad Cuz (ball with horns and feet) has been a huge favorite in my house for years. Even though I'm constantly bringing home new toys for my dogs (I’m a massive spoiler), we still have JW toys from nearly ten years ago rolling around and being played with.

Tuffy's toys: This is another brand that I have toys from going back years that have held up and still receive regular play. These toys have been our go-to tugs for as long as I can remember. While it’s relatively easy for a dog to pull the stuffing out of them if they’re allowed to, the outer construction is strong enough to keep going anyway.

All of the toys I've listed are ones that I highly recommend, but make sure to use each of them for their intended purpose. Read the packaging, check the sizing for your dog, and use them appropriately. Don't be surprised if you try to play tug with a fetching toy and it rips apart on you.

Now that you’ve read my list of favorites, it’s time to go get your pups some presents and have fun!

Don't stress about stress

What do you do about a dog with separation anxiety? Reactivity to other dogs? Reactivity to people? Resource guarding? Nervousness around kids? Fear of bicycles, scooters, skateboards, walkers, vacuum cleaners, or an endless list of things that are common to us but absolutely alien to a dog?

Use them!

These things are all pretty common stressors for dogs and can make the lives of pup and owner alike far more challenging than they need to be. Instead of trying to limit a dog’s exposure to anxiety-inducing objects and situations, I think it's a far better plan to leverage that stress into an opportunity for growth and the development of confidence.

Of course, I'm not suggesting that you should just throw your dog toward anything and everything that freaks them out. Whereas exposure to some stress can be a positive thing, too much can be a problem so it’s important to strive for balance. These issues should be handled with care and an eye toward avoiding over-stressing your dog.  With that in mind, there are a couple things any dog owner can do to keep from exacerbating the problem.

1. Know what praise is, and use it appropriately.

Most people are aware that saying "good boy/girl" is a form of praise. Not everyone is aware that petting, patting, and massaging is too. Every time you offer a well-meaning touch to your dog, you are communicating to them that their current and preceding behavior is correct and they should respond to that situation the same way next time. Which leads me to…

2. Don't console

Look, I know that Spot loses his mind every time he hears thunder, but you can't hug it away no matter how hard you try. This is really just an extension of number one but the point bears repeating - don't praise a behavior you don't want repeated.

3. Hire a trainer who uses "yes" and "no" in equal measure.

This is the self-promotion part. If you find yourself in the hands of a trainer or behaviorist whose suggested fix for separation anxiety is that you never leave the dog alone, I'd suggest canceling that check and getting back to reality asap. There is, of course, no one right way for every dog/human family but the amount of damage I've seen from attempting to ignore-away problem behaviors puts me pretty firmly in the belief that every dog needs to have the word "no" as a part of their vocabulary. When we work with praise and correction in balance we're able to actually help our dogs understand right from wrong and empower them to make the right decision. With that comes growth, confidence, and a much happier, healthier dog.