Why Training succeeds or fails

A lot of my clients are first-time dog training seekers.  Or it's their first time in private sessions.  Or it's their first time in force-free training.  The bulk of my business is private training.  This is how I am best able to help.  Private training lets the trainer get the dog started, then help the owner implement the exercises and changes needed for success.  In one hour/week sessions, we trainers aren't miracle workers.  If the owners don't follow through consistently, there's not a whole lot we can do.  It's important to have fair expectations of all involved:  dogs, owners, and trainers.

There are a lot of elements at play to create a desirable outcome.  The clients of mine who succeed generally have a similar recipe for success:

1. They choose realistic goals for themselves and their dog.
2. They are matched fairly well with their dog.
3. They dedicate time daily to consistently implementing my training homework and exercising their dog.
4. The family is all on-board.

When training fails, it's usually because one or more of these things is not in place.  To correspond with the numbers above:

1. When you have a timeline for training that exceeds your ability to practice between sessions, or if you want your malinois puppy to stop biting people, these are unrealistic expectations.  In the first example, we want the trainer to wave a magic wand and fix everything for us.  However, we're the one who lives with the dog, so we're the one who has to do the bulk of the work between sessions in order to progress.  In the second example, we're denying that both puppies and the malinois breed are very bitey.  Please do your research in advance and ensure the age and breed are appropriate for your current lifestyle and family.  If purchasing from a breeder, ask to meet the parents and make sure these are dogs you'd like to live with.  If rescuing, see if you can talk to the foster family and ask all the questions about how the dog or puppy is in scenarios likely to occur in your household.
2. If you want to integrate a new dog into your family, make sure it's a good idea for everyone involved, including any existing pets.  Make sure you choose a dog or puppy who is a good match.  For example, if you have an adult (4+yo) dog who has never really socialized or trained before and only ever interacted with your previous dog who has now sadly passed away, bringing a new puppy in a few weeks later is not likely to go very well.  Before adding a new animal family member, ensure it's the right time, and not circumstances like grief talking.  If you're incredibly busy at work and can't dedicate at least 1hr/day per young dog in the household, it's not the time.  Consider an older dog or a cat instead.  Senior dogs will want to nap more and that works great for busy working families.  Cats are more independent and many don't mind as much if they don't get attention/interaction/training like dogs need.
3. Dogs are going to thrive in a home that can meet their physical, mental, and emotional needs.  This requires way more effort than most realize.  Young dogs typically need a 30 to 60-min walk daily (not broken up, all at once), 30mins or more of training per day, and lots of love and attention (snuggles, play time, adventures, etc.).  If your dream is of a dog calmly walking by your side off-leash through town within a couple weeks, you want an older dog who has already had some practice living this way.  If your dream is to wrap your world up in your dog for the next few years then enjoy several more years of life together, a puppy is a great choice.
4. It can be really disheartening when one member of the family is really gung-ho for a new furry family member, but someone else in the family is not.  It can also be such a sweet gesture to get a new puppy or dog in an attempt to recover from grief.  Open, honest discussion is essential, as is thorough research, planning, and budgeting.  The more advanced training you want the dog to have, the more time, energy, effort, and generally money you need to be willing to invest on a daily basis.

As much as I would like to honor the wishes of everyone I work with, I won't be able to make everybody happy.  I'm not the type of person who will scold you into doing what you need to for your dog.  I'm also not the type of person who will guilt-trip you into stopping doing things that aren't good for your dog.  I will lay it all out on the table, give you my recommendations, get your dog started and successful, then turn it over to you.  At the next session, we can have a brief check-in, address any troubleshooting that is needed, and then progress to the next level, either with the same exercise or something new. 

My priority, however, is always with being kind and fair to the animals.  I know how to turn dogs into robots who perform perfectly 100% of the time.  I simply refuse to do it.  If a dog has to be the equivalent of a slave in order to be successful according to my human clients, I will not continue working with them if they cannot be dissuaded from that path.  If a trainer requires the animal experience any amount of pain (psychological or physical) to be successful, I do not consider that training method a viable learning tool ethically.  There are many balanced trainers who will put a prong, e-collar, or tens collar on a dog and layer in negative reinforcement to increase obedience.  The dogs may even come to associate these tools with good things, because they are getting out, working, and having fun the rest of the time.  Then the dogs appear to love the tool; but I assure you, they don't truly.  Any trainer who tells you these tools cause zero pain was raised on a lie and is spreading it further.  Of course these tools are uncomfortable, otherwise they wouldn't inhibit behavior.  The draw to these tools is that they work so fast, comparatively speaking.  They work through the dog's amygdala, the trauma-storing center of the brain.  This is how all animals learn most quickly -- something unpleasant and even dangerous that must be avoided at all costs, remembered permanently.