I Don’t Like My Dog Trainer – Phoenix Dog Training – Dog Trainer – Behaviorist
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Sam Basso
PHOENIX , AZ AREA: (602) 708-4531
OR, if you are out of this area, inquire about a telephone or e-Lesson
Email: [email protected]
Do you not like your dog trainer? And what should you do about that?
I have worked with trainers that I liked and trainers that I didn’t like. I’ve also worked with trainers that liked my dog, and trainers that didn’t like my dog.
I sometimes get a phone call from someone who is training with a dog trainer that they don’t like. I remember one such situation. This student had hired a dog trainer that did a board and train type of program. Once she dropped her dog off with this guy, he then became a real jerk to her, so she was calling around to see if her perceptions were fair. So, we spent some time talking. I have seen a lot of good and bad trainers… and I told her that she wasn’t being treated well, and that I had concerns about what was happening with her dog. She agreed.
I’ve also worked with trainers I didn’t like. I have worked with trainers that didn’t treat my dog well. In every case, I quit their program. I stay away from trainers that are jerks, with egos bigger than their skill set. I also stay away from trainers that are rude to the dogs, are too macho with the dogs, and who will use rough methods. I’m not in this to harm my dog. If you are in that kind of situation, then do as I have done… quit and find someone else. I also have worked with students that left their trainers because they were incompetent. I see that a lot, and I’ve had to retrain a number of dogs that were badly mismanaged by incompetent dog trainers. I also don’t like working with a dog trainer that knows more about how to say four letter words than they know about dog training. I don’t like being around people with a filthy mouth. It offends me. And if I had kids, I sure wouldn’t want their influence around them, either.
I have also had students that didn’t like me as their trainer. I remember one such student. He was a top executive of a major Fortune 500 company, and I think he resented the fact that he was being given homework and being told to do things. He was used to telling other people what to do, so it got to his ego. He became rude and disrespectful, and it made the lessons miserable for me. I had a similar situation. A woman and her girlfriend had hired me to train their dog, I think it was a Golden Retriever. It’s been a long time, but I’m pretty sure that was the breed. It was a nice dog, about a year old, but untrained. On the first lesson, the woman started interrupting me. Then interrupted me some more, and again and again…. something was clearly wrong. I work with a LOT of people. So, I know what I’m doing and I treat everyone the same, I treat them well, and I treat people fairly. So, something else was going on. I figure when you give the same lesson to 99 people, and they all think you are terrific, and one comes along and makes your life miserable… it is them, not you. I figured out that she was jealous of me. She was jealous that her partner was acting what, I guess, must have seemed a bit too friendly towards me in the lesson, and so she got defensive and then downright rude. I tried starting over. I made sure I wasn’t favoring the one over the other when I spoke or with my eye contact. I have a rule when training a dog: I never date a customer. You don’t pee in your food bowl. This is business. Even so, I wasn’t interested in her partner, I’m straight, and I wasn’t doing anything wrong. By the end of the lesson, we had gotten nowhere. I gave them back their money and told them that they should find another trainer. I got a lesson that day… for myself. Sometimes, you can do everything right, but if the people have issues, and you aren’t meshing with them, then it is better to cut them loose… and I did. She didn’t like me. It happens.
If you don’t like your trainer… is it you or is it them? If you have the problem, then shape up, do the homework, and stop being flake. If it is them… then talk to them and try to work it out, but if that isn’t going to work… then leave. Forget about the money… just leave. Find someone better.
