5 Things Dog Trainers Do Best

Dog trainers are one of a kind. We all come from different backgrounds, careers, and experiences. We have different styles and beliefs about what we do, but still, there are a few things we all share. We all share some pretty awesome strengths. Here are some top 5 places where we shine:

5. Get Up Early

Dogs can’t tell the time. As long as they’re rested, they can work and most of the time that means starting with your first dog in the early hours of the morning. Sometimes this is to avoid the dangerously high temperatures of a summer afternoon, sometimes it's because we have early appointments, meetings, trade fairs, or just a lot of dogs we’re working with that day. Whatever the reason, we’re usually up, out, and kitted out with the dogs before most people have breakfast.

4. Exercise Adaptability

Training dogs is a lot like having children: no single plan suits all. Every dog presents its own unique set of skills and shortcomings. Each has his or her own way of learning. We've got to be willing and able to adjust our plans so that each pup gets the most out of his training time. We've got to be able to go back if a dog is showing regression and we've got to be willing to develop new plans if our timelines are thrown off by illness or injury.

3. Seek knowledge

Dog training has come a long way over the years, and most of that is because we dedicate ourselves to honing our craft. We all know there is more than one way to accomplish an end goal in training so we’re always open to hearing other people’s experiences or investigating new products. We know that the day you think you know it all is the day you need to get out of the business, and we’ve got no desire to move on.

2. Be Consistent

Consistency is ingrained in the DNA of a dog trainer. Consistency is key to dog training, and we know it, so you better believe we are some of the most consistent people you will ever meet. We set expectations and we react to missed expectations the same way every time. It might seem a little boring to some, but it’s what gets the job done.

1. Have Patience

Mercy, do we have patience. We might not have been born with it, but it has been instilled in us over the years because above all else, this is what fosters success. We've learnt patience with our dogs because you can't hurry a champion. We've learnt patience in ourselves because we've made mistakes, and whilst early on we might have chastised ourselves for those, we now understand the lessons we learnt from those mistakes are what have made us great. We've learnt patience with new handlers because we know we were once there, too, and no one is perfect straight out of the gate. The important part is they're willing to be patient and keep trying.

Obviously, there's a lot more we're great at, but these 5 topped our list.