Dog Training State of the Union 2022
Sharing our homes with pets from 2020 until now - any thoughts? Whether you already had a pet before the pandemic or you welcomed home a new furry best friend during the pandemic, you may have noticed that the pet care industry has changed. Wondering what dog training looks like now?
Puppy Socials
Many places are hosting puppy socials or puppy play groups. In pandemic early days, many socials had you dropping your dogs off and watching remotely. Thanks to vaccines and Covid19 cases declining, many places are welcoming you inside with your puppy! Now you can listen to the trainer’s puppy play narration in real time. Don’t worry, the trainer’s observations won’t go on your puppy’s permanent record, so the Ivy League schools will never know.
Group Classes
Many facilities continue to offer socially distant group classes both outdoors and indoors. Indoor classes may continue to be slightly shorter to allow for all of the cleaning between classes. Instead of asking your trainer questions after class, jot down your questions and email/text them to your trainer so they have time to disinfect the training space between classes.
Private Training
For many training businesses, private training continues to start online before meeting in-person. Feel like this is a disadvantage? On the contrary! Trainers speak dog and dogs know it. When we’re in the room, most dogs prefer to work with us rather than their own people. I'm a certified professional trainer, so my observation, timing, criteria, and rate of reinforcement are better than your training skills, just like you're way better at your job than I could ever be! By starting online, YOU are the most interesting person to your dog. Your dog needs to bond with you, not me. Since I started offering hybrid lessons, I’ve noticed dogs have a MUCH better bond with their people than when all sessions were in-person.
Online Training
Private training and live group classes continue to be offered online. Online services are an excellent budget-friendly option for many, not to mention safe for immunocompromised individuals. They’re also an excellent option for dogs living with issues such as fear, reactivity, and aggression. Did you know that separation anxiety training was always online, even well before the pandemic? If you’re concerned about how an upcoming schedule shift of working from home to leaving home for work will affect your dog, I’m here to help! (Last year I completed the best practice coursework and passed the client practical to become an “SAPro” (Separation Anxiety Professional) a certification reflecting completion of Julie Naismith’s masterclass in separation anxiety,)
Self-Paced Training
Many dog training businesses, including Behavior United LLC, continue to offer self-paced, on-demand classes and subscription services. Our newest service, Best Behavior, is a self-paced experience focusing on attention with distraction (not that any of your dogs would ever choose a distraction over you). Upcoming self-paced experiences with Behavior United include politely greeting guests indoors and cooperating with vet visits and nail trims. Contact me for details! Self-paced training is typically the least expensive dog training experience. You can always add on a live session with the trainer to address your particular issue!
Behavior Consultations
Online continues to be the best platform for behavior consultations. Online behavior consultations are less stressful for your dog and safer for the trainer. They are effective and they’re here to stay. Without influencing your dog’s behavior with his/her presence, it allows the trainer to observe your dog’s baseline behavior. Experienced trainers can glean your dog’s personality from the answers on the behavior intake form, the online observations of your dog, and your interactions with your dog. If needed, pictures and videos of the undesirable behavior can always round out the information. The behavior intake form, the conversation, and online observations guide your dog’s effective behavior modification plan.
When it comes to behavior modification, early intervention is important. Online behavior consultation scheduling tends to have shorter wait times than in-person. Many trainers continue to have wait lists for all of the newly adopted dogs. Online training can help you and your dog sooner! Why wait?
Whether you’ve added a furry family member since 2020, need help with a new behavior challenge, or one that’s getting worse, dog trainers are open for business! We have many service options, as described above. Remember, training creates a more perfect union between you and your dog. Dog bless us all.