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Training could be defined as patterning desirable habits. Teaching or educating goes beyond training, and helps the individual understand the reasons for actions. Some would question whether dogs can do that much thinking. Those who handle dogs in police work, search and rescue, or assistance to a person with a disability do not question whether or not a dog can think. They see dogs act on what can only be thinking. You will also find many people who claim a dog has no desire to please a human. Again, ask the handlers who do real jobs with dogs, and they will tell you differently. Dogs love, if they are given someone to love. And they strive to please, if the person appreciates what the dog does. Training and teaching your dog is part of loving your dog. Dogs who don’t get taught enough to function successfully in a human world live in constant danger of their lives. If you love your dog, you train and teach. At the same time you learn from the dog—education goes both ways. We don’t know if the student understands the message unless we pay attention to what the student tells us. Almost everyone will need some in-person instruction to learn how to read dog body language, to handle a dog in ways that maintain adequate control, and to communicate our wishes to the dog. Television cannot adequately convey this, with its massive production costs per minute. Books are a little better, and so are some videos that go into great detail, but nothing is a substitute for the real, in-person thing. Lessons in person allow the teacher to check your work and your dog’s work, tell you what changes to make, see how that works, and tell you what to do next. You need this back-and-forth communication for real learning, because after all, the task being learned is communication. If your dog is boisterous but friendly, a good place to work on training is a well-run training class. This is the kind of class where dogs are kept under control, taught what TO do rather than punished for errors, and treated humanely. Class is great for dogs and for owners. If there is any aggression toward people involved in the behavior of your dog at any age, you need a veterinary behavior specialist as soon as possible. It is important to get help before the behavior becomes established as habit. Once the veterinary behavior specialist has made an accurate assessment and program recommendation, you may be able to work with a trainer or non-veterinarian behavior specialist that the veterinary behavior specialist recommends. Eventually you will hopefully also be able to work the dog in a good training class. But start with the veterinary behavior specialist. Many dogs have been ruined and many people have been injured because they went to the wrong professionals for help with aggression. Fear and aggression are two sides of the same coin, and it can flip if you let a harsh trainer mishandle your fearful dog. Therefore this dog, too, needs to start with a veterinary behavior specialist and then work only with other professionals who come recommended by that specialist. Beware of dog trainers—or whatever other title they may use—who are good salespeople or have lots of charisma, instead of solid credentials. The only licensed professional in dog behavior is the VETERINARY BEHAVIOR SPECIALIST. Be sure to keep that in mind, for your own welfare and your dog’s.
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