Boot Camp Dog Training

I read an article in Petside.com that I thought was wonderful!  It was on Boot Camp Dog Training and it really expresses how I feel about the whole thing.  I am asked all the time if I do Boot Camp style dog training or Board and Train, my answer is no, because it doesn't embrace my style of training.  I have done a couple of Board and Train's earlier in my career and it was because of these experiences that I saw why it doesn't work.  The dog can be a perfect for me, but I am the one that bonded with the dog.  Once home the owner doesn't have the bond and doesn't have the experience and usually doesn't keep up on the program so the dog goes right back to where they were when they brought them to me.  No matter how much time a trainer spends explaining this or teaching how to keep up the behavior, if the owner doesn't value the training, it will not work.

This is a strong point in my training style, building the relationship between you and your dog.  The experience of training creates a bond and a language between the two of you.  You learn how to listen to your dog and your dog learns how to listen to you.  The experiences you have, the frustration, the successes, the time of celebration, all of that is what the training experience is about.  That genuine happiness and sense of pleasing you that your dog gets is the ultimate high for them and the same with you when you see your dog get it.  Those are the moments that are mutually celebrated and creates a bond that is strong and connects you a little more.

Below is the article from Petside.com, it points out a lot of important facts and things to consider if this is something you are considering for your dog.

Have you ever wanted to ship your dog off for a “boot camp” training situation, where someone does all of the work for you and returns a perfectly mannered dog? It’s a tempting scenario, particularly if you’re at the end of your rope with your dog. The knowledgeable trainer works her magic while you get a blissful week or two off from dealing with the barking, peeing, leash pulling or whatever it is that drove you to seek out a trainer in the first place. Though it sounds like a dream, the results can be anything but.

One of the most worrying aspects of boot camp dog training is that you don’t know what’s happening to your dog when you’re not there. Though the trainer might describe the training technique to be used in vague but reassuring terms, unless you’re there to witness it, you have no idea exactly how your dog is going to be handled. For example, one of my new customers dropped his dog off at a local boot camp facility while he was on travel and returned to discover that the trainer had used both a choke collar and a shock collar on his dog. He immediately noticed that his normally exuberant dog seemed suppressed, even prior to the post-camp training demonstration with the trainer. Unfortunately, my customer didn’t think that the facility would use such heavy handed techniques for basic obedience training.

Worse yet, sometimes the boot camp scenario takes a horrifying turn when the trainer injures, or worse yet, kills the dog in his or her care. It’s shocking, but it happens, as these articles illustrate.

I’m not suggesting that all boot camp training will result in a dog abuse. I know of quite a few excellent trainers who offer “board and train” options (which is a much nicer name than “boot camp”) in addition to group classes. I’m sure the dogs in their care end up with some cool new tricks in their repertoire, but I still feel … conflicted about the scenario.

Training isn’t just about ending up with a good dog. Indeed, that’s a huge part of it, but training also helps you develop a stronger bond with your dog. Working through training exercises as a team creates a sense of accomplishment and adds a new layer to your relationship. You learn to read your dog more accurately, listen to what he has to say, and respond accordingly. Those experiences often happen during the minutia of dog training, where an advance during a daily practice session turns into a reason to celebrate. That said, I know that I’m being naive in assuming that everyone takes as much interest in training as I do.

Though I understand the allure of sending an untrained dog away like clothing to be dry cleaned, I feel that it’s so important to be a part of the training process, no matter how challenging the dog might be. Training can be frustrating, annoying, exhausting and at times, seemingly fruitless, but it’s a necessary rite of passage that every dog guardian should experience firsthand.

It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.

Again, I agree totally with this article and couldn't say it better myself.  I just love that last line, "It's not always easy, but it's always worth it."  Well said.  I find that most people want training to be easy, but as with anything in life, it is not easy.  I have yet to talk to one parent that thinks raising their child from birth to adulthood is easy, but they do it and they read books, talk to professionals, go to classes in some cases and do their best to give their child everything they need.  In my opinion, dogs should be no different in the sense that your consult books, professionals or go to classes to learn how to provide the best home for your dog.  You will be happier understanding how to communicate with your dog and your dog will be happier understanding how to please you.

Happy training...