I'm in over my head.
The reason things have been silent the last couple of days is because I have been looking into trainers for lovely Lita (meter maid). And, let me tell you, the world of dog training is far more massive, confusing and just plain overwhelming than I could have imagined.
Phrases like positive reinforcement, operant conditioning, FLOW training, Relationship-centered training, and others are swimming in my brain. And those are just the techniques. Want to know about the trainers qualifications? That's a whole 'nother vocab set: there are CCPDT certified trainers, members of the APDT, IIABC behaviorists, and plain old "professional trainers." Good gracious!
It seems to me that it is impossible to know if a trainer is actually "good" or not unless you've seen them work or at least received a recommendation from someone you trust. I'm sure there are great trainers out there that aren't certified at all! But how do you begin to sift through the masses to find them?
I've got a couple of recommendations from a forum that I joined: Dog Forums. I've found a couple of training schools through online searches that have nice websites--always a plus in my book--but itdoesn't necessarily mean they're any good.
If I had all the time and money in the world, I'd probably try out a couple and choose among them. But training sessions are expensive! Since we have an unreliable pooch at this point, we're looking for someone who will come to us right now. This can cost around $100/hour! I don't mind spending the money. But I'd hate to pay $100 for a trainer that doesn't even help. *sigh*
I think the reason I'm most frustrated though is that since we brought Lita home I've been the one doing all the training research. *I* joined the forums. *I* have been doing searches and reading stuff online while we lounge in front of the TV. *I* have been asking friends and buying books and READING them. Yes, there have been discussions with my husband. And to be fair, I know he has been listening because he has been implementing the techniques we discuss on walks with the girl (and due to our schedules he does walk her more than I do). I should be thankful for this and I am. And we have already seen some small improvements! But I just wish he cared enough to do some research on his own and did not wait for me to spoon feed him everything. I mean, I actually went and created a training folder in my favorites and just wanted him to read through them to help me pick a trainer. There were all the links. All right in one folder. Easy peasy. He couldn't even do that. :(
Today, my husband received an email from his step-mom recommending a trainer that some of her friends had used. Very kind of her. I looked into it though and this trainer is not certified and has just attended "Animal Behavior College." It seems like my husband doesn't even want to research anymore (or at all in his case) and just wants to go with her because a friend of someone we know said she was good. Of course there's a chance that she IS great and it would work out wonderfully! But... but... all she did was graduate some school. It's not a certification procedure that requires a set number of hours of training and experience.
I feel like one of those uppity Moms that insists HER daughter is going to *Private School.* But really, it's scary! My dog already has issues, imagine what one bad trainer could do!
I hope we get this figured out soon. Until then, I'm going to keep reading. I've already read "Feisty Fido" by Patricia McConnell and today I picked up Cautious K9, also by McConnell. These are supposed to be great for leash reactive dogs and for fearful dogs. I think it's a good start.
Having a "project dog" is stressful! Clearly I am NOT ready for two-legged children.
