(This article has been re-posted from a couple of years ago.)
Here is a series of questions e-mailed to me a couple of years ago by someone starting out in the business:
1) How did you start your business?
I volunteered for three years in shelters while working as a controller, without any thought of getting into this business. Then it occurred to me, that I hated what I was doing then, and needed a new direction that had more meaning and made more sense to me. I volunteered as an apprentice at Doberman Rescue for a year. Then I put up fliers offering training at dirt cheap prices, and let people know I was beginning. As I got more confident, the business grew and the prices went up modestly. We lived in a city at that point (it's important to note that city training and country training are very different and both should probably always be done), and later moved to York Maine after finding a property that fit both me and my husband's needs. I hit it off with a pet sitter in the area, who started me off on referrals. I knew how to use the Internet to capture my business if searches went on. In the first year, I was already doing what I did in Worcester MA after two years. So basically, I jumped in when the water felt fine LOL. Not to say, there is still sooo much to learn, and I am not where I want to ultimately be yet, but each year I have a different goal for business marketing and personal professional development.
2) How do I go about finding shelters to volunteer at, and do they have any prerequisites needed?
Shelters usually require very little of their volunteers (hard enough to find consistent ones). Here is what I would look for in a shelter, 1) a safety protocol for volunteers, 2) a training plan for volunteers, 3) cleanliness of facility and healthiness of dogs... The biggest problem is there is usually no real "master trainer" on staff at most shelters. You have to understand that most shelter staff are paid at minimum wage or are volunteers. Risking their safety with behaviorally challenged dogs is not normally in a shelters best interest for the safety of adopters or shelter workers, and hard sad decisions need to be made. If you can find a place that has a master trainer with some proven track record in obedience and behavior modification that would be great. Now the other news, is that purely positive politics have overtaken most shelters. I am not against positive training, I am just unconvinced that cookies and a high voice can behaviorally modify most dogs. Certainly avoiding life does not behaviorally modify most dogs. So if you can find a shelter that is not afraid to use tools like metal choke chains or prong collars when necessary, then you are probably better off. If they use clickers and treats too, that's fine. You want a shelter that is open to the idea of results and the saving of dogs lives if possible.
A lot of it is about behaviorally modifying the owner as well, which is something the shelter dog does not have yet. That's actually the most frustrating part. The part about the shelters that is disheartening, is that (and this has happened to me) you can work on a dog, then they go to a home to someone that won't upkeep all the work you have done. Then the dog does something and is put to sleep:( Usually, they have been unsupervised or put into a situation they should not have been. You need to at least be aware that this can happen. It's not something you can prepare yourself for fully. This is something that can burn you out, and does burn a lot of shelter workers out, understandably.
3) I have worked with daycare, but feel I am more managing play than providing any real direction for the dogs.
That's why every dog that comes to daycare must be a training client at Mannerly Mutts, or accept that their dog will be trained before being accepted into the program. Obedience training, for me, has been the key to behaviorally modifying most dogs. This is beyond a position but includes distractions and the realization that I don't need protection help from my or my guests' dogs. Becoming involved dog obedience competition and competing, will help you hone your skills to be more precise and the best communication for you and your dog team. I didn't think this was very important at first, but it has proven to be a really great eye help in this.
4) What is the difference between conformation and obedience?
Conformation is for breeders or owners who enjoy getting out and doing something with their dog. It tests how well the dog meets up to standards of the breed (measurements, coats, temperament and such) in order for there to be a guideline and way to research dogs for future dog owners or dog sports enthusiasts.
Here is a series of questions e-mailed to me a couple of years ago by someone starting out in the business:
1) How did you start your business?
I volunteered for three years in shelters while working as a controller, without any thought of getting into this business. Then it occurred to me, that I hated what I was doing then, and needed a new direction that had more meaning and made more sense to me. I volunteered as an apprentice at Doberman Rescue for a year. Then I put up fliers offering training at dirt cheap prices, and let people know I was beginning. As I got more confident, the business grew and the prices went up modestly. We lived in a city at that point (it's important to note that city training and country training are very different and both should probably always be done), and later moved to York Maine after finding a property that fit both me and my husband's needs. I hit it off with a pet sitter in the area, who started me off on referrals. I knew how to use the Internet to capture my business if searches went on. In the first year, I was already doing what I did in Worcester MA after two years. So basically, I jumped in when the water felt fine LOL. Not to say, there is still sooo much to learn, and I am not where I want to ultimately be yet, but each year I have a different goal for business marketing and personal professional development.
2) How do I go about finding shelters to volunteer at, and do they have any prerequisites needed?
Shelters usually require very little of their volunteers (hard enough to find consistent ones). Here is what I would look for in a shelter, 1) a safety protocol for volunteers, 2) a training plan for volunteers, 3) cleanliness of facility and healthiness of dogs... The biggest problem is there is usually no real "master trainer" on staff at most shelters. You have to understand that most shelter staff are paid at minimum wage or are volunteers. Risking their safety with behaviorally challenged dogs is not normally in a shelters best interest for the safety of adopters or shelter workers, and hard sad decisions need to be made. If you can find a place that has a master trainer with some proven track record in obedience and behavior modification that would be great. Now the other news, is that purely positive politics have overtaken most shelters. I am not against positive training, I am just unconvinced that cookies and a high voice can behaviorally modify most dogs. Certainly avoiding life does not behaviorally modify most dogs. So if you can find a shelter that is not afraid to use tools like metal choke chains or prong collars when necessary, then you are probably better off. If they use clickers and treats too, that's fine. You want a shelter that is open to the idea of results and the saving of dogs lives if possible.
A lot of it is about behaviorally modifying the owner as well
3) I have worked with daycare, but feel I am more managing play than providing any real direction for the dogs.
That's why every dog that comes to daycare must be a training client at Mannerly Mutts, or accept that their dog will be trained before being accepted into the program. Obedience training, for me, has been the key to behaviorally modifying most dogs. This is beyond a position but includes distractions and the realization that I don't need protection help from my or my guests' dogs. Becoming involved dog obedience competition and competing, will help you hone your skills to be more precise and the best communication for you and your dog team. I didn't think this was very important at first, but it has proven to be a really great eye help in this.
4) What is the difference between conformation and obedience?
Conformation is for breeders or owners who enjoy getting out and doing something with their dog. It tests how well the dog meets up to standards of the breed (measurements, coats, temperament and such) in order for there to be a guideline and way to research dogs for future dog owners or dog sports enthusiasts.
Obedience in the competition setting is the proofing that your dog is able to perform commands on first command, and while surrounded by a distracting environment. Obedience is the working partnership between you and your dog OR the handler/trainer and a dog.
5) Why did you pick Doberman Rescue as the shelter that you apprenticed at (note there are all sorts of ways to apprentice, this is just one that I got lucky on, normally you have to pay)?
My very first dog came from DRU. When I was apprenticing there, they were one hour and forty minutes away one way! So no, they were not the closest. I knew about the training program there, as I had met the director before. I had sent her some questions, similar to your asking me, and she said "hey why don't you come up and apprentice with me". They are the only shelter that I know that has any kind of training program whatsoever, and due to the lack of funding that I have described before. DRU has somehow attracted very wealthy donors who have given them things like land, money to build the shelter (it used to be out of Claire's basement when I got my first dog there). I was also very impressed by the work they did. When I used to volunteer at Worcester Animal Rescue League, which does great work within their means, I was frequently put in danger by both staff and volunteers not having any training ability. Once they let an elderly man walk a Rotti, and he did not have a good grasp on the leash when the dog went after the dog I was holding. IN other words that dog got off leash, and probably shouldn't have been handled by an elderly volunteer in the first place. It resulted in the putting down of a dog, that I felt was completely unnecessary (the dog put down never had any chance at a training program, and wasn't a bad guy. I understand the shelter's position, it was sad all the same). DRU had a better handle on procedures and volunteer education. They are the only ones that I have found that do, except that I have heard good things about Kennebunk rescue. I haven't checked them out for myself yet.
6) How can I find out about seminars?
Here's the bad news, there are almost no seminars in the New England area worth seeing IMO. We aren't exactly the dog training hub of the world, as far as effective and reliable training goes. There is a board that I look at from time to time on yahoo called http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/DogSeminars, which posts any seminar that goes on there without prejudice and very rarely has a review on them. However, you can scan if see if anything is coming in your area. Most of the "aggression" seminars (practically all) that come to this area have NOTHING to do with aggressive dogs LOL. Not that this is the only behavioral problem that is worked with, but it is one that requires confident and safe handling. So keep that in mind if you pick any in this area. You could probably find some decent clicker training and motivational training seminars here. There are a couple I have been meaning to see if they come back, with the economy money is tight. I splurged for a Margot Woods seminar that was a once in a lifetime around here, and was not disappointed in the way my money was spent. Any proven obedience trainers that are putting on seminars around here, while not geared specifically towards behavioral problems, would really be worth seeing. See the more the dog is concentrating on his partnership with you, the less he is worried about defending himself or you, because he/she knows you have it under control. It requires socialization combined with obedience and follow up on the trainer/handler's part to get that going. Obedience is the starting part of allowing that to happen. I know, I questioned it too when I started, all the "pretty" walking. But working at it, I noticed it did start to modify my dogs behavior the more exacting that I was on the hows and whys of obedience.
7) Why did you choose the IACP (International Association of Canine Professionals) to get your certification? Have you heard of any good dog training schools?
Actually, I am not certified yet from IACP. I just became a professional status member last year. This only means you have so many years of experience, and have met other professional requirements (years in business ET). IACP has great certified exams, and one that I should have filled out by now LOL. They are at work on a guild system as well right now, in other words a master trainer program. I have heard that Triple Crown (and have seen an amazing student from there) is one of the best to go to. If you have the time and money to take some time off, that one is supposed to be good. I have heard living conditions are a bit iffy. I can't take that time off, or pay the tuition fee. So I have gone the direction of apprenticing with another trainer at DRU (Doberman Rescue). There are draw backs to that as well, if you just think about some of the strange characters in dog training. Very talented people, but a bit bizarre and socially challenged amongst the humans. There are free apprentice positions that you may find, or paid apprentice positions. I don't really feel experienced enough yet to have an apprentice. I chose IACP as they are one of maybe two professional organizations (NADOI---National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors-- is the other) that has a more open mind on training, and has not been completely overtaken by PP (supposed Purely Positive Politics). APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), for instance, is heavily influenced by the PP influence. There is not much to learn there (APDT) IMO. IACP, while it does have conflicts within the ranks, has really good senior members available. Margot Woods, Martin Deeley, are among some of my favorites, and I have taken seminars with both of them. I really love that their exams are not multiple choice, but records of your work that are reviewed. Also that there is emphasis on your achievements within the dog world. I was pointed there by the people that I had met early on, and it has been a good reference point for me. I was also a member of the APDT for a time, but dropped the membership a few years ago. It really did nothing for me.
Maine and New Hampshire Dog Training, providing New Hampshire Dog Training clients and Maine Dog Training clients with assistance.
E-Mail Mannerly Mutts
5) Why did you pick Doberman Rescue as the shelter that you apprenticed at (note there are all sorts of ways to apprentice, this is just one that I got lucky on, normally you have to pay)?
My very first dog came from DRU. When I was apprenticing there, they were one hour and forty minutes away one way! So no, they were not the closest. I knew about the training program there, as I had met the director before. I had sent her some questions, similar to your asking me, and she said "hey why don't you come up and apprentice with me". They are the only shelter that I know that has any kind of training program whatsoever, and due to the lack of funding that I have described before. DRU has somehow attracted very wealthy donors who have given them things like land, money to build the shelter (it used to be out of Claire's basement when I got my first dog there). I was also very impressed by the work they did. When I used to volunteer at Worcester Animal Rescue League, which does great work within their means, I was frequently put in danger by both staff and volunteers not having any training ability. Once they let an elderly man walk a Rotti, and he did not have a good grasp on the leash when the dog went after the dog I was holding. IN other words that dog got off leash, and probably shouldn't have been handled by an elderly volunteer in the first place. It resulted in the putting down of a dog, that I felt was completely unnecessary (the dog put down never had any chance at a training program, and wasn't a bad guy. I understand the shelter's position, it was sad all the same). DRU had a better handle on procedures and volunteer education. They are the only ones that I have found that do, except that I have heard good things about Kennebunk rescue. I haven't checked them out for myself yet.
6) How can I find out about seminars?
Here's the bad news, there are almost no seminars in the New England area worth seeing IMO. We aren't exactly the dog training hub of the world, as far as effective and reliable training goes. There is a board that I look at from time to time on yahoo called http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/DogSeminars, which posts any seminar that goes on there without prejudice and very rarely has a review on them. However, you can scan if see if anything is coming in your area. Most of the "aggression" seminars (practically all) that come to this area have NOTHING to do with aggressive dogs LOL. Not that this is the only behavioral problem that is worked with, but it is one that requires confident and safe handling. So keep that in mind if you pick any in this area. You could probably find some decent clicker training and motivational training seminars here. There are a couple I have been meaning to see if they come back, with the economy money is tight. I splurged for a Margot Woods seminar that was a once in a lifetime around here, and was not disappointed in the way my money was spent. Any proven obedience trainers that are putting on seminars around here, while not geared specifically towards behavioral problems, would really be worth seeing. See the more the dog is concentrating on his partnership with you, the less he is worried about defending himself or you, because he/she knows you have it under control. It requires socialization combined with obedience and follow up on the trainer/handler's part to get that going. Obedience is the starting part of allowing that to happen. I know, I questioned it too when I started, all the "pretty" walking. But working at it, I noticed it did start to modify my dogs behavior the more exacting that I was on the hows and whys of obedience.
7) Why did you choose the IACP (International Association of Canine Professionals) to get your certification? Have you heard of any good dog training schools?
Actually, I am not certified yet from IACP. I just became a professional status member last year. This only means you have so many years of experience, and have met other professional requirements (years in business ET). IACP has great certified exams, and one that I should have filled out by now LOL. They are at work on a guild system as well right now, in other words a master trainer program. I have heard that Triple Crown (and have seen an amazing student from there) is one of the best to go to. If you have the time and money to take some time off, that one is supposed to be good. I have heard living conditions are a bit iffy. I can't take that time off, or pay the tuition fee. So I have gone the direction of apprenticing with another trainer at DRU (Doberman Rescue). There are draw backs to that as well, if you just think about some of the strange characters in dog training
Maine and New Hampshire Dog Training, providing New Hampshire Dog Training clients and Maine Dog Training clients with assistance.
E-Mail Mannerly Mutts
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