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few years ago a friend asked me what I thought about the "Dog Whisperer". As it was I had never heard of him before this, and seeing how I was still working on a police department, I naturally thought I was being set up for a joke. (Yeah, cops have a weird sense of humor some times) My friend, knowing I had been involved in service dogs for more than thirty years was just curious about my thoughts about his style of training.. I was intrigued about what I heard and made decision to catch the next available episode.
My wife and I were watching TV together when the show came on. We were both totally impressed and thoroughly enjoyed the show. As I saw it, and still do, the star of the show was not training dogs as much as he was training the owners. This is something I have believed in for a long, long time. My point in writing this is not an endorsement of the show (Lord knows it isn't needed from me) but that it didn't take long for all of the critics to rear their ugly head.
Folks, if there is one there is one thing I have learned is no one person is right all the time and no person is wrong all the time. Maybe it is simply jealousy that they didn't come up with the idea first. Dog training has changed since I first got hooked, but come on folks, "this isn't brain surgery" we're talking about.
Granted, a lot of common training practices and beliefs have evolved over the years. My views have certainly changed. I remember as a young private in military work dog school thinking "this is a "MAN'S job. That belief carried over into my early police years also. It wasn't until the arrival of daddy's little girl that I grew up and opened my mind. Now, I readily acknowledge that some of the best trainers and handlers I have met are female..
The one thing that hasn't seemed to change is how many think their way is the only way..
I never could understand why so many people feel threatened if they see someone having results doing something different from what they themselves are doing. If it works, great., If it doesn't try something else. The vast majority of dog owners are mainly looking for a partner they can live with. They aren't interested in collecting trophies.
I'm not knocking competition. I applaud those who are dedicated enough to put in the long hours of work. What I am saying is there is no need for all the petty jealousies that seem to plague way to much of the dog training community. It should be an enjoyable time. If I was paying someone to teach me how to train my dog, I would be more interested in that persons training style than their trophy case.
With all the law suits going on in today's society, and the abundance of dog trainers available in every phone book out there, there is no excuse for having an out of control dog. I am suggesting people investigate before signing up for any class or club or whatever. Even if your dog is making progress, if you are not looking forward to going, there is something missing.
Of course, this is just my opinion, tell me what you think.
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