"This is the only thing that works."

- Way too many people

Dog training is an unregulated industry.

Absolutely anyone can walk up to you and say they're a dog trainer. There's no rule that says they're wrong to do it. In fact, to get my first certification I had to accumulate 300 hours of training dogs professionally in order to be allowed to take the exam.

I was taught to speak kindly of other trainers, even the ones I deeply disagree with. It's good advice because the training world is small, especially the force free part of it. The stakes are high because we love animals and want them all to be safe and it's just not possible to have a perfect track record. Emotions are high. It's really easy to Monday Morning Quarterback someone else's actions and not easy at all to be sure you're always on your game.

I've been as nice as I can, though, and I have to get some things off my chest. If you don't want to participate in this kind of negativity you can click away.

Scroll down to hear who my least favorite trainers are.

My Least Favorite Dog Trainers

1. Someone in the Park Who Said This Was the Only Thing That Works

2. My Partner's Cousin's Best Friend Who Has Had Dogs All Their Life

3. The Guy Who Specifically Stopped Me On The Street While My Dog Was Struggling To Tell Me What I Was Doing Wrong

I often have clients come to me asking why I haven't mentioned using a tool (head halters, prong collars, shock collars) or a technique (leash pops, saying no, restricting affection, etc.). The first thing I do is ask why they're asking about it and invariably it turns out they heard about it from one of those 3 trainers.

I'm not mad at the client who asks these questions. I explain why I haven't mentioned what they're thinking of and go over why we're doing things the way I do. I ask curious questions about what kind of relief they're hoping for and we talk about what's realistic for their dog right now. From there we find the adjustments and improvements we can make to help both species succeed.

I am mad, really mad, that under-informed folks are out there putting pressure on people who are vulnerable. It's not kind or useful to see someone suffering and tell them that they wrong or blame them. Even though I get that a lot of these "trainers" feel like they know all there is to know and they want to evangelize, I wish they were evangelizing from a place of science and true learning.

"What can I do?" I'm sure you're asking.

You can learn about evidence-based dog training, the meaning of different training certifications, and continue to do your very best by your dog and the dogs in your life. The best thing you can do, though, is to be as kind to people who are struggling as you are to dogs who are.

People don't know what they don't know. They also might know but are having a hard day.

I know a lot about dogs and the other day my dog's leash slipped in my hands so that he accidentally ran straight into a runner's shins. I'm sure that guy isn't ready to write me a glowing Google review but he was kind and I was apologetic and we got through it. I'll try to do better next time.

While we're all out there getting the good word out about dog training, please be gentle with eachother.

And don't take unsolicited advice from these 3 terrible trainers.

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