Who built the shelf?

I often times have clients who are struggling with their dog. They have had the dog for months, or even years, yet the dogs training is not complete. SO they reach out to hire a trainer and we connect. After seeing if we are a good fit, we start talking about shelves. You see, I am not a carpenter by trade. Although I have used a saw many times and screwed in many screws, I have not mastered the tools and techniques necessary for me to produce an incredible looking shelf. If I were to make a shelf and you were to see it in my house, although it may look lovely, it will have the look, or the feel, of a shelf built by an amateur. This is the same with dog training; the average person, if given the time and tools and a little practice, can train a dog on a basic level, but they cannot produce what can be created by a master trainer.

When it comes tot he average dog trained by the average person, we see minor imperfections; the owner still has to pretend they have food to get the dog to perform a command, or maybe they have to constantly say “no” to the dog, just to walk by the same distraction they have been walking by for years. Maybe it is something less noticeable; the dog lacks enthusiasm when doing commands, or eye contact, or the ability to listen around very high levels of distractions. Whatever it may be, it is obvious, the dog was trained by an amateur, and not a professional. To be clear, I think this is awesome. If someone has enough time and ability, and they do the research on their own and find qualified master trainers to learn from, they can train their own dog for free or a fraction of the cost of what hiring a trainer would entail. If they also have a relatively easy dog to train, without serious behavioral issues, they will be able to produce a dog that they themselves and their community would all be proud of, especially when they find out the owner trained the dog all by themselves. This, however is not always the case.

Sometimes a person gets a difficult dog. Whether it is a puppy or adult dog when they acquire it, the dog is by no means an easy dog to train. It may have serious behavioral issues or it may just have a low food drive, or possibly it is extremely large, or very small. Sometimes a person has their own challenges they are facing that make it difficult for them to train the dog. They may have a busy life that makes it nearly impossible to free up the time necessary to train a dog. Maybe they previously had a dog or dogs of a certain temperament, breed, age, or size that were very different than the dog they currently have. This may make it very challenging for them to retrain themselves for their new dogs needs, despite the clear fact that their new dog needs a new approach. When these people try to train these dogs on their own, without the hands on assistance of a professional, it shows. Although they may be able to manage the dog or get the dog through the day, it is not a pleasure and it is far from easy. Nobody looks at that “shelf” and says, “would you look at that nice shelf someone built themselves with their own hands”. Likewise, the owner will never brag “look at what a good job I did here with this shelf”, the truth is, everyone knows it was not done right, even if it was done at all.

So what is the point here, what does this have to do with dog training you might ask. Well I am gonna tell you. Every dog is like a shelf you heave built, or you build yourself. Every time you get started you must look at the materials you have in front of you and the tools you have available. You must also assess the amount of time you have, the skill level you possess, and the limitations present in those skills. If you are unsure, you must consult a professional on some level, even if just by reading a book, to see what will be possible if you fully apply yourself with due diligence. Then you have to see how much it would cost to have the shelf built professionally, to have someone simply give you some lessons on how to build it yourself, or to do a group woodshop course down at the local city college. Then there are so many variables; will you go to class, will you read the books they assign, what kind of wood do you have and most importantly what purpose will this shelf serve for you and possibly your family. Ultimately what is the point of a shelf? Well that is something only you can decide for yourself.

For some a shelf is just a thing to set something on to create more storage space, for others it is a work of art. For some it is just for looks, it never is asked to bear much weight at all, or remain standing during an earthquake. For others it must hold whatever amount of weight is placed upon it (within reason), and it must stand solid on its own, it will not even tip over during the strongest of earthquakes. Some people build the shelf just for themselves to bear witness to, and other do it for the world to see. So when it comes time to start training the dog yourself, or to hire a trainer to help you, just ask yourself this one question. What do you want the finished product to look like, and how do you want it to function; ultimately what will be its purpose? If you start the process with the purpose in mind, you will be certain to build a “shelf”, that will be cherished, utilized, appreciated, and yes even marveled at; for years and possibly even decades to come.