Dog Training Is For Everyone.
When I worked in sheltering, I saw many of the same types of dogs come in (and often get stuck). Some of them had already bitten someone, or did poorly around other dogs, or were perpetually fearful or amped up and desperate for attention through “naughtiness.” And while there’s always a genetic component to behavior, and we occasionally saw dogs who were somehow “off” behaviorally.... I kept coming back to the same questions.
What if that dog had gone to a puppy socialization class when he was 8 weeks old? Would he have learned that other dogs were safe, and not threatening? Would he have learned that sitting would get him attention, and he didn’t need to jump and tug at sleeves?
What if that dog had gotten access to a qualified, professional dog trainer/behavior specialist before things got bad? Would her family have learned to respect her stress signals, before she bit someone? Would she have learned to be comfortable walking on leash without reacting to every other dog?
We KNOW that access to behavior support can make a huge difference in the life of a dog (and their humans) if accessed at the right time. But so often, we’re getting these dogs “too late.” While we can still help many of these dogs when they finally get professional help, it’s often time consuming, expensive, and imperfect. Things we could have “fixed” in two days as a puppy may take months or years to work on after years of rehearsing problem behaviors. This also comes with enormous stress and frustration for the humans involved, and sometimes leads to dogs ending up at the shelter.
We need preventative behavior support for ALL of our dogs. We need trained professionals to be accessible to people before problems start, and available to the people who need them. We need competent, professional trainers to serve these dogs ethically and based on proven science. We need dog training to be the “norm”- something every dog person knows about and feels comfortable with. We need to treat dog behavior like we treat pet health- where vaccinations and checkups are considered standard, and there’s no stigma attached to going to the vet.
Dog Training Is For Everyone.
Every Dog Behavior and Training was formed to help bridge this gap. We know it’s a long journey, and there are a lot of obstacles. We know that there are many reasons people don’t get good behavior support- everything from finances, to language barriers, to navigating an unregulated field with lots of “quick fix” guarantees, to racism, to transportation, to disability, and so much more. We’re here to do everything we can to tackle these issues, and get to the point where Dog Behavior Support Is For Everyone.
Right now, with COVID-19 changing the structure of our lives, we have limitations. We can’t go talk to people, or run classes through a facility, or host get-togethers with trainers to share ideas. But nevertheless, we are pushing toward our mission and vision.
We are offering free dog behavior consultations (virtually) to anyone who needs it. Sign up for a time, no gimmicks, no sales pitch, just professional training advice from a certified professional dog trainer.
We are offering free webinars on a variety of dog training/behavior topics every week or two, for anyone to attend. (We are also looking for professional trainers who want to offer webinars through us!)
When we believe someone will need ongoing support or long-term training, we are referring to a skilled local trainer in our network. We believe in supporting the amazing trainers in our community, and that means helping to protect their livelihoods during this crazy time.
Dog Training Is For Everyone.
Woofs and wags,
Miranda Hitchcock, CPDT-KA and Michele Mendoza, CPDT-KA, Founders of Every Dog Behavior and Training
P.S. How can you help? What a great question!!!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and share our posts
Invite your friends (heck, even your frenemies) to a webinar, or tell them about our free virtual training sessions
Schedule a free training session for yourself! Even if you just want to brag about how great your dog is.