COLUMN: What to expect when contacting a dog school
Dog trainer about finding a reputable dog breeder to adopt your dog from, a reputable vet to treat your dog and dog school at which to train your dog.
• Nadine Whittal, dog trainer writes:
I tend to put a lot of emphasis on finding a reputable dog breeder to adopt your dog from, to find a reputable vet to treat your dog, and to find a reputable dog school at which to train your dog. Sometimes, I forget to be specific on how to tell if a dog school is reputable or not. One way to do this is to consider the process by which the school enrols your dog. I shall take you through the procedures at my own dog school, McKaynine Randfontein, as an example.
First, when you contact a dog school to make enquires about enrolment the school should ask you about your dog’s vaccinations. Further, the school should require you to prove that your dog has had all its vaccinations by providing a vet card. This is not rude or presumptuous, it is for the safety of your own dog and all the other dogs that are enrolled at the school.
Secondly, the school should ask you to bring your dog in for assessment. In other words, the school should meet your dog before enrolling you in any classes. It is important that an informed decision be made about whether your dog can join group classes. Sometimes, dogs are not emotionally capable of joining a group class before first undergoing a behavioural consult or private lessons. You do not want to put your dog in a situation it cannot handle.
If your dog is suited for group classes, then life is easy, and you follow the enrolment procedure and show up for your class on the day. If your dog needs to undergo private lessons first, then that indicates that your dog needs a bit of polishing behaviourally before joining a group class. Private classes are also designed to give you, the handler, tools for managing your dog while other dogs are present.
If your dog needs a behavioural consult, that means that your dog needs a little more support from us as humans than we originally thought. To place your dog in a class now could end up backing your dog into a corner and forcing it to react. Reasons for behavioural consults include anxiety, aggression, fear aggression or any unwanted behaviours that cannot be addressed by obedience training.
So, the next time you think about taking your dog to training, seriously consider the enrolment procedures of the school you are taking your dog to. Schools without stringent procedures in place are not always the safest places to take yourself or your dog.
