# my new job as a trainer



## partial2poodles (Feb 11, 2010)

I have been attending obedience classes for at least 5 years (we go to spring & fall classes). But next week, I will be an assistant trainer and demonstrator. I feel so honored to be asked to join the team. I want to be firm but I think some people will be tooooo easy on their dogs. I am never mean but I worry about getting the points across to folks who are brand new with their $2,000 chi-weenie who is a flipping nutty dog. I just want to come across as helpful, not witchy, strong, but not scarey to nervous dogs. We will have a lrge group and not a lot of time...these are not private or semi private classes so I gotta reach a lot of people quickly. What do you think is the most important thing a trainer has to do to motivate the people...so they can motivate their dogs?


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## Beach girl (Aug 5, 2010)

Remember they have already paid a lot of money to be there so they are already more motivated than the average pet owner.

If you are the assistant, have you had a talk with the main instructor? Probably she will have her way of doing things and will let you know what you are supposed to do to assist.

Never touch someone's dog without asking their permission (unless in an emergency, of course). My agility instructor actually ended up pulling Casey off a low dog walk, after he froze in place half-way across, saying that "he should know it's ok to jump off." I was not happy about that and let her know it. She never did it again and we ended up having a good working relationship.

I always find it helpful, as a student, if the instructor has handouts with "homework" assignments reinforcing whatever was learned in class.

Good luck with it. Looking forward to hearing how it goes for you, and all your new students.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

What exactly do you mean by "firm" and "too easy"? On the one hand, no one wants out of control dogs rampaging around the room, on the other hand I would leave a class that advocated forceful "correction" (and have). It is not the way I want to train. As BeachGirl says, the instructors will have well established ways of teaching things, but the biggest part of any training class is teaching the owners, not the dogs - and that is much, much harder!


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

since this is not your class and you are the assistant perhaps you need to find out what it expected of you in that capacity. how does the teacher instruct? perhaps you should consider following their lead. 

usually people who sign up for a class of any sort are there and willing to be instructed so they don't need someone being "firm", but they need someone who has information that they don't and offering it efficiently and effectively.

being an adult educator is different than being a "teacher". i was an adult educator for 4 years (different subject matter of course)


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## Teffy (Jul 4, 2010)

partial2poodles said:


> What do you think is the most important thing a trainer has to do to motivate the people...so they can motivate their dogs?


My trainer celebrates everyone's little successes every week, big ones too of course. Even if you don't think they're big, just pointing out 'oh, she walked in without barking today...fantastic' is very motivating, makes people who are having a hard time...want to come back. Also, breed knowledge is a plus, you're playing to their heart strings. Oh, perfect and real example, this one beagle (or some scent hound can't remember) had trouble doing the heel while watching the owner, the owner was becoming embarassed and looked like she was going to check out, the trainer stepped in and said to everyone, 'beagles were bred to follow a scent...so on and so forth.....so we're asking him to do something against what is natural to him. Of course, it'll be harder for him....so on and so forth'. Whether she actually believed that, we'll never know, but the owner felt better. It's hard when you have Poodles, Goldens and Shelties in the class.

One trainer made the mistake of professing her love of poodles and how no other breed can compare to them...I can tell you, there was a lot of murmuring afterthat.


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## Beach girl (Aug 5, 2010)

> Even if you don't think they're big, just pointing out 'oh, she walked in without barking today...fantastic' is very motivating,


That's an excellent point. Every owner and every dog has their own set of challenges, and taking note of one little triumph can really make the owner feel like they are progressining in training. Everyone wants to feel good about themselves and their dog and to feel like the effort is worth it.


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## Skye (Feb 19, 2010)

I can tell by your personality on the forum that you are very knowledgable, and have a "no-nonsense" way of coming across. You don't sugar coat anything, but you do have a sense of humor. Use those qualities and be yourself. You will be an asset to the team. Let us know how it goes!


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## partial2poodles (Feb 11, 2010)

I really will compliment everyone on their littlest and biggest achieventments. Good point. I want more positive things like that, if you have any more.

Keep in mind, I own a busy grooming shop and I work with doggie owners all day. The last thing I would do is offend someone.....if I did that I would have no clients. I was hired because I like people, I know my breed charateristics & I have been going to classes for years. 

When I attend, I guess the owner knows me and leaves me alone. They, the other trainers, are always working with the new dog owners who have a lot of problems. So this is different for me. I usually only talk to my dog and say hi & bye. Now I have to help someone GET what comes naturally to me. Not everyone will be in the same mental. The first class is easy....no dogs. Its the 2nd class that is hectic. I will want to pet all the dogs and be all enthusiastic. Is that a no no? How do I get people to stop sounding like broken records? That's my biggest thing that I want to scream at some people. They say, "Sam sit, sit Sam....sammy sit down, no sammy, if you sit you'll get a treat. PLEASE sit!:fish: so I don't want to sound mean when I'm cringing inside. THOSE are the people that need classes the most. How do you reach those ones?


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## Skye (Feb 19, 2010)

Sometimes, the things that are most obvious need to be said. Like, when I was in my first obedience class, and the instructor said, "If you ask your dog to sit 20X before he does it, he will learn that you need to ask him 20X before he has to do it. Tell him once, then make him do it." Then, there was a golden that was all over the place for her owner. The instructor took the dog around, and the dog was looking up and waiting on her every move. Did everything right. The instructor said, "This dog knows the work, she just doesn't know you are in charge." These people are there to learn, and don't know the basics. You are training them to train their dogs. You have natural people skills, this is just in a different setting.


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## Beach girl (Aug 5, 2010)

Tell them that unless they have five dogs, you don't want to hear "sit, sit, sit, sit, SIT!" Once and done. ;-)


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## debjen (Jan 4, 2010)

I have been teaching agility for several years so a little different than obedience but still some basics are true. It has to be fun and interesting for the handler or they won't continue..they have to feel like they are making some progress or they won't want to continue..remember when you are teaching you are teaching the handler not the dog..also what might seem obvious to you having worked with your dog for years might not seem obvious to someone who has never worked with a dog before..so you might have to break things down into smaller pieces..like someone else mentioned lots of praise to the handler for the smallest improvement..

I do generally pet and treat the dogs before class (with owner's permission) so that they are comfortable with me being around and as I might occasionally take a dog to show them something (again with owner's permission)..

oops forgot to add have fun


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## ziggylu (Jun 26, 2010)

Here's what I like to see...though honestly I prefer to work one on one and leave the group settings for practicing what's been established in a one on one setting at home...

Anyway...

1) I don't like hte one size fits all approach to dog training. Each dog is different and each individual is different. A trainer should seek to find the methods and style that works for the combination of dog and owner. The first trainer I used with my greyhound had methods that were a bit too firm for his sensitive nature. I didn't call her first with the poodle puppy. I called the trainer I ended up using with the greyhound puppy, I've ended up very frustrated with her because she can't give me tools that will help us find a way to work through our issues. She keeps having me try the same thigns over and over and the situation gets worse and worse. 

2) Be able ot read a situaiton and moods. We did go to puppy class last week. We were already frustrated when we got there. We were getting nowhere in class and getting more frustrated. The trainer must ahve decided to write us off because we got no assistance in class during the time she walked around to work individually with owners and dogs. Had she or the assistant spent some time with us (and if she'd listened to her messages teh day before...but that's a different issue) they might have learned we weren't not trying but we were frustrated ebcause nothing we were trying was working. Know the difference between an owner that needs help and an owner that isn't trying

3) be positive. Even with the toughest, slowest to learn owners acknowledge what they do do right. These are teh ones you don't want to disappear. Be kind and patient in your corrections with dogs and people. 

4) Remember in class it's more about the owner than the dog. Work on giving the owner the tools and confidence to work on their own.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I love the idea of rewarding and celebrating every little improvement - by the owner! If we applied what we have discovered about learning theory to owners as well as dogs, both might learn faster!


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## Teffy (Jul 4, 2010)

partial2poodles said:


> I will want to pet all the dogs and be all enthusiastic. Is that a no no?


I don't know if it's a no no but my trainer doesn't touch the dogs until the end of the class and even when she does, it's just a light petting of acknowledgement. When I first attended classes there, I was offended that she wasn't petting any of the pups but realized later that if she had become 'friends' with Buffy in particular, she would go insane every time she saw her and be unable to work until she DID pet her. 

Yeah, I find those broken record people annoying too. Too bad you can't have them deposit say $10 that they could potential get back by the end of the class. Take a quarter away everytime they exceed x amount of commands.

Oh, my trainer also gives out weekly, a summary of today's lesson and homework. That kept me on target and practicing.


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