Tues 25th April: Another rant for the day

 I'm going to have another rant today, because of all the things that make me most angry it's seeing dogs and puppies' lives ruined due to poor training advice.  The internet is full of dog training videos offering guaranteed solutions to all sorts of behaviour problems, but just because you see them online doesn't mean that the information given is correct or helpful.  Likewise there are many dog trainers in Hong Kong claiming to be qualified, using positive training methods, and even calling themselves "dog behaviourists".  However that doesn't mean that they're any good, or really even properly qualified or experienced, as there are many online courses that offer trainer qualifications.  

The reason that HKDR have a proper trainer, and offer free post-adoption support to every adopter, is that we have seen time and again the damage that can be done by poor training advice given by self-proclaimed experts or random YouTube training videos, and once again there is another puppy being returned because of this.  

Asher is small and very cute

Only recently terrier puppy Asher was returned to us after having been through trainer after trainer, and each one failing to deal with the apparent behaviour issues.  Not once was Cactus asked for help, and the first we knew was that Asher was coming back.  His main ongoing problem is play biting, which should have been properly addressed when he was a young puppy, and it obviously it means he can't be homed with children. 

Now a poodle-terrier is coming back, and once again the first we heard about any issues was when the puppy-now-young-adult's behaviour was already established.  This particular dog was only six months old at the time of adoption, and it is so upsetting to see how quickly (and effectively) a puppy can grow into an adult with the kind of problematic behaviour that could and should have been properly dealt with during the vital development stage.  

It's understandable that anyone should believe it when someone says they're a qualified dog trainer because why wouldn't you, but in the same way that there are recognised qualifications in any profession, a certificate on the wall doesn't mean that the person is actually good at what they do.  A large part of being an effective dog trainer/behaviourist, for example, is having experience of hundreds of successful cases, and I'm talking about more than just teaching a puppy to 'sit' and 'stay', even if basic training is important.  Cactus, and other trainers that we often recommend, have also taken further courses in specific aspects of dog behaviour such as dealing with aggression for example, and keeping up with all of the developments in scientific dog knowledge. It's really hard for me to comprehend why adopters don't take advantage of the excellent free training offered, especially when the alternatives fail so spectacularly.