Hello again! Life events do conspire to prevent blogging. One of those events has been an invitation to blog at Dog Star Daily, and I hope you have had a chance to connect with me there. My intention is to keep posting blogs at this site as well. Getting to the subject matter, I noticed this phrase in a newspaper advertisement: "Breakthrough Antioxidant" Diabetic Drink Hailed a Miracle." My philosophy is simple; if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. The latter can be applied across the board to advertising slogans and catch phrases in any industry.
Here are some reasons why I believe that dog training cannot be unequivocally guaranteed.
- For whatever reason, follow-ups, whether client or trainer based, do not continue.
- There is no magic wand for a quick fix in dog training.
- Much depends on clients who are committed to following a plan.
- People become frustrated and give up.
- Dog behavior continues to evolve and change, from the original behavior.
- It takes time to arrive at end result desired behaviors.
- I don't think that a dog-human relationship can be guaranteed.This is what dog training is, after all. A dog-human bond.
- Not all trainers have the expertise to deal with all behavioral issues.Period!
As a dog trainer, I do field inquiries from potential clients asking about the kind of a guarantee I offer. Certainly I am aware that many trainers do routinely guarantee results. The response I typically give is " I can guarantee your dog will learn something new." To myself this is reasonable and achievable. Whether this is something as basic as learning attention, all dogs are capable of learning some new behavior. In my opinion, ethics comes into play, when an ironclad guarantee to a behavioral problem is stated in a training contract. How can one ethically provide this kind of a guarantee before one has even worked with a dog? There are times when I refer out to Veterinary Behaviorists, knowing a dog is beyond my scope. No dog trainer can know everything about dog training. The field continues to evolve, and any professional trainer should be keeping abreast of developments and trying new methods, instead of sticking to the same old same old.
At any rate, I spend little, if any time, developing any kind of guarantee jargon on my website. Any kind of dissatisfaction is dealt with on a case by case basis. On any given website, you will want to see more about how the trainer is evolving in their practice, and their involvement in professional pursuits. The following, in my opinion, would be red flag jargon.
- astonishing secrets
- instant dog obedience
- 100 % Free
- unlimited
- special offer
- guaranteed results
- can train any dog
- money back guarantee
- lifetime guarantee
Why focus so much time on writing guarantees? This is my story and I am sticking to it. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Can dog training really be guaranteed?
As a footnote, I would like to direct attention to the following website www.btc4animals.com based on effecting humane change for animals. If you blog, become involved by "blogging the change for animals." No individual action is too small.
Until next time, Leslie and the labbies.
CPDT-KA, CGC Evaluator
Look What I Can Do serves all of Cecil County MD, areas of Bear, Newark and Middletown DE, Havre de Grace and Bel Air MD, as well as communities near Oxford PA.
Good blog Leslie and also what I believe. Why? Because when you are dealing with an emotional being guarantees are based on a lot of factors as you outline above. If the client can guarantee they will work the plan exactly as laid out, then they can be guaranteed they will succeed. Human nature and real life often rule that option out. Guarantees for training a dog are as elusive as a teacher guaranteeing your son or daughter will go to an Ivy league college or a psychologist or psychiatrist can guarantee a patient will have x and x success by such and such date. It depends on a lot of factors.
Good article and food for thought. You can guarantee what you can "control". :)
Posted by: Diane Garrod | 09/07/2010 at 05:29 PM