Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks and So Can Their Trainers
February is Dog Training Education Month so I thought that this would be a fabulous time to write up a post about what I am doing next to further my education as a dog trainer. Remember that there are no formal requirements for the dog training field as a whole, but my specific certifications do require that I receive a certain number and type of continuing education credits. My certification specifically requires 24 knowledge CEUs. These can be obtained through watching accredited educational webinars, attending conferences, etc. This certification also requires an additional 12 skills CEUs that are hands on. These must be earned through online courses, conferences, etc. that have a video option. The point with these are to verify that I am able to take the information that I know and use it in a working environment with dogs and clients. Let’s dive in!
So, truth be told I have done less for my education in 2021 than I intended. The pandemic took a lot out of me (as it did most people), and I found it hard to take the time I needed for learning with a new fledgling business just starting out. I had all these goals and ambitions for new certifications in 2021 that just didn’t reach fruition. Sometimes things just don’t work out the way we planned and that’s okay! Hopefully I can fulfill these aspirations in 2022.
To get back in the swing of learning I am taking Pat Engel’s e-learning course “Six Awesome Dog Tricks”. This is honestly a little out of my wheelhouse as I don’t typically focus on or teach tricks to my own personal dogs or clients dogs. Not that they aren’t cute and fun, I just tend to focus on problem solving and behavior modification. This has become even more true since I started out in my own with Professional Paws Academy. I honestly don’t believe that I have taught or even thought about teaching tricks since my last group Tricks class that I taught at the pet store chain I worked at.
So far, the course is helping me think of other ways to incorporate cute tricks into my private class curriculums. Teaching fun cues are obviously a way to bond with our dogs and can serve to get their energy out in a productive way when we need a little help meeting their needs. Quick and simple tricks are rewarding to the handler, and are fun and engaging to teach. A lot of the issues that my clients deal with are long term issues, meaning that they can take a lot of consistently, patience, and practice to improve. This means that results are slower to see and if the issues are major, progress can be difficult for the dog handler to see in their own pet. Throwing something light and fun in the curriculum can take the edge off of everyone involved and keep training rewarding for humans AND dogs!
I really enjoy learning and I think that learning is very important within the career I have chosen. Dog training is a science, and sciences are always changing. The reason for this change is that as we learn more and new studies come out our techniques need to adapt as well. I am constantly assuring people that their elderly dogs can in fact learn new behaviors, and if old dogs CAN learn new tricks, so can their trainers.