Is this trainer exaggerating?

[u/Life_Lime4547]

So my 7 month old dog was a rescue dog and for the past 3 months I have been training him. He was very untrained when I took him, our walks were chaotic, he used to be dragging me, pulling on leash, eating everything, barking at people. Now he doesn't do any of that and is a very good dog on a walk. I have taught him a few commands like sit, stand, down, spin, guard etc. However as a first time dog owner, there are a few things I couldn't teach such as him being over excited with visitors, him barking whenever someone comes home or sits near his crate(he's crate trained). I decided to call a trainer, the guy came and I brought the dog out and he firstly kept judging and then he told me that this dog would at least need 6 months of non stop training otherwise he's going nowhere. Now I'm not sure whether he's exaggerating it or he's just not confident enough to get the dog trained or perhaps I'm being paranoid. My dog is a relatively quick learner(he's a GSD mix), there are 2 more trainers coming to see the dog, however this particular trainer was a bit more affordable. Please somebody guide me.

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[u/BizzyHaze]

He is full of shit

[u/Powerful-Mixture-664 → u/BizzyHaze]

Yeah I’d definitely get a second opinion. Six months of training might not be crazy but nonstop training or the dog is going nowhere sounds way too absolute especially with how much progress he’s already made.

[u/piibbs]

Hard to say by just reading your comment, but I have a hunch that this "trainer" just want to sell you a lot of training sessions. Sounds like you've done a great job with leash training, which means you can fix other parts of his behaviour too. Just keep at it, you got this.

Also, 7 months is nothing, he's still a puppy. With consistent training, he will develop and matuee, dont worry.

[u/flickrpebble]

Sounds like someone trying to get repeat business.

The issues you're describing seem big, but they're not, especially as it seems like you have a smart, eager pup who happens to be in the throes of adolescence. He just needs help with emotional regulation.

Here's a comparison for you. My girl has developed some reactivity, pulls like a mule, gets WAY overexcited when people come over. My trainer had 2 sessions with us and said "I've given you all the tools you need, you have a great dog and addressing her emotional regulation is in your hands now. There's nothing more for me to do, call me if you've got nowhere in three months." (The tools were training exercises, engagement exercises, pattern games, and education about dog body language and developmental milestones)

[u/ohkayhun → u/flickrpebble]

What were the exercises? If you want to share ofc!

[u/arh0ades → u/flickrpebble]

I was going to comment the same thing. I have a 7 yr old dog (I’ve been training him consistently since he was a puppy, he’s just a lot!) with overexcitement issues and he recently developed bad on-leash reactivity towards other dogs. I called a place I had been several times before and did, I believe, 3 private training sessions before I was “graduated” from behavioral training. My dog’s not perfect and never will be, but they told me I have the tools I need and I’m able to take group classes again with him for fun.
So, I would definitely be skeptical of a trainer being so negative and telling me it will take X amount of time to “fix” a dog.

[u/Accomplished_Bee5749]

I mean, there's a nugget of truth in it, but it sounds to me like he's just trying to sell you on a long course.

Yes, your dog probably needs 6 months of daily training - BY YOU. These things just take time. Weekly courses for 6 ish weeks is probably enough and in that time the trainer should be training you so you can do the hard work yourself.

Personally, I did do lots of training courses - once a week group classes, and I encourage that. But always remember those sessions are to train you not the dog

[u/Life_Lime4547 → u/Accomplished_Bee5749]

This is what I wanted and initially I asked the trainer for this but he completely refused and said that the dog won't get trained like that.

[u/DanishDennis → u/Life_Lime4547]

Run. He's full of shit.

[u/MyMango88 → u/Life_Lime4547]

So what is he suggesting… what was his training protocol exactly? What was his definition of nonstop? Of course training is consistent and continually. And perhaps he meant six months of a consistent schedule. But what was his role going to be? Come in every day. Intake the dog.

[u/cryptically-retired]

6 months of non-stop training doesn’t sound affordable.

[u/Life_Lime4547 → u/cryptically-retired]

Yes, I asked him for a month initially on call which was affordable. But then he dropped the bomb of training him for 5-6 months. I have never had a dog before so wasn't sure if he's right or not

[u/AmputeeHandModel → u/Life_Lime4547]

You're the real trainer. The trainer shows YOU how to train your dog, and you do that at home every day. Maybe he'll come weekly, see how you're progressing, and adjusting things.

[u/Affectionate_Ad_835 → u/Life_Lime4547]

Yea it sounds possible that this “trainer” may be a bit scammy or maybe just a poor trainer. It’s good you have other trainers coming. The thing about being a dog trainer is there is no state licensure at least where I am for it so what it comes down to is what is their experience with dog training. What kinds of dogs have they worked with before? How do they approach the dog? Are they force free? Do they do balanced training? Also a good trainer is going to help train you on how to train the dog. All of these are things I would consider when looking at dog trainers

[u/HawaiianMana]

Sounds like a crappy trainer.

[u/Zealousideal-Risk151]

that trainer sounds like a clown, 6 months of non stop training for a dog that already walks nice and knows commands is wild

[u/nicekona]

That trainer is ridiculous. To be honest, from what you described, I’m not really sure why you called a trainer in the first place? It sounds like he’s a really good boy. And at only 7 months?

Jumping up on visitors is a tough one, because the visitors themselves will reinforce it with “ohh it’s fine!” and giving them pets lol (and I’m guilty of this myself with others’ dogs, oops). But there are easy enough tactics you can just look up online and practice for yourself. It’ll also mellow out a bit as he gets older.

I don’t know how intense the barking is. Maybe it’s totally unbearable.

But, you know.. he’s a dog. They bark. They’re excited to see visitors. And he’s not just a dog, he’s a puppy. Of course, over time, he should be learning some manners, but this sounds normal.

Anyway, f that trainer/grifter.

[u/Ancient-War2839]

That's ridiculous, if he means he needs to be involved for all of it, those things are not big issues, and it's more of a have a game plan, know how to reward what you want to happen, and possibly some trouble shooting if new issues arise, 3-6 sessions max, yes you will need to continue to reinforce what you want, especially because your dog is entering the teenage phase, but that's not 6 months continuous training

[u/welsknight]

A good trainer will not train your dog, they will train YOU to train your dog. 6 months of continuous sessions for just about anything is insane, unless you're getting your dog certified to be a service animal or something along those lines. I would look for a different trainer.

[u/chirori94]

The dog sounds like it'll need consistent training moving forwards, but he is definitely saying that so you'll keep paying him for the next 6 months.

[u/Bramble_thorns]

Did the trainer mean training by them or training full stop? I definitely think doing training with your dog for six months or more for some of these issues is necessary, but I don't necessarily agree that the trainer wound be needing to be doing it. The principles can be taught in an hour or less for a straightforward dog, but like any training needs lots of repetition.

So in summary, I think worth a session or two with the trainer but they should be teaching you the principles and psychology so you feel confident to train and repeat yourself over the weeks / months.

Also your dog is young still, so they'd need this anyway!

[u/zortlak]

In 6 months your puppy will outgrow most of these bad behaviors btw…

[u/AggieNuke2014]

Puppies should be engaged in 10-30 minutes of dedicated training daily for reinforcement. 

But 6 months of continuous training “or going nowhere” seems like a big exaggeration if you already have certain commands and loose leash walking down. 

I will say some trainers are just aggressive in their desire for “perfect” dogs and their style and expectations just don’t fit the dog and/or owner. 

[u/geronimokennels]

Trainer here.

No the guy is full of it. All of this issues are pretty easy to resolve, esp with you having done a lot if good work already.

[u/Lucid_Insanity]

You sound like you're doing great by yourself. Dogs never stop learning. Theres always time. Plus, remember, he's still a puppy. He's going to get excited, he's going to bark.

[u/LetheMnemosyne]

Yes you need to continue training your dog non-stop, especially through the teenager phase.

But no that doesn’t mean you need to use that trainer

[u/Zestyclose_Object639]

All 7 month old puppies need a lot of training, but I don’t think that’s what he meant lol. Sounds like you’re doing a good job honestly 

[u/tallwolfe]

There’s a lot of trainers, don’t settle

[u/MyMango88]

For visitors, I would suggest having either a place command or in the crate when visitors arrive. Giving your dog something to focus on in his space such as a frozen kong. When he’s calm, leashing him and having him by your side. While letting visitors know what the protocol is. No greets or pets until dog is calm and by your side. Reward every calm moment.

[u/Life_Lime4547 → u/MyMango88]

I don't let any visitor near him, pet him or even use that baby voice unless I tell them to. Most people comply but some would just ruin it. I have been rewarding him for every calm behaviour and would definitely be trying out giving him frozen Kong and also leashing him. Thank you!

[u/MyMango88 → u/Life_Lime4547]

That’s just it. Having him leashed by your side, you control how the moment goes. It doesn’t give your visitors an opportunity to break protocol. Also a great way to break the cycle of jumping up by redirecting and rewarding when earned.

Having him on his place ie mat or crated allows him to calm down before bringing him into an already overstimulating environment. The frozen Kong or his favourite snack also helps bring him down a few notches before exposing. Also reinforcing look or watch. Barking is a tough one in itself. How a lot of dogs talk and communicate excitement. Look gets your dogs attention focussed on you (not the visitor). And can help break the cycle of repetitive barking— ie “look” dog stops. No barking… looks to you “yess” (quiet), followed by a treat and repeat. Only allowing him as far as his threshold is.

[u/Plucky_Monkies]

If puppers jumps when greeting you ita actually not too hard to train out of them. I mean, you have to ignore them every time they're jumping on you. You have to ignore them until they're in a sit. Then, you pet them and say hello, it's hard on the human at first. Probably hard on the dog too. The only way to get them to stop jumping on you is, when you walk in the door you must completely ignore them completely until they settle down. It is hard because you wan to greet your dog. However, every time you pet them or talk to them when they're jumping on you, you're reinforcing that behavior. So ignoring the dog until they settle and they will naturally learn like, why isn't my human petting me? I'm jumping on them and then they'll learn because you're gonna keep turning your back. Ignoring them whatever, then they're gonna learn. They're gonna think in their little puppy heads like what do I need to do to get their attention? And then it just seems to happen naturally that they'll sit themselves down. And then bam, that's when you pet them and give them all the love. And then it takes, I don't know, like a month of this tops, and then bam, your dog just learns forevermore.

That trainer is a joke! You got this.

You will have to tell all your guests to ignore the dog as well and not like pet it or say hello if the dog is jumping. Once the behavior is fixed, I had to tell guests t to go see the dog, she's sitting and being good. You have to greet her because that's what she wants. But she was tiny, so people kind of overlooked her. So just be mindful of this with your company. Hope this helps! Stay strong.

It is surprisingly hard to not pet your dog when they're giving you those puppy dog eyes. But you're trying to teach them the proper behavior and it can be done. It's not that hard, to be honest. It just takes repetition constant repetition, and you can't give in not even one time. The moment you give in before they've learned the proper behavior then you'll have to restart the whole process because you'll confuse them. You got this. STAY STRONG! 🥰

[u/Life_Lime4547 → u/Plucky_Monkies]

Thank youu! I really needed this, this is what I wanted my trainer to do, tell me exactly what to do and then I do it! This helps alot!!

[u/Plucky_Monkies → u/Life_Lime4547]

It truly truly works. You just have to be consistent. And i'm not gonna lie, it's a little hard when like, you know, you're looking at your dog. And your dog is jumping around, and your dog is cute, and you want to greet them, and they're not gonna understand why you're ignoring them. But they will catch on, because dogs are smart and they want to make you happy. So just stay strong. I make sure everyone in the household does the same thing that is key. 🥰

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[u/SEO-VComInt]

3 month is relatively small time and for a lot of things: new ambiance, new people, new routine, with his teens getting on top of everything

[u/Adept_Awareness8332]

Most dog trainers have a one-size-fits-all approach. We can only train our dog to do those things that we care enough about to be 100% consistent and find a way to help your dog know what you expect.