Trainers & Behaviourists: Where Do You Start?

Did  you know that in the UK, dog trainers and behaviourists do not have to  be qualified, registered, or licenced under any governing body?  This  means that anyone can claim knowledge, set up a dog training business  and charge a fortune…without any evidence to prove they’re capable of  providing a quality and welfare-led service.

While  the animal behavourism industry has seen the introduction of some  organisations and governing bodies in recent years, it is not a  mandatory to be assessed or become a member.  

This  means that it is still acceptable for anyone, regardless of their  background, beliefs, qualifications, training principles and welfare  practices to be able to oversee any dog behaviour case.  This is not  only a huge welfare risk to the dogs in question, but also their owners  and anyone near them.

There are  numerous on-line courses, even degrees, open to anyone but these courses  are largely unregulated and do not always include, or require, hands on  experience. So, really, they aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.

People  are getting certificates without ever having to prove they can  implement what they’ve learned...or don't have to prove that they are  going to operate to any standard.

There  have been massive science-led strides in dog welfare, training and  behaviour that are not being implemented within the behaviourism sector  with many still clinging to the old fashioned, and debunked, dominance  theory.

Through the rise of  social media, there has been a significant increase in so-called dog  trainers and behaviourists using their platforms to create cult like  client bases from manipulated, simplified (if not entirely falsified)  quick fix before and after videos where they have used punitive training  techniques, to cause fear and pain to elicit the response they want to  see in the dog.

There is no  mandatory code of conduct, or restrictions, to say that people like this  can’t start their own organisations, taking members and handing out  accreditations to other like-minded people.

What  is more terrifying is that anyone can claim to be a specialist on  certain behaviour subjects or breeds, for instance stating they are a  greyhound specialist behaviourist when their experience is limited to  having pet greyhounds growing up.

While  it is easy to fall for bold websites, with even bolder claims, and  flash social media channels with large followings…just because they have  the gift of the gab, doesn’t mean they should be anywhere near dogs,  let alone behaviourally assessing them.

For  pet owners, it can be endlessly frustrating trying to find an honest,  truly qualified, experienced, and properly accredited person to help  them.  We have seen so many owners sucked into hiring the services of  charlatans who have ended up mistreating their hounds or making their  behaviours worse.

This can result  in catastrophic incidents leading to dogs being put down.  Though most  of the time it just leaves people frustrated, with large amounts of  money down the drain and a dog that is still displaying behavioural  issues, potentially worsened due to the added psychological damage.

One  of our admin team has personally experienced the fall out of putting  her faith in such an individual.  Several greyhounds displayed  significantly worse behaviour than when they started.  

While  we could go on for hours over the importance of regulation in the  animal behaviourism sector, and the damage the unregulated industry is  having on pet owners across the country, it isn’t going to change  anytime soon.

This is why it is  important, as pet owners, to know where to go when you do need to enlist  the help of a trainer or behaviourist.  But what’s the differences?

Trainers  are individuals that assist with teaching specific things like sit,  wait, loose lead walking, recall and hosting things like puppy or good  citizen classes.  A behaviourist is someone that is (or should be)  equipped with in depth knowledge of canine psychology, welfare, body  language, training, and behaviour modification through positive means.

Behaviourists  address more complicated issues such as reactivity, resource guarding  and other such things…and since greyhounds have a strong indifference to  obedience training, if you are having issues, you’ll be wanting to seek  a behaviourist!

However, given  all the reasons we have listed above about the state of the animal  behaviour sector…how would you even go about finding someone who will  genuinely be able to help?

Seek  out a professional who is qualified, experienced, assessed and  accredited through their membership with the Animal Behaviour and  Training Council (ABTC) or practitioner organisations such as the APBC,  APDT, TCBTS or PACT who meet the same standards.

If they aren’t registered with the ABTC or practitioner organisations, ask them why and look for any red flags such as:

- They don’t have any real qualifications or experience
- Any mention of dominance, pack leader or balance training
- They use slip leads, choke chains, prong, or e-collars
- Refusing to use food, treats, toys, or other motivations as part of training
- If they call themself, or compare themselves to, a ‘dog whisperer’
- They guarantee results…especially if they say they can fix your dog in one session!
- ‘Quick Fix’ videos without substance or evidence of the how they’ve got from A to B.
- They are charging significantly more than is industry standard for that area

Though  really, our advice is if the person you are looking to employ to help  you is not registered under the ABTC, or partner organisations, don’t  bother.  

Anyone that is in the  animal behaviourism sector, of calibre and honesty, should be a  registered member…because anyone of calibre and honesty within the  sector should understand the importance of bringing in, and following,  mandatory regulation to unify the industry and ensure animal welfare  standards are constantly updated, maintained, and followed!