Dealing With Dog Trainers

I think I learned a couple of vary valuable lessons this week that I thought I'd share. You might recall I expressed frustration in attempting to find a trainer who was motivated to work with a blind dog (Belle).

1. Book a private lesson. I was successful booking a lesson with the top rated dog trainer in Madison. How could she turn down a session with a blind dog? She probably deals with the same issues over and over. This is not a typical issue so it is more challenging and interesting.

2. "Plant an idea in advance communication." It may come back as a suggestion that the trainer thought she made. "You should consider Belle for Therapy Dog work." I had raised that possibility in my initial e-mail.

3. Don't confront a trainer with a concept like Agility Training for Blind Dogs. Instead have her meet and evaluate the dog. Then ask, "Would you consider Belle for admission to your agility training class?" Long pause with her staring at Belle ... then "Why not? But you'd have to have already mastered voice control."

A very interesting week! We are rolling ...

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