Private lessons vs. “Immersion Programs” for Adult dogs

We get lots of phone calls asking for in-home lessons. In theory these are great. It’s private instruction at your home, tailored to your needs, your dog’s behaviors and in your normal environment. So, why aren’t private lessons a good place to start for many people?

First, if I shadowed you at your job for an hour, I would not be as good as you at your job. I don’t expect that you will be as good as us at ours after a one hour lesson.

Second, if I shadowed you at your job for an hour, I won’t remember all of what you told me, so I don’t expect that you will remember everything a trainer tells you.

Third, life will happen. You won’t practice as much as you should.

Fourth, you will encounter situations on which you haven’t been coached. We can’t teach you everything you need to know in an hour (because of all of the above).

 

When are private lessons a good fit?

Private lessons are appropriate for people who have only have two of three specific training goals to start with. Private lessons are also perfect follow-ups once you and your dog have some foundation training done by a trainer.

 

Why our Day Train and Jump Start programs are so darn successful:

Let us do what we are really good at – train your dog. We will do the hard work, teach the dog the expectation, do the trouble-shooting, the tweaking and fine-tuning. Then you get to do the homework and reinforce a command or situation once your dog is familiar with the expectations. And guess what – you get private lessons so that we can teach you how to reinforce what we have taught the dog. But if we have to teach you first, we often can’t do the trouble-shooting, tweaking and fine-tuning for the dog, leaving you wanting.

Dogs, just like people, learn and respond to situations differently. If we can only show you one or two angles at a private lesson but your dog responds to the fourth angle in our “toolbox” – that leaves you stuck with unresolved training goals for a week or two, until we see you again.

 

What about guarantees?

That’s tough. A teacher cannot guarantee that 20 students in a classroom will receive the same passing grade on a test. The students sit in the same environment, hear the same information and get the same homework assignments. So, why can’t they all get the same grade?

• we all learn differently
• we all interpret information differently
• we all pay attention to things differently
• some of us have more affinity for one subject or skill over others
• some of us work harder to learn than others
• some of our parents had higher expectations and helped us excel

The same is true for dogs.

Some analogies:

If you are seeking training from a personal fitness coach but have zero baseline, a session or two can be helpful for you to build up some base before the coach can really help to tailor a workout program to your goals. But if you have zero baseline the coaching will be slow in the beginning until your body has more stamina for training. With more stamina, coordination and foundation a personal fitness coach can really push your mind and body to achieve amazing results.

You’ve likely had a hair cut at some point in your life. You have some idea of what is done when your hair is trimmed. Do you have the knowledge or skill to cut someone else’s hair?

You’ve likely gone to a doctor complaining of aches or pains, discomfort related to a cold or virus. Your doctor takes the information you provide, assesses you and makes a recommendation on how to proceed with treatment. Do you often say: “Actually, I think I would prefer to do something different than you recommend.”

Closing thoughts:

We’re happy to help you and your dog succeed. That’s what we love to do! But let us do what we are good at so that you get what you want out of your training experience. Call 412-345-1748 to set up your consultation with one of our trainers today. The consultation will help us make a recommendation on which approach is most appropriate for your dog, based on your needs and goals.