Dogs are great companions, but they also come with a lot of responsibility. From potty training to obedience training, there’s a lot that goes into raising a well-behaved pup. That’s why hiring a professional dog trainer can be such a valuable asset for your furry friend. 

Still not convinced? Check out the top 9 reasons why you need a professional dog trainer! 

1. You don’t know what you don’t know

It’s an old saying, but it bears repeating. Especially when it comes to being a dog owner! The best way to train your dog is by understanding how they think. Dog psychology, body language, and natural behaviors are vastly different from our own. This distinction makes communication difficult, which can result in frustration or confusion on both ends of the leash—but that doesn’t have to happen! 

Professional trainers have hands-on experience working with hundreds, even thousands of dogs, so they are prepared to help bridge that communication gap between you and your furry friend. Simply put: you just don’t know what you don’t know. A professional trainer, on the other hand, can help navigate through those tough times and give you the best tools for success. 

2. It’s True…Dogs Need Jobs

Dogs have been bred for thousands of years to suit the needs of society—to hunt, protect and detect. Nowadays though, it’s more common if not altogether expected that dogs behave as friendly, well-mannered pets, which means they don’t need all those specialized skills such as barking, herding, or chasing things away. Instead, these behaviors are looked at as undesirable, leaving dogs full of energy with nothing to do.

When dogs are not given a clear job and purpose, they default to those natural behaviors which become a nuisance to their owners. A professional trainer will teach you how to satisfy your dogs need for a job in more productive ways, giving both you and your dog a more peaceful home.

3. Preventing & Addressing Behavioral Issues

As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Most behavioral issues with dogs—even the serious ones like aggression, anxiety, and destructive chewing—can often be mitigated or avoided entirely with guidance from a professional trainer who knows what they’re doing. It often takes more work to fix an established problem behavior than it takes to prevent it, so training sooner rather than later will save you time and energy in the long run!

You may not realize it, but there are a myriad of unwanted behaviors that can be improved with training. A lot of pet parents rely on quick fixes for their dogs behaviors instead of taking the time to properly address them. This tends to cause frustration, and those simple bad habits will likely worsen over time, which isn’t good for you or your pup.

The good news is that it’s never too late to get started because in truth—a dog is never too old to learn new tricks! That applies to fixing old behaviors, improving their habits, and adjusting to healthier routines. All of which a professional trainer can help with! 

4. Learning Best Practices

There is no shortage of training advice online, yet the plethora of opinions available don’t always make training any easier. In fact, sorting through all the competing training methods might make it even more confusing for both you and your dog!
It is important to recognize that, even when created with the best of intentions, the sources for online advice have never met your dog, don’t know your situation, and are not there to tell you if things are going right or wrong. Not to mention the fact that, what works for their dog might not work for yours.
The best training and behavioral advice for your dog will come from professionals that are knowledgeable, trained, and experienced in dog psychology and behavioral modification. Most qualified professionals will only be comfortable giving advice once they have met you, assessed your dog, and determined an appropriate training regiment for your situation.

5. Learning to be Effective

As humans, we have a lot of responsibilities that take up our time. While we may wish we could give our dogs attention, stimulation, and exercise 24/7, that is not a realistic expectation for many of us. And the hard truth is that even if it’s not your intention, your dog is learning all the time. Every action and interaction throughout the day influences their behavior going forward. If you are working on teaching your dog not to bark in the yard for an hour a day, but then they are barking 6 hours a day while you are at work…the math is not in your favor! And when you are not aware of these patterns, you feel like your progress is constantly taking one step forward, then two steps back.

A professional trainer can assess the big picture as well as the fine details and help you develop an action plan for lasting success that is the most effective and efficient use of your limited time. With a professional trainer, you will reach your goals much faster than the trial and error of trying to figure it out on your own.

6. Being Safe, Sane, and Reliable

Without professional training, you may be relying heavily on a management system to keep your dog, or others around your dog, safe. What this means is that instead of being able to trust your dog in different situations, you have developed a system to work around their poor behavior. Examples might include, keeping a dog physically separated from other pets using closed doors or gates because you can’t trust them to interact safely, avoiding the vet because managing your dog’s behavior in the lobby will be stressful or embarrassing, keeping your dog leashed at all times outside because you know they would run away and not come back when called, etc. 

There is nothing wrong with using management systems to keep your dog safe as needed, but trusting these methods in the long run has a major drawback: What happens when the system breaks down? What happens if you forget to close the door or the gate falls down, when you can no longer avoid going to the vet, or when your dog slips from their collar while you are out with them?

Professional training is all about setting up a reliable, underlying system of communication for your dog and teaching your dog critical, life-saving skills, so that when the unexpected happens, you still have that baseline of control. Training is the only thing you can really rely on when the management systems fail.

7. Personal Motivation & Growth 

The truth is that humans are a huge part of the equation when it comes to whether or not a dog will be successful in training. Your habits, lifestyle choices, and consistency with training are critical to their success. Your trainer is there to teach your dog, but they are also there to teach and motivate you just as much! Like a personal trainer, your dog trainer shows you exactly what to do, how many repetitions are needed per day, and how to gradually build up to harder challenges. Without someone coaching you, it is much more difficult to reach your goals on your own, and in some cases, may not be possible at all. It is the difference between doing a few push-ups once in awhile and time spent in-person with an experienced professional.

8. Exploring More Places

Among other things, training can also open up the world more for your dog. Knowing that you can communicate with them effectively in different environments, and that they trust you to lead the way, means the world is your oyster! 

9. Improving Your Relationship With Your Dog

Training can help provide you with a more functional relationship with your dog. Instead of interactions being stressful or frustratingly negative, they will become more fun and rewarding for both of you. A good trainer cares about the health of your relationship with your dog. They will help find what motivates your dog, what works best with your routine and lifestyle, and how you and your dog can work together to reach your goals. 

Dogs are a lifetime commitment and training is vital in giving them the life they deserve. A professional trainer will have the experience and knowledge necessary to help your dog in all kinds of ways, from teaching them basic obedience commands to helping you respond effectively to behavioral issues. They can also give you valuable tips on how to make the most of your time together and help you avoid common pitfalls. Most importantly, working with a trainer will aid in improving your overall relationship with your dog, helping both of you live life to its fullest potential!