I recently talked to a dog trainer who was recommended as being really experienced with reactive dogs. I have a reactive collie mix, and in the past, I had a trainer who wanted us to growl at her and spray her with water—so obviously, we stopped working with that person. We didn’t look for another trainer for a while after that.
I wanted to hire this new trainer, but she sent one of her employees instead. I figured it would be fine since she trained him, but he was terrible. I had already filled out a huge form, yet he spent the first hour asking me the same questions that were on it. I told him my dog wasn’t food-motivated, was protective of me, and reacted to movement. She’s much calmer when people are sitting. (All of this was already in the form.)
Despite that, he had me bring her outside on a leash while he stood in the garden (he’s a big guy, and she freaked out). He just threw chicken at her and said weird things like, “Why don’t you sit down?” instead of just saying “sit.” He also ignored the part about sudden movements, and she nearly bit him. I managed to get her to lie down and focus on me, but he kept throwing chicken at her while I was doing that. He gave me no real instructions and clearly had no idea how to work with a reactive dog. It was a disaster.
I’m mad at myself because I noticed red flags but kept going because I trusted that he knew what he was doing. After he left, I messaged his boss. She’s coming tomorrow to work with us herself, but she also insisted he was an “amazing trainer” and said she was sorry I was disappointed—which isn’t really an apology. Now I’m anxious about this next session.
I’m annoyed she sent him in the first place after I specifically said my dog needs someone with experience, and I’m annoyed that she didn’t actually apologize. But if she’s as good as people say, I’ll put my feelings aside and do what’s best for my dog.
What red flags should I watch out for tomorrow? I feel like the focus should be on teaching ME how to get my dog to trust and focus on me, not about making her interact with the trainer. Does that sound right? Any advice would be really helpful.
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We had a session today, and I asked if we could meet in a field instead of at home. It went so much better. She gave my dog space, and the whole thing felt way more positive.
She explained that her focus is on teaching owners to read their dog’s body language, recognize when they’re feeling uncomfortable, and give them space before they escalate. She also emphasized positive associations and lots of treats.
I feel a lot better about this session compared to the first disaster. It seems like the guy who came before wasn’t following her actual training methods and just didn’t have the experience to handle reactivity.
I think the key is daily training sessions to keep up good habits while you figure out the trainer situation.
Sounds like you found someone new, but I agree that the trainer should be teaching YOU how to work with your dog rather than doing everything themselves.
@drooler
That makes sense. She loves trick training and treat searches at home. Her reactivity is mostly about strangers—especially people walking past us or coming into the house. A few people scared her as a puppy, and she also seems genetically anxious (her dad was nervous too).
The trainer suggested meeting in a field, which helped a lot. She pointed out that we’re missing early signs of stress and need to prevent “trigger stacking.” It actually made a lot of sense. She’s coming to our house next time to work on the bigger issue, but I’m nervous since that’s the hardest environment for my dog.
@madisonwilson
Sounds like she has a solid plan. A field is a great idea. For walks, I used to cross the street or go into empty storefronts with my cousin’s reactive dog to avoid stress.
If she barks inside, I like using distraction—calling the dog over and giving them something to do. It helps break their focus. Hope it keeps improving!
@drooler
Yeah, we do a lot of that too. I take her to an enclosed field and pick quiet places for walks. We used to live in the city, which was a nightmare, but moving somewhere calmer has helped. I just want to get her to a point where we can go more places.
Inside, she barks at people outside, but we send her to her bed to break her focus. If someone actually comes in, it’s much worse. She barks, lunges, and is clearly overwhelmed. She calms down if we get her to lie down with treats, but any sudden movement sets her off again. The trainer said this should improve with positive experiences.
The trainer actually forgot to put our next session in her calendar, which was frustrating, but we’re rebooking in a few weeks. In the meantime, she gave us training exercises to work on, so at least we have a plan.
@madisonwilson
Collie mix? Figures! They’re sweet but can be so high-strung. Trainer forgetting the session sucks, but if she’s good, it’s probably worth giving her another shot.