Dog Training TV Shows Good or Bad?

I hear it at practically every first lesson I go to.  Sometimes it is disguised as an innocuous "ssssshhhhhttttt" and a finger poke to the ribs of a dog when he doesn't do what they want.  Other times, people will just come out and ask me, and it usually sounds like this "What do you think of insert name of basic cable dog training personality here?  You probably hate so-and-so, huh?”

And my response to people is always the same, (Fellow dog trainers, don't bail out just yet.), I don't hate them.  No, not even Caesar!

Now, if I had my druthers, and was to choose one of these personalities to train my own dog, it would probably be Victoria Stillwell.  Not because I think she's a  super fabulous trainer or anything, I just think that methodology wise, we would probably mesh as well as possible with such a limited pool to choose from.  However it's always in my mind that while these people may be dog trainers, above all, they are television personalities. But I digress, that's not what this blog is about.

This blog is about why I personally like dog training TV shows, not so much for the content, but for what it can do for our nation's dogs and for me as a dog trainer and small business owner!  Without further adieu, here are the top 3 reasons that I love dog training TV shows!

1.     Dog training shows let people see that there are dogs out there worse than their own:  And this is important!  People watch those shows portray some pretty significant behavior problems.  And with clever editing, those behavior problems end up looking really severe!  And then, in 45 minutes, POOF!, those behavior problems are fixed!  These programs show people that there is hope for even the most advanced behavior problems.  And how do you fix them?  Why, you get a dog trainer of course!  Transition to. . .

2.     Dog training shows let people know you are out there: Think about it, if people didn't know that resources were out there, where would their ill-behaved dogs go?  The shelter?  That big farm in the sky?  Or worse...dumped somewhere to face a slow and uncertain death? Lucky for dog training professionals like me, network TV has pointed all of these unknowing citizens right in our direction!  No dog owner, you can’t have Cesar Millan come to your house, but you can have Philly Unleashed!  In the owner’s mind, almost as good, but less expensive!  In the dog’s mind, even better! Transition to. . .

3.     Dog training shows make me look smart:  Know what’s exciting? Taking 4-6 sessions worth of knowledge and squeezing it into about 45 minutes of the ‘cool stuff’ to make for good TV.

Know what's not exciting?  A dog trainer waxing poetic about the intricacies of changing emotional response to a trigger, desensitization to aversive stimuli, or the 10-step program details that an owner needs to follow to stop their dog from flying off the handle when you touch said dog’s stuff. 

Why?  Not good TV.  But that's the kind of stuff that a dog trainer needs to have a working knowledge of and teach to a client so they can modify the dog’s behavior, not just put a band aid over it!  And trust me, I’ve seen a lot of people try a quick fix by another trainer or do something they’ve seen on one of these shows, and it backfires, and when it does, they are more than happy to hear someone who knows their stuff wax on about behavioral theory!

And all of a sudden, (see point 2), you are not almost as good as the TV personality. . . YOU ARE WAY BETTER!

So, next time somebody asks me what I think of a certain dog training TV show personality, I’ll point them to this blog!  That’s my stance, and I’m sticking to it!  Now go outside spend some time with your dog!