I've been a fan of the internet now for over 15 years and have watched it grow and develop exponentially.
I've been involved in dogs for over twice that long and watching the two fields merge has been an eye-opening experience.
I use the internet for research, for education, for updating knowledge and for simple amusement and many of the sites I regularly visit are dog-orientated. In recent years I've observed a sinister turn in the way that dog-people interact with each other on the internet, particularly when it comes to the dog training and behaviour industry.
I'm told that the 'divide' between dog trainers and behaviourists is non-existent these days; however I've just had to close down a discussion page on the topics related to these fields because of narrow-minded and childish retorts attacking the work of professionals involved in canine behaviour modification.
I am really disappointed at how people attack things they do not understand. I have ENORMOUS respect for dog trainers (I was one for many years!); their skills, their knowledge, the hard work required to teach dogs to do amazing things. However, when trainers do not reciprocate that mutual respect for behaviour consultants and the work we do it saddens me greatly. We all work for the same thing, to improve the life of The Dog, and the energy used to attack others could be so much more usefully used... There are good and bad examples in ALL professional fields; the wise realise that the way forward is to work together with colleagues from all fields in the dog training and behaviour industry with a sense of mutual respect, not suspicion and contempt.
In my ideal world, professionals like myself who devote their time to the analysis and modification of behaviour would work seamlessly and without prejudice with their canine training professional colleagues. Trainers would work with behaviour professionals in the same way, acknowledging the years we spend in academic research, studying the way the canine brain works in order to have a better insight into problems such as aggression and anxiety. I can honestly say that when I moved from dog training into behaviour, I was simply blown away by the sheer amount of stuff that I simply didn't know. I did a good job with dogs and had many successes training dogs with the experience that I'd gained and applied, but learning WHY dogs behave the way they do, from the problems caused by hormonal imbalance to learning now neurotransmitters affect emotion, gave real depth to my work.
The division currently appearing in the UK regarding the regulation of dog training and behaviour roles is a representation of everything that saddens me as a professional in this field.
Yes, there ARE differences between the roles of dog trainers and dog behaviourists, the same way there are differences between a dentist and an orthodontist! What I simply cannot understand is why individuals cannot simply accept and respect each other's professional fields.
What is often mentioned is the difference in the fees charged to owners. Well, if you have proven academic qualifications, have spent thousands of pounds on gaining them, given years of your life in studying for them, it is generally accepted that clients must accept this is what they are paying for, in ANY professional field. I do accept that with the lack of regulation in this country, it is worrying that people with academic qualifications but little hands-on-experience are practising as behaviourists, but there ARE professionals out there who have both - and they aren't THAT difficult to find.
I have to risk touching a nerve and suggest that there is an element of jealousy in non-qualified people questioning the validity of academic qualification in dog behaviour and training. If you feel yourself recoiling and reacting with an emotional reaction to this suggestion, just try halting yourself and think about WHY you have reacted that way... Be honest, even if only to yourself. If you are reacting out of a fear of academics taking your livelihood that you have spent 20 years working on, then own that reaction and think how about positive actions you can take to stop that happening before slamming out an angry email from an instinctive defensive posture. If it's because you are doing a great job with your clients and their dogs and don't see why behaviourists are needed, ask yourself whether there's a slight chance that one of your client's dogs has an issue that could be explained by someone who has studied how the biomechanics of the brain affect emotion and behaviour? It doesn't lessen the work you do. It doesn't take anything away from your own credibility...
You never know, it might just help the dog, and isn't that the ultimate objective here?
It's an enlightening experience to step out of an automatic reaction to something and look at yourself objectively. And it makes you a better professional.
Behaviourists are not 'better' than trainers, its a different role, that's all.
Behaviourists are not 'better' than trainers, its a different role, that's all.
My plea to ALL people involved in helping people with their dogs is to put aside judgement and open yourselves to the possibility that other professionals with other talents, either learned or borne, just may be worth shaking hands with...
