Dogs are the easy part

As an instructor, one of the most common barriers to progress has little to do with the dogs. It’s the mindset of a training group.

Most people are working in a group or with a couple of friends/teammates they are comfortable with, or helped them get started. The people are capable, the training feels solid, and early success reinforces the belief that what you’re learning is not just effective, but complete.

Alternative training ideas are often dismissed, not because they’ve been evaluated, but because they fall outside the familiar way of training. This isn’t intentional. Over time, this fails not only the growth of a dog that may need a different approach, but the entire training group. The problem is rarely the dog. It’s the inability to step outside one training model. Handlers work with the same people, hear the same language, and solve problems the same way.

Exposure to other teams and instructors isn’t about replacing one training methodology with another. It’s about expanding your toolbox. Seeing how others conduct training and address challenges reveals both strengths and blind spots. Growth does not occur in your comfort zone. Without broader experience, it’s easy to overestimate how effective and efficient your training is.

No one is exempt. Competent groups still have limits. One warning sign I consistently address is the whole idea of, "but this has always worked, and the dogs just figure it out". When I hit this type of pushback, my first thought is typically, okay, but exactly WHAT is the dog figuring out? Could we have done it faster with less errors?

Attend seminars. Train with people who challenge your assumptions. If this isn’t supported, do it anyway. Developing your own skills doesn’t require unanimous agreement. It may lead to conflicts within your training group though. The goal isn’t to be right. It’s to be better at the game you want to play. For the dog. And for the people relying on you when the margin for error is thin, no matter the detection discipline you are in.

I say this often, dogs are the easy part.

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To learn more about the why of behavior, check out our chicken workshops! https://www.k9sensus.org/chickenworkshops