I am Your Dog Trainer.

I am your dog trainer.

We just met today. You came to me with questions and maybe a little anxiety - or even fear - especially if you’ve never taken a dog through formal training before. I hope I have already begun to make your life with your dog easier.

I hope you left our first meeting feeling optimistic and excited to get started. I hope you’re looking forward to a long, happy, fun relationship with your dog and that you have a grasp of how doing training with me will help get you there.

But do you know what I hope for even more than that?

• That I don’t let you down.

• That I don’t let your dog down.

• That YOU don’t let me down.

• That YOU don’t let your dog down.

I have been working professionally with dogs for more than 3 decades. But after each and every training session, I still have a continuous play-back loop of our interactions for several days.

These are the things that chase around in my head at night, after a day of training.

• Was I clear with my instructions?

• Did I read both the dogs’ and the owners’ energy correctly; and present the training in a way that is mentally, emotionally, and physically beneficial to both?

• Did I take into account the long-term success and happiness of both the human and the dog?

Throughout the week, I think about you and your dog, and how the homework is going.

When you have questions, I will sometimes spend hours of time corresponding with you, making sure everything is presented clearly for you and the dog - and that everything is on track, and going smoothly.

I care - deeply - that you and your dog make progress.

I care that your dog is happier, more well-adjusted, and easier to handle than when you started.

And yes - I care that you are able to pass the test at the end of training. Because I believe in measurable standards that I will hold you, your dog, and my coaching and training skills accountable to.

Some may say, “Well, of course. All of that is your job.” And I would agree, 100%.

But lately, I’ve had some conversations with owners who have worked with other trainers before me; conversations that leave me scratching my head.

I am hearing more and more about trainers who really may just be in it for the money. Or perhaps they see dog training as ‘just a job’ - a job whose details slip from their minds the moment they leave your home after an in-home session, or leave the training facility, or board and train kennel.

On the flip side, there are certainly owners who contribute to an industry that is full of burn-out (many animal-related industries have a high suicide rate).

Perhaps those trainers who walk away from a day of training without another thought are better off than I am, with my continuous loop replay in my head.

There is a current popular saying among dog trainers, in an effort to stay sane: “You can’t care more about the dog or it’s progress than the owner does.”

And yes, I believe this is also true.

Like with all things in life, I suppose the ‘trick’ is moderation and balance - Where I continue caring about you and your dog; but not more than YOU care. Not putting in more time, energy, and effort than YOU do.

As a dog trainer, my focus on your dog and its behavior may seem lopsided; or incredibly narrow - as if the dog is THE most important thing in your life.

When in reality, you’ve got the kids to take to soccer and ballet, your own job, and your own boss to keep happy, your household to run and support, perhaps a spouse who didn’t even WANT the dog, and the list goes on and on.

Here’s the thing: I got into training dogs in 1990 because I really do love them. Yes, I admit it - I love dogs maybe more than humans. But I have stayed in dog training because there is something truly magical about watching a dog & owner team have a breakthrough: Watching the relief wash over a dog when it finally gets clear communication from the alien species it lives with. Watching a human light up when their puppy grasps a new training skill in record time, surpassing their highest expectations.

Those moments, for me, cancel out the disappointment of clients who don’t care as much as I do. Who don’t do the homework. Who would rather argue why their way is better than mine (though their way got their dog landed in court), and again - the list goes on.

So, forgive me when I harp on you about getting in your sit repetitions for the week; or getting your heeling turns to become muscle memory for you and your dog.

I am, after all, your dog trainer.

Jennifer Hime is the Owner & Training Director of Front Range K9 Academy in Wheat Ridge, CO. She and her trainers have been helping Colorado’s dogs and their owners live their best lives together since 1990.