How to become a DOG TRAINER | #1 Tip Adam’s advice
hey guys I’m Adam from top dog I’m a
professional dog trainer I offer a lot
of tips and videos and stuff for clients
consumers just folks that are struggling
with their dogs but this is actually a
first for me this is something I wanted
to point out or share with the world of
folks that are out there that are
looking to become dog trainers either
young dog trainers or folks that are
making a career change maybe not young
but just young in the career of training
dogs and it’s something that I feel like
it’s just really important if you
stumbled across this video that’s
probably because you are out there
researching all of the training
resources that are out there and
available for you for professional
trainers or for folks that are wanting
to become trainers or be better trainers
and mmm and you got excuse me I’m
multitasking obviously I’m out here with
a group of about 12 dogs that were
training right now I’m just monitoring
them while they’re having a play in a
potty break but anyway
one thing that I found to be to be
really awesome about the world of dog
training is that we’re starting to see a
lot more information out there for free
YouTube Facebook you know all the social
media there’s academies all kinds of
stuff that are putting out information
for free on the the basic information
that you need on being a dog trainer on
on how to walk dogs how to correct dogs
things like that there’s so much
information out there that it can get
kind of confusing but just getting out
there and soaking up all that
information is great and like I said
it’s probably how you stumbled across
this video
the thing that I’m finding though is
that there’s a little bit of a
disconnect well maybe I shouldn’t say a
little bit that’s the reason I’m making
this videos because I feel like there’s
a great big disconnect of folks that are
just out there wanting to become dog
trainers and they’re getting all this
information which i think is just great
they’re learning all the science they’re
reading all the books they’re watching
all the videos and stuff behind dog
training but they’re not getting enough
hands-on time
and I just want to emphasize to
everybody that there is no substitute
for hands-on time hey guys there’s no
substitute for hands-on time is
something that you absolutely have to do
it’s essential if you want to be a great
dog trainer you know I’ve never been one
that’s that’s great at memorizing terms
or learning the science behind things or
or stuff like that I’ve always been a
very hands-on learner and I’m not saying
this just because I’m a hands-on learner
I’m saying this because I think I’ve
seen it with with dog training in
general is that even folks that are not
necessarily hands-on learners themselves
they have to get hands-on when it comes
to dog training if they want to be truly
great you know I went to school to get
my first training certificate which by
the way lots of people go different
avenues you don’t have to go out and
become a certified dog trainer to become
a dog trainer but when I went out to get
my first training certificate through
Tar Heel k9 they’ve got a school called
north state Academy that I really
recommend to folks I feel like there was
one distinct advantage for me when I got
there on the first day a few of my
classmates they knew all the terms about
operant conditioning already they were I
remember one person ended up dropping yo
Bruce Vogel’s name and Ian Dunbar’s name
a lot so they’re talking about all these
folks that that have done a lot of
research into dogs and things like that
which is important stuff I mean those
are people who I now own their books and
I’ve read lots of their information but
there was one thing and I’m not trying
to boast I’m telling you like it is
there was one thing that shot me into
the head of the class pretty fast I
think that was the fact that from the
time I was 16 to the time I was 18 and I
went to dog training school when I was
18 at Tar Heel but in the two years
prior to that I had spent every free
moment I could for the previous two
years at dog shelters just getting dogs
out walking them playing with them and
also trying to solve some of their
behavioral problems and like I said I
think that quickly shot
the head of my class and again that’s
not just me saying that the reason I
know I was at the head of my class
because I was the only one in my class I
was offered an internship I was the only
one in my class that was recommended to
a job for some of the the owner of the
school’s friends to some of the owner of
the school’s friends he had a friend
that was looking for a new trainer and I
was the only one that went recommended
to to that guy and things and so going
in there the the main difference between
me and the others is the fact that I had
already had hundreds of hours of leash
time just times spent with a dog on the
end of the leash I used to go to the
shelter pull a dog out
I wouldn’t necessarily have any goal
with it I’d get outside and say wow this
dog is just yanking my arm off I wonder
what I can do to fix that and I didn’t
know how but I would try stuff and we
would make progress we always made
progress it wasn’t the fastest way I’ve
learned ways to do things that are ten
times faster now and I’m always
improving my training capabilities and
decreasing the amount of time it takes
me to solve problems even to this day
but at that time I was really slow but I
made progress every single time and I’d
get dogs I’d pull out they’re jumping
all over man say man please dog tomorrow
that kennel like this nobody’s going to
want to adopt a dog it’s jumping all
over them it’s gotta knock their kids
over going to knock grandma over what
can we do to fix this I’d try things and
sometimes it works sometimes it wouldn’t
but I’d try things I just got very
comfortable with having a dog on the end
of the leash with me I had tons and tons
of time with a leash in my hands and
again that’s what I want to encourage
everybody to do go out there watch all
the videos read all the books do all of
those things but get a leash in your
hands that’s the main key that I feel
like so many folks are missing right now
get a leash in your hands practice if
you can practice with somebody watching
you film yourself that’s an excellent
way film yourself so you can watch
things you’ll be amazed at how many
things you catch on your own when you
film yourself but also maybe you can
send that to a mentor send it off to
somebody who’s been training a long time
that can show you things that you might
be doing wrong you know today my newest
staff member is coming in I’m gonna sit
in a chair and I’m gonna watch her I’m
gonna help her and she just does two
simple things with dogs
all where I focus on today is leash
skills getting those dogs more
comfortable to leash and not pulling on
the leash and settling in when they’re
told to go to a bed and lay down we call
that the place command we work on those
two things for hours today I’m just
going to help her adjust minor little
things I’m gonna help her with different
dogs and just her having lots of time
with the leash in her hands I explained
it to her I teach it to her and then we
get the leash in her hands and that’s
how I feel like we’re able to create
great trainers and honestly how I hope
that the training world starts to swing
I don’t think that the online courses
and things like that are gonna be the
end-all be-all to dog training I’m not
just trying to be old-school I think
those things have an extreme amount of
value but I think that there’s nothing
more valuable than time with a leash
spent in your hand
so thanks guys for watching I hope to
check out the crew a little bit here
they’re obviously getting pretty goofy
back there but having a good time having
a safe time and again thanks for
watching
you
