Dogs And Dr. Dolittle

Dr. Dolittle was a favorite story when I was a kid. Trained as a physician, he preferred to work with animals... and talk with them. 

There are no real Dr. Dolittles. Even the most experienced make mistakes when working with animals. There are fights in zoos, wildlife researchers are torn apart by their subjects, mistakes by wildlife experts sometimes decimate a species, and such. Add to this, there are no species that are truly wild anymore. Humans have an impact on every species all the time, thus their behavior has changed over the years.

No dog trainer is Dr. Dolitte, and I hate those marketing gimmicks which claim otherwise. 

Puzzling out a dog takes time as you get to know the dog. No two dogs are the same, no two homes, no two environments. Yes, you can make educated guesses, but no one can be 100% accurate.

Here's an example. I work with students to improve their handler skills. Sometimes I will demonstrate the skill, and it can be surprising and astonishing for students when their dog does something almost flawlessly with me whereas they are struggling to get 50% of the same results. I always remind them that I want them to take chances and make mistakes during the lessons so they learn and prevent making those mistakes in the real world. The last thing I want them to be is discouraged. I want them to keep trying and to discover what really makes their dogs tick.

It isn't magic. It is a lot of diligent, thoughtful work. It isn't a fictional story. And no one can do the work for you, such as shipping the dog off to someone else to train. You need to work to eliminate your mistakes, otherwise your dog might one day need clarity and you can't provide it. 

Plan accordingly.