As you are such loyal readers of my monthly column, I know you’ll recall that our new rescue dog, Hambone, has needed quite a bit of work to get him to the point that he’s safe for people to be around. I’ve been teaching him some of the basics, but the more complicated stuff – things like instilling confidence – is beyond me. So I interviewed two dog trainers, hoping to find a good fit.
The first trainer asked several questions, made a comment or two, then showed me a sheet of paper on which were listed different levels of training – a month long residential tutorial at the trainer’s house, a one week option in which I and my dog would come to the fellow’s training site every day for 7 days, a one day training session, you get the idea – but, interestingly, there were no prices. Each option detailed exactly what I could expect, and, of course, the longer the training sessions, the more bang you got for your money. After the fellow ropes you in with that page, he then hands you another one which gives the prices for each choice. The cheapest choice, the one day training session, cost very nearly £1,000! For that price, I would sincerely hope that the training included a solid gold collar. Suffice to say, I told the gent that I would need to discuss the matter with the hubs, a thing I didn’t bother doing because there was no way we would pay someone that kind of money for just one day’s training.
The second trainer I interviewed came as a recommendation from my veterinarian’s surgery. Evidently, our vet had this person, a woman, train her dog, which strikes me as a ringing endorsement of the trainer’s skill and personality. So I took Hambone along and sat down for a chat to the trainer, a woman with the extremely cool name of Kelly. She took plenty of time asking thoughtful questions about Hambone’s behavior, taking notes as I answered.
Some while after we began talking, she remarked on the change in Hambone’s behavior since he’d arrived – the fact that he had stopped shaking, and had begun to nose around near her to get a sniff or two – pointing out that because she had essentially ignored him, making no eye contact or demand upon him, or even unnecessary movement – that he had begun to feel safe in her presence. When I realized she was right, I liked her immediately, and while her price was steep – £1,300 for a ten-day stay at her country house (and any additionally-needed training thereafter into perpetuity) – I felt it would be money well-spent. I had come into a modest, unexpected bit of money not long ago, and after I had attended to my various debts, I decided that I had enough left over to pay her fee.
One night over supper, I mentioned to the hubs that I could pay the trainer’s fee – a thing my hubs, a notoriously cheap... erm...frugal man, heartily embraced. We set a date
with Kelly for Hambone to begin his residence with her on the 27th of this month, just three days ago. We already miss him terribly!
The hub’s main concern was, “Will he forget us?”
My calm and reasoned response was, “Of course not, you daft bugger! He’ll be thrilled to see us when we pick him up!”
Our first report from Kelly the trainer was very positive. She was pleased with his response to her training thus far, and very optimistic that he would return to us a better dog than we had left with her. Of course, there will need to be training lessons with us, the hubs and I, which should prove very interesting indeed, given that he absolutely hates doing anything that he thinks will make the dog dislike him. I’ve told him many times that people respect the word ‘no’ when you use it, and dogs do, too. Naturally, he doesn’t believe me.
So, fingers crossed that all goes well, and that in the end, the new and improved Hambone will allow us to do currently-impossible things, such as trimming his nails, and letting the veterinarian to do whatever vets need to do to keep one’s dog healthy. I’ll be sure to keep you updated! Cheers!