I Want to Change, But Where Do I Start?

Crossing over to a different training method in dog training

I am what one calls a crossover trainer. The term was developed to describe someone who “crosses over” to a different training method in dog training. After over 8 years of correction based training, I crossed over to positive reinforcement based training. I did this for many reasons, but today I want to go over where to look for guidance and correct information if you want to crossover, too.

This article is for those who have already decided they are ready to join the force-free, positive reinforcement based movement for one reason or another.

Free Online Resources

The internet has made it extremely easy to learn about anything you could possibly want to know, but there is a lot of incorrect information. It’s hard to Google a certain topic, especially in dog training, and find reliable and accurate information. When I began crossing over, I looked at the websites of big-name dog trainers whom I already knew about to see what information I could find – blogs articles, videos, and anything else I could find.

Karen Pryor Blog – www.clickertraining.com
Patricia McConnell – www.patriciamcconnell.com
Ian Dunbar – www.dogstardaily.com

They were people I had already heard about and through their websites I found links and videos which lead me to other great resources. As I began gathering all this information, I started a blog to record my new skills and knowledge and to share it with others: www.thecrossovertrainer.com

A critical moment for me was what I learned about calming signals. I had never heard of them before and when I began observing my dog with calming signals in mind, it blew my mind. I can no longer watch a popular TV program because the dogs clear communication signals are completely ignored and misinterpreted.

Check out Turid Rugaas website and book on Calming Signals

Facebook Groups

Another amazing and unexpected resource for me has been Facebook. On Facebook there are many groups of educated and knowledgeable positive trainers who share tons of information voluntarily and often give out free advice if you ask questions. It has been a really fun way for me to learn about real life scenarios and how positive reinforcement trainers handle them. Trainers on there often express frustrations and successes with the group so it’s a real community feel. There are a few groups in particular which I highly recommend and are moderated beautifully:

Positive K9 Network
Observation Skills for Training Dogs
Human Half of Dog Training
Talk to Me About Positive Reinforcement Training (this is a group I started specifically for crossing over trainers)
Business Support for +R Training Pros

These groups have been instrumental in my learning process. I love seeing how different people would approach the same projects in different ways. Then I can pick and choose what I feel comfortable with and give it a try as well.

Seminars and Webinars

One of my favorite things to do is so attend seminars and webinars. Webinars are great for people who do not have the means to travel or attend real live seminars. You can listen and learn from the comfort of your home and is one of my favorite ways to learn about new training methods. I strongly urge you to give them a try!

The Pet Professionals Guild a force-free association for pet professionals, hosts many webinars with popular dog training professionals.

Dog Training Courses

There are a ton of dog training academies or online courses you can enroll in and take, but many, in my personal opinion, are over rated. The plus side of all courses is that they get you in contact with other trainers willing to help you, however, the quality and quantity of the material presented in each course varies greatly.

Applied Behavior Analysis

I have only taken one course because I respect the professor teaching it. Susan Friedman, PhD., is a world renown Applied Animal Behaviorist who works with all kind of species, including birds, dogs, cats, and many zoo animals. She offers an 8 week course on Applied Behavior Analysis for professionals. ABA is something I believe all animal professionals should know and understand because it is an important part in understanding why behavior occurs. Check out her course here: www.behaviorworks.org

I do not want to discourage you from taking other dog training courses, but please ask peers (Facebook is great!) to see if it covers the material you are interested in and is in your price range.

Don’t Forget YouTube!

Here are my very favorite YouTube Channels with many instructional how-to videos:

Find a mentor

I also followed a nearby trainer who graciously allowed me to come watch her work with clients. If you have someone near you, contact them and see if you can observe them. Nothing beats having a mentor to learn from.

Take Your Time

Lastly, I want to urge you to take your time. Take time off from work to really get to know the material before working on it with clients. I took almost an entire year off so that I could gather the proper information.

Do your best. Expect to make mistakes. Learn from those mistakes. Forgive yourself and move on.

Credits

Written by: Ines Gaschot – The Crossover Trainer Blog
E-mail: Ines@thecrossovertrainer.com