instructors/trainers...the good, the bad, the ugly

There are good and bad instructors, just like there is good and bad in every industry. But remember there is more good trainers than bad.
 There are 4 kinds of schools
                Clinic – not much money is charged at these, there is basic instruction, more to use their sheep, very social event.
Clinics are good as a lot of people don’t have access to sheep for training. We need more of these!!
                2 or 3 Day School – Normally follow a step program, tend to have large numbers attend & move through things quickly. A lot to try and take in in the few days.
                Property Schools – usually 5 days and set up like a camp. They have smaller number of students so receive more 1 on 1 instruction. Get to spend plenty of time with your dog on stock.
                Online Schools
 
What you should expect from your Instructor/Trainer….
You pay good money to attend this clinics or schools, so you want to get your moneys worth! You want an honest instructor, someone you gel with, someone who is genuinely interested in where you and your dog are at and what your goal is.
You want to make sure they know what they are talking about, just because they have been in the industry for years doesn’t make them a good trainer or instructor. Someone may be a good trainer but not necessarily a good instructor.
Being an instructor is hard, you need to have excellent communication skills. A good instructor doesn’t just give you a job to do {ex. You need to go out and balance your dog, put a stop on it and start your flanks}, they explain to you what you need to do to get these outcomes, your positioning on stock, how to read your dog and the stock. A good instructor should be able to teach students & dogs of all levels, they need to understand that with beginners it is about building the students confidence as much as the dogs…. They where a beginner once too.
 
How do you know that they know what they are teaching….
They should be able to tell you what method they train with, what is behind their method of training and most important they should believe in their method. For example, they say they use positive training, how is it positive and why do they use this training method, how do they address problems.
Being told that the dog is no good or useless... Get rid of it. That is not an answer to a problem, they should be able to break down the dog’s behaviour and should be able to at least offer something to try NOT just write it off. Instructors are not miracle workers and will not be able to fix EVERY problem, but a good instructor will at least try!
 
Don’t forget you are paying the money….
 
Be careful of what they promise you, it needs to be realistic.
Find an instructor that has training methods that you can agree & believe in.
Going to to many different instructors for to long could lead to you becoming confused and your dog defiantly confused.
Once you find that instructor & training method that makes you think “YES” then go with it for a while don’t swap and change.
 
Remember you have spent the money and invested in your dog so help them reach their potential as well as you reaching yours.