The future is the The Guild of Dog Trainers

The Guild of Dog Trainers is now working to bring a standard level of training courses into the country through its partnership with the Cambridge Institute of Dog Behaviour & Training and other organisations.

Our aim is primarily to set a standard of care and training throughout the UK for the benefit of dogs and their owners. We are happy to work with other like minded organisations and feel through co-operation with the local councils and being people-friendly we can help raise standards for dog training voluntarily.

We attract a wide range of trainers but most importantly accept all dog training disciplines whether competitive, obedience or agility, Heelwork to music or trials trainers and professionals.

All dog training in our view is valuable.

We have a set of standards to join but once again we wish to encourage participation with the ongoing national education learning programmes we offer which for the first time in Britain provides a canine psychology and behaviour underpinning knowledge to the practical dog training instructors courses on offer.

Construct or Destruct Psychology

Not all trainers use the most effective methods for a variety of reasons. We have found that a number of our newest member/trainers this year are changing some of their methods to more constructive and effective ones not because we bully them into doing so but because we say "Come and see how we train and take from that what you will". That approach, without doubt, has changed more minds than consistently criticising, like one particular UK organisation does. Its endless whining and nanny state approach is negative and causes anger in many trainers who work with the most difficult rehabilitation of aberrant dog cases.

Dog Trainers unfortunately can sometimes be over-critical of each others' work. One trainer may use a water pistol or check a dog that is seriously out of control, (perhaps the dog diving on people in the street). Another trainer will often dismiss that trainer as too harsh often without knowing the circumstances or antecedents of the dog in question. The fact is that the trainer being criticised probably trains 95% well (similar to the critic's style) but that 5% of disagreement on one method causes them to be dismissed by the critic which, of course, is unintelligent by rational standards. Now in most exams a 95 % pass is a good pass.

The Guild view is that the trainer being criticised is more likely to change and, if change is required, when approached in a civil manner, encouraged and invited to see other (TDT) Training dog techniques working then, on average, they will naturally change methodology and techniques when they see better results with their own eyes. This is not a GUILD theory; it happens - we see it happen every month. Confrontation does not change people's ideas and the Guild recognises that by being inclusive and motivating change in trainers as we do in dogs good results can be achieved.

Guild members are required to maintain their quality of work, commitment to customer care and modern level of dog training knowledge.

For more information on the Guild of Dog Trainers, its levels and routes of entry please view www.godt.org.uk or speak to JUDY the Registrar on Tel: 01296 690230.

Judy Cooper MGODT
Registrar.