Williams: Are TV dog trainers helping or hurting?

Never before has there been more information and resources available to help pet parents live harmoniously with their canine companions. If you surf the net you will discover thousands of training Web sites; the dog training section in bookstores and libraries is inundated with new titles every month; and dog training is a regular weekly feature on some television channels.

However, as the saying goes, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Has all this abundance of information prompted people to make more out of things that are really just normal dog behavior in certain circumstances, or worse, has presenting dog behavior problems through the miracle of TV, editing and sound bites made solving those issues look easier than it really is?

On one hand, I receive calls from concerned puppy parents about their aggressive 12-week-old puppy, only to determine the puppy is just exhibiting normal puppy behavior on its way to learning bite inhibition. Those parents are worried their puppy could bite someone later on and want to address it right away. In this case, the information has worked for the benefit of the dog by making the owners proactive.

I also get calls from people whose dogs are struggling with severe behavior issues but have unrealistic expectations of fixing those problems. Why? Well, they saw a dog with the exact same issue on that television show and he fixed it in one visit! Oh really now?

Having been on television myself, I can attest to the fact that you can’t always believe what you see, and reality television is anything but real.

First and foremost, television shows are for entertainment purposes. Even if the genre is education or public service, it still needs to be entertaining, because if no one is watching, no one is going to learn anything! Everything you see may not have happened in exactly the way it’s been presented, or in the same sequence, or even on the same day!

Further, what about follow up? Did the owners continue with the behavior modification? Has the dog continued to improve or has he reverted back to old habits? Rarely, if ever, are any of those questions answered.

And then there’s the subject of dog training methods. Even if the show instructs the viewers “not to try this at home,” overzealous owners will do so anyway, which can have disastrous and downright dangerous results.

I know quite a few people who’ve been bitten when attempting to physically overpower or dominate their dog, like the trainer does on TV. I am always hopeful that most will listen to the part of the disclaimer that tells the viewer to “contact a professional” first.

That’s where I come in.

While I may not agree with or use the same methods a television dog trainer uses, if his or her show helps make people aware of their dog’s behavior and gets them interested in training, that’s a good thing. If it prompts someone to pick up the phone and call me, all the better!

Once I get them in the door, I’ll get my chance to show them how real dog training and behavior modification works.

Laurie Williams is a Stafford resident and business owner. She appeared last year on the television show, “Greatest American Dog.”