It is unethical for trainers to guarantee changed behavior results. This is due to the variables in dog breeding and temperament, owner commitment and experience, the dog's future life experiences, etc. However, an ethical dog trainer can and should ensure client satisfaction with their professional services.
So be careful when hiring a dog trainer or enrolling in a dog training program. There are some franchises and companies who say they guarantee the results of the dog's changed behavior for the life of the dog. What they don't tell you, is that this is an unethical practice. And, you know this to be true when you consider that human behavior cannot be guaranteed, let alone a dog's behavior. Dogs are independent beings that we can not sit down with and verbally convince them to comply with our instructions.
As the saying goes, run, don't walk; away from a "trainer" who claims that in one session they will fix your dog and if the problem reoccurs, they will return to train your dog at no extra charge. There are problems with this "alleged guarantee". Let's take a closer look:
1. Training new behaviors take time. While there are effective and humane ways to speed up the dog's learning, a trainer who tells you that they can change the behavior in one session is lying to you and/or will use force and intimidation to shut down your dog's behavior. This is not training. It is abuse!
2. If the trainer of a company or franchise goes out of business, becomes disabled, or moves; the guarantee will be serviced by another franchise trainer (if you're lucky) whom you have never met nor knows your dog;
3. If they initially "fixed" your dog's behavior as they told you they did, then they shouldn't need to return to train your dog again, should they? Hmm....
4. Consequently, the "free guarantee" has no value and their service or lack thereof will show.
5. If this unethical trainer told you that the problem was fixed, "guaranteed," but then the problem resurfaced, would you really want to use the same trainer to only get the same result?
6. These victimized dog owners have told Michael that when they asked these companies to fulfill their guarantee; they were told the guarantee was no longer in effect because the owner did not follow their training program to the letter. The owner had hired the trainer to help them train their dog but instead was now made to feel guilty for not following through and left hanging with no support. This is not only unethical but outrageous!
Michael will not give slick, misleading or unethical guarantees. Instead, Michael promises to provide youwith friendly, effective and professional service that is based on humane and scientific training techniques. You can trust Michael's integrity, experience and professionalism.
