Passing the Torch to New Dog Owners

A Trainer’s Question

I recently had an interesting interaction with a potential client. She reached out to me as she was about to bring her dog home from a breeder and she was eager to secure training for when the pup arrived. We agreed on a program and a start date. All that was left was to submit the paperwork and payment to confirm and book her program. The next day, she reached out to me and said that she was sorry, but her breeder had a particular trainer she recommended and that she had to go with that trainer. Another time, I had a client reach out to ask if I offered group puppy classes because she was contractually obligated by the breeder to send the puppy to attend group puppy classes and not private lessons. And then there was a rescue that I was a trainer referral for that required their adoptees to feed their newly adopted dog a raw diet. This all has got me thinking: do breeders and rescues have the right to tell their new respective dog parents who should train the dog, and what they should feed the dog?

Where Involvement Should End

This is easier said than done. Rescues and quality breeders have significant attachments to the dogs in their care. A good vetting process is a must when it comes time to placing a dog in a new home. What kind of schedule does the person have? How many people will be involved in the dog’s life? What provisions are in place if you are gone all day and the dog needs to be walked and fed? Those are essential quality of life questions. But where should this involvement end? If a person can prove that they will provide for this dog and give it a warm and loving home, isn’t that enough?

Training, Diet, and the Human Side

Now don’t get me wrong. I fully support every dog receiving quality training and being on a healthy diet. But in that light, we have to take into consideration how each individual person learns and how far they can stretch their budget. Clearly the person who contacted me both via email and text message, wanted to work with me.She had perused my website, was familiar with my training style, and knew what program she wanted to go with. But, her breeder had stipulations in place that included how the dog was trained upon being purchased. So now, this person has to go with a secondary trainer that may or may not be within her wheelhouse of learning. And if the human does not connect with the training program, the training does not compute. And there is no follow through. So potentially what will happen is that she will purchase the mandatory training program and then at some point, feel compelled to find another trainer down the line that she actually clicks with if her budget allows. And telling a new owner what to feed the dog? Not everyone can afford a top tier diet. But that doesn’t mean that the dog will be without. People have to be allowed to make important decisions themselves. By telling them how they should train the dog and what they should feed the dog, you are taking away their ability to think for themselves. Doing the research themselves. And truly investing 100% of themselves in their new companion.

Passing the Torch

In a world filled with algorithms that feel compelled to feed us negative news 24/7, it can be hard to have faith in humanity. But through my experience, people are mostly good. And people who are going the lengths to purchase a well bred dog or give a rescue dog a second chance, they truly do mean well. But it is my opinion that the more you tell someone how they should raise their dog, without giving them the opportunity to figure it out for themselves, then you are taking away a huge aspect of dog ownership. And that is the ‘ownership’ part. The ownership of the responsibility behind taking care of and raising one of the most sentient beings on the planet. Putting the work in, doing the research, making a few wrong choices before figuring out the right one. Yes, these organizations did a great job caring for the dog. But when it’s time for Step 2, transfer to a forever home, that torch must be passed to the new owner utterly and completely.