January 24, 2025 • 30 mins
January is National Train Your Dog Month. New research conducted by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers shows 93% of Americans have canine neighbors but six out of 10 people also said that a neighborhood dog has behavior issues. Here to talk about new training resources for dog owners is Brad Phifer, Executive Director for the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome to Virginia Focus. I'm Rebecca Hughes of the Virginia
News Network. January is national Train Your Dog Month. New
research conducted by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers
shows ninety three percent of Americans have CA nine neighbors,
but six out of ten people also said that a
neighborhood dog has behavior issues. Here to talk about new
(00:27):
training resources for dog owners is Brad Pfeiffer, Executive director
for the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. Welcome to
the show, mister Pfeiffer. I'm so glad you could join
us today. I know we've just barely squeezed this into
Train Your Dog Month, but I think it's important we
talk about it.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Thank you for having me. We're looking forward to the conversation.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
So why don't we start by you explaining to the
audience what you do and what qualifies you to talk
about training dogs.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
My day to day, I am a professional dog trainer.
I also breed, raised, and trained show dogs. I started
my career right after high school, working in boarding kennels.
Since then, I have worked at vetteranad clinics. I've worked
in humane societies and most recently, I own and operate
(01:17):
my own dog training company in Indiana. We primarily offer
doc traing services to consumers dog owners here in Indianapolis.
In addition to my role as a dog trainer, I'm
also the executive director for the Certification Council for Professional
Doc Trainers. The CCPDT was established in two thousand and one.
(01:42):
It is an independent crudentialing organization for professional doctrainers.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Okay, so this has been something you've been doing since
you were basically tiny.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Right when I was a kid, I wanted to breed, raise,
and train show dogs, and so as soon as I
got out of high school, I started working in boarding kennels.
And it's funny how things evolve over the past twenty
five years. But I'm in a really good place today
and excited for the opportunity to speak with you and
share what knowledge I might have.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Awesome. So I assume that means you had dogs growing
up and you fell in love, right.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
You know, that's interesting because I did not grow up
in a dog loving family. I mean, if you know,
we're being completely honest, we were not responsible dog owners.
So it's actually kind of maybe ironic that my path
was that I wanted dogs so badly, and then I
evolved into you know, someone who you know has a
house full of dogs and a kennel full of dogs
(02:37):
and a bunch of client dogs.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
So yeah, okay, so if you don't mind, let's talk
about that for a minute, because I've lived in a
lot of places, including apartment complexes, and it's amazing to
me how many people love dogs and want to have dogs,
but have no idea the proper way to train or
handle dogs around one another. Is that part of what
(03:00):
led you into this or I mean, do you see
that often as well?
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah, what led me into it is and I think
a lot of people who are involved in dogs have
a similar story in that I watched Westminster Kennel Club
one year and I was hooked on. I love the pageantry,
I love the history, I love the preservation of it all,
and that's really what got me interested in dogs. But
to your point, I think you're right. It's it's in.
Dog ownership is alive and well in the United States
(03:27):
right and across the world. It's it's something that you
do right. Every little kid, most little kid want a puppy.
They want their first puppy, and you know, or you
get out of college and you've got your partner and
you want to get your first dog, and so but
to your point, a lot of people what dogs. They are.
They are responsible dog owners, but we don't have a
(03:48):
lot of maybe experience or knowledge in how to maybe
select the right dog for our lifestyle, how to advocate
for that dog, or how to train it. So that's
where a professional dog frainner comes in. You know, they
could be a resource for new dog owners for all
of those pieces.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Oh, most definitely, most definitely, And I was about to
say that it kind of all links together because you know,
you may have the greatest dog when they're in the
confines of your home, but if somebody comes to your
door or you're walking them and you don't know how
to handle an animal with instincts outside of your home,
(04:30):
that can be very problematic. And I think you will
agree with me. A lot of behavior problems with dogs
stem from the owners, isn't that correct.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
The behavior problems oftentimes can be a result of a
lack of socialization, a lack of training or management. You know,
dogs sometimes are allowed to rehearse behaviors that they find
rewarding that actually can progress into something that's more dangerous.
So it really is important for new dog owners or
in a dog owner to take a proactive approach from
(05:04):
the time they bring that new dog into their home
to work with a professional who can help them learn
how to read and understand body language, learn how to
not only just sprain their dog, but advocate for their
dog in terms of understanding what their dog is comfortable with,
what their dog isn't comfortable with, how to incorporate training
(05:27):
in their day to day you know, context is very important,
and we see dogs who behave, you know, one way
at home and then they behave differently in a public setting,
or they behave one way with one owner and they
behave differently with another owner. So having a professional dog
trainer who can help guide you in a proactive way
(05:49):
is really I think key to preventing the behavior problems
that you're speaking about, right.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
And I think that also plays into I know, every
handful of years, there's a new dangerous breed, you know
what I'm saying, and that becomes the breed that's boycotted
by apartment complexes and by rental homes and by this
and by that, and at the moment, it's pit bulls.
In the past, it's been I want to say, Great
(06:14):
Danes and rot Wilers and you know, all these different breeds,
and like, the reality is it boils down to training.
I think right to.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
A degree, I think certainly it does. But you've got
to remember, too, each of those breeds were bred for
a specific purpose. They're temperaments, you know, they have specific
temperament traits, and some of those temperament traits, if they
aren't molded shaped in the right way, can lead to problems.
(06:45):
You know. There's a difference between a Rottwiler's temperament and
a pit bulls temperament compared to a Golden Retrievers temperament,
you know. And so it's important for owners who are
adopting a dog that might be more socially select them,
or might be more protective, or might be prone to
certain tendencies to really understand those breed traits and also
(07:06):
look at their dog's individual temperament and make sure that
the way that you are engaging with them, the way
that you're training with them, the way you care that
for them is helping to prevent or at least curb
some of those natural tendencies that maybe that may that
could develop into a risk for you know, community safety.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yeah, I love the way you put that. If I
had to share a personal example, I would say it's
the great Dane that I had. I've lost him, of
course because I have short lifespans, but gosh, I love
that dog. But he was you know, great Danes are huge,
and they can be very destructive and very whatever if
you're not aware and training them from moment number one basically,
(07:50):
and he was. He ended up being a just ginormous,
scaredy baby like yeah, yeah, but we would go out
in public and he was like being with a celebrity.
We would get surrounded almost immediately by kids and families
and different people. Oh my gosh, that's the biggest dog
I've ever seen. You know, what is it? Does it
have a saddle? How much does he eat? Same questions,
(08:12):
you know. And I learned very early to read his
body language because he would get nervous being surrounded like that.
So then I would have to say, Okay, I appreciate
all of you and your interests, and I guarantee my
dog just too, but I really need to write a
step back. I need y'all to give him some room,
open up a window over here, you know whatever, because
I can see that he's feeling anxious. Yeah, and that's
(08:35):
what you mean by advocating.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Right, one hundred percent, That's what I mean. And that's
important for whether you have a Great Dane or you
have a Tuala or you have a beagle mix, right
that for any dog, we have to understand their strengths
and their stressors, and we have to be able to
be aware enough of what the dog needs. You know,
you hear some nice people say, well, he just he
(08:57):
snapped and he's never done that before. There was no
there's no trigger, there is no reason for it. And really,
you know, to your point, dogs always communicate how they feel.
We don't always pick up on that communication. Sometimes it's subtle,
and sometimes we don't realize it until the dog is
actually growling or snapping the dog, Oh, my dog's uncomfortable.
(09:18):
But they're always communicating their excitement. They're always communicating their
their enjoyment or their their their lack of enjoyment of
specific situations. And you know, as owners, we want to
make sure that we are are are recognizing it so
we can intervene appropriately. Great Danes are wonderful. I mean
they're they're typically very affectionate and friendly, and they have
(09:39):
this presence about them, like as you described. But also
to your point, they can be sensitive, and so they
can get overwhelmed easily, and you know, being able to
recognize that it will be important. And even if you
don't have a sensitive dog, being able to train that
dog to you know, be obedient on the leash, you know,
be compliant on the leash in terms of making sure
(10:00):
that he's walking well beside you and he can lay
down next to you. You know, that's a lot of
dog to be pulling you down the street or jumping
up on a guest. Right, And so it's really important
that we're emphasizing uh, well mannered behavior in a breed
like that. So even if we're not talking about behavior
problems or or the potential for behavior problems, just a
(10:22):
well mannered, well trained, great day is a necessity from
a safety perspective, both for your safety as the owner
or caretaker and you know, the community safety. So the
dog isn't you know, intimidating people with their size and
their exuberance, right, And and like you.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Said, I think that applies to every dog, from the
largest to the smallest, because you know, you can be
around little dogs and they get away with a little
bit more bad behavior than large dogs do just for
the nature of their size. But some of those can
be scary too, you know.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Yeah, ye, so you know they've goind a big you know,
their barks bigger than their bite or something.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Right, So when it comes to training, how much of
that is training the owner to understand not only the
body language, but the instinctual nature. And what I mean
by that is the pack nature of dogs. And what
that means, I mean is that a large part of it.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Well, and I would even I would even maybe take
a step back and say, you know, dogs, dogs are dogs,
and so some of the the idea of the pack
nature is also a bit outdated. I mean, dogs are
certainly social. Dogs are most dogs are fairy family oriented.
They like being with with with their people or their
other dogs. But you know, it's not necessarily about pack
(11:42):
mentality in the manner that maybe you think of with
wolves or other wild canids. So the training is really
about understanding your dog as an individual. What are his needs? Right?
A Great Dane may require less exercise than a young
order collie. So what does my dog need on a
(12:03):
daily basis to be fulfilled? Right? Some dogs really enjoy
the pleasure and companionship of other dogs. Other dogs don't.
So if I'm sitting my dog to dog daycare every
day because I work a lot, is my dog enjoying that?
Is that meeting his needs as an individual? Or am
I just doing it because it's convenient for me? So
I think part of a trainer's responsibility or role is
(12:27):
to help owners kind of figure out those those pieces. Okay,
In terms of my dog again, how much exercise does
he need every day? Am I feeding him a species
appropriate diet where his age and breed type? You know,
our veterinarian can also and should be involved in that conversation.
What is the best way of exercising my dog? A
(12:48):
lot of times we're told we'll just walk your dog,
and that may be great exercise for some dogs, whether
it's their you know, their breed type, or their their
individual nature. But a lot of dogs, young adolescent dogs,
you know, sight hounds for instance, Labradors, you know, German
shore head pointers, those dogs really need to run, and
(13:08):
so walking my German short head pointer around the block
twice may not be enough to fulfill him. He might
need to run in a field, or job or bite. Right,
And so having someone who can help guide you in
making those decisions I think is also important. And I
would I would argue, and maybe somebody would disagree with
(13:28):
me that some of these soft skills, you know, reading
body language, advocating for my dog, figuring out what they
need in terms of being fulfilled, are more important then
maybe teach my dog to sit and lie down right, right,
Because you know, if your dog's fulfilled, if they're happy,
(13:49):
if they're comfortable, if you're meeting their needs, naturally, they're
going to be more well behaved. And once a dog
is fulfilled and their needs are met, they're also easier
to train. They can learn to sit and come and
lie down and go to their bed because they're fulfilled.
They're not aroused, they're not frustrated, they're not fearful.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
So right, I agree with that completely.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Now.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
I know there was a recent study done. I think
as ninety three percent of Americans have a dog, neighbor
or pet, right, But the statistics other than that about
behavior weren't great, right, I.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Don't remember the exact say, you're speaking of, But I
think in general, we all have someone in our life,
whether it's a friend, family member, or neighbor, who has
a dog that we could argue would benefit from some training, right.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
I think, Actually I found it. It was like thirty
three percent of the people said the dog, whether it
was theirs or neighbors or whatever, bark's uncontrollably, twenty eight
percent were worried about the dog escaping or that it
does escape, and thirty three percent said they just needed
better behavior training.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, dog training is not a difficult process. It's pretty
easy and straightforward. But dog ownership and dog training isn't
always easy to fit into life. You know. The reality
is we all get dogs because we love dogs, we
want the companionship, Our kids wanted a puppy, you know.
But most people, especially in the United States, you know,
(15:21):
we have very busy schedules. Right We're up early, we're
out the door, kids are at school, we work all day,
there's after work commitments, and so if we're gonna have
a dog, it's important that we can realistically care for
the dog. And typically when we start seeing behaviors like
what you're describing, nuisance sparking, running the fence and intimidating neighbors.
(15:44):
It's a dog who isn't being well managed, who isn't
receiving enough exercise, excuse me, and is able to rehearse
undesired behaviors that turn into patterns. Right.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Can you talk to some of those I mean, I
think some people may not recognize that that's what that is.
So I'm hoping you can kind of give us some examples.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
Yeah, so I think you oftentimes hear, oh, he's just protective,
and we really a lot of dog owners value the protection,
or at least the illusion of protection that a dog
provides them. And oftentimes, you know, there are dogs who
are barking at someone who may be passing by the house,
(16:28):
and it's just a simple alarm, bark, hi, how are
you right? Welcome right, But for a lot of those dogs,
it's actually them demonstrating some sort of stress, fear anxiety
where they're saying, don't come hear me, don't come hear
this house, you better go away, And they are reinforcing
themselves every day because they bark at the mailman, barket,
(16:50):
the bups driver, barkt the people walking by their front
window and they're reinforced every day for driving away what
might be a threat to them, and then all of
a sudden they might be faced with the pizza guy
who steps over the threshold or the kid who enters
the yard to meet our children and play ball. And
then that's where we also oftentimes we'll see an escalation
(17:12):
and behavior because all of a sudden, what I've been
barking at to make it go away is no longer
going away. It's right here in front of me, and
so the dog has to escalate. And equally, you know,
the dog could be barking to say, come over, come
in by yard, play with me, and they get frustrated
because the person or the dog isn't coming in their yard.
(17:33):
And so that can also drive behavior and create a
problem where the dogs, you know, over aroused or escalated
me out of frustration.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Right, And I think some others that we see are
you know, if you let your dog lick you all
over the face, that's fine, if that's okay with you,
but everybody else might not like that, you know, things
jumping up on people again is one of those things
that some people are fine with it and other people,
you know, that is just not okay, like.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Or we have to decide as dog owners, you know,
what what are the rules? You know? And I think
we have to think about the long game. Whether you
recently you know, brought it up puppy, or you you
acquired an older dog, you know, a young adult dog.
You know, we have to really think about in three months,
six months, in a year, what do I how do
I want this to behave? How do I want my
(18:22):
dog to behave? What do I want my life to
be like with my dog? How? What do I want
my dog to do when I enter the front door,
when I sit down on the couch, when I when
my friends come over, And we really need to do
our best to be as consistent as possible. So if
it's something where I don't want my dog jumping all
my company, then I should focus on training my dog
(18:45):
to sit or stand calmly when I enter the front door.
And then after I've been home for a little bit
and everyone is, you know, kind of settled down, I
could call it all over to me and say, you know,
give me kisses or give me hogs, and I could
put you know, I could teach the dog a trick
if you will, to know, jump up on que or
to give kisses on que. But in general, I trained
(19:06):
my dog through my interactions, you know, to come up
calmly and wait for attention unless I you know, you know,
prompted you otherwise we always need to think about to
your point, I don't really mind that my dogs jump
on me, but I don't want to be frustrated with
my dog or start to discourage my dog if she's
jumping up on company, because that creates confusion and conflict.
(19:28):
Oh you know, I don't want to be embarrass because
my dog is jumping on my my friends who come over,
and then I scold her and she doesn't understand why
she's being scolded because I you know, Monday through Friday
she's able to leap all over me. Right, we want
to be consistent on our expectations and fair on our
expectations and apply them consistently.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Right. And having had a giant breed like the Dane,
you know, I had to start when he was three
months old because he was the size of six month
old puppies, teaching him to demand gentle because he would
play really rough. And I had other dogs, including a
German short hair porter, and I like you know, I
don't want him to learn to play rough with them
when he's going to be you know, double their size.
(20:08):
So we had to learn gentle, We had to learn
you know, leave it. I will say the most humorous
one I've seen recently on social media this person and
two smaller dogs, but they had taught their dogs that,
you know, the dogs were real trained enough not to
eat just anything right that fell on the floor. But
if if the person said housekeeping, that was their cue
(20:30):
that you can eat whatever. I just dropped.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
That's so cute.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
That was adorable.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
So it's amazing what dogs can learn. I mean, if
we're if we're committed to teaching them something and then
consistent in our application or the you know, integrating that
skill into their daily routine, it's amazing what you know,
they can do. Most of the challenges come from just
either a lack of a plan, like you, we don't
(20:54):
have a plan for what we want from our dogs,
or we're not consistent about telling them what we want
and following through, like we're not holding ourselves accountable.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
I love that. I wanted to ask you this. I
have been seeing a lot over the past I don't
even know how many years now people are have these
buttons and they're teaching their dogs basically to speak using
these buttons. Have you seen that?
Speaker 2 (21:20):
I actually just I mean I've seen. I've not worked
with them myself, but I just was watching a Netflix
documentary a couple of months ago where some researchers were
utilizing that same tool to sprain the dog to communicate
more clearly with with with their owners. It's it's amazing how,
(21:41):
you know, dog training has evolved from you know, dominance
based path theory focus on punishing the dogs for doing
things wrong too today where we are really employing positive
reinforcement as the primary training tool. We are focused on
the dog's well being and really integrating them into our
life and and and making sure that they're part of
(22:02):
the family. Right.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
I think I'm gonna plug them here and they don't
even know it. The first one I ever saw was
on Instagram and the account is called Hunger the Number
four Words. And she's a speech pathologist who worked with
children who were nonverbal or had difficulty being verbal, and
that's where she got the idea to do that with
her dogs. And now she's one of the many companies
(22:25):
that makes the buttons and whatnot, And it just is
shocking to me how some of these dogs on social
media have huge vocabularies and can have almost a full
long conversation. I mean you have to have, you know,
an idea of how to keep it in context. But
I mean it has been very phenomenal to me, and
(22:47):
I think, you know, I don't know if that will
ever become part of dog training, but I think if
you can, it goes back to understanding the body language
and what they're trying to tell you. Of course, if
they can use words, it's easy. Year is that something
that you think you would ever get into?
Speaker 2 (23:04):
You know, I'm interested when I when I saw it
featured on the docuseriies, I, you know, I don't have
a lot of experience with it to speak to it
with any sort of real education, but it's I remember
thinking to myself, that's something I'm interested in, you know,
learning more about and exploring beause I do think it's
it's fascinating to figure out kind of the inner workings
and see how they're they're laying out their training plan
(23:26):
and and I just I've never seen a dog do it,
so I don't have a lot of context to put
it into I.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Got you, I know, on Facebook or well I think
it's actually across all the platforms now. But there's a poodle,
a standard sized poodle, and its name is Bunny and
I don't remember if that's the name of the accounting
on is Bunny something or if it's Buns. But that
dog actually had an existential like conversation with its owner
and it was like, Bunny, Bunny, what'd you say, Bunny
(23:56):
person or something like that. I don't know why the
dog had that as a button and she was like, no,
Bunny dog. And she's like and she had the person's name,
you know, Susan dog. No, Susan person, Well, Bunny person.
And they just kept going back and forth. I was like,
oh my.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
God, so interesting. That's so interesting.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
So what's your best advice for finding a good trainer?
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Well, I think one thing to keep in mind. That's
important to note that dog training is a non licensed profession.
So anyone can read a book, take a class, or
just simply offers services to you as a dog owner
without having first gone through education, demonstrated competence through a
(24:49):
standardizertification process. And so it's really important that when we're
hiring a dog trainer that we are looking for credentials.
You know, the CCPDT credit are a mark of competence.
You can you can your owners are reassured or have
the assurance that trainers who are carrying our credential have
demonstrated competence and competence in the field. They are adhering
(25:13):
to our standard of practicing, code of ethics, and they're
accountable for professional growth, so they're saying up to date
on industry best practices. The credential is only one piece
of the puzzle. It's also important that we are talking
with our dogs veterinarian or friends and family to see
who they have used to. Referrals from friends and family
(25:35):
are a great way of selecting a dog trainer. We
want to make sure that we find someone who we
think is going to be a good fit, that there
is a connection there and you know you're going to
spend a lot of time with this person. So having
you know that interpersonal connection where you feel comfortable with
the trainer, you feel comfortable with how they engage with
your dog, that's going to be important. You want to
(25:57):
make sure that the trainer can meet your needs. You know,
some trainers specialize in certain areas, and so if you
have a dog that is exhibiting aggressive behavior, you want
a trainer who has who is credentialed in behavior challenges,
you know, behavior modification, focusing on fears, phobia's, aggression, anxiety.
(26:19):
And likewise, if you have a young dog who you're
just needing help, you know, support in pubblic, kindergarten, basic
obedience type, commands, house manners, those cues. You know, someone
with that experience is going to be appropriate. You don't
need to hire someone who specializes in aggression work for instance.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Okay, so what do you recommend to people who, like yourself,
at an early age, have decided that you know, they
just absolutely love dogs and they want to be a
part of a part of their world, as Ariel used
to say, and then want to get into it. What
is your recommendation?
Speaker 2 (26:55):
I think there's a couple of pasts. You know, first
and foremost, education is really important. So there's a number
of programs on the market who offer dog trainer education programs.
The Association for Professional Dog Trainers and I'm sorry group
that they just changed their name and it's blanking me
(27:17):
right now, but the Association for Professional Dog Trainers is
one resource. The International Association for Anamal Behavior Consultants is
a resource. Karen Pryor Academy is a resource. Catch Academy
is another resource. All of these providers offer some sort
of program designed to either teach someone the fundamentals of
dog training or if you're already in the field, you
(27:40):
can you know, enhance your knowledge and skills through one
of their programs. In addition to the learning part, you know,
the hands on or the the in class learning piece.
I would also suggest that you find that a new
person finds a mentor, whether you are working at a
humanity society, at a boarding kennel or a dog training company,
(28:04):
find someone who can mentor you on the in the
hands on component of dog training and general.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Pair Okay, I think that's great advice. We're coming up
on the end of our time, but I want to
give you a chance to plug your website and what
people can find there.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
Yes, we have a couple of websites that we should
we should mention if you are a dog owner who
is looking for UH to hire a dog trainer, you
can visit Fetch the Answer dot Com. On that website.
You will not only find a trainer directory, but you
also find resources on how to hire dog trainer, questions
you should be asking the dog trainer, and uh informational
(28:43):
sheets on how to train your dog at home, you know,
just tips on how to curb nus and sparking, how
to teach your dog to come and called just as
as an interim step until you can get into a
class or you can get on a trainer schedule. If
you are a dog training professional who is interested in
becoming certified, then you can visit CCPBT dot org and
(29:07):
there you're going to find information on the certification process,
handidate handbooks, study objectives, there's practice exams, and that's more
consumer professional focused on the certification side.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
Okay, great, Well, I feel like I could talk to
you all day long, but like I said, we're coming
up on our time. So I just wanted to say
thank you so much for making time for us today
and for sharing your wisdom.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
Thank you very much for having me.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
I hope you've enjoyed today's show. Thanks for tuning into
the show on your favorite local radio station. You can
now listen to this show or past shows through the
iheartapp or on iHeart dot Com. Just search for Virginia
Focus under podcasts. I'm Rebecca Hughes with the Virginia News Network,
and I'll be here next week on Virginia Focus
Welcome to Virginia Focus. I'm Rebecca Hughes of the Virginia
News Network. January is national Train Your Dog Month. New
research conducted by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers
shows ninety three percent of Americans have CA nine neighbors,
but six out of ten people also said that a
neighborhood dog has behavior issues. Here to talk about new
(00:27):
training resources for dog owners is Brad Pfeiffer, Executive director
for the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. Welcome to
the show, mister Pfeiffer. I'm so glad you could join
us today. I know we've just barely squeezed this into
Train Your Dog Month, but I think it's important we
talk about it.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Thank you for having me. We're looking forward to the conversation.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
So why don't we start by you explaining to the
audience what you do and what qualifies you to talk
about training dogs.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
My day to day, I am a professional dog trainer.
I also breed, raised, and trained show dogs. I started
my career right after high school, working in boarding kennels.
Since then, I have worked at vetteranad clinics. I've worked
in humane societies and most recently, I own and operate
(01:17):
my own dog training company in Indiana. We primarily offer
doc traing services to consumers dog owners here in Indianapolis.
In addition to my role as a dog trainer, I'm
also the executive director for the Certification Council for Professional
Doc Trainers. The CCPDT was established in two thousand and one.
(01:42):
It is an independent crudentialing organization for professional doctrainers.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Okay, so this has been something you've been doing since
you were basically tiny.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Right when I was a kid, I wanted to breed, raise,
and train show dogs, and so as soon as I
got out of high school, I started working in boarding kennels.
And it's funny how things evolve over the past twenty
five years. But I'm in a really good place today
and excited for the opportunity to speak with you and
share what knowledge I might have.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Awesome. So I assume that means you had dogs growing
up and you fell in love, right.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
You know, that's interesting because I did not grow up
in a dog loving family. I mean, if you know,
we're being completely honest, we were not responsible dog owners.
So it's actually kind of maybe ironic that my path
was that I wanted dogs so badly, and then I
evolved into you know, someone who you know has a
house full of dogs and a kennel full of dogs
(02:37):
and a bunch of client dogs.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
So yeah, okay, so if you don't mind, let's talk
about that for a minute, because I've lived in a
lot of places, including apartment complexes, and it's amazing to
me how many people love dogs and want to have dogs,
but have no idea the proper way to train or
handle dogs around one another. Is that part of what
(03:00):
led you into this or I mean, do you see
that often as well?
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah, what led me into it is and I think
a lot of people who are involved in dogs have
a similar story in that I watched Westminster Kennel Club
one year and I was hooked on. I love the pageantry,
I love the history, I love the preservation of it all,
and that's really what got me interested in dogs. But
to your point, I think you're right. It's it's in.
Dog ownership is alive and well in the United States
(03:27):
right and across the world. It's it's something that you
do right. Every little kid, most little kid want a puppy.
They want their first puppy, and you know, or you
get out of college and you've got your partner and
you want to get your first dog, and so but
to your point, a lot of people what dogs. They are.
They are responsible dog owners, but we don't have a
(03:48):
lot of maybe experience or knowledge in how to maybe
select the right dog for our lifestyle, how to advocate
for that dog, or how to train it. So that's
where a professional dog frainner comes in. You know, they
could be a resource for new dog owners for all
of those pieces.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Oh, most definitely, most definitely, And I was about to
say that it kind of all links together because you know,
you may have the greatest dog when they're in the
confines of your home, but if somebody comes to your
door or you're walking them and you don't know how
to handle an animal with instincts outside of your home,
(04:30):
that can be very problematic. And I think you will
agree with me. A lot of behavior problems with dogs
stem from the owners, isn't that correct.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
The behavior problems oftentimes can be a result of a
lack of socialization, a lack of training or management. You know,
dogs sometimes are allowed to rehearse behaviors that they find
rewarding that actually can progress into something that's more dangerous.
So it really is important for new dog owners or
in a dog owner to take a proactive approach from
(05:04):
the time they bring that new dog into their home
to work with a professional who can help them learn
how to read and understand body language, learn how to
not only just sprain their dog, but advocate for their
dog in terms of understanding what their dog is comfortable with,
what their dog isn't comfortable with, how to incorporate training
(05:27):
in their day to day you know, context is very important,
and we see dogs who behave, you know, one way
at home and then they behave differently in a public setting,
or they behave one way with one owner and they
behave differently with another owner. So having a professional dog
trainer who can help guide you in a proactive way
(05:49):
is really I think key to preventing the behavior problems
that you're speaking about, right.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
And I think that also plays into I know, every
handful of years, there's a new dangerous breed, you know
what I'm saying, and that becomes the breed that's boycotted
by apartment complexes and by rental homes and by this
and by that, and at the moment, it's pit bulls.
In the past, it's been I want to say, Great
(06:14):
Danes and rot Wilers and you know, all these different breeds,
and like, the reality is it boils down to training.
I think right to.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
A degree, I think certainly it does. But you've got
to remember, too, each of those breeds were bred for
a specific purpose. They're temperaments, you know, they have specific
temperament traits, and some of those temperament traits, if they
aren't molded shaped in the right way, can lead to problems.
(06:45):
You know. There's a difference between a Rottwiler's temperament and
a pit bulls temperament compared to a Golden Retrievers temperament,
you know. And so it's important for owners who are
adopting a dog that might be more socially select them,
or might be more protective, or might be prone to
certain tendencies to really understand those breed traits and also
(07:06):
look at their dog's individual temperament and make sure that
the way that you are engaging with them, the way
that you're training with them, the way you care that
for them is helping to prevent or at least curb
some of those natural tendencies that maybe that may that
could develop into a risk for you know, community safety.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yeah, I love the way you put that. If I
had to share a personal example, I would say it's
the great Dane that I had. I've lost him, of
course because I have short lifespans, but gosh, I love
that dog. But he was you know, great Danes are huge,
and they can be very destructive and very whatever if
you're not aware and training them from moment number one basically,
(07:50):
and he was. He ended up being a just ginormous,
scaredy baby like yeah, yeah, but we would go out
in public and he was like being with a celebrity.
We would get surrounded almost immediately by kids and families
and different people. Oh my gosh, that's the biggest dog
I've ever seen. You know, what is it? Does it
have a saddle? How much does he eat? Same questions,
(08:12):
you know. And I learned very early to read his
body language because he would get nervous being surrounded like that.
So then I would have to say, Okay, I appreciate
all of you and your interests, and I guarantee my
dog just too, but I really need to write a
step back. I need y'all to give him some room,
open up a window over here, you know whatever, because
I can see that he's feeling anxious. Yeah, and that's
(08:35):
what you mean by advocating.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Right, one hundred percent, That's what I mean. And that's
important for whether you have a Great Dane or you
have a Tuala or you have a beagle mix, right
that for any dog, we have to understand their strengths
and their stressors, and we have to be able to
be aware enough of what the dog needs. You know,
you hear some nice people say, well, he just he
(08:57):
snapped and he's never done that before. There was no
there's no trigger, there is no reason for it. And really,
you know, to your point, dogs always communicate how they feel.
We don't always pick up on that communication. Sometimes it's subtle,
and sometimes we don't realize it until the dog is
actually growling or snapping the dog, Oh, my dog's uncomfortable.
(09:18):
But they're always communicating their excitement. They're always communicating their
their enjoyment or their their their lack of enjoyment of
specific situations. And you know, as owners, we want to
make sure that we are are are recognizing it so
we can intervene appropriately. Great Danes are wonderful. I mean
they're they're typically very affectionate and friendly, and they have
(09:39):
this presence about them, like as you described. But also
to your point, they can be sensitive, and so they
can get overwhelmed easily, and you know, being able to
recognize that it will be important. And even if you
don't have a sensitive dog, being able to train that
dog to you know, be obedient on the leash, you know,
be compliant on the leash in terms of making sure
(10:00):
that he's walking well beside you and he can lay
down next to you. You know, that's a lot of
dog to be pulling you down the street or jumping
up on a guest. Right, And so it's really important
that we're emphasizing uh, well mannered behavior in a breed
like that. So even if we're not talking about behavior
problems or or the potential for behavior problems, just a
(10:22):
well mannered, well trained, great day is a necessity from
a safety perspective, both for your safety as the owner
or caretaker and you know, the community safety. So the
dog isn't you know, intimidating people with their size and
their exuberance, right, And and like you.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Said, I think that applies to every dog, from the
largest to the smallest, because you know, you can be
around little dogs and they get away with a little
bit more bad behavior than large dogs do just for
the nature of their size. But some of those can
be scary too, you know.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Yeah, ye, so you know they've goind a big you know,
their barks bigger than their bite or something.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Right, So when it comes to training, how much of
that is training the owner to understand not only the
body language, but the instinctual nature. And what I mean
by that is the pack nature of dogs. And what
that means, I mean is that a large part of it.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Well, and I would even I would even maybe take
a step back and say, you know, dogs, dogs are dogs,
and so some of the the idea of the pack
nature is also a bit outdated. I mean, dogs are
certainly social. Dogs are most dogs are fairy family oriented.
They like being with with with their people or their
other dogs. But you know, it's not necessarily about pack
(11:42):
mentality in the manner that maybe you think of with
wolves or other wild canids. So the training is really
about understanding your dog as an individual. What are his needs? Right?
A Great Dane may require less exercise than a young
order collie. So what does my dog need on a
(12:03):
daily basis to be fulfilled? Right? Some dogs really enjoy
the pleasure and companionship of other dogs. Other dogs don't.
So if I'm sitting my dog to dog daycare every
day because I work a lot, is my dog enjoying that?
Is that meeting his needs as an individual? Or am
I just doing it because it's convenient for me? So
I think part of a trainer's responsibility or role is
(12:27):
to help owners kind of figure out those those pieces. Okay,
In terms of my dog again, how much exercise does
he need every day? Am I feeding him a species
appropriate diet where his age and breed type? You know,
our veterinarian can also and should be involved in that conversation.
What is the best way of exercising my dog? A
(12:48):
lot of times we're told we'll just walk your dog,
and that may be great exercise for some dogs, whether
it's their you know, their breed type, or their their
individual nature. But a lot of dogs, young adolescent dogs,
you know, sight hounds for instance, Labradors, you know, German
shore head pointers, those dogs really need to run, and
(13:08):
so walking my German short head pointer around the block
twice may not be enough to fulfill him. He might
need to run in a field, or job or bite. Right,
And so having someone who can help guide you in
making those decisions I think is also important. And I
would I would argue, and maybe somebody would disagree with
(13:28):
me that some of these soft skills, you know, reading
body language, advocating for my dog, figuring out what they
need in terms of being fulfilled, are more important then
maybe teach my dog to sit and lie down right, right,
Because you know, if your dog's fulfilled, if they're happy,
(13:49):
if they're comfortable, if you're meeting their needs, naturally, they're
going to be more well behaved. And once a dog
is fulfilled and their needs are met, they're also easier
to train. They can learn to sit and come and
lie down and go to their bed because they're fulfilled.
They're not aroused, they're not frustrated, they're not fearful.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
So right, I agree with that completely.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Now.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
I know there was a recent study done. I think
as ninety three percent of Americans have a dog, neighbor
or pet, right, But the statistics other than that about
behavior weren't great, right, I.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Don't remember the exact say, you're speaking of, But I
think in general, we all have someone in our life,
whether it's a friend, family member, or neighbor, who has
a dog that we could argue would benefit from some training, right.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
I think, Actually I found it. It was like thirty
three percent of the people said the dog, whether it
was theirs or neighbors or whatever, bark's uncontrollably, twenty eight
percent were worried about the dog escaping or that it
does escape, and thirty three percent said they just needed
better behavior training.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, dog training is not a difficult process. It's pretty
easy and straightforward. But dog ownership and dog training isn't
always easy to fit into life. You know. The reality
is we all get dogs because we love dogs, we
want the companionship, Our kids wanted a puppy, you know.
But most people, especially in the United States, you know,
(15:21):
we have very busy schedules. Right We're up early, we're
out the door, kids are at school, we work all day,
there's after work commitments, and so if we're gonna have
a dog, it's important that we can realistically care for
the dog. And typically when we start seeing behaviors like
what you're describing, nuisance sparking, running the fence and intimidating neighbors.
(15:44):
It's a dog who isn't being well managed, who isn't
receiving enough exercise, excuse me, and is able to rehearse
undesired behaviors that turn into patterns. Right.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Can you talk to some of those I mean, I
think some people may not recognize that that's what that is.
So I'm hoping you can kind of give us some examples.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
Yeah, so I think you oftentimes hear, oh, he's just protective,
and we really a lot of dog owners value the protection,
or at least the illusion of protection that a dog
provides them. And oftentimes, you know, there are dogs who
are barking at someone who may be passing by the house,
(16:28):
and it's just a simple alarm, bark, hi, how are
you right? Welcome right, But for a lot of those dogs,
it's actually them demonstrating some sort of stress, fear anxiety
where they're saying, don't come hear me, don't come hear
this house, you better go away, And they are reinforcing
themselves every day because they bark at the mailman, barket,
(16:50):
the bups driver, barkt the people walking by their front
window and they're reinforced every day for driving away what
might be a threat to them, and then all of
a sudden they might be faced with the pizza guy
who steps over the threshold or the kid who enters
the yard to meet our children and play ball. And
then that's where we also oftentimes we'll see an escalation
(17:12):
and behavior because all of a sudden, what I've been
barking at to make it go away is no longer
going away. It's right here in front of me, and
so the dog has to escalate. And equally, you know,
the dog could be barking to say, come over, come
in by yard, play with me, and they get frustrated
because the person or the dog isn't coming in their yard.
(17:33):
And so that can also drive behavior and create a
problem where the dogs, you know, over aroused or escalated
me out of frustration.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Right, And I think some others that we see are
you know, if you let your dog lick you all
over the face, that's fine, if that's okay with you,
but everybody else might not like that, you know, things
jumping up on people again is one of those things
that some people are fine with it and other people,
you know, that is just not okay, like.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Or we have to decide as dog owners, you know,
what what are the rules? You know? And I think
we have to think about the long game. Whether you
recently you know, brought it up puppy, or you you
acquired an older dog, you know, a young adult dog.
You know, we have to really think about in three months,
six months, in a year, what do I how do
I want this to behave? How do I want my
(18:22):
dog to behave? What do I want my life to
be like with my dog? How? What do I want
my dog to do when I enter the front door,
when I sit down on the couch, when I when
my friends come over, And we really need to do
our best to be as consistent as possible. So if
it's something where I don't want my dog jumping all
my company, then I should focus on training my dog
(18:45):
to sit or stand calmly when I enter the front door.
And then after I've been home for a little bit
and everyone is, you know, kind of settled down, I
could call it all over to me and say, you know,
give me kisses or give me hogs, and I could
put you know, I could teach the dog a trick
if you will, to know, jump up on que or
to give kisses on que. But in general, I trained
(19:06):
my dog through my interactions, you know, to come up
calmly and wait for attention unless I you know, you know,
prompted you otherwise we always need to think about to
your point, I don't really mind that my dogs jump
on me, but I don't want to be frustrated with
my dog or start to discourage my dog if she's
jumping up on company, because that creates confusion and conflict.
(19:28):
Oh you know, I don't want to be embarrass because
my dog is jumping on my my friends who come over,
and then I scold her and she doesn't understand why
she's being scolded because I you know, Monday through Friday
she's able to leap all over me. Right, we want
to be consistent on our expectations and fair on our
expectations and apply them consistently.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Right. And having had a giant breed like the Dane,
you know, I had to start when he was three
months old because he was the size of six month
old puppies, teaching him to demand gentle because he would
play really rough. And I had other dogs, including a
German short hair porter, and I like you know, I
don't want him to learn to play rough with them
when he's going to be you know, double their size.
(20:08):
So we had to learn gentle, We had to learn
you know, leave it. I will say the most humorous
one I've seen recently on social media this person and
two smaller dogs, but they had taught their dogs that,
you know, the dogs were real trained enough not to
eat just anything right that fell on the floor. But
if if the person said housekeeping, that was their cue
(20:30):
that you can eat whatever. I just dropped.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
That's so cute.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
That was adorable.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
So it's amazing what dogs can learn. I mean, if
we're if we're committed to teaching them something and then
consistent in our application or the you know, integrating that
skill into their daily routine, it's amazing what you know,
they can do. Most of the challenges come from just
either a lack of a plan, like you, we don't
(20:54):
have a plan for what we want from our dogs,
or we're not consistent about telling them what we want
and following through, like we're not holding ourselves accountable.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
I love that. I wanted to ask you this. I
have been seeing a lot over the past I don't
even know how many years now people are have these
buttons and they're teaching their dogs basically to speak using
these buttons. Have you seen that?
Speaker 2 (21:20):
I actually just I mean I've seen. I've not worked
with them myself, but I just was watching a Netflix
documentary a couple of months ago where some researchers were
utilizing that same tool to sprain the dog to communicate
more clearly with with with their owners. It's it's amazing how,
(21:41):
you know, dog training has evolved from you know, dominance
based path theory focus on punishing the dogs for doing
things wrong too today where we are really employing positive
reinforcement as the primary training tool. We are focused on
the dog's well being and really integrating them into our
life and and and making sure that they're part of
(22:02):
the family. Right.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
I think I'm gonna plug them here and they don't
even know it. The first one I ever saw was
on Instagram and the account is called Hunger the Number
four Words. And she's a speech pathologist who worked with
children who were nonverbal or had difficulty being verbal, and
that's where she got the idea to do that with
her dogs. And now she's one of the many companies
(22:25):
that makes the buttons and whatnot, And it just is
shocking to me how some of these dogs on social
media have huge vocabularies and can have almost a full
long conversation. I mean you have to have, you know,
an idea of how to keep it in context. But
I mean it has been very phenomenal to me, and
(22:47):
I think, you know, I don't know if that will
ever become part of dog training, but I think if
you can, it goes back to understanding the body language
and what they're trying to tell you. Of course, if
they can use words, it's easy. Year is that something
that you think you would ever get into?
Speaker 2 (23:04):
You know, I'm interested when I when I saw it
featured on the docuseriies, I, you know, I don't have
a lot of experience with it to speak to it
with any sort of real education, but it's I remember
thinking to myself, that's something I'm interested in, you know,
learning more about and exploring beause I do think it's
it's fascinating to figure out kind of the inner workings
and see how they're they're laying out their training plan
(23:26):
and and I just I've never seen a dog do it,
so I don't have a lot of context to put
it into I.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Got you, I know, on Facebook or well I think
it's actually across all the platforms now. But there's a poodle,
a standard sized poodle, and its name is Bunny and
I don't remember if that's the name of the accounting
on is Bunny something or if it's Buns. But that
dog actually had an existential like conversation with its owner
and it was like, Bunny, Bunny, what'd you say, Bunny
(23:56):
person or something like that. I don't know why the
dog had that as a button and she was like, no,
Bunny dog. And she's like and she had the person's name,
you know, Susan dog. No, Susan person, Well, Bunny person.
And they just kept going back and forth. I was like,
oh my.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
God, so interesting. That's so interesting.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
So what's your best advice for finding a good trainer?
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Well, I think one thing to keep in mind. That's
important to note that dog training is a non licensed profession.
So anyone can read a book, take a class, or
just simply offers services to you as a dog owner
without having first gone through education, demonstrated competence through a
(24:49):
standardizertification process. And so it's really important that when we're
hiring a dog trainer that we are looking for credentials.
You know, the CCPDT credit are a mark of competence.
You can you can your owners are reassured or have
the assurance that trainers who are carrying our credential have
demonstrated competence and competence in the field. They are adhering
(25:13):
to our standard of practicing, code of ethics, and they're
accountable for professional growth, so they're saying up to date
on industry best practices. The credential is only one piece
of the puzzle. It's also important that we are talking
with our dogs veterinarian or friends and family to see
who they have used to. Referrals from friends and family
(25:35):
are a great way of selecting a dog trainer. We
want to make sure that we find someone who we
think is going to be a good fit, that there
is a connection there and you know you're going to
spend a lot of time with this person. So having
you know that interpersonal connection where you feel comfortable with
the trainer, you feel comfortable with how they engage with
your dog, that's going to be important. You want to
(25:57):
make sure that the trainer can meet your needs. You know,
some trainers specialize in certain areas, and so if you
have a dog that is exhibiting aggressive behavior, you want
a trainer who has who is credentialed in behavior challenges,
you know, behavior modification, focusing on fears, phobia's, aggression, anxiety.
(26:19):
And likewise, if you have a young dog who you're
just needing help, you know, support in pubblic, kindergarten, basic
obedience type, commands, house manners, those cues. You know, someone
with that experience is going to be appropriate. You don't
need to hire someone who specializes in aggression work for instance.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Okay, so what do you recommend to people who, like yourself,
at an early age, have decided that you know, they
just absolutely love dogs and they want to be a
part of a part of their world, as Ariel used
to say, and then want to get into it. What
is your recommendation?
Speaker 2 (26:55):
I think there's a couple of pasts. You know, first
and foremost, education is really important. So there's a number
of programs on the market who offer dog trainer education programs.
The Association for Professional Dog Trainers and I'm sorry group
that they just changed their name and it's blanking me
(27:17):
right now, but the Association for Professional Dog Trainers is
one resource. The International Association for Anamal Behavior Consultants is
a resource. Karen Pryor Academy is a resource. Catch Academy
is another resource. All of these providers offer some sort
of program designed to either teach someone the fundamentals of
dog training or if you're already in the field, you
(27:40):
can you know, enhance your knowledge and skills through one
of their programs. In addition to the learning part, you know,
the hands on or the the in class learning piece.
I would also suggest that you find that a new
person finds a mentor, whether you are working at a
humanity society, at a boarding kennel or a dog training company,
(28:04):
find someone who can mentor you on the in the
hands on component of dog training and general.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Pair Okay, I think that's great advice. We're coming up
on the end of our time, but I want to
give you a chance to plug your website and what
people can find there.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
Yes, we have a couple of websites that we should
we should mention if you are a dog owner who
is looking for UH to hire a dog trainer, you
can visit Fetch the Answer dot Com. On that website.
You will not only find a trainer directory, but you
also find resources on how to hire dog trainer, questions
you should be asking the dog trainer, and uh informational
(28:43):
sheets on how to train your dog at home, you know,
just tips on how to curb nus and sparking, how
to teach your dog to come and called just as
as an interim step until you can get into a
class or you can get on a trainer schedule. If
you are a dog training professional who is interested in
becoming certified, then you can visit CCPBT dot org and
(29:07):
there you're going to find information on the certification process,
handidate handbooks, study objectives, there's practice exams, and that's more
consumer professional focused on the certification side.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
Okay, great, Well, I feel like I could talk to
you all day long, but like I said, we're coming
up on our time. So I just wanted to say
thank you so much for making time for us today
and for sharing your wisdom.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
Thank you very much for having me.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
I hope you've enjoyed today's show. Thanks for tuning into
the show on your favorite local radio station. You can
now listen to this show or past shows through the
iheartapp or on iHeart dot Com. Just search for Virginia
Focus under podcasts. I'm Rebecca Hughes with the Virginia News Network,
and I'll be here next week on Virginia Focus
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