Quick tip!
If you’re looking for a trainer or behaviourist, ask them if they’ve ever been bitten by a dog they’ve worked with.
Now, everyone gets nipped from time to time, but if someone is getting bitten frequently, this to me is a red flag. I’ve been very close to being bitten only once, but I know exactly where I went wrong and the small mistake I made that led to it. That’s on me. Luckily, this is very rare for me as I give the dogs I work with tons of space and am aware of the warning signs pre-bite. And importantly, as soon as this happened, I took a big step back and reassessed the situation before continuing.
But if someone is working with dogs and constantly being bitten, it suggests they’re either not good at reading body language, or they just aren’t being sensitive or sensible. Worse still, I’ve heard of people who force the dog to attempt a bite so they can correct them, which is disgusting and just dangerous.
If a trainer wears their bites as a badge of honour, run a mile! That kind of macho behaviour has no place in our society. 🐾
