Tuesday, October 28, 2008

References Available Upon Request...?

References Available Upon Request….?
By Robert Forto, PhD

My name is Dr. Robert Forto and I am the training director for Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. I specialize in canine aggression and I have been qualified as an expert in this field. I also fully understand that my training school and I are only as good as our reputation with our clients, past and present, our referral sources such as veterinarians, other canine trainers, groomers and other pet professionals.
In the news I hear that a suit has been filed against Democratic presidential candidate Barrack Obama because he fails to divulge is place of birth. To many, this makes him less credible. To others they think he is trying to cover something up and his trust may be suspect. And to the legal, scholarly type they think it is a constitutional issue in that we cannot have a president that does not meet three basic requirements: 1. 35 years of age, which Obama is; 2. Has lived in the United States for the past 14 years, which Obama meets, and; 3. A natural born citizen, which is what is in question. This is because he cannot, or will not, produce his birth certificate. In fact you do not even have to show a driver’s license to campaign for the most powerful job in the world? But let me digress.
In the day to day operation of a dog training business I am constantly asked if I have references and if I am certified and if my credentials are legit. This is the purpose of this article. I urge you to do your homework before you vote on November 4th and before you sign up for a training program for your dog because the process is very similar. You have to work with someone you trust, you have to trust their advice and you have to trust that they have the knowledge to see the plan through. Because, in my opinion, with dog training you just cannot wait for another four years of bad policy and decision making from a trainer that is just like the other guy.
Of course, throughout the years Denver Dog Works has had many satisfied clients and several that were not. It is difficult to please everyone, especially when it involves their beloved dogs. If you were to look on any canine trainer’s website almost inevitably you will find a “testimonials” page that list comments from clients past and present about how good a job the trainer did with their dog. What you will often find on this page is a joyful rendition of just how good the trainer was and the results they see. Then you will find at the bottom of the posting a first or last name and an initial (ie. John. D.) Just who exactly is John D.? Could it just so happen to be the infamous John Doe? That is what this article is all about. I am here to warn you that if a training school refuses to give you a reference, walk away.
Be on the lookout of trainers who just REFUSE to give you any references. You can bet your dog's life on it that this is a red flag. Think about it, if they are truly proud of their training method, delivered what they promised, and have the right work ethics with their clients, then they should have no problem giving you a few names. This is even more important if they DO NOT have any classes for you to observe.
At Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project we offer a highly specialized training service for dogs. While most of our classes are by appointment and we do not have a schedule of weekly classes like the big-box corporate pet store chains with trainers in uniforms and a dry-erase board full of class times, I urge anyone observe any of our training programs to give us a call and we can let you know what is on the schedule that day. Saturdays are by far our busiest day and the best chance for you to catch a class if you just “drop in”; I always encourage you to call first.
Get at least five references, three recent and two from six months to a year ago. At Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project we train about 300 dogs a year. That is 300 clients that we should be comfortable in using as a reference for future clients. Do not fall for "client confidentiality bologna." I urge you to push again and say, "Look. I am not asking for their last names, addresses or social security number for crying out loud. I just want the very best for my dog!" I also urge potential clients to ask if a training school is registered with the State and if they are members of the local Chamber of Commerce or the Better Business Bureau or similar agency.
Check to see whether they are, and importantly, ARE NOT allowed to train or board dogs. In Colorado the Department of Agriculture overseas all canine training schools and boarding facilities. This also includes private trainers offering in-home classes only. If a school is operating without a license from the Department of Agriculture they can be fined and possible shut down. I urge all potential clients call the State to see if the training school and/or trainer is registered. Wouldn't you want to do business with someone who is professional and legal and legit? Your wallet, your dog, and your precious time is depending on it. No matter how impressive their web sites seem or how convincing they may sound on the phone, do not skip this. You won't regret it. If someone's happy with you, then they won't mind bragging about you. Don't you already do this when it comes to good movies, good books and good restaurants?
There is a saying in business called the Rule of 250. It goes something like this: everyone has a circle of friends. The average person has about 250 people he sees regularly during his life and there is a lot more people that he sees in a week during the ordinary course of his business. I know that I cannot afford to have just one person come to see me and have them leave sore or unsatisfied. Not if that person influences 250 others in the course of his life. And that is a lot of references!
As you know, people talk a lot to other people about what they buy and what they plan to buy whether that is a product, a service, or anything in between. Others are always offering advice about where to buy and how much to pay. That is a big part of the everyday life of ordinary people. I know I can not jeopardize that relationship with any of these people. I know how much my reputation and my business comes from people telling other people about me, my trainers and my training school. It is a powerful force in my professional life and it should be in yours too.
We say at Denver Dog Works that we try to build relationships with our clients and just not offer dog training. We do this for a reason. We know that your dog is an important part of your life and you are coming to us for basic manners to make the bond between you and your dog more satisfying or in many cases to rehabilitate a problem that has gotten out of control and sometimes is even dangerous. We would love to have all of our clients talk with joy and admiration, and have their dogs “walking billboards” for our training prowess but is that truly what we are after? No. We want to be on your side when your dog has a problem and we would love to have a referral if we did our job well.If you do get a reference from a training school or a trainer and they say, "Well. I could give you my best friend or my brother’s number as a reference to trick you." Just say, you will take it. Let's see what your own family and friends say about you first. Do you see where I'm going with this? Once you get a few references, this is where you ask what you like and didn't like about them, their trainers, and whether the dog listens off-leash, without treats, from far away. How about around other dogs, cats, kids and your guests.
While it is true in dog training as well as when you are looking for a job, most references that a person will give you will only be “good ones” I mean would you give a reference of an ex-girlfriend to a potential date if you ended on a sour note? I doubt it. But if they do give you a name, and more importantly a number that is a start. Do a little detective work on your own ask questions. Remember that the only dumb question is a questioned not asked. Do you homework and ask the questions you want answered. At Denver Dog Works we want to earn your trust and we want to help you in our time of need with your dog.
Check us out anytime and if us a call. We will give you the references that you desire and we will gladly answer any questions that you may have.
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Dr. Robert Forto, PhD, is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. He can be reached though his website www.denverdogworks.com or by phone at 303-522-1727.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Dog Training and the Social Fabric of America

Dog Training and the Social Fabric of America
By Robert Forto, PhD

My name is Dr. Robert Forto and I am a canine behaviorist and the owner of Denver Dog Works in Colorado. I specialize in canine aggression and violent dogs and I will admit that people’s political leanings do influence how they care for and train their dogs. I am researching this topic for an upcoming paper and I hope to have the results out before this year’s election. In the days of Big Government and Big Brother everybody has an opinion on how a person should own, handle, train, restrict and allow various forms of behavior of their dogs in public and in private.
In the news recently a big-time NFL star has gone to prison for animal cruelty and others have had their dog’s party to the judicial process for everything from instinctual behaviors of an Australian Shepherd to irate home-owners at a Home Owners Association meeting fueled by the fact that dog’s do bark.
I spent a great deal of time in my practice educating the public about the nuances of canine behavior and my professional opinion on everything from banned breeds, violent dogs, canine aggression, dogs-at-large and many more. I am a firm believer that the way that people handle their dog’s is a gauge of their political, financial, societal, environmental and religious beliefs. All of these leanings give the canine trainer or behaviorist valuable insight on how we can help our clients in their quest for having a well behaved dog and the ability to cope with a litigious society so bent on making our furry friends social outcasts while these people stand on their soap boxes and complain about dogs when their underlying fear is far something greater.
For those of you who read this blog I'm sure you've figured out that I don’t usually write all nice and sweet and fluffy things about dogs. This is one of those articles that is not sweet and fluffy. It's what is happening in our society in the world of dogs. The politics of owning a dog nowadays is not cute or fluffy by any stretch of the imagination. In this article I am going to address just one area: Breed Specific Legislation. In coming articles I will delve into other topics that conger up our societal ills relating to dogs. I thought that dog’s were supposed to be regarded as our best friends. It is a shame that the actions of a few have given so many a bad rap.


The Band Aid
I remember growing up when people took responsibility for their actions but apparently the government feels they need to mandate everything today rather than hold people accountable. The fight for animal welfare started as a noble fight but has degenerated into opposing sides of animal rights versus animal welfare and it is appearing more and more like it isn't about animals at all. Dogs seem to be at the top of the hit list with Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) leading the way. By banning breeds as many European countries do, we're only falling into the trap of thinking by putting this band-aid on things our problems will go away. Banning a breed does nothing more than drive the criminals who abuse and use these breeds to choose yet another, and another and another until eventually we have no more breeds left. Therein lays the crux of the problem I think.
The Problem
The problem is a human one not a dog one although it is always the animals who pay the price for human actions. One faction of the animal fight thinks the solution to world peace and harmony is to free all animals and that freedom means killing them because then they are truly free. That sounds rather harsh and violent to me, so how does more violence end violence? It doesn't and that is just stupid.
Another faction has sat by and watched and now are scrambling to try and catch up and fix things but aren't sure how or where to start. The problem is, the politicians care about votes so they are readily grasping at the straws of Breed Specific Legislation to control so-called "vicious" dogs. Dangerous dog laws really address the owners as they should so focusing on those makes far more sense but since when do politicians care about making sense?
The factions wanting all domestic animal ownership ended are in control and are doing a great job of "educating" our children and our college students into believing their rhetoric. We have a lot of propaganda and financing to fight to end all this nonsense. Maybe it's just using plain common sense again.
The Solution
I think a first step is to educate. Educate people about what it means to own a dog. Educate at the family level first. This is where we can make the most impact.
Secondly, that we need to take responsibility for our own actions. When we decide to own and bring home a dog it is our responsibility to know how to take care of a dog, the nature of a dog, and how train our dog to be a good canine citizen. If we would all do that we would have no need for stupid laws that want to mandate away our rights as US citizens such as mandatory spaying or neutering and micro chipping and training.
We would have no need for politicians wanting to band aid a human social problem with Breed Specific Legislation. We would have no need for factions wanting to destroy animals to "free" them. But I must be thinking of Utopia or maybe heaven, because everyone would rather have the government doing their thinking for them these days it seems. Maybe I am just living in the wrong era.
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Dr. Robert Forto is a canine behaviorist and the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. He can be reached though his website at www.denverdogworks.com

Dog Training and the Social Fabric of America