10 years ago, if you had asked if virtual training was a good option to help you with your dog, I might have laughed. In fact, I remember the first time it came up, I thought the person was crazy, after all, how can you read the subtleties and get your hands in there to do the work? But then, being the trailblazers we are, I decided to take a second look...and the rest has been history! I continue to look at new ways of adding value to virtual and ensuring that only the best training still happens, but I have found virtual training to be effective, and allows customers a wider choice in areas where maybe there aren't experienced trainers available.

When Covid hit, I had already been doing virtual lessons for a few years. After a move across state lines forced me to find ways to work with old clients who still needed my help, I had used just Skype to talk and I was honing my skills. Covid just opened the doors much wider! Suddenly people realized things CAN be done virtually and new tools became a much wider option. Zoom was in wide use, and new apps and programs were added to the market that allowed experienced trainers all over the world to realize that yes, in fact, you CAN help dogs online.

The goal for most dog trainers is to provide dog owners with the skills necessary to have the best possible relationship with their dog. When someone purchases a dog as a pet, they mostly want a friend. They do not need the dog destroying the house, dragging them all over, jumping all over their friends etc., they simply want to enjoy their dog. Excellent trainers coach owners on how to achieve the best relationship. They teach the owner techniques to make their lives easier and more enjoyable. Because face it, dogs are the easy part for most trainers. Our job is to teach the owners! And that is why virtual has been effective! If the trainer has the coaching skills (and they should, this isn't JUST a dog job), they typically teach the owners what to do, whether they are in the same room or not. That means a lot can be accomplished through a live video session with the trainer. Because the reality is, the session isn't necessarily for the dog. It is for the dog's owner!

What I have found is that since people can't hand the leash to me to have ME fix it, I have to be very clear and direct with them. Then THEY know that in the end, they are responsible for their dog's behavior, I am just merely the coach to teach them the most effective and humane ways to reach their goals. In a live Zoom session, I can often see things from a different angle. For instance, watching as the dog comes towards me onto his place (as opposed to standing behind him and sending him), I can see expression changes, where his eyes focus, and if he is really understanding the cue the way we intend it. If the dog is on a walk, and I am observing through a virtual camera, I can focus on the dog team and the body language in a different, more focused way than if I was there and distracted by the environment. In recorded sessions, I can rewind, and watch in a slower way the subtleties of the dogs' body language. And I am placed in my proper role as coach for the discerning dog owner who needs help achieving their training goals.

Another benefit of virtual training is that I am not there to change the dog's behavior. Too often, when a trainer goes to the client's home, the dog suddenly becomes angelic. We like to joke that it's the equivalent of taking the broken vehicle to the mechanics shop and having it refuse to make the sound. Because there is a stranger in the home, we don't always get to see what the owner actually lives with on a day-to-day basis. Being there virtually, we can provide more specific coaching to the situation the owner lives with in real life.

Virtual also decreases risk when dealing with aggressive or fearful dogs. A dog that would prefer to bite those who enter, or who are physically challenging to a trainer in the beginning stages of training, may in fact do BEST when started virtually. This allows us to coach the owner and prepare the dog for the first in-person visit. It decreases the risk of serious bites while we are observing the dog's behavior and lets us set everyone up for success when we do meet. A good trainer does not need to be there to know what is really happening. In fact, most of us know the questions to ask and can picture what is going on generally long before we have met in person. Also, for our more fearful client dogs, we are able to explain best practices before we completely stress the dog out by showing up on their doorstep. Virtual just speeds up the process for both fearful and aggressive dogs, while keeping us safe!

So, can I train a dog online? Not particularly. But since my job always has been to coach dog owners to train their dogs in the fastest and most effective way, or to provide knowledgeable behavior coaching, virtual is a viable option for meeting training goals. I learned a valuable lesson from all of this: don't knock it till ya try it!