Online Dog Training is Here to Stay

When the pandemic shut down in-person gatherings in March 2020, most dog trainers, like other service professionals, went into panic mode. What was going to happen to our businesses? How could online training possibly work? Doesn’t dog training needs to be in-person, hands-on?

It turns out that, like many businesses, dog training doesn’t need to be in-person to be effective. In fact, many of my brilliant Academy for Dog Training colleagues, especially those who are the only rewards-based, force-free trainers for many miles around, have been offering online consultations and training services for years.

With the surge of people bringing home their pandemic puppies and adult dogs, trainers like me have found during the last 15 months that online training services allow us to serve many more dog caretakers, as we don’t need to build in travel time during our work days. That time can be devoted to new clients, instead.

The real benefits are to you, the dog guardians!

One of the benefits of online training is that I’m working with you, in your environment, to teach your dog. While a trained dog pro like me can teach your dog new behaviors quickly, ultimately your dog needs to do the behavior for you, not me.

Certain issues, such as a dog with fearful or aggressive behaviors, benefit even more from online training as I won’t be in your house to further stress your dog. (And as someone with a fearful dog myself I know that if your dog is stressed, you are stressed.)

Here’s how my online training sessions work

In our sessions together, we will:

1. Start with an online Initial Consultation to discuss your behavioral goals for your dog.
2. Afterwards, I’ll send recommendations for next steps to achieve these goals.
3. Once you book your online sessions I’ll create a customized training plan using science-based, incremental steps to shape your dog’s behavior.
4. When we begin each training session together, we’ll debrief as to how things went during the week.
5. Next, I’ll demonstrate what we are working on, using my dog.
6. After watching my demo, you’ll work with your dog.
7. I’ll watch carefully, coaching your technique and moving us briskly through our training plan as your dog gets better and better at what we’re teaching.
8. After each session, I’ll send follow-up notes and homework for the upcoming week.
9. During the week you can send me brief clips of your training sessions so I can coach technique and move you along in the training plan.
10. Training is done in the comfort and safety of your own home — no masks, no distancing, no need for a babysitter or to tidy the house for the trainer.
11. I’ll have a recording of our session so you can watch during the week while you practice, if you wish.

Multiplatform training a possibility in the future

Happily, more and more people are being vaccinated against COVID and the world as we know it is opening up again. I intend to continue to offer online services because of their effectiveness and expediency: I can work with more dog families like you using rewards-based, force-free dog training methods that are grounded in the science of applied animal behavior.

I do envision, when public health guidelines deem it completely safe, offering a multiplatform training approach depending on a dog’s training needs. For instance, I often work with dogs who are nervous on leash and react by barking or lunging at unfamiliar people and dogs. This happens to be a behavior that can easily be trained using online sessions and can sometimes benefit from an in-person coaching session if people get stuck. More to come; stay tuned!

Based in Medford, Mass., Janice Z Dog Training currently holds all one-on-one training sessions live and online. No need to wear a mask or worry about being 6' away from others, no need to bundle the dog into a car, tidy the house for the trainer’s visit, or get a babysitter for the kids. Visit Janice Z Dog Training for more information and sign up for her monthly newsletter here.