Preparing for an evaluation
When we schedule an evaluation or a consultation, what are we going to go over? Short answer- everything. But let’s discuss more in depth what that looks like..
Our first contact will either be a phone call or text where we will discuss a few questions to start off- what, where, when?? What are we needing out of training? Where would you like to meet for our evaluation (does it make more sense to meet at a reasonable half way point, at your house, or at your local park?) When would you like to schedule our meeting? After we discuss where would be best to meet we can both check schedules and agree on our when. When we schedule the eval I will also have you book it through the booking link on my website so that you can fill out my new client forms and have easy access to putting the date straight on your calendar.
Now when we meet we will go more in depth of the why, when, and what? Why are we needing training? I will ask if you have ever done training in the past and if so what kind. Have you ever used tools? Would you like to? Whether that is for ease walking a big dog on a prong or ease of using an e-collar for off leash work. When questions are going to consist of the dog’s background. When did you get them? How old were they? Have they gone to the vet, parks, out in public, met other dogs/people, etc. How did they do? Have there been any concerning incidents; bite history, dog’s past injuries, risky behavior, scary events for the dog (dog bite/fight, dog rushing you on a walk, bad experience at the groomer/vet or with other trainers?) Finally we will discuss the what- what are you wanting out of training? This is where we will come up with a rough draft of a training plan including whether you want private lessons (you are involved the entire time for sessions of 1 hour to 2 hours) or if you need day training (either you drop off the dog or I pick them up and they stay with me for the day traveling in the car to local parks, stores, vet offices, etc. and we practice loose lead walking, vet/groomer handling, obedience, etc.) while you have a busy or are at work. We will also talk about what your final expectation is of the dog. These will all go into our rough plan and general timeline (but training plans also depend on how quickly the dog picks up on new training and how confident/comfortable you feel properly handling your pup’s new training.
Our rough draft will normally focus on the end goal, whether that is for me, as the trainer, to be involved throughout the entire process or if you want to work within a budget and just get you to the point where you can confidently continue the training on your own with intermittent touch up sessions. Training plans will also depend on the age of the dog and whether we are doing a full puppy raising program or an older dog retouch on training.
For new puppies, fearful/unsocialized dogs or fresh shelter rescues training may take longer for the dog’s relationship to grow with me as a trainer. Those packages will consist of LOTS of social outing- parks, stores, places they have not been where they can experience lots of new things in a safe way where they can grow their confidence WITHOUT tons of interaction with other animals/people (meaning avoiding dog parks and social interactions while we are out and about.)
For dogs with reactivity issues/aggression we will do similar but making sure we are around lots of “triggers” so that we can work through the response and reteach a better way to react and change the outlet of energy. For example if your dog lunges and barks when they see another dog we will transfer that into seeing a dog and looking at you or transferring excitement to chasing a toy!
I hope these help clear up some questions about how an eval would go and I can’t wait to hear from you!
