Back in my corporate days I had to go to conferences (trade shows) on a regular basis. Usually I was one of those sad people standing behind the counter in a booth tyring to get you to buy something.This week we Dog Trainers got to attend one of our annual trade shows/conferences and it was quite a change

First things first. It’s a good trade show when you can bring your dog! No doubt about it, having your bud there helps things tremendously and with roughly 100-150 dogs that I saw in the conference area we didn’t have one altercation. I guess that’s what training does for you.

Second.The speakers are a lot less stuffy. Cesar Millan was one of the headliners this week and his talk was along the lines of something we don’t see often in the dog training world. Cesar’s philosophy centers around the energy that people put out and how it affects their dogs. It’s a very valid approach and the most difficult thing for us trainers to get our clients to understand is how to “project” a different attitude to thier dog. Most times, if I can get the client to change their attitude we can change the behavior of the dogs. Easily said, but difficult to do.

Cesar’s other main point is that dogs don’t get enough exercise. Say it again brother! Dogs don’t get enough exercise! I can honestly tell you that if everyone walked thier dogs enough every day I would be looking for a job back in a cubicle somewhere. Most trainers estimate that fully 60% to 80% of the problems we see could be solved by getting the dogs out for a walk for at least an hour a day.Simple? Yes.

In any case the conference has been an enjoyable experience and it’s always fun to rub elbows with other dog trainers and “talk shop” even if the word “SIT” is used far to often.

Steve Haynes
Austin Dog Trainer
Fidelio Dog Works