Every trainer has their own methods and beliefs
and every owner has their own as well. It is our job as the trainer to
help inform you based on our knowledge from experience and research. In
the dog training world we have a quote that goes, "The only thing two
dog trainers can agree on is that the third trainer is wrong!" One of the biggest mistakes many trainers make is once they find something that works they stick to it and never change. So if they find that a prong collar works for something like getting a dog to walk on a loose leash they stick to that and never change. The only concept I believe you shouldn't stray from is what to focus on, the dogs state of mind. Knowing what the dog is thinking and how they are feeling is what should be the focus because if you understand what is going on in the dog's head, you will know why he is behaving as he is. If he is pacing non stop it's not about getting him to "sit still" or "lay on a bed." It's about determining WHY is he pacing, pacing is usually a result of anxiety, so stopping the "pacing" will only let the anxiety manifest itself in some other way like panting, drooling, barking, being destructive, etc...
Our mission is to help as many dogs and families as possible, whether its through training, our rescue work, spreading information, whatever we can do to help we will. It's about doing what is best for you and your dog, not about pride, money, numbers or statistics. We understand there is a big variety of trainers who all have different believes and truthfully whether you pick to become part of the State of Mind Canine family or you choose another trainer, as long as you and your dog get the help that you guys are looking for that is all that matters.
The most common reason why some of our family members came from other trainers is because the trainers focused on the physicality of the dog and not the mentality, so they attempted to fix aggression/anxiety/insecurity with obedience which on the surface looked like it was working but didn't change anything. One of the hardest things to hear is when someone tells me they have spent THOUSANDS of dollars on training and none if it has worked, there is NO reason that should happen. As long as you follow what your trainer tells you, you should start seeing progress almost immediately if not immediately. Getting a dog who lunges on leash at other dogs and people shouldn't take 10 sessions and hundreds of dollars to fix. We offer different programs to be able to help as many dogs as possible in whatever their specific need is whether its a dog who needs to learn how to be social, a dog with lots of energy who needs to be physically challenged, or a dog who just needs some dog friends to play with.
