Dogtech Training?

[skip]

Just thought I'd ask as my aunt has just booked in for help with her 2 poodles.

Particularly that they practice positive training.

Surprised me as she never seemed very interested or rather, she was happy with them the way they are.

Anyway I was surprised at the cost. A lot more than I paid with the professional ladies who once came to me for a rescue dog that I was worried about. What do dog behaviourists normally cost?

Maybe it comes with ongoing help.( As I don't know how trainable she will be ). I like her dogs. Her dogs aren't really a drama, just a little used to the good life.

Thanks

[Rom]

Skip, if you do a search on the training forum re: Dogtech and John Richardson (the franchisor) you'll get some feed back.

I don't have any direct experience with them, but I remember the reports here not being great. With franchise system its pretty much pot luck as to whether you will end up with a representative who has genuine knowledge about dogs or someone who had no knowledge to begin with but did one of the franchises short courses before opening their doors for business.

I wouldn't recommend Dogtech in the broad sense based on that. However their may be individuals that are OK.....but nobody here has found one from what I recall.

[huski]

I agree with Rom

I don't ever recommend franchises as a the quality and knowledge of a dog trainer is very much based on the individual not the organisation.

Where are you located? If you're Aunt is in QLD/Brisbane area I can recommend you a much more affordable and highly knowledgable behaviourist.

[poodlefan]

It's a franchise, that IMO tends to have a higher standard of trainer than Bark Busters.

Our local Dogtech guy is very good and one of the best instructors I've ever seen has a Dogtech franchise in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney.

Where is your Aunt??

[RL1]

I used DogTech here in Brisbane. In my case i can't think of anything nice to say about the experience.

[jillybean]

I had a read of their website recently whilst looking for a puppy school nearby. I can't say that it sounded all that impressive because the impression I got was one of "we just want to make money". Can't say I've had any personal experience with them or know of anyone who has, but I chose not to go with their puppy classes even though they're held at the same vet as another puppy school.

[skip]

Thanks for your replies. My aunt is in Newcastle area and the lady coming she called Linda. Thats all I know.

I can already guess exactly what she will be saying. These dogs are OK but they are living like kings. Mostly it would be plain leadership issues. My aunt is upset as another niece was bad mouthing her dogs because they " mouth" the kids (no pun intended) when her boys pick them up. Mind you they don't do that to me but then I don't annoy them either.

When googled Dogtech I found a reference to a forum topic written by somebody who had Dogtech. So funny as this owner maybe has the same issues as my aunt does. So I wil call her and suggest she read this. I can't see her liking any of the Dogtech suggestions!

She might have had this lady recommended so it could be OK. I am just worried she is wasting her money because she has to want to change. So I'll give her what I know but I must remember it's her decision.

Edited October 19, 2007 by skip

[carloslex]

I was told about Dogtech by my vet that I have been using for about 15 years, they suggested I use them to fix a barking and some dog aggression problems that my rottie was having, they claim they send all of their clients with dog problems to them and have heard nothing but positive results, but she did tell me that I had to follow what they said carefully to get the results and normally it does take two seesions with them and to forget about it if I wasn't prepared to follow through with what they said.

I booked (and yes it wasn't cheap) after the first seesion I saw some changes in his beavior, but after the second session a few weeks later i now have a different dog, all problems fixed and the council are now off my back. He was also very helpful when I rang him for follow up advise.

I have since recomended him to a few people at my work and they have also got the results tehy were after. I think though the success probably does depend on the individual you use, this guy has years of expereince and trains at dog clubs in Brisbane as well.

[MarkS]

I tend to have an issue with dog training/behaviour franchises. It appears to me as long as you have the money you can buy a franchise, do a 3 week course then advertise yourself as a professional, and walk into homes and give the impression and act like you've been training for years. I personally can't understand this.

Sure some that buy in to a franchise have a background with dogs and buy into the franchise to help them fast track into the business. But there are also many that have virtually no background in dogs, and in 3 weeks are instant experts.

I believe this franchise industry needs to be better regulated. There are so many dog trainers now starting up dog training franchises that it's turning the entire profession into a joke. In my opinion its more about the fast buck than a concern for proper and expert service.

What next.... human psychology franchises?

Just my 2 cents worth.

[Clyde]

I agree. I would only use a franchise if one particular person had been specifically recommended (to use that one person). I have heard horror stories about some and as the above poster has said it is truly only a few weeks training, and even then the training isnt full time - so not that many hours.

Great that it's worked for you and your Rott though!!

[rastus_froggy]

Dont know anything about dogtech but when Saxon had his problem it cost me $90 for a half hour phone consult with a behaviourist - she was REALLY good - and I can honestly say it was the best money I ever spent, but then his prob was a fairly bloody serious one, so I was glad to improve him. Just give me a yell if you want her name.

[skip]

Thanks Rastus_froggy,

My aunt did have Dogtech and the lady (who was recommended by friend) was good.

But you must never forget the owners are, what? 98% of the problem. My aunt went OK for a while and some habits ( I hope ) are gone but she admits she has abandoned some of the ideas. The poodles are very smart and have trained her well.

I am going to visit in a fortnight so I must be good. I don't have any patience with one yapping at the beach. My aunt is sure people don't mind but I don't know who tells her that. Anyway they are her dogs and as long as she is happy. I know the dogs are happy.

2 mins walk to beach if you go slow twice a day and laps in pool at lunch. Right on the channel where the sea comes in to the lake. Can't wait to visit.

Edited January 16, 2008 by skip

[carloslex]

Hi Guys, I am a new member to this Forum, If I was a member a while ago and read all of this I would never engaged the services of Dogtech, for that matter I wouldn't have engaged Bark Busters, Cam Day, Take the Lead, K9 etc, with all of that in mind my Beautiful Rottie would no longer be with me either, he would have been put down or the council would have fined me so much for the barking that I would have at least had to buy a barking collar (yuk). I did engage DogTec here in Brisbane, he was brilliant, the problems are solved, my dog is still alive, and I have ongoing phone support if I need it.

What I am trying to say is that yes, some Franchisees in some organisations may be bad (but not this one) and I am disappointed that the reputation of this particular person is possibly being negatively reflected by a few bad experiences of others, he is a small busiess operator that has spent years building a business and training to get the reputation he has here, I want to stand up for him as an individual, especially because he saved my dogs life.

I bought a holden commodore a few years ago, the dealership really sucked and made a total mess of the deal and the after sales service, does this mean I should tell everyone to never purchase a commodore beacasue they are a franchise dealership and they are all crap?

Take everyone by their own merit please

[Rom]

I'm not doubting that your Dogtech representative helped you solve your problems Carloslex.

As I said in my post above, it is possible that there are individuals within the Dogtech franchise system with genuine knowledge....they have just used the franchise system to help get their business off the ground. But that is not true of all of those representatives of Dogtech and this would have been apparent to a trainer of genuine knowledge when they understood that the training offered by Dogtech consisted of a 2 or 3 week course....they would have to understand, based on that, that there would be representatives of the Dogtech brand whose knowledge was not up to some of the problems they would face. They would have to understand that this could create doubt about the brand in the consumer mind. If I were seeking to go into business, I would not align myself with a brand that had the potential to undermine consumer confidence in the integrity of my business. Its not a risk that I would be willing to take....but some do take that risk and they need to be prepared for the potential of fallout from that.....If they are not aware of that, then they didn't do their homework before they bought into the franchise.

Because of that doubt, I stand by my position that I would not recommend Dogtech on a broad scale basis...however, there may be individuals representing the Dogtech brand that I might recommend if their level of knowledge could be ascertained to be genuine.

So, in answer to your analogy of the dodgy commodore, no I would not counsel people to not buy commodores....I would instead counsel them to be wary of representatives of the franchise who sold the dodgy commodore.

BTW...I am really happy that your Rotty was saved

[Erny]

I agree with Rom. You can't afford to maintain a confidence that ALL (or many?) Dogtech franchises are going to be good trainers. I met a person (who became my good friend) who had Dogtech out - actually, it was before "Dogtech" and it was actually the head-honcho behind the franchise outfit - and was very unhappy with the advice and the results of that advice. She ended up having to undo the damage caused.

It is the PERSON behind the franchise that you need to investigage. So in the instances given within this thread where they have had good experiences, I'd be inclined to suggest that the names of the trainers actually be given. Eg. "xyz" from Dogtech in Brisbane/Queensland/or whatever. Otherwise it lulls people into thinking all Dogtech franchises (or whatever other franchise is mentioned) are good. It's not about the name of a business, it's about the trainer him/herself.

I saw an add by Dogtech selling one of its franchises. Not verbatum (but close, I think) however its add read something like ".... for sale ... no previous dog experience required". I really worry about a 2 week short course with a person who has no prior dog experience or knowledge, going out and advising others who will know no better to detect whether the advice being given to them is good, bad or otherwise. It is too much a position of trust and when it goes pear-shaped, not only does the dog suffer (priority #1) but so do all the good trainers out there who get tarred with the same brush.

As for the cars ...... completely different kettle of fish. They are machines. You know that there might be the occasional 'lemon' but for the most part they are statically similar/same in performance and quirks. Not so dogs. And not so trainers. And definately not so franchises.

Edited January 16, 2008 by Erny

[carloslex]

Looks like I have opened a can of worms, sorry, not my intention.

you are right, the guy I used was good and had experience prior to DogTech ( i did ask him lots of questions before booking him, even though my vet had told me he was the best around) apparently the initial DogTech training was 6 weeks initially and then ongoing training every 6 months after that with a limit on the type of work he was allowed to do until he had built his training /expereince in the extras, even though he had past exp. they apparently do not accept everyone that enquires about buying into the bussienss thats why they haven't got as many people as Bark Busters for example, - I guess it doesn't take as long to learn how to throw a chain. so he probably did just use the company as a springboard to get into the industry, I guess good for him and I hope he continues to be succesful.

another question I need to ask, and this will probably open another can of worms, does anyone have a solution to a dogs urine burning the grass? not all the time just occassionaly?

[MarkS]

I agree with both ROM and Erny

It's not the individual person, it's in my eyes the whole concept of a franchise. Anybody that states they can know it ALL or even most of it in just 2 to 3 weeks is beyond me! We are not dealing with a Doggy Wash Franchise here..

I have been working with dogs now in a professional manner of over 27 years.. I would not even sugest I know it all. Canine psychology and behaviour is an ongoing learning process. We all come across dogs that test our abilities and knowledge, and give us new insights into the canine mind.

I know of one instance. A new franchise owner was called due to an overly active Dobi. They had 3 lessons with him, and in the end said I am sorry I can't help you anymore, and refunded their money. I really felt for the franchise owner. He was probably a young person that just wanted to train dogs for a living, and got sucked into the advertising of " We can make you a canine expert in 2 weeks, and you can make lots of money". I don't blame the franchise owner, I blame the head of the franchise for, in my opinion, falsely advertising that you can be an expert in your field in such a short time.

This Dobi was just a typical high drive, high energy working dog, that the owners needed specialised advice that this person could not offer due to lack of experience and knowledge.

I don't care what anyone says.. you can't learn it all in 2 to 3 weeks in a classroom. This industry needs to be better regulated. I also believe that dog trainers that start up a franchise in this manner should really do some soul searching, and really consider if what they are doing is in the best interests of thier clients and the dog training/behaviour profession.

Would you trust an electrician to wire your house knowing he only completed a 2 to 3 week course? Why then do we trust them with our dogs?

I agree there are probably many within the franchise that have been working with dogs for many years and do a great service to dog owners, and that use the franchise to help them run their business and get lots of advertising exposure. However I really feel its taking pot luck.

Oooops my apologies - its 4 WEEKS TRAINING

Dogtech - Australia at a GlanceConcept:In-home dog training

Territory:Franchises available in most parts of Australia

Training Provided:4 wks + ongoing training and support Marketing Support:National & local promo

Agreement Terms:3 years plus 3 years

Number Of Units:Over 30 franchisees.

Investment Required:From $20k to $35k

Business Established:1996

Franchising Commenced:1997

Qualifications Required:Motivated, business minded person with a love of dogs.

Edited January 17, 2008 by MarkS

[Rom]

Looks like I have opened a can of worms, sorry, not my intention.

Never be afraid to open a can of worms Carloslex....I know that I have on one or two occasions and there were some good lessons in that for me, even if the lessons were not immediately apparent to me

another question I need to ask, and this will probably open another can of worms, does anyone have a solution to a dogs urine burning the grass? not all the time just occassionaly?

Prolly a question best asked in the health/nutrition forum?

[Eileen]

The puppy preschool at our vets was a dogtech lady - in the eastern suburbs, I wonder if it is the same lady as Poodlefan mentioned? Her name was Olga. She was quite good, I guess, I just found the stuff a bit repetitive. Still, she gave us great tips for avoiding anxiety, and the rest of the stuff was like no dogs on beds, couches etc.

[carloslex]

once again, Sorry, i didn't realise there are different sections, I will try and find it and post the question there. I guess i should have spent a week or so llloking through the site before posting questions etc. I guess thats the first lesson in here for me.