I hold all my initial client sessions virtually via Session Zero client consults and behavior planning. I also am in the process of continuing to create more and more online self-led content to supplement or take the place of in person lessons. Because of this, I get the question a lot:
If it’s safe to train in person…why train virtually?
With the risk of COVID-19 in Maryland decreasing overall, and businesses opened for business as usual, you may wonder about the benefits of training virtually, and why Like Magic, and many dog trainers, are continuing to offer virtual classes, webinars, and self-paced online resources.
In 2020, dog trainers were scrambling. Group classes, in person lessons - this is how most of us worked, regularly. If a pandemic prevented us from coming face to face with our clients, it was a scary proposition to suddenly move all of that online. We weren’t sure if we could get the same results, and many of our clients were equally skeptical.
In a year of at-home training, we’ve learned a lot. I’ve intentionally carved out space for virtual and online resources because:
There are less distractions! Some behaviors, like walking nicely on a leash, or coming when called, or impulse control behaviors like wait and stay, really benefit from the introduction of distractions. This is often where clients need coaching on how to cope with distractions; and we are super excited to bring behavior practice like that back into the classroom! But the building blocks for those behaviors and steps to take to set your dog up for success can be achieved more easily in the home. And other behaviors - like tricks or enrichment - they don’t necessarily need those distractions, and the familiarity of a home environment make it easier for your dog to learn. A dog coping with reactivity will benefit from being taught skills to focus on their handler and respond to certain cues in a safe, calm environment before taking those skills out into the world. In addition, sensitive subjects like cooperative care and muzzle training, which can put your pup in vulnerable positions, can be much easier to learn at home where your dog feels most safe!
It’s also easier to learn a new behavior or skill without distractions. That’s why our Drama Class - a group class designed for dogs who struggle with their big feelings about distractions, is designed to be taken first as an online self-led course, before transitioning into coached help for the real world. That way your dog doesn’t need to learn the behavior while they are already distracted!Distance doesn’t matter! There are so many people that we would love to reach, and either our location or our regular hours don’t work for their schedule. Because I get to run Heroes’ Guild during the day, I’m not available for weekday lessons, and by weeknights I’m beat - so my privates are generally offered only on Sundays. By offering virtual classes, we can offer our services to anyone that they might suit, not just folks in a nearby service area. With individualized coaching offered whenever you have the time to train, or the option to take virtual classes, we can bring our expertise to your living room.
Infrastructure for online classes gives us more flexibility. Too hot, too cold, too stormy outside to hold classes? For certain subjects, we are set up to pivot online whenever we need to, meaning you don’t have to miss out on training just because the weather gets in the way. Continuing to evaluate and refine our online services means that we are ready for any in-person limitations that might arise in the future; and we won’t be scrambling to take our in-person services online. They’ll be ready and waiting, and tailored to an online experience!
Accessibility - not just for folks who live further away, but recorded sessions and filmed coaching feedback means you can access your training any time you want, or go back to review resources whenever you need them. It means that not only will our training help you and your dog while you’re actively in our class, but whenever you want, wherever you need.
Most importantly, the focus is on the relationship that matters. Time and time again, we see dogs eager to work for us as trainers - which is great for us! We show up, we give them meatballs or cheese or cookies, and then we leave. No wonder they are focused on us! But with virtual training, we are just a voice from a screen - you are the spectacular provider of treats. Putting us in the coach’s seat means both that we need to up our communication game, but ultimately it also means your dog becomes that much more focused on you during their training sessions - which is exactly what should happen!
Have questions about virtual training? Want to talk through your concerns more? We totally understand - it’s been a challenging few years (to put it mildly) and it’s easy to feel burnt out on Zoom meetings. We want to assure you that we choose our virtual offerings carefully and truly believe they are often the best way to present the information within them - but let’s chat and make sure we’ve got the best option available for you!
