Professional Dog Training Instructor. Module 8 Designing, Developing and Delivering Dog Training Sessions

Transcription

1 Professional Dog Training Instructor Module 8 Designing, Developing and Delivering Dog Training Sessions Lesson 3 Delivering In-House Training Sessions

2 Introduction This lesson will take an in depth look at how you should conduct yourself when delivering training on a one to one basis. We will look at the practicalities of these sessions, safety considerations and also explore interpersonal communication skills which will benefit you in all aspects of life but especially in relationship building with clients. Goals of This Module One to one training sessions are likely to play a considerable part in the career of any dog trainer, so it is very important to prepare for the realities of this aspect of dog training. By the completion of this module you will have gained a superior understanding in how to read clients communication and manage your own non-verbal communication. You will also be able to prepare safely for one to one training sessions and have full control of the content of the session.

3 Preparing for One to One Training One to one training is a private session with a dog owner, or family, or part of a family, where their individual needs are catered for. This can be a more popular option for families who have a specific issue that they want to address, dogs who will not do great in a group setting, or perhaps the owners are not comfortable attending a group setting. Many trainers only offer one to one training sessions, and there is great flexibility with this training option as you can schedule the appointments when suits as opposed to remaining committed to longer runs of obedience classes. One to one training sessions can be more beneficial for the client as they will get your full attention for the duration of the session. This can be beneficial over group classes where it can be expected that some of the content will not be relevant to the individual owner and the trainer will need to divide their time to all the attendees. One to one training sessions can become more profitable for the trainer should the sessions be held at the client s home, as it cuts down the cost of renting and maintaining a premise. However, some trainers prefer to hold the one to one training in their own home which again has its perks. There are some concerns to be aware of when preparing to offer one to one training. Travel costs If you choose to travel to the client s home travel costs need to be considered. You will need to decide if you will charge for travel costs. Perhaps you will travel for free to premises within 15 minutes from your home, or perhaps you will travel to specific areas or towns on specific days? If charging travel costs it is important to remember that there are both fuel costs and your time to take into consideration. Traveling to a session 90 mins from your home means you will have three full hours of travel time which will be both tiring and meant that you will likely be unable to take other bookings that day. There is also wear and tear to your vehicle to consider, especially if the vehicle you are travelling in has already seen a lot of hours on the road. Tires need replacing, breaks

4 need to be maintained, engine costs will build up, so time on the road has costs to consider. You should also think carefully about the distance you are happy to travel for a consultation as travel time can be very taxing. Check out the travel costs your competitors have to determine what you will charge for travel. Let your client know how travel costs will be calculated. If you are travelling by distance remember that different times of the day or week will result in different amounts of traffic, so while a client may only be 15km away this could take quite a bit of time at peak traffic times. Insurance When exploring different insurance policies, you will need to think about what you want to cover. Will it be your own premises that you have insured? Will you take out mobile insurance to cover you and your clients in their own home? What about taking dogs and their owners out in public to local parks? Will your insurance cover you transporting your client and their animals? You need to plan for this to ensure that you are covered for all eventualities. Maintenance of Your Premises Hosting one to one training sessions will include costs. You may want to put a signpost outside your home so that clients know they are at the right premises, you may want to convert a certain room or garage, you may need to renovate the room with dogfriendly flooring that will be easy to clean should there be accidents, you may need to install heating or windows for ventilation, you may want wheelchair access, and pet friendly furniture (you should EXPECT everything to get pee d on!), you may want a retail area and so on. These costs may not be a one off as you may have ongoing repairs and maintenance to the venue.

5 Take Full History Part of your one to one training preparation needs to be a thorough history taking. Often sheets and sheets of enrolment forms can be off-putting for clients, but failing to prepare can be considered preparing to fail! We recommend that you take a brief summary of the case prior to accepting the booking, then you can follow up with a form or telephone call where you gather all of the additional information that you believe will be beneficial for your preparation. Look at the questions you are asking your client. Are they necessary? If so, leave them in. Are you asking too many questions? If so, cut them out. Are some of the questions topics that you are better off discussing with the client during your consultation? Your history taking form and process should be fluid, regularly updated, and feedback from clients can help you ensure that your forms are what you think they are! Prepare your Content and Lesson Plan We have worked on lesson plans throughout this course, and they don t end yet! Each one to one session should have an accompanying lesson plan. Early in your career this will very much help you to gain control of the session, and as time goes on you can reduce the work and time that goes in to your preparation, but working on a lesson plan schedule, even if a brief one, will ensure your session sticks to the time frame and achieves everything you plan on achieving during your training session. Your history taking will help you to fully interpret exactly what the client wants to address, and will help you to build your expectations. Ensure you do this in ample time so that you have time to prepare and feel confident going in to your session. It is recommended that you verify the planned content with your client prior to your session so that you don t have any unexpected surprises! What to bring When attending one to one training sessions there are a few things you should have in your tool bag. First and foremost, high value food reinforcers. If visiting the clients home, it would be assumed that they would have treats for the dog but that is not guaranteed so dog-safe treats should always be found in your bag.

6 Chew toys and / or food chews such as rawhides or stagbars can be kept in your tool bag to entertain a hyper dog while you chat to your client. Products you recommend should be in your bag, especially if you also have a retail option. Treat balls, harnesses, Thundershirts, relaxation sprays and so on could all be in your bag to show your client and potentially demonstrate. A clipboard and several pens is a must you never know when your pen can run out! If you have pre-made handouts, then of course bring these along too. A watch is recommended so that you can keep an eye on your time. Checking the time on your phone can look rude, but a subtle gaze at your phone should go unnoticed. Familiarise Yourself with the Location Arriving late and flustered to your training session is NOT fun! With technology, such as satellite navigation and the use of google maps you should have no trouble finding the premises if the home is in an estate or well directed. However, there are many homes, especially in the rural areas, that have difficult to decipher addresses. In this case, we recommend that you insist on the client providing their Eircode. They can do this easily through then you will be able to identify the premises much better. If you are not 100% confident on the location then we recommend you take a spin a few days before if the location is not too far away, or else give yourself ample extra time on the day of your session so that you can phone your client if you get lost. With that, make sure to have the clients contact numbers to hand before travelling. Risk Assessment and Reduction If the one to one session is held at your own premises it is important that you do a full risk assessment of your premises, and then also take into consideration the risk that comes with having the dog(s) and strangers in your premises. If the session is held at

7 a client s home, again think of the risks. Will you take the family and their dog off-site? Perhaps to a local park? What risks come in to play there? Now that you have outlined the risks how can you take measures to reduce the risks? Ensure that your insurance providers are aware of the risks that you see to ensure that they cover you for this in your policy. First Aid It is recommended to have both human and dog first aid training as you never know when you may need it.

8 When you Arrive Children Present? Have you found out if the clients have children? If they do, have you given instructions on their attendance? Think this through carefully. If you have multiple sessions planned you may have them present initially then re-evaluate, or if you believe that they may play a distraction you may want to have a babysitter care for them, you will need to make your own call on this, just be sure to take the time to think about it. Where do you want the dog? When you arrive will you have the dog at the front door? Or will you ask the client to have them in a separate room until you have begun your session? Or will you give no instructions and wait to see what the client does? This is once again your call, but something you should think about. How to Host When you hold a one to one session you may be in your own premises or in the client s home. However, in both premises, you are in the driving seat. The client may feel anxious and is likely to be unfamiliar with the one to one training process so to ensure that the session goes how you would like it to you we recommend that you take control and host despite the location. Begin as you mean to go on! Start your session with your introduction and then a summary of what will happen next. If you have booked the client for a series of sessions, you should explain the process to the client too. Over the next hour we will then I will send you a follow up report.. During our next session, we will and then.. this will give your sessions more structure and help you to dive straight in to the session with a sense of purpose. Watch your Time As mentioned earlier you should wear a working watch during one to one sessions. On your clipboard, you should have a very summarised lesson plan, simply the time frame and the topic, so that if you are finding that you are progressing too fast or too slow you can adjust your speed of progression.

9 If you are running short on time and your client begins to ask questions that are not on your agenda, you can tell your client that we can talk about that another day or We are out of time now, but I don t have another session today so if you want we can add an extra 30 minutes at the discounted rate?

10 Staying Safe Arrive on the Phone As we have mentioned before, human safety is important. Arriving at your consultation on the phone means that you will have a get out clause. The person on the other end of the phone can be a partner, a family member or another classmate. The purpose of this brief phone call is threefold. Firstly, you want to have someone know where you are, so tell the person the address of the consultation, how long you should be there, and what to do if they don t hear from you in X minutes. Secondly the phone call gives you a reason to wrap up your session later, you can tell your client Sorry about that, that s my sister, she has car trouble so I will have to collect her after this session, so you can remind them that you have to run if they try to keep asking questions after the timeframe. Finally, if you feel that something is off when you arrive at the home, for example if the person answers the door with a gun! You can apologise and say that you have to run because of an emergency. Buddy System As mentioned above, you should absolutely always have someone know your location. This can be done by having a training buddy who you inform if your training session prior to beginning, then another quick text after the session to let them know you are safe. This training buddy could also have the details of your phones location. Through phone apps you can allow others to track your phone location, so this can provide additional safety should they not hear from you after your training session. This is a really important habit to get in to from the start so that you remain aware of personal safety protection throughout your career. You can carry personal safety items on your persons, such as panic alarms and / or other items that can be used to protect yourself. Pepper spray is illegal in Ireland but hairspray or similar items can be used for similar uses. Make sure to have your phone fully charged at all times, and plenty of fuel in your car so that you do not run in to trouble on your way to and from your session.

11 Interpersonal Communication Skills Working with clients on a one to one basis requires a lot more relationship building than in a group training class. A one to one training session can sometimes turn in to a life coaching or family counselling session, so awareness of the best way to communicate will be a great benefit. The first thing to understand is that everyone is different! While you will have your own learning style it is important to remember that there are different learning styles and that you are likely to work with all of them through your career. Visual Visual learners like to learn through watching. These learners need to see the trainers body language and facial expression to fully understand the content of a lesson. They may think in pictures and learn best from visual displays including: diagrams, illustrated text books, overhead transparencies, videos, flipcharts and hand-outs. Your YouTube videos may be beneficial to such clients. Auditory Auditory learners like to listen to instructions to learn. They may want to engage in discussion with you over the training plan, may benefit from additional phone calls, and will not do well with having to just figure it out through a written report. Auditory learners interpret the underlying meanings of speech through listening to tone of voice, pitch, speed and other nuances. These learners often benefit from a tape recording of your consultation. Touch Tactile/Kinaesthetic persons learn best through a hands-on approach, actively exploring the physical world around them. They may find it hard to sit still for long periods and may become distracted by their need for activity and exploration. These clients should be given some activities to do regularly through your consultation to keep them focused and to maximise learning.

12 Reading and Writing Some clients benefit from ample written material, and like to learn through reading the written material that you provide. It would be beneficial to remind such clients throughout your consultation that they will be provided with a written report. Such clients may arrive at your session with a notepad and pen, and may benefit from allowing time for them to take notes through your consultation. It is important to recognise and cater for the different learning styles of your clients. You could even ask prior to your consultation how they prefer to learn so that you can design your lesson plan accordingly.

13 Interpersonal Communication Skills Interpersonal communication skills relate to your ability to converse successfully with clients. Your focus is your ability to read your clients correctly and respond appropriately, not just with words, but with all aspects of communication, from body language, to facial expressions, to non-word sounds and techniques. While we all believe that we have the ability to converse successfully, actually paying attention to yourself and to your client with open eyes will help you to develop your skills to become a better communicator. Listening Listening is of course a vital part of communication. The ability to listen correctly is a skill, and a very important skill for your career. Believe it or not there are bad ways to listen! Bad listening includes racing ahead in your mind to formulate a response to your client when they are opening up and providing you with important information. Working on formulating your answer can stop you from being able to actually hear what they are telling you. Instead you should fully listen and wait to work on your response once they have finished. Of course, even worse than thinking about your response is thinking about something totally different! If you find yourself drifting off and thinking about dinner, or your weekend plans, then you really are communicating poorly and you need to tell yourself to focus. Trying to listen to multiple conversations at once is a barrier to effective listening, so if two clients are speaking over one another ask them to take turns so you can give each your full attention. Fiddling, playing with a pen, gazing out the window, or other distracting activities will both inhibit your ability to listen and will communicate your disinterest to your client. Feeling unwell, tired, hungry, thirsty, or needing the bathroom can all become a barrier to adequate interpersonal communication skills so ensure you are fully prepared for your consultation.

14 While the goal is to fully prepare for your consultation, you must also be careful not to pre-judge your case, and you must listen with an open mind to ensure that you have not gotten the wrong idea about your case. Body language that implies to your client that you are not listening include slouching back into the couch, you should sit with your shoulders slightly forward. Lack of eye contact. You should make regular eye contact to show your client that you are listening and encouraging them to speak. Avoid staring, but hold eye contact for 2-3 seconds at a time before flicking to your notes, or the dog, or another client, then back to the client. As mentioned fidgeting implies you are disinterested, as does yawning, stretching or sighing. Changing the topic mid conversation is a sure way to show your client that you are either not listening or not interested in what they are communication with you. Advising the client too early into the conversation will result in the closure of the information sharing process which can result in the client not being listened to fully. Active Listening Active listening is holistic listening. It means listening not just with your ears but with your body and mind. As mentioned, holding eye contact shows you are listening. Nodding, and varied speeds of nodding, show the client that you are with them, and the speed of the nod reflects your opinion of their information. Mmm hmmm, yes, uh huh and so on subtle sounds show your client that you are listening and encourages them to continue to share their story. This will encourage the client to feel like their opinion is valued which is very important in letting them open up honestly. Smiling, where appropriate, is appropriate listening. Raising your eyebrows where appropriate shows listening. Mirroring body language, like in dog to dog communication, can show your client that you are listening, though if their body language is a barrier to communication of course you should not mirror this.

15 Positively reinforce communication. Clients may find it difficult to share, or may be embarrassed to share stories with you, but their honesty will help you to understand the case, so praise them for being open. Questioning your client shows you are listening. Ask them to clarify, asking for more details and so on helps the client feel listened to. Clarifying what they have told you helps to avoid miscommunications and again shows the client that you are getting it. Verbal Communication It is important, first and foremost, that your client can understand you. Strong accents and language barriers can sometimes make communication difficult, so speak slowly, clearly, and check in regularly with your client to make sure they understand you. Your video assessments have helped you to understand your own voice, and given you an opportunity to listen to yourself, I would recommend having honest friends or family review your videos for honest feedback. Smile Smile while greeting and opening your consultation. When you arrive at the home, arrive with a smile. Greetings can be rushed as both parties attempt to communicate effectively, so allow your client speak first, and if they do not, then explain the consultation to them with a smile. Smiling through the explanation of the process stage will help put your client at ease and start as you meant to go on. Language You must remain professional but informal. That is a difficult balance to have but will come with practice and awareness. Using formal language, avoiding slang, curses, and cultural phrases will help to avoid becoming too informal.

16 Sandwich Communication When you have to give constructive feedback to your client, and something they could potentially take as a negative, use the sandwich approach putting positive feedback on either side of the negative. Reminding the client how much they love their dog, and how great they are for putting so much time, effort and commitment in to their dogs are easy general positive comments to fall back on, and of course as you get to know the client you will be able to give more. Personal Appearance Your appearance communicates to the client your style. Appearing clean, professional, and dog trainer-ish will show your client that you are prepared for your training session and that you are taking on the role of the trainer. A logo-ed uniform will immediately communicate to the client that you are the trainer, and not there to check their electricity meter! Practice Makes Perfect Begin working on your communication skills. Remember your client is human, they are on your side, and they are likely to feel a little unsure about how the consultation is going to go, so walk in there as the dog trainer. Even if you are feeling anxious or unsure your client doesn t know that, so play the role of the dog trainer and pretty soon you will become the dog trainer!