Okay, I may get a lot of flak for writing this but I think it needs to be said.  I love veterinarians.  I think they are great.  I think that if your pet is sick you should take them right away to the vet.  Vets serve an amazing purpose to the community.

With some exceptions, though, the veterinarian is not the place you want to go for information about training your dog or fixing unwanted dog behaviors.

Why you shouldn’t visit the vet for dog training information

There are several reasons why you shouldn’t visit the vet to get dog training and behavioral information:

1- Veterinarians don’t receive much behavioral training in school.  The vast majority of courses at veterinary schools focus on animal health, obviously.  Vets do receive some instruction on behavior but at most schools it is minimal.  These students aren’t paying to learn how to train a dog, they are paying to learn how to treat a dog.  In my experience vets are just as prone to buying in to dog training myths and mistakes as the general public. 

There are numerous vets, however, that are very well versed on dog behavior and training.  Most of these vets, though, have acquired this training on their own, independent of school.  When asking your vet advice on dog behavior it would be wise to first inquire about their behavioral experience and then base the response on their background.

2- Veterinarians see dogs at their very worst.  Think about it, what kind of dogs does the vet see every day?  He sees dogs that are freaked out, nervous, and stressed.  These dogs in no way want to be associated with the vets office or the vet himself.  This is a very bad backdrop to be learning about dog behavior.  Vets are able to learn a great deal, normally, about stressed out behavior, but not too much to be able to help you with your behavioral issues.

3- Health and behavior often are interlinked.  Much of the time, though, negative behavior is independent of health issues.  Most bad behavior is learned through improper communication in the dog/person relationship.  So let your vet advise you on the health aspects and a professional dog trainer advise you on the behavioral aspects of your dog.

Would you go to your pediatrician to find out how to get your child to stop throwing fits or to eat their vegetables?  Probably not.  The same applies to your dog.  Seek out the proper professionals for each of your canine needs.