Jessica Oncken

I think it comes down to what you consider being successful. For me, success isn't about having a lot of followers or a big brand or making a lot of money. Most trainers nowadays think success is about branding and social media, but that's not what it's about for me. I don't have a large following, but the followers that I do have are some of the most respected names in the world. My definition of success is different because I had a different background - our dogs had lives on the line. If our dogs screw up, someone's not coming home. We had life consequences. Our success was that our students stay alive and come back the next year for recertification. My goal has always been to make sure that I produce the best dog and the best handler so that they come home at night. My dad taught me to focus on that, and if you get recognition, take it gratefully and get your butt back to work. I think me growing up with that responsibility of making sure that this dog keeps this officer alive - I had that on my shoulders, and I take any kind of training with that same mindset. I'm always looking 10 steps ahead to make sure my dogs and my handlers, or my owners, are safe. At the end of the day, all you have is what you did. Did you stand up when nobody else would because you wanted other people behind you, or did you stand up because it was right and you didn't care if you had someone behind you? You can't take the followers and the money and the brand when you go meet your maker. The only thing you take is what you did and whether you cut corners to get there. That's what you're gonna be remembered for.

The best advice I received was from my dad. He told me that my job, my goal, is to make sure that I produce the best dog and the best handler so that they come home at night. He said if you get recognition, take it gratefully, and get your butt back to work. Another huge piece of advice was being honest with people about your knowledge and abilities, and where your knowledge and abilities aren't as strong, to give a good professional opinion. There are times where I will say, you know what, I've done that, but I know somebody that knows a lot better than I do, let me send you to them. My dad also taught me that the day you think you know everything about dog training is the day you become a bad trainer. He would say things like, can the dog do it again, 10 more times, with the same scenario and the same outcome? He was keeping me grounded in reality. He told me that if you have to ask me a question or you don't know the answer, you need to not be working at this level yet. He was teaching me that you can't want the title of a trainer if you're going to another trainer for validity, because what you're actually doing is making it to where you could say, hey, if it screws up, it's not me, you told me what to do. He wanted me to learn to have confidence in my own decisions. My dad also said, you know what, science is a guide, not an instruction manual. You can read a book, but it doesn't mean you can read a dog. And he taught me, don't think you know everything, and don't worry about being popular or liked. Worry about doing your job and doing it well.

My advice is to learn from everybody. Get a good, strong core foundation in behavioral science - the real academic stuff, not just methods and techniques - and then I want you going to as many different trainers as possible. You're either going to learn something new, or look at something new and use something you already have and go, I wonder if it'll work over here. Or you're gonna learn what not to do. You're gonna go, you know what, that ain't making sense. Don't worry about being popular or having a brand or a big social media following. Don't worry about being a 'badass trainer' with a reputation. Worry about producing good dogs and good handlers or owners. That's it. If you want all of that recognition and fame, go find another mentor, because that's not what I'm gonna teach you. The recognition will eventually come, but everyone wants this instant gratification. Don't think you know everything - the day you think you know everything about dog training is the day you become a bad trainer. Be honest about your knowledge and abilities, and when you don't know something or someone else knows better, refer clients to more qualified experts. That's especially important given the life-threatening consequences that can result from mistakes in working dog training. Focus on doing your job well, and if you can reach just one person and give them the grounding tools and get them to stick with their guns and not worry about the money, but worry about the job you do, that's what matters. My dad always said he thought women made better trainers than men because we have almost like a sixth sense that men don't have, that we pick up on the subtleties. So use that to your advantage.

The biggest challenges in the dog training industry right now are the explosion of unqualified trainers entering the field. We've had an influx of professional dog trainers, and I say that with quotes, in the last decade, especially with social media and the internet. Everyone's on there as a professional dog trainer, and most of them think it's all about branding and having a lot of followers. It doesn't matter if what they're saying is correct or not. They're into 'I gotta have a brand' as opposed to actually worrying about the truth. They want to be known as a 'badass trainer' instead of actually producing well-trained dogs and handlers. The industry is largely unregulated, so they can get away with it. There are people that haven't even been doing this 10 years, and they're training other trainers and mentoring other trainers when they don't even know who they are as a trainer themselves. You've got trainers with limited experience charging high fees, people falsely claiming certifications and expertise. I've seen trainers say they've titled several dogs with NNDDA when you don't title dogs, you certify them, and in order to do that with NNDDA you have to be a full-time police officer, which this guy never was. I have an email from the president saying he's never heard of that guy. You've got people claiming they've trained 20,000 or 10,000 dogs, and I'm like, do you know how to do math? There are people with academic credentials like PhDs who lack proper knowledge of training definitions and breed standards. There's one girl on LinkedIn with a PhD in education in lower-income neighborhoods who puts on her profile that she's a science-based dog trainer and calls herself the pitty doctor, but she doesn't even know the difference between classical and operant conditioning, and she doesn't know the breed standard for American Pit Bull Terriers. She's getting called out as an expert and being interviewed by the New York Post, and I'm like, she doesn't even know the right definitions. The challenge is maintaining professional standards and prioritizing safety and effectiveness over popularity or branding in an industry increasingly focused on image rather than results. These trainers don't think about the consequences. With pet dog trainers, they don't realize they have a responsibility because those families are coming to you so that they can have a safe relationship with their dog, and if you don't take that seriously, then if that dog gets put down, that's your fault. If someone in that family gets hurt, it's your fault. The most dangerous thing in canine is you have an officer who's young, who's green, and they don't want to admit that they're not ready for a situation. People need to be honest about their limitations.

The most important values to me are doing what's right and never wavering on that, even when it's hard. My dad taught me that at the end of the day, all you have is what you did. Did you stand up when nobody else would because you wanted other people behind you, or did you stand up because it was right and you didn't care if you had someone behind you? That's what matters. Integrity is everything - you can't take the followers and the money and the brand when you go meet your maker. The only thing you take is what you did and whether you cut corners to get there. That's what you're gonna be remembered for. My dad was remembered for not wavering, ever. People tell me they didn't always agree with what my dad said, but because my dad never wavered on what was right, they respected him for that. I want to follow in those footsteps. Honesty is critical - being honest about your knowledge and abilities, and where you're not as strong, referring people to more qualified experts. Safety and responsibility are paramount. My goal has always been to make sure that I produce the best dog and the best handler so that they come home at night. I take any kind of training with that same mindset - I'm always looking 10 steps ahead to make sure my dogs and my handlers, or my owners, are safe. Even with pet dog trainers, if you don't take that responsibility seriously and that dog gets put down or someone in that family gets hurt, it's your fault. I also value continuous learning - the day you think you know everything about dog training is the day you become a bad trainer. And I value helping others, especially young trainers. If I can reach just one person and give them the grounding tools and get them to stick with their guns and worry about the job they do instead of the money, I'll be happy.