How important are past or current client relationships(or confidentiality) to you?

[release the hounds]

Originally Posted by Airn

I am very hesitant to get a trainer since I am a newbie. I want to train my dog, but I want to do it in a 'good' way and I feel like I might get pushed around because of my lack of knowledge. (Especially in the herding world.)

Anyway, no you're not alone!

A couple words of advice, LEAVE YOUR DOG AT HOME! go to training, meet trainers, watch people train, watch their dogs work, talk dogs, talk training, eat and talk training, go watch more people train, go to a seminar, watch the pro give instruction and work on other people's dogs, then after you see what you like and don't like, then let some one put their hands on you and your dog.

Dog training is about relationships and not just the one between you and your dog, especially starting out. some of us get lucky, some start out very unlucky, but if you put in your time, without your dog, you're much less likely to be taken for a ride.

[Dizzy]

Well.... I'm a social worker. You should hear what is said about our "clients". Especially the males who like to exploit young girls.

I've even heard social workers discussing a social care black ops squad for those nice fellows


You have to vent. Sometimes if you don't laugh you'll cry, and you NEED to be able to rant about stuff. I don't know a single colleague who doesn't discuss work outside of work. We'd go insane if we didn't.


As for confidentiality. Well, use your head. Seriously. A bit of common sense doesn't go astray. I don't discuss work online. I don't tell people names, places. But yes, I do vent, and I have shared stories about some of the absurd things I've come across. Which is a lot.


As for dog trainers... Really, is training dogs really that stressful?! Try working with peadophiles lol

[GoingNowhere]

I think it really depends upon the who, where, why, and how much of the venting. I honestly don't see a problem with venting about a client to a significant other. Possibly even another coworker if the complaint is justified and the coworker is in a similar boat (assuming you're in private).

Venting to one client about another client is unprofessional. Openly bashing a client to anyone except maybe a significant other is unprofessional. Really, I'd just use common sense.


If I were a client, I wouldn't want to hire someone whom I was aware regularly bashed his clients. That being said, I get that it's going to happen, and I've certainly done some venting myself in my time. If the potential individual to be employed has any sense, it wouldn't have reached my ears to begin with.

[LauraLeigh]

Originally Posted by Dizzy

Well.... I'm a social worker. You should hear what is said about our "clients". Especially the males who like to exploit young girls.

I've even heard social workers discussing a social care black ops squad for those nice fellows


You have to vent. Sometimes if you don't laugh you'll cry, and you NEED to be able to rant about stuff. I don't know a single colleague who doesn't discuss work outside of work. We'd go insane if we didn't.


As for confidentiality. Well, use your head. Seriously. A bit of common sense doesn't go astray. I don't discuss work online. I don't tell people names, places. But yes, I do vent, and I have shared stories about some of the absurd things I've come across. Which is a lot.


As for dog trainers... Really, is training dogs really that stressful?! Try working with peadophiles lol

I should clarify, I don't mean they shouldn't vent, ESP in jobs such as yours, vent away to family, close friends, co workers, I think we all need that.... But to do it on a public forum such as Facebook and name names? Not cool in my opinion... As I said, other than the odd anonymous rant..

[AdrianneIsabel]

Dizzy, your clients aren't paying you not is anyone picking you of your reputation.

[stardogs]

I do vent on fb about some of the situations I run into as a trainer, but I NEVER put names with those vents and I try to be as neutral as possible with other clients, though I might use an example of something that's happened with a past client to illustrate something for another, again with no rude language or names associated.

Outright calling people names or attaching personal details to vents? Yea, no. Not professional.

I recently had someone unknown to me sharing info on a client I have with a friend of hers (she is a neighbor of my client) and the info was of a sensitive, though technically public, nature and I heard about it from our mutual friend asking if I'd heard about it. Not cool.

[~Jessie~]

It's entirely different to vent in a private setting, for instance, to spouses or significant others. I think that's almost necessary in order to keep sanity!

I think it's tacky when business owners, trainers, doctors, etc., complain to their clients or customers about other customers. One of the dog bakeries I used to go to did that (read: USED to go to). They would complain about the costs from venders, other customers (AS they were walking out the door), certain client dogs, etc.

[AdrianneIsabel]

Thanks all, I was starting to feel like I was the only one who remembered how to keep a good face.

I would never buy from said breeder, utilize said trainer, or ask said groomer to touch my dogs. I don't trust people who so freely (Facebook & public blogs) throw around client names and insults.

Stardogs, btw your version that I have seen has been harmless.

Venting here and there is expected, general and anonymous is normal. However, I think a lot I people have forgotten plain old respect, not to mention they work in the public service industry.

[stardogs]

Originally Posted by AdrianneIsabel

Venting here and there is expected, general and anonymous is normal. However, I think a lot I people have forgotten plain old respect, not to mention they work in the public service industry.

^That. Totally. And very unfortunately.

[Lyzelle]

Originally Posted by AdrianneIsabel

I would never buy from said breeder, utilize said trainer, or ask said groomer to touch my dogs. I don't trust people who so freely (Facebook & public blogs) throw around client names and insults.

Yep, I agree with this.