January is National Train Your Dog Month and one way to have the best-behaved dog on the block is to find a great dog trainer! BestBullySticks.com is here to give you some tips and tricks to find the best trainer out there.
Referrals
Don’t be overwhelmed by the number of dog trainers you find in the phone book or online. Go to happy customers that you know will give you an honest opinion: your friends and family. Even ask your favorite animal shelter or vet whom they would recommend.
Qualifications & References
It’s obviously important that your dog trainer be experienced and competent. Most likely a trainer will have multiple sets of initials after their name. But what do they even mean? A quick check on Association of Pet Dog Trainers can tell you the trainer’s qualifications by the initials after their name. Since there is no required certification or licensing for a dog trainer, it’s even more important to know what formal knowledge a dog trainer possesses. Also directly ask the trainer how long they’ve been training and ask for references. Any legitimate dog trainer will have no issue putting you in touch with their past clients. You can also double check if a trainer is truly a part of a professional organization by checking the entity’s website.
Methods
Not all trainers will use the same methods to train your four-legged best friend. Research Dominance, Positive, Balanced and Specialized training methods and know which method your trainer could use. If you’re ever uncomfortable with a trainer’s method, find another trainer. Every trainer is different and so is every dog.
Private vs. Group Lessons
Once you know what kind of training methods you’re comfortable with, decide whether you want to have in-home, private lessons or group lessons. Positives for in-home sessions are training where your dog will spend the most time and having the undivided attention of the trainer. However, these lessons usually carry a high, per-hour charge. Group lessons are great because your dog receives much needed socialization from other dogs and people while becoming a well-behaved dog and they cost less.
Kinds of Classes
Basic obedience training is a standard class, but a trainer can be used for advanced obedience, therapy, confirmation, agility, sporting and even search and rescue.
Observe & Interview
When you’ve narrowed your list of trainers, ask to observe a training session. This will give you lots of great information about how training will go. You’ll see how your dog communicates with not only the dogs, but the owners and families involved. Is the trainer giving individual attention in a group setting? What is the class size? Is praise given frequently? Are people enjoying themselves? This observation time will help you see any red flags. If a trainer doesn’t allow you to observe, that is a major red flag.
Also ask the trainer directly:
Cost
It’s understandable that you have to consider cost. As mentioned before, private lessons are usually on an hourly basis while group session are usually priced based on several weeks of lessons. Local animal shelters will sometimes subsidize the cost of classes if you’ve adopted from their shelter.
Ultimately, go with your instincts.
Choosing a dog trainer that feels right and makes you and your dog the most comfortable is as simple as doing a little research. However all the research in the world won’t be enough if you don’t feel comfortable.
When you have chosen a trainer, before you go:
What’s the best advice you can give someone looking for a dog trainer? Share your advice in the comments below!
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Very good information. I am a trainer and find a lot of people are confused about how to choose a trainer. I do mostly one-on-one training and fully believe this is the only way to really become educated. In private training I provide information, and the tools that empower owners to make better decisions with their dogs in every aspect of their lives. In a pinch classes are better then no training, but personal training cannot be compared at all to group classes even in the slightest.
The cost is not as outrageous as one would think for the training and education you get. Fees usually range from $25 per hour to $100 per hour depending on where you live and what programs the trainer has.
I have seen some pretty good small classes though, but please pick a trainer that is not associated with a dog market chain like Pet Smart. I know they won’t be happy with me saying that, but I have seen their training book and they is not flexibility in their training or methods. Chains have standardized training for a reason, and this is because they don’t usually hire the best trainers, and have they have the need to control what their trainers do. Note I said usually. I have a couple really good trainers at chains, some were friends, but their hands are and they cannot react as individuals even they know it is best. I have personally seen this with trainers I know working at chains.
When you see someone with a very well trained dog, ask him or her who his or her trainer was. Any businessperson can provide good references; so don’t count on references provided by someone in any business. The best reference is someone you found. But totally make sure you check the resume of your prospective trainer. They do not have to have a much of stuff behind their name. You will find all that stuff means nothing without real experience. I have seen trainers with less then a few years experience join several training organizations just to look bigger or better. What you want to know is how can that trainer prove they have achieved experience in many different canine disciplines. Knowing the fun stuff like positive reinforcement and obedience is just enough. To truly help owners trainers need to have achieved competitive or working titles that someone else tested them on. These third part titles are proof of achievement.
When I get young trainers I tell them, train free for five years while you put at least two titles a year on your dogs. If you cannot do this, don’t become a trainer. There are WAY to many trainers out there training that have no business being there. I get people all the time want to become a trainer. They wake up one day and decide to be a trainer. I know one in my area that decided she was good with dogs and loved to train. Worked with one obedience trainer for six months, and after charged as much as top trainers in our area do. This kind of trainer is dangerous. I follow them up all the time to fix what they could not do or messed up.
I have seen some good five to ten year trainers, but my preference is that if you are paying out your hard earned money, choose trainers with at least ten years experience that have achieved at least ten titles of some kind. There are exceptions to that rule, and only you can decide if the resume is good enough. I have seen some super 7 to 8 year trainers that have worked very hard to build an education/resume. So I would not count them out. Look around and find the best one in your area.
I do have owners come to me from states all around me. Some come because there are no good trainers in their area, and they are wiling to travel some to get the quality training, or because of some of my specialty disciplines. So you might have to travel some if you don’t have any in your area.
To end I would say worry less about the alphabet soup behind their name, and spend more time confirming things on their resume of achievements……like anyone would do for a job position. I always have my resume ready for those narrowing the field. And I allow interviews to make sure the human dynamics are there. You cannot learn from someone you don’t like. Last thing, and this is a big one. Watch them work with their own dogs. If they cannot train their own dogs then don’t choose them. You would not believe the trainers out there that have ill behaved dogs.
Kim Willis, Master K9 Trainer
Retired VB Master Police Officer/Detective
City of Chesapeake Community Emergency Response Team, K9 Operations
Leader/Trainer, Operational K9 Teams, Animals in Disaster Coordinator
State Certified Professional Ground Searcher
Man Tracker Level I
North American Police Work Dog Association, Associate Member, and Associate
Member East Coast SAR Liaison
Chesapeake Community Animal Response Team “CART” (co-founder), Supported by Virginia State Animal Response Team “SART”
http://www.kustomk9training.com
kustomk9training@cox.net
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