Choosing the Right Dog Trainer: Expert Tips for Pet Parents
Hiring a professional dog trainer shouldn’t be a hasty decision. Contrary to what many pet owners believe, dog training is more than just private lessons teaching your dog to sit and stay. It’s about understanding behavior, building communication, and fostering a healthy relationship with your canine companion.
This misunderstanding often leads to frustration for dog owners, especially after spending money on training sessions without seeing the results they expect. That’s why I’ve put together this blog post—to guide you through the most important things to consider when hiring a dog trainer.
Think Dog Obedience Training Isn’t Important? Here’s Why You Should Reconsider
What’s truly interesting about dog training is that it’s not just about improving your dog’s behavior. While behavior improvement is a key part of the process, training also focuses on strengthening the bond between dogs and their pet parents.
Here are the key benefits of hiring a professional dog trainer. Keep in mind that these benefits will only be realized if you take the time to carefully choose the right trainer:
- Dog training lessons enhance communication between a dog and its owners. In addition to teaching commands, enrolling dogs in a training class makes it easier for owners to set boundaries and correct behavioral issues.
- A well-trained dog stays mentally stimulated, making it less prone to separation anxiety, extreme aggression, furniture chewing, and other behavioral problems caused by boredom and inactivity. Moreover, training can sharpen your dog’s awareness of potential dangers.
- Dog behavior improves significantly after obedience training, which enhances the quality of life for both dogs and their owners. Not only does training help ensure your home stays tidy when you're away, but it also gives you the confidence to bring your dog to parks and other public spaces.
The Hidden Challenges of Dog Training
You may have searched for 'dog obedience training' on YouTube and thought, "that looks easy!" Think again. Certified trainers do more than just teach your dog basic commands like leash walking or potty training. Their classes focus on improving your dog's overall behavior, making them better companions at home and in public.
Why is dog training often more challenging than it seems?
The dog training profession is not something that is improvised.
It requires formal education, extensive knowledge, and practical skills to be effective. Professional trainers employ specialized techniques to achieve faster results and create customized training plans tailored to each dog. Many dog trainers also pursue continuing education to stay up-to-date with the latest methods and advancements in the field.
In my experience as an animal homeopathy expert, I recommend starting training as early as your pet's puppy years. Besides puppy socialization, potty training, and positive reinforcement will also be covered in the lessons your pet will get.
Moreover, it’s essential to consult your vet or pet wellness expert first to determine whether your pet is suitable for a particular training program.
8 Essential Tips for Choosing the Right Professional Dog Trainers
Dog training shouldn't be left to chance. Selecting the right dog trainer is essential for your pet's development and well-being. Here are the key factors to keep in mind when making your choice:
#1. Research dog trainer reviews to assess reputation.
Before hiring a professional dog trainer for private lessons, one of the first steps is to check online reviews. Simply search for the trainer's name, and you'll find relevant information that can help you make an informed decision.
In my experience as an animal homeopathy expert and a dog mom, asking fellow dog owners for advice can significantly help in your search for a dog trainer. Word-of-mouth recommendations are often highly effective and can lead you to trusted professionals.
#2. Verify whether trainers hold certification and ask proof of their education.
There's a significant difference between casual dog training and working with a professional. Professional trainers not only help reinforce positive behavior in your pet, but they also boost your confidence as a dog owner.
Asking for certification ensures that your dog will receive proper training. Reputable organizations that certify dog trainers include the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP) and the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT).
However, deciding whether to request certification is entirely up to you as a dog owner.
#3. Request permission to observe a dog training class.
Observing a trainer in action is crucial to determine important factors, such as whether they excel in solo or group classes and to get an overall sense of the training atmosphere under their guidance.
Be sure to ask for permission before observing a training session to avoid any safety or privacy concerns. Some dogs and their pooch parents may feel uncomfortable with strangers present during training.
#4. Inquire about the specific methods and strategies used by the dog trainer.
Make sure to ask how the trainer teaches basic commands and how they keep their canine students focused during lessons. Is the teaching style suitable for your pet? Is it too rigid or too relaxed for your dog’s temperament?
Remember, general dog training is different from crate training. Its primary goal is to establish and reinforce positive behavior in your dog. Whether you have a puppy, juvenile, or senior dog, the methods and strategies used by a trainer are crucial to your dog’s development.
#5. Don’t hesitate to ask which breeds a dog trainer specializes in.
It's common for trainers to specialize in particular breeds for private training. This is important to consider, as their techniques may not be as effective for your dog, whether you have a puppy, juvenile, or senior.
While the trainer's skills and knowledge play key roles in the success of dog training classes, ensuring they are the right fit for your pet is equally important.
#6. Observe and evaluate a dog trainer’s communication style.
Communication is critical when you train dogs. Whether it’s crate training or leash walking, success largely depends on how well a trainer communicates with your dog. No matter how skilled, knowledgeable, or committed a trainer may be, if they cannot communicate effectively, the classes are unlikely to be successful.
Is the trainer suitable for a beginner, like a puppy? Or are they better suited for more experienced dogs, such as juveniles or seniors? You can determine this by assessing their communication style.
#7. Ask about the training environment and how goals are tracked.
Now that you've been allowed to watch the trainer in action, be sure to ask how they conduct their classes. Are the sessions held indoors or outside? Do they offer solo classes or group sessions?
Another important detail to inquire about is how goals are tracked to ensure they are being met. This will help confirm that your canine family member is truly benefiting from the training sessions.
#8. Inquire about the costs and duration of the training sessions.
Before enrolling your puppy, juvenile, or senior dog in training sessions, ensure you fully understand the cost and duration of the program. Additionally, determine whether payments are made per class or after a set number of sessions.
It’s important to remember that, beyond the trainer's fees, you may incur additional costs such as gas, snacks, and other expenses—unless the classes are held at your home. Also, when it comes to dog training, higher-quality programs often come at a higher price, but they are usually worth the investment.
Conclusion
The quality of training can significantly influence your dog's behavior, obedience, and overall development. This is why hiring professional dog trainers should be considered essential, not optional. Additionally, it's important not to overlook your dog's immune system health, as a strong immune system supports their overall well-being.
Zumalka's SILVERPET, made with colloidal silver, helps strengthen the immune system and can be used as a supplement to medical treatment. This premium natural product can be administered internally or externally to support the body’s natural healing functions.
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Great article. My daughter is interested in getting a dog and wants to train it. I agree with you that you should train your own dog. What would you say is the main concern when starting training? I enjoyed and learned a lot from your post and will be returning. Thank you. Take care.
This post was far better than most “how to choose a dog trainer” articles, but I strongly disagree with you saying there are “do” and “don’t” trainers… You should never hire either a “do” or a “don’t” because if the person is one or the other then it tells you they have a limited understanding of what they are doing and therefore, a limited ability to help your dog. The best trainers combine all of the subcategories listed under both “do” and “don’t” to create a customized approach for each individual dog and family. Dogs vary widely in their motivations, personality, drive, desire to please humans, etc. Families vary widely in their desire and ability to “read” their dog, willingness to invest time in learning how to speak Dog, and their ability to be consistent in their training. A family with several children and a spouse who thinks training is a waste of time may benefit from sending their dog to a program that creates habitual good behaviors that they can easily reinforce at home. A young couple or single person may have the time, ability and desire to invest in learning the intricacies of dog language and want to build the deepest, strongest relationship possible with their dog. They will benefit greatly from a balanced training approach that teaches them how to communicate with their dog on a deep level and surpass the need for any kind of external reinforcement due to their strong bond. That requires 1:1 study with a highly experienced trainer who does both on and off leash work. Then, there are a million other situations besides these two specific cases. A very good trainer uses many different tools, approaches and training techniques to best suit each individual circumstance. So both the dog and the rest of their family can be as successful as possible. If a trainer says something like, “I am a so-called ‘pure positive’ trainer” or a “dominance-based Alpha trainer” or “an e-collar trainer” or “a clicker trainer” KEEP SEARCHING because every one of those trainers is working with a limited toolbox that only applies to a small portion of the training and relationship-building process and none of them will be able to help you achemieve all that you and your dog are capable of. A trainer who says they tailor their approach to each individual circumstance and is familiar with and uses a variety of approaches during training based on what is most appropriate for the stage of training you are in and the abilities, interest level and desire of all participants in the process (dog included) with a heavy emphasis on building an intrinsically rewarding relationship between all parties (not a transactional or quid-pro-quo relationship, which is quite shallow) then you have a much greater chance of success. Best wishes!!
That was an interesting post.
Thank you so much. This article was a balm to my guilt. We have a 4 month old Shih-Poo who is one of the most intelligent dogs we ever owned. Her eyes were just seething with it at 8 weeks and still are. Laser focused on our face when we are talking to her or moving around. She’s eager to please and is a perfect dog to train. And she started to train so fast, even overnight when we potty trained her with a bell. She knows to ring it. And does.
But she has developed an independence and stubbornness, and picks and chooses when she wants to obey the “come” command, which is far less every day. And she relieves herself in the house, not always because we didn’t hear her ring the bell either. As a puppy she’s a chewer and biter of course, but she could win records over those. She knows “kisses” means to not bite our hand or fingers, and she adorably growls every time we remind her, while she tries to get a smaller nip in anyway. It’s a non-stop, all-day job to be aware of her chewing and redirect. And therein lies my guilt. Because I don’t have the time or the focus.
We didn’t buy the dog. Our college son did to ease his pain and anxiety over our 14 yr old Shih-Poo getting closer to the end of life. He can’t handle it. And she has been so lonely after losing her 14-yr long companion when our Havanese passed away two years ago. He wanted to give her a new friend as well as create a bond for him that would be there once she passed on. You don’t see 22 year old boys cry often, and it’s authentic when you do. We told him the expenses were his and he must train her, or at least start a program before returning to school in the fall, and we would take care of her while he was away. That did not happen, at all. And the burden falls to me. And I’m not capable at this point in my life, both physically or emotionally.
So I came to the internet to see if there were people who trained dogs for others yet. The last time I asked that question I was publicly scoffed at and told I had no business owning a dog if I had to even ask, as it’s no different than kids. If I made the choice I need to grow up and be responsible, regardless that I was 40 at the time. Needless to say that is why I was overwhelmed with guilt today.
Then I found your article and it so eloquently explained my predicament. It opened a shade to sunshine. I’m going to immediately start interviewing and hope for finding someone as well fitted as you did.
Reading something ought to be in hands on with a dog is 2 different things
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