> Training
How to choose
a Professional Dog Trainer
Adam G. Katz
www.dogproblems.com
Copyright 1999 By South Bay K-9 Academy
Versatility-- A good dog trainer will use techniques and training
styles which are compatible with your dog’s temperament. Every dog
is different, and some dogs respond better to certain approaches. What works for a Rottweiler won’t necessarily work for a Poodle.
Experience-- I know people who have been driving an automobile for
30 years and still can’t parallel park! And dog training is the same
way! Don’t measure a dog trainer’s skill by his number of years in
the profession. Instead, judge a trainer by what he has done in the
‘Dog World,’ rather than how long he has been doing it.
Cost-- When you pay for training, make sure you are paying for
results... not for a specified number of hours or sessions. Good dog
trainers know that every dog (and owner) is different. Some need more time to learn than others.
Avoid Group
Classes-- I’ve never seen a dog that is 100% reliable
come out of a group class. When professional dog trainers train their
own dogs, they never do it in a group setting. It’s always one-on-one. There are just too many distractions for a new dog in a
group class.
How Much Should You Expect To Pay For a Good Dog Training
Program--
Expect to pay between $400 and $1200. A good dog
trainer will sometimes have a waiting list of dog owners who want to
work with him. Your goal should be to work with the best dog trainer
you can find, not to haggle over the price. And in virtually all cases
that we’ve seen, the dog trainers who are charging bargain basement
prices are the ones who you probably don’t want to be working with in
the first place. It’s better to spend your money intelligently on a
top-notch dog training program in the first place, than to waste your
money chasing a bargain, and then have to pay more money for a
good dog trainer somewhere down the line.
Ask for a Free
Consultation-- You don’t need to pay a dog trainer to
take a look at your dog. This should be done for free. And besides,
you don’t want to pay money to meet a dog trainer, and then have
to decide whether you want to work with him!
Should You Send Your Dog Away To Be
Trained?-- No. The idea of
doing this is largely a scam predicated on kenneling the dog so that
the dog training company can charge you even more money. For example, as a skilled dog trainer, I can train your dog, and get him
responding in a very impressive manner, in about two days. But when
I give him back to you, he’s going to say, "I’ve never had to do
anything you say before! Why should I start now?" It’s just like
driving. I can build you a fantastic sports car, but if you don’t learn
how to drive it, it won’t get you from point A to point B. You must find
a dog trainer who will teach YOU how to train YOUR DOG!
Should You Have A Dog Trainer Come To Your
Home?-- No. It’s going
to work much better if you learn to train your dog in a neutral territory.
Why You Should Avoid the big, chain pet store dog training
programs-- Because in most cases, the dog trainers you’ll encounter
have only 2 to 3 months experience, and have been recruited through a newspaper ad. Dog training is both an art and a science.
There is no way that you can become a professional dog trainer without apprenticing with several experienced dog trainers, with
varied backgrounds, over an acceptable period of time. Stay away from the large pet store dog training programs.
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