Most pet owners seek out the assistance of an experienced “dog trainer” when they first get a new dog or when things start to go awry with their current dog. The problem is finding a dog training and figuring out if they are correct for your particular needs. One of the most common questions I am asked is "did you go to school for this?"

This opens up the can of worms of the so-called schools and certifications that are out there for dog trainers to load up their resumes with. How do you find a good dog trainer amongst all the wannabes?

CERTIFICATIONS

There are very few “certifications” and practically no schooling institutions for dog trainers to attend. Those that do exist are questionable at best. The problem with going to school to become a dog trainer is that to truly become knowledgeable about dogs, you have to have your hands on a LOT of dogs. And I mean A LOT.

One well respected dog trainer I attended a seminar with about 7 years ago told me that I would understand the methods he was explaining when I had trained 500 dogs. To this day I have exceeded this number and agree 100% with him. To learn to train dogs, you have to not only train a large number of dogs, but you also have to simply WATCH dogs to learn about their behaviors and how it applies to pack dynamics.

WHICH SCHOOLS ARE BEST?

Having looked at many of the schools and even participated in their certification programs for their graduates, I don’t think there is really any school that will send out a graduated student ready to train dogs. Often times, graduates only train a handful of dogs while in the program and spend more time studying books than actual dogs. There are even schools which are entirely online that do not require a graduate even handle a dog through more than a 6 week group class. Most pet owners could accomplish this and graduate these programs – so why pay someone huge dollars to train your dog when you could have just taken the same group class yourself?

As far as certification programs and/or seminars – both have limited value. They evaluate an individual on a given day and often only on paper – not witnessing the individual actually train dogs. The problem I find with this is the most naturally talented dog trainers may never pass a test on things like operant conditioning, but you hand them a leash and they work magic. So yeah – on paper it sounds great but in theory, the trainer may not have any natural skill with the dog or the owner.

Let me elaborate.

Dog training is NOT about training the dog. Often times, the training is 70% with the owner, and 30% with the dog itself. So the ability to properly communicate with the owner in an effective way is crucial to dog training. If you don’t feel comfortable and friendly with your dog trainer, your probably not going to get very far. Think back to school and who your favorite teachers were and how much you learned during the semester. This just illustrates that if the trainer can illustrate things to you – you will be able to illustrate them to your dog.

The same is true for seminars. Seminars simply tell you how many weekends a dog trainer has spent listening to another dog trainer. I have a list of seminars I have attended but I’ll be honest – there was one I slept halfway through. It didn’t make sense and it didn’t apply to what I was doing. Plus I was just plain tired. So while my resume may brag about a dozen people I have trained with it does NOT indicate whether I know how to apply their methods or if I even agree with their methods. Some of the seminars I attended I can honestly say was more for entertainment value since I found the trainer’s methods brutal or incompatible with what I was doing at the time. 

THE MONEYMAKER

Now that’s we’ve addressed certifications, seminars, and schools - lets be real. These places exist for one thing and that is to make money. One popular schooling system charges thousands of dollars in tuition costs, and sends students poorly written “text books” that they are to study from and take online test from. I browsed these books going “that’s not right…oh no, they want you to do what?” These books offer cookie cutter solutions for dog training and to be honest, dogs are far from being cookie-cutter creatures. I’ve yet to meet two dogs that could be trained entirely the same way. Everything is tweaked here and there. Adjustments are made and training comes down to being more of an art form than a science. Well, truly it is both. But to me, the beauty in being a dog trainer is applying the science as an art.

As far as certifications go, the certifications in existence are simply ways to be politically correct in the dog training community or make money for organizations that host these tests – FOR PROFIT. These tests cost several hundred dollars all to put a few letters after your name that you did well in the answering questions about dog training. They do nothing to separate the good trainers from the bad trainers. It’s just an elitist sect of trainers who feel they are better than other trainers because they paid the money to do the test.

SPORT VERSUS PET DOG TRAINERS

As you browse many dog trainer’s web sites you will see a division in trainers. Some have certifications and seminars up the ying yang but have never actually titled a dog. Some don’t even OWN a dog.

Then you will see trainers who compete in one of the dozen or so sports available for dogs and have competed at both high and low levels.

WHICH IS PROPER FOR THE PET DOG OWNER?

While I have met many trainers who are perfectly competent at training pet dogs and have never stepped on the field with a dog – I personally feel they are limiting themselves as trainers by never having competed.

It’s like choosing a race car driver to sponsor who has never won a race but looks good on the road. They may do well in the race. They may even win the race. But don’t you want a driver who has gone the extra mile to PROVE they can train a dog?

So here’s my answer. If the trainer you are looking at has NEVER titled a dog or competed with a dog…ask to see their dog. Ask to see them handle a dog. Do they seem competent? And don’t look through rose colored glasses….some trainers are very good and using a few manipulations of treats to make it seem like your do is complying. If you give me 30 minutes with your dog…I can provide results or give you a plan of action to get results. Often time’s trainers who have no solid background in competing with dogs will talk circles around owners with jargon and basic mumbo-jumbo which has nothing to do with your actual dog. If at any time you aren’t sure what your trainer is saying to you….walk away. This is a good indication that you are with someone who will never be able to convey dog training to you in a way that will make it work for your dogs.

I have said it before and will continue to say that dog training is mostly common sense. The application of it is an art form that is based out of scientific research. If you feel like the trainer is talking over your head….look elsewhere. Most of my training sessions are filled with moments of my clients going “oh…that makes sense”….or “yeah, that would work”. If you don’t understand what you are doing, why you are doing it, and where it is leading then how are you going to apply it when the trainer is not around? Training your dog will be comprised of an hour or so a week with me….the rest of the time is up to you to apply the information.

THE POINT

While this article may not have done much to clarify how you should go about finding a trainer, it should give you some ideas of how to evaluate your trainer's credentials. Be smart and do some reading before you sign up and pay money for a trainer. Be critical during your first sessions or phone conversations. If you don't find yourself having moments of "ah ha"....your probably not going to get much out of the training program. Do research. Ask for references. Talk to previous clients. And spend time talking to your trainer before putting down a dime of money. By being well-researched you can avoid many of the trainers out there who are simply just wanna-be dog trainers.