Choosing a trainer

Every day dogs across the country are given up to shelters or rescue organizations because of behavioral issues. As a dog owner, training should be on the top of your list. Whether you are bringing home a new puppy or dog, training should begin on day one. Choosing a trainer to help you help your dog to become a well mannered, outgoing and wonderful member of the doggie community should be something you give a lot of thought to. First things first, do your homework. Decide what you want from your dog and how you want to achieve it. There are many different training methods available today but unfortunately some trainers are still stuck in the past using "forceful" methods. Dog training has grown and evolved over the years and most of the more successful methods are now based on positive reinforcement. I would suggest you look for a trainer who follows that rule. In your search you are bound to come across some people who have trained their own dog and declare themselves a dog trainer. Maybe their dog is fantastic and incredibly well behaved but not every dog is the same. In fact most dogs need little individual changes and adjustments in training. 99% of the time these "self proclaimed trainers" will not be able to train a dog that has a personality completely opposite from their own dog. This is why you need to really do your research and find an experienced trainer with proven results that will let you watch a session and contact references. You can choose to attend classes for training or have a trainer come into your home. The advantage of attending classes is that your dog will be learning while around other dogs. If you are going to do in home training, your trainer should at some point have a dog that come in and work together with your dog so that they understand that just because there is another dog around it doesn't mean everything they've learned goes out the window. That being said, socialization is a huge part of training and should never be taken lightly. You will likely come across trainers who are certified and those who are not. There are many classes available now for dog training but don't bypass a trainer solely because they don't have an alphabet after their name. Many trainers have been involved in the dog world since childhood and have learned through hands on experience throughout their lives. I find that these trainers are the most effective and provide the best results. This is not to say that someone who has decided later in life to take classes and become a trainer is not good at what they do, it is just my preference from what I've seen over the 10 years I've been training and showing. So before you call the first trainer you come across, do some research and know what you want from your training experience. Please direct any individual questions regarding training to the comment section or email me at politepawz@verizon.net