Filed under: animal behavior, Animal Communication, barking, chewing, digging, Dog Behavior, dog psychology, dog rehabilitation, dog socialization, Dog Training, Dog training associations, dog training school, Dogs, kids and dogs, Nebraska dog trainer, Nebraska dog training, Omaha Dog Trainer, Omaha Dog Whisperer, positive dog training, Puppy training, Sandi Hansen, Sandi's K9 Management
Finding the best dog trainer for you and your dog can be as challenging as training the dog himself. These tips will help to ease the frustration of finding the right trainer:
1. Get a referral from a friend who has taken a class or worked in private training sessions with the trainer. Get a referral from a veterinarian. Ask for references from past clients.
2. Don’t assume that just because a trainer belongs to an organization or graduated from a dog training college that they can help you with your dog. There are unfortunately, several organizations and training schools out there that are not up to date on the newest methods of training. Find a trainer who uses a positive approach and keeps up to date on current training techniques. Ask how many different breeds the trainer has experience living with and working with. Steer clear of those who have only ever lived with one or two different breeds.
3. Look for treats and toys being used as rewards during the training. Avoid trainers who refuse to use food as a training reward. Food is a powerful positive training tool that works with most dogs. It also makes training and learning fun. With that said, make sure that the trainer shows you how to get away from using food rewards once the dog has learned a new command.
4. Beware of the trainer who offers a guarantee. That is a red flag that the trainer doesn’t understand the complexities of a dog’s behavior and individual needs. Each individual dog has a different learning style and a different rate of learning. Look instead for a trainer who is willing to work a little bit extra with you if you or your dog are not quite getting the hang of things. Don’t work with a trainer who you are afraid to ask for extra help from.
5. Stay away from trainers who insist you use a choke chain or prong collar or a head collar. There are still many “positive trainers” out there who believe that a head collar is a positive training tool, when in fact it is no less cruel than the chains or prongs/pinches. Shock collars should be avoided at all costs. Most trainers out there unfortunately do not understand how to properly use a training tool. Sadly, they then show you how to use the tool but not how to transition to not using it. Hence, you are stuck using an inhumane device on your dog for his lifetime, leaving both of you uncomfortable.
There are great trainers out there… you just need to know how to find them and what to look for!
All rights reserved. Sandi’s K9 Management. Sandi Hansen. 2008
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