How to Select the Best Trainer For You and Your Dog
The dog trainer you choose can be the difference between living a harmonious life with your dog or seeing their behavioral issues get worse as your wallet gets thinner.
Unfortunately, there is little to no industry regulation on what qualifies a person to call themselves a “dog trainer”, so it is easy to make mistakes when selecting a trainer. Dog training is a well studied science at this time in history, but there are a lot of “dog trainers” using very old and unfounded training methods that can cause more harm than good.
Luckily, there are independent testing organizations that require a trainer’s knowledge and skills to stand up to rigorous and standardized testing. These organizations are in place to ensure the trainer you choose is truly qualified to be giving advice that can impact you and your dog for life.
Certified trainers have worked passionately towards acquiring the one or more certifications accredited by national organizations in the field. Always ask what certifications they have.
From the Position Statement of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB):
How to Choose a Trainer
Choosing a dog trainer can be one of the most important decisions that you make in your dog’s life. The techniques a trainer uses can strongly affect how you interact with your dog for years to come. Therefore, it is very important to choose your trainer wisely. Here are some guidelines for choosing a dog trainer. Remember, training should be a fun experience for both you and your dog.
1. Reward-Based Training. There are numerous ways to train dogs. In addition, each animal has their own learning style and preferred motivators. AVSAB endorses training methods which allow animals to work for things (e.g., food, play, affection) that motivate them rather than techniques that focus on using fear or pain to punish them for undesirable behaviors. Look for a trainer who uses reward-based training with treats, toys, and play. Avoid any trainer who advocates methods of physical force that can harm them such as hanging dogs by their collars, shocking them, or hitting them with their hands, feet, or leashes. Research shows that dogs do not need to be physically punished to learn them behaviors we need them to know, and there are significant risks associated with using punishment (such as inhibiting learning, increasing fear, and/or stimulating aggressive behaviors). Therefore, trainers who routinely use choke collars, pinch collars, shock collars, and other methods of physical punishment as a facet of their training, should be avoided. General use of punishment assumes that animals always know exactly what humans expect of them and are wilfully disobeying. In fact, animals are often struggling simply because people have accidentally reinforced the wrong behaviors or have not communicated clearly the appropriate behaviors. No learner wants to be in a situation where they have to constantly be afraid of making a mistake.
2. Good Human-Teacher. A good instructor should explain what behavior they are training, why it is important, and then demonstrate it. In a class situation, they should provide ample time in class to practice and individually assist students. They should be able to adapt their humane training methods to the individual dog, but also the individual person. Class sizes should be small with no more than six dogs with two trainers to ensure individual attention.
3. Continual Education and Certification. Look for a trainer who demonstrates continual self-education. A conscientious trainer will keep up-to-date with new training theories and methods, and routinely attends workshops and conferences.
4. Respectful. A good trainer should be personable and respectful of both you and your dog. Avoid trainers who recommend using physical force (e.g. alpha rolling, pushing a dog into position, hitting, choke chain, or pinch collar correction) or methods/devices that have the potential for harm, as an acceptable way to train. Additionally, avoid trainers who make you feel bad about the speed of progress that your dog is making. (See AVSAB Punishment Position Statement on the AVSAB web site).
5. Observe A Class. Always ask to observe a class before attending. You need to make sure the teaching style of the instructor will work with how you learn. Also, watch the students and their dogs. Are they having fun or looking stressed? Are dogs’ tails up and wagging or down and/or tucked? Are the people talking with their dogs in happy, upbeat voices or are they scolding or even yelling at them? Talk to the current students—are they enjoying the class and feel that their dogs are learning? If a trainer does not allow you to observe a class, ask yourself (and the trainer) why.
6. Do You Feel Comfortable? Ultimately, you should feel comfortable doing whatever it is the trainer asks you to do to your dog. If your trainer ever tells you to do something to your dog that you believe will cause you or your dog undue harm or distress, ask them to explain why they recommend that technique, what the potential drawbacks of the technique are and how these will be addressed should they occur. Alternatively, you could ask for another option.
7. There Are No Guarantees. Because of the variable and often unpredictable nature of behavior, a conscientious trainer cannot and will not guarantee the results of training. However they should be willing to ensure satisfaction of their services.
8. Vaccinations. A good instructor will take care to protect the dogs in a class situation. They should have vaccine requirements for the dogs, and should discourage owners from bringing sick dogs to class. Make sure your veterinarian is comfortable with the trainer’s vaccination requirements, especially if the trainer is running puppy classes.
9. “Problem” Behaviors. When dealing with unwanted behaviors, such as biting, barking, destructiveness, etc. a good trainer should feel comfortable collaborating with your veterinarian and should know when to seek help from them when they identify behaviors that fall outside of the scope of what can be effectively addressed through training alone. Many behavioral changes are caused by underlying physical problems, and an educated trainer may ask you to visit your veterinarian or a veterinary behaviorist for medical testing. In addition, many behavior problems are actually medical disorders that require diagnosis and treatment by a veterinarian. Your veterinarian may consider adding medication to your pet’s behavior modification plan after their assessment. Unless a trainer is a veterinarian, he/she does not have the medical background to recommend specific medications or to assess the possible risks and benefits of using medications in individual animals.
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