The right trainer teaches you how to teach your dog. As Michelle Reindal writes for rover.com, “Just like humans, dogs have their own personalities, quirks, fears, triggers and inner emotional worlds. It’s up to us, their caregivers, to help them feel safe in our human world, teach them skills that build confidence and resilience, and keep them safe and secure in their environment.”
The first question you should ask when thinking about a dog trainer is, “Who?”
Because there are not rules or laws regulating the field, anyone can create their own website/business and call himself a “dog trainer.” But there are resources easily available to you that with minimal time and effort will produce a list of trainers and training services.
First, start with the place where you adopted your dog. Rescue organizations and reputable puppy breeders usually know trainers they can recommend. Seek input from your vet, friends, family members or neighbors whose dogs have impressed you with their behavior. Large pet stores offer training classes as well as local community groups.
Local American Kennel Clubs (AKC) should be able to provide information on who and where you and your dog can earn their Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certifications. Go to akc.org to find the AKC list of approved CGC evaluators by state that will work with your family and dog in person and/or online.
Established in 2001, the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) is an independent certifying. Thousands of dog trainers worldwide maintain the CCPDT’s certifications as a mark of high professional distinction. Check out their website, ccpdt.org, for the training each person must go through and maintain to earn this distinction.
Regardless of the trainer you want to work with, always keep in mind your dog, your own learning style and the training you think you want. Make a list, tape it to the refrigerator and add or erase items you may want to address and remember to show the list to potential trainers.
What works for one family may not work for yours. My family has had three dogs and we have had a variety of trainers. For Teddy, our current rescued Lab, we went with a private trainer who could help us with some of the issues specifically tied to my wheelchair as well as group training classes at a national pet store to help with his sociability. Teddy earned his AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate through the pet store’s classes.
Once you have your list of potential trainers, you’ll want to ask each about methods and philosophy. You want to be comfortable with their approaches and the use of “positive reinforcement.” Since the trainer is training you, could you do what he’s asking you to do?
I talked with Dan Lutchko, a trainer and franchise owner of Dog Training Elite. He works with families and their dogs in the Traverse City, Michigan area. Dan’s philosophy and approach to training is similar to many in the Dayton area.
Dan stressed the importance of talking with the family, learning about their specific needs, meeting their dog, then watching how it interacts with the family and its environment.
He learns about the dog’s routine: when it eats, gets exercise, interacts with individual family members including other animals in the house. How does the dog interact with dogs outside the family? What, if any, commands does the dog already know? Is the dog taking walks with family members, riding in the car, playing with toys and, if so, which ones? Do they want to take the dog with them on vacations or visits to stores, dog-friendly parks or other family members? Are there any negative behaviors owners would like addressed such as anxiety or aggression? Chewing up paper, eating socks, growling for no apparent reason?
It seems like a lot of information, but Dan says he feels owners and their dogs will get more out of their training when it’s tailored to their specifics needs.
“Dogs will only behave,” Dan emphasized, “as well as their owners are willing to work with them. Dogs don’t fail, owners do.” His training is “100% positive driven.” Dogs are always praised for “correct” behaviors.
Finally, the best trainers take the whole picture into consideration when it comes to your family and your dog. And more importantly, you need to do your homework when selecting a trainer. Your family and dog will be happier for it.
Karin Spicer is a member of The Dog Writers Association of America and The Cat Writer’s Association. She can be reached at spicerkarin@gmail.com.
Because dog training is an unregulated industry, it can be difficult to compare one trainer with the next. Here are key words good trainers should use when talking about their approach to training:
1. Force-free, fear-free
2. Welfare (of the dog), evidence-based, humane
3. Routine, predictability, choice, cue, positive reinforcement
4. Autonomy, agency (belongs to organizations that are committed to humane training), enrichment (game-based learning)
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