Sometimes it can be difficult to find a good dog trainer that is knowledgeable, fits your personality, fits your dog’s personality, understands dogs, and is a good teacher.
I had a difficult time finding a good dog trainer for my Shiba Inu.
He is not an easy dog to handle, and most trainers that I visited initially were not very familiar with the Shiba Inu breed.
Finding a dog trainer -
- Get a list of all the dog trainers in your area. If you live in the United States you can use quickly generate this list using the Association of Pet Dog Trainers search tool.
- Decide which dog training style most suits you and your dog.
There are generally three groups of dog trainers -
- those that mostly use reward techniques,
- those that mostly use aversive techniques, and
- those that use a combination of the two.
Here are the pros and cons of the different dog training styles.
- Visit the websites of all the dog trainers on your list, and filter out the ones that do not use the dog training techniques that you think are appropriate for you and your dog.
- Call up all the trainers that are still on your list and quiz them about the dog training techniques that they use. Tell them some of the problems you are facing with your dog and evaluate the answers that they give you in return.
- Pick the top three trainers based on your phone conversation, and set up a dog evaluation session with them.
Most trainers will want to evaluate your dog first before coming up with a training program. These are usually private evaluation sessions that last from 1-2 hours and cost from $50US to $100US. These sessions are also useful for evaluating the trainer in action with your dog.
The dog training profession is not very well regulated so you may run across some mediocre or bad trainers before finding one that suits you.
Do not just follow whatever a trainer tells you.
If you feel uncomfortable about particular training techniques, ask them a lot of questions and do some online research of your own. If the trainer is rude to you or does not want to answer your questions, then leave and find another trainer who will actually work for his pay.
Remember that you are the boss because you pay them, not the other way around.
Do not be afraid to terminate training if you discover in the middle of the program that the trainer is not knowledgeable, does not suit you or your dog’s temperament, or is making your dog stressed and unhappy.
It is also a good idea to ask a trainer what his policy is if you decide to terminate training early.
A great resource in my Shiba Inu trainer search was my local SPCA.
I had very good experiences with the two SPCAs that I visited. Both of them had very knowledgeable dog trainers, and very reasonable prices. They were also very willing to accommodate my training requests, and had a variety of balanced dogs at the shelter that they were willing to use to help train and socialize my Shiba Inu.
Using other dogs is often an invaluable tool in dog training. Therefore, find a dog trainer with good access to other dogs, if you can.
In addition to the SPCA, dog trainers who are attached to a dog daycare or dog walking service will frequently have access to appropriate dogs that they can use in the dog training process.
If you have more tips or stories about finding a good dog trainer, please share them with us in the comments section. Thanks!
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