How To Choose The Right Dog Trainer For You

October 20, 2008 by Richard Cross

Many people claim to be professional dog trainers in the modern world but how do you know which ones to trust? Which ones are true experts? Which are not? In this article we’ll be going through some of the best ways to decide on the right dog trainer for you.

1. Word Of Mouth

Ask around your friends and relatives to see what they’ve thought of the trainers they’ve used. If you can get a recommendation from someone you trust it is worth 100 times more than any other source, so ask everyone you know who has a dog which trainer they used.

2. Research Reputation

If you can’t get any recommendations from people you know personally, try people who are in the pet care business. That means your local vet, dog societies and breeder clubs. They will often be able to point you towards to most reputable dog trainers.

3. Find Out What Methods They Use

The best dog trainers know how to train dogs without resorting to outdated, aggressive methods. Ask about how they train their dogs and whether they ever used abusive handling techniques. If they do you should probably keep looking for a different trainer.

4. Are They Up To Date?

Like any profession, the best dog trainers keep up to date on what is going on in their industry. Try to find out whether they spend time researching the latest techniques.

5. Do they genuinely care for dogs?

If you are going to trust someone with your pet, you need to be sure that they have a genuine love of dogs and will care for yours properly.

6. Extensive Experience

Just because a dog trainer has been in the business for a long time doesn’t mean they will be the best, but often experience can count for a lot.

It’s important to remember that it is very easy for people to call themselves dog trainers. While they might have the best intentions in mind if they don’t have the right skills you shouldn’t entrust your dog training to them.

In general when trying to choose the right dog trainer you should only go with someone who has been recommended to you by at least one trustworthy source.