K-9 Insight Dog Obedience School
Home of the PhD Dog Training Method
Perfect, Happy Dogs!
Finding the right trainer for you and your dog may be the most important decision you make regarding your dog. A good trainer can make all the difference in your dog's behavior and obedience. Make sure you visit the classes you are planning to attend in advance of signing up for a session. Are the dogs happy and attentive? Are the owners enjoying the class? Are the instructors helpful and pleasant? The list below should help you in choosing a dog obedience training instructor.
1) How much experience does the instructor have teaching classes? Experience exposes a trainer to many dogs and many problems. The old saying holds true: Experience is the best teacher.
2) How many years experience does the instructor have in training dogs? How many dogs have they personally trained? How many different breeds? Any difficult breeds?
3) Does the trainer have training accomplishments with their own dog? How advanced are those titles and what do they mean?
4) Can the trainer show you a dog they have trained themselves that is obedient off leash, outside in a strange place, under heavy distraction? Can they show you more than one such dog? If the trainer cannot accomplish this standard with their own dog they certainly will not be able to help you reach a similar standard.
5) Is the trainer "married" to one method of training and unwilling to try a different approach to your dog? Good trainers have a number of training methods available in which they have a high level of expertise.
6) Is the trainer "married" to certain types of training equipment? Are they unwilling to use a variety of training aids to help your dog? The best trainers are experts in using all of the training aids available to help you and your dog.
7) If your trainer holds a degree in animal behavior, find out how much experience they have with domestic animals, particularly dogs. Recognize that "animals" covers a wide variety of species and this person may have little or no experience training dogs.
8) Leave a trainer who insists you keep trying a method that is clearly not working with your dog after several weeks of training in the assigned manner. Be particularly cautious of the trainer who begins to blame your dog when their methods do not work! Find a new trainer who can help you and your dog.
9) Although they can be hard to find, career dog trainers are usually the best trainers. A person who has made their living training dogs has the most experience and the most knowledge of any trainers. Training dogs is what they do. Training dogs is all they do! Look for long term career dog trainers.
10) One trainer should never talk badly about other trainers. Good trainers may use entirely different training methods but will respect each other and recognize there may be many ways to achieve the same goal. A trainer who does not act professionally is usually an inexperienced, insecure dog trainer. FIND A MORE EXPERIENCED TRAINER FOR YOU AND YOUR DOG!