How to choose the right trainer
How to choose a trainer.
We recently talked to Todd at Brightstar Training Academy to get some help on how to choose the right trainer for you and your dog. I hear a lot from our Bear’s Bites family that they were referred to a train and when they walked in they instantly put a prong collar or an e-collar on them and the pet parent didn’t know what to do but they didn’t agree with that so they never went back. One thing people do not realize is you have the right to interview trainers and if you are not comfortable or your pet is not comfortable you do not work with them. Not every trainer is going to work with every dog or parent. Let us talk about what Todd the owner of Brightstar Training Academy and certified KPACTP trainer has to say about how you should choose a trainer.
I asked Todd what were some tips he would give on how to choose a trainer for your pet.
Todd told us that there are a few things that you should be doing.
- Ask for current credentials and research what they tell you. Just because someone says they are a trainer does not mean that they have the education and experience to train your pet.
- Ask for an initial consultation so you can see how the trainer and your dog interacts together. This does not mean that this is a training appointment. This is an appointment to see how your dog likes the trainer. You should already know what training techniques your trainer is going to use before you bring in your pet. When I took Bear to Todd years ago Todd didn’t once try to train Bear during our initial meeting. He did let him sniff around and check things out and gave him some treats and played ball with him. This showed me how Todd was going to interact with Bear.
- Watch a class before enrollment. If you are going to be in a group class this is a great way to see how the classes are structured. If you are going to be participating in one on one training this will help you see how the trainer interacts with other pets.
- Beware of trainers that have one training method. Many trainers use one technique instead of making a training plan to cater to your pup. If you believe all dogs learn the same we need to have a chat. I am a big believer of not all kids learn the same so how do we expect all dogs to learn the same. I have seen this first hand in my house. An example of this is “all dogs are food motivated you just have to find the right food” Bear is not food motivated at all but he sure is ball motivated. Another thing to be aware of is if the trainer does not know anything about the breed of dog you have. Bear is a Dogue De Bordeaux, yes that is a type of mastiff but not all mastiffs are the same.
Training is not dominating your pup, training is creating a relationship with your pup.