How to Choose a Professional Dog Trainer
By Adam Katz
Copyright 1999 By South Bay K-9 Academy
http://www.dogproblems.com
A free consumer awareness message from South Bay K-9 Academy
This was a FREE, 2 minute consumer awareness message sponsored by South Bay K-9 Academy, that we advertised in various Yellow Pages books, in Southern California.
Due to time constraints, we decided to put this message on the internet, so that dog owners in other parts of the country can benefit from this information, too!
If you have any questions that are not answered in this article, please post a question on our discussion board, at http://www.dogproblems.com/dogtalk
Okay, let’s begin
1.) Versatility— A good dog trainer will use techniques and training styles which are compatible with your dog’s temperament. Every dog is different, and some dogs respond better to certain approaches. What works for a Rottweiler won’t necessarily work for a Poodle.
2.) Experience— I know people who have been driving an automobile for 30 years and still can’t parallel park! And dog training is the same way! Don’t measure a dog trainer’s skill by his number of years in the profession. Instead, judge a trainer by what he has done in the ‘Dog World,’ rather than how long he has been doing it.
3.) Cost— When you pay for training, make sure you are paying for results… not for a specified number of hours or sessions. Good dog trainers know that every dog (and owner) is different. Some need more time to learn than others.
4.) Avoid Group Classes— I’ve never seen a dog that is 100% reliable come out of a group class. When professional dog trainers train their own dogs, they never do it in a group setting. It’s always one-on-one. There are just too many distractions for a new dog in a group class.
5.) How Much Should You Expect To Pay For a Good Dog Training Program: Expect to pay between $400 and $1200 *(see below). A good dog trainer will sometimes have a waiting list of dog owners who want to work with him. Your goal should be to work with the best dog trainer you can find, not to haggle over the price. And in virtually all cases that we’ve seen, the dog trainers who are charging bargain basement prices are the ones who you probably don’t want to be working with in the first place. It’s better to spend your money intelligently on a top-notch dog training program in the first place, than to waste your money chasing a bargain, and then have to pay more money for a good dog trainer somewhere down the line.
Note: Here at Rapid Results our cost are on the low end of the author’s stated amounts. We get the best results at the most affordable prices.
6.) Ask for a Free Consultation: You don’t need to pay a dog trainer to take a look at your dog. This should be done for free. And besides, you don’t want to pay money to meet a dog trainer, and then have to decide whether you want to work with him!
7.) Should You Send Your Dog Away To Be Trained? No. The idea of dog kennelings largely a scam predicated on kenneling the dog so that the dog training company can charge you even more money. For example, as a skilled dog trainer, I can train your dog, and get him responding in a very impressive manner, in about two days. But when I give them back to you, he’s going to say, “I’ve never had to do anything you say before! Why should I start now?” It’s just like driving. I can build you a fantastic sports car, but if you don’t learn how to drive it, it won’t get you from point A to point B. You must find a dog trainer who will teach YOU how to train YOUR DOG!
8.) Should You Have A Dog Trainer Come To Your Home? No. It’s going to work much better if you learn to train your dog in a neutral territory.
Note: The above is the author’s opinion but not ours at Rapid Results. We come to your home to get the training started off on the right foot and to work with any problems specific to your home. Then, once your dog has learned commands we like to take the training to a park where he is likely to see many distractions. Training through distractions is the key to a well trained dog.
9.) Why You Should Avoid the big, chain pet store dog training programs: Because in most cases, the dog trainers you’ll encounter have only 2 to 3 months experience, and have been recruited through a newspaper ad. Dog training is both an art and a science. There is no way that you can become a professional dog trainer without apprenticing with several experienced dog trainers, with varied backgrounds, over an acceptable period of time. Stay away from the large pet store dog training programs.
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Serving the Following Communities
We do professional, reliable dog training in the following communities: Avon, Avon Lake, Bay Village, Beachwood, Bedford, Bedford Heights, Bentleyville, Berea, Bratenahl, Brecksville, Broadview Heights, Brook Park, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Chagrin Falls,
Cleveland, Cuyahoga Heights, Euclid, Fairview Park, Garfield Heights, Gates Mills, Glenwillow, Highland Heights, Hudson. Hunting Valley, Independence, Lakewood, Linndale, Lyndhurst, Macedonia, Maple Heights, Mayfield Heights, Mayfield, Middleburg Heights, Moreland Hills, Newburgh Heights,
North Olmsted, North Randall, North Royalton, Oakwood, Olmsted Falls, Olmsted Township, Orange, Parma, Parma Heights, Pepper Pike, Richmond Heights, Rocky River, Seven Hills, Shaker Heights, Solon, South Euclid, Strongsville, Twinsburg, University Heights, Valley View, Walton Hills, Warrensville Heights, Westlake, and Woodmere.
Also serving Geauga County
Bainbridge, Burton, Chagrin Falls, Chardon, Chesterland, Newbury, and Novelty.
As well as Lake county
Novelty, Fairport Harbor, Grand River, Kirtland, Lakeline Village, Perry Township, Perry Village, Painesville, Painesville Township, Mentor, Mentor-on-the-Lake, Wickliffe, Willoughby, Willoughby Hills, and Willowick.
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