FAQs
- What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
What to Expect From Your Trainer: A dog trainer should be an expert in canine behavior, educated in his or hers vocation, someone you can trust to help you perform a task that you cannot do entirely on your own. But as in any profession, there are the good and the not so good. Finding a good trainer is the first step to having a well balanced and behaved dog. Here are 10 things you should expect from a professional trainer. 1. The Right Credentials Dog trainers do not legally have to be certified or have any formal training, so quiz a potential trainer about his or her skills. Trainers should be realistic about their level of experience and not misrepresent themselves, says Michelle Godlevski, a certified pet dog trainer, certified canine behavior counselor and certified Delta Society Pet Partners Evaluator from Raleigh N.C. Candidates should acknowledge their strengths and weaknesses and talk about their students and training experiences not spend time exaggerating or boasting about their own dogs, she says. Although there is no universal standard for dog trainers, The Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers offers certification for professional trainers who pass their tests and requirements, offering them the title of Certified Pet Trainer. They must abide by the organizations code of ethics and put in several hours of continuing education each year to keep and renew their certification. Various dog-training schools offer different types of certification. 2. The ability to work with difficult dogs. Your trainer should have the experience dealing with such problems as aggression, resource guarding, Stubbornness, and housetraining issues. Difficult dogs make great dog trainers, Godlevski says. If a trainer has only worked with easy dogs without any issues, Im more impressed with the dog then the trainer. 3. The ability to effectively train you to train your dog. The gifted Instructor can reach people and help them enjoy and appreciate your pet, says Gerilyn J. Bielakiewicz, CPDT, co-owner of Canine University in Malden, Mass. An instructor must have excellent people skills, or he/she will never be able to train the dog within the family unit. Bielakiewicz recommends searching for a personable instructor with great communication skills. No matter how talented the trainer is, he/she is not effective if the client is frustrated. 4. Interest in you and your dog. Your trainer should ask a lot of questions about your dog and his/her environment, as well as your expectations of how he should behave. According to Lisa Herman, a trainer at Dream Team Dog Training in Valdese, NC., your trainer should be interested in your dogs age, weight, and height, how long you have owned him/her, where you acquired him/her, any vet information, where they spend most of their time, whether he/she has ever bitten a person or another dog, his general reactions to different stimuli, his personality type, the commands he/she already knows, any bad habits and any activities he/she enjoys. The trainer should also ask you what you want to accomplish and let you know exactly what will be covered. What to expect from your Groomer: Your Groomer should NOT be stressed, rushed, or moody . This will lead your dog to an unpleasant grooming experience. Your Groomer should be qualified with the experience and the correct knowledge to provide a beautiful job with the UTMOST safety for your pet. Your Groomer should NOT charge you a car payment to get the job done. BEWARE of Groomers that won't let you watch! They are not confident enough to complete the job while you watch.