FAQs
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
My education in this field has been through many conferences, books, working side by side with veterinarians, and experience of training and overseeing the training of over 5,000 dogs at this point. Dog training is something I began a long time ago as a kid. Right away training became very natural for me and I began competing in events. As I got deeper in the dog world I looked for ways to improve my education in the field. I began reading every book I could on training and canine behavior. I worked a lot with veterinarians which allowed me the chance to go with them to many conferences on behavior. Now I'm to the point with trainers that also work for me. When hiring trainers we don't necessarily have certain qualifications that we look for. There are different schools that we have recruited from but to be honest I've found that it all comes down to personality. Training is all about communication. You can have all the knowledge in the world on learning theory and canine behavior but it comes down to how trainers communicate that knowledge to the dog and owner. Our trainers are always hired based on the ability to listen, define goals, situational awareness of body language, and love for dogs. We then put the trainers through a process of education to give them hands on experience as well as course lectures through different online sources.
- What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
The best advice to give someone looking to hire a trainer is to visit the facility. You should feel comfortable and welcomed. There are a lot of trainers that are one person operations though they may have the best of intentions to be able to provide the most to customers there is a lot of work that goes in. From ensuring the dog gets plenty of playtime, exercise, to keeping a clean environment, client communications, and training it's team work that makes it successful. Ask about the process, everything from the techniques and training plan, to how the client education and transition home works.
- What questions should customers think through before talking to professionals about their project?
How much time they themselves have to put into the process. Training takes a lot of consistency on a daily basis so set realistic expectations. The busier you are the more you'll need to rely on the trainers to do the daily work. Many people believe private lessons are the best route because it educates the owner. The problem is many owners do not have the initial time needed to take on the training. This is where we like a combination of allowing the trainers to train on a daily basis then at the end of that period we begin training the client. That way we do the heavy lifting on the daily training but still provide the owner with enough education to do follow through and enjoy their dog.