Which dog trainer should I choose?
Question by FenderBender: Which dog trainer should I choose?
I am looking for training for my dogs (two german boxers) and i live in chicago, but there are so many trainers I don’t even know which one to choose. Right now i’m mostly looking at websites but I am going to start calling and maybe meet a few in person. What do you think of these, they both have videos on their sites of their training
http://www.dopadogs.com
http://www.dynamicdogschicago.com
Best answer:
Answer by Mutt for the Truth
The first site has nothing on how long they have been working with dogs, OR where they got their training (IE if they mentored under anyone.) They do not mention an estimate of how many dogs they trained. If you look under the businesses they’ve partnered with you’ll find car stuff, fitness stuff, and other non-dog related things (don’t know if this is significant or not.)
The second site at least gives an idea of how many dogs they worked with AND they have flexible methods. They also have a history of both trainers (including certification for AKC good citizen evaluations.) I am a bit confused about the male trainer (Ben)… is he an adult or are they promoting a child as a trainer? I’m guessing the photo of him as kids are old and he is the young man (adult) in the other photos with the Dobe and Dalmatian…
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Fancy tricks are just that fancy tricks. I suggest you call a few places and see if they will allow you to watch a couple of their training sessions, maybe talk to some of their clients. If you can, then watch how the dogs and their owners interact with each other and with the trainer. How long are training sessions, how many animals are in the group, Does the trainer work with a diverse amount of breeds(all dogs are not created equal).Also find out what their qualifications are, where did they get their training, how long have they been doing this. Find out what training method they use, clicker, treats what.Then what kind of class do you want, private one on one is probable more expensive, leaving dog to be trained then picking it up when it is all trained leaves you untrained in giving commands, groups should be age apporopriate for your dog and they will offer socialization(both with other dogs and other people).Make a list of things you want your dog to learn start with the basics: sit,stay,come,down……and when your dog can do those things then you can try fancy tricks. If you find a trainer whose style you like, Go for it.