Choosing a trainer

Finding the right trainer for you and your dog is important. Availability, budget, location, specializations, experience, education and personality all are important to consider when choosing a dog trainer. Dog training is an unregulated industry in the United States. Anyone can decide to call themselves a "dog trainer" without experience, training or oversight. This means that as a consumer you need to do a bit more research to ensure that you are working with a qualified trainer. But how do you know?

Your first step in choosing a dog trainer should be to consider their training philosophy. There are two main camps, positive reinforcement and balanced. I am a positive reinforcement trainer. Read through the slides below to learn more about the difference so you are prepared to make an informed choice when selecting a trainer to work with.

There are many wonderful dog trainers who received their training through apprenticeship and work experience and a degree or certificate is no guarantee of quality. However, there are many wonderful certification programs that help prepare trainers. The Karen Pryor Academy (KPA CTP), Victoria Stillwell Academy (VSPDT), Animal Behavior College (ABCDT), International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (CABC or CDBC) and Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers* (CPDT-KA) are some of the more common organizations that assess dog trainers and require them to follow a set of ethical guidelines. Read more about the American Veterinary Medical Association’s position statement.

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