Muddybear Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Hi, What tips would you give someone who is looking for a great dog trainer? What sort of questions should an owner ask of a dog training organisation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Hi Muddybear You can always let us know whereabouts you are and we can refer you to someone. Alternatively, this article sums it up nicely IMO: http://www.k9pro.com.au/pages.php?pageid=88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 (edited) What for? Behavioural advice or dog sports? I have a number of mentors across obedience, agility and retrieving. Most are fellow competitors, some are instructors, some are friends and some are all of the aforementioned. I like how they compete, their attitude, their dogs' attitude and how they offer advice. Some are on line and others I've seen compete in other states and kept an eye out for seminars. At the moment I'm trying to deconstruct advice from some of the best retrieving trainers in the US (from books/DVDs) - it's too aversive for my liking but I can still pick out great training tips. Edited March 16, 2011 by The Spotted Devil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 It's a hard one. I never hand my leash over anymore without seeing the person work with other dogs & making sure I like what they do with those dogs. I don't pay anyone anymore unless they make sense when they talk to me, and unless I have seen them get good results with similar dogs to mine. But like TSD says, it also depends on what you want the trainer for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelpie-i Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Hmmmm....something's stinky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddybear Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Sorry, my question was not specific enough, I am referrring to companions animals only. Companions animals to be trained in basic obedience, sit, drop, recall and manners around the house and/or getting rid of problem behaviours. How does a person find a good dog trainer or behaviourist? Should they seek qualifications, should the trainer's dog be fully trained and available for potential clients to see, should they have a certain amount of experience, should they seek a guarantee, should they board their dog, should they look for certain types of training methods ,etc Thanks huski, good link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan3 Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Sorry, my question was not specific enough, I am referrring to companions animals only. Companions animals to be trained in basic obedience, sit, drop, recall and manners around the house and/or getting rid of problem behaviours. How does a person find a good dog trainer or behaviourist?Should they seek qualifications, should the trainer's dog be fully trained and available for potential clients to see, should they have a certain amount of experience, should they seek a guarantee, should they board their dog, should they look for certain types of training methods ,etc Thanks huski, good link Qualifications are a good sign of competence, so is experience, both together are a very good sign. A guarantee is usually a marketing gimmick with holes in it. Board and train would require a considerable amount of trust, but in some circumstances (and a compelling reason should be given) it can have merit. Humane training methods that utilise scientific principles rather than vague, out-of-date, or disproven theories should be sought. If punishment is to be used, it should be undertaken for sound reasons and not because that is all the trainer can really do, or because of an opinion that dogs "need" punishment. Most of us who use positive reinforcement competently seldom have reason to use punishment in order to get results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 OT but out of interest, MB ..... did you end up doing the NDTF Course you were looking at doing a year or so ago? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddybear Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Erny, I sure did, and I enjoyed it too. It provided me with a lot of information and has also resulted in further study in an effort to get more definitive answers and delve deeper into what REALLY works. Why are there so many variations or interpretation of the same limited research which I believe has been over complicated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Erny, I sure did, and I enjoyed it too. It provided me with a lot of information and has also resulted in further study in an effort to get more definitive answers and delve deeper into what REALLY works. Why are there so many variations or interpretation of the same limited research which I believe has been over complicated! So, is that the point of your posts in the other thread? And what is it that you've found "REALLY" works? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Erny, I sure did, and I enjoyed it too. It provided me with a lot of information and has also resulted in further study in an effort to get more definitive answers and delve deeper into what REALLY works. Why are there so many variations or interpretation of the same limited research which I believe has been over complicated! Okay, this is just my opinion, but I do spend every day poring over the "limited" research on dogs and training and I don't think it's very limited. The subtleties are endless. As far as learning theory goes, it would take a lifetime to take it all in. There is still heaps we don't know, but there is also heaps we do know. It is exceedingly complicated sometimes, but if you have the foundations and just slowly build on your knowledge it all tends to make sense. Well, I think it does. It becomes a network of knowledge. The oddest things turn out to be useful in practical situations. Animal behaviour is very variable, and that's the way it's meant to be. All that variation makes it hard to make sense of it, though. Wherever there's a rule there's an individual breaking it spectacularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelpie-i Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 What Corvus said plus take into account that what you believe now/today will differ from then/tomorrow. As your knowledge and experience grows, so does your preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I think I would need someone who is just as good training people as dogs. Otherwise all the training my dog gets without me would be pointless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Just as important as finding a brilliant trainer is being a student with a great attitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I want to know exactly what they have achieved with their own dogs. What titles they have put on how many dogs, in how many disiplines ? Have they worked training dogs for customs, a drug detection unit, film work etc ? I recently met one "professiona"l pet dog trainer that asked me the most basic questions about training and has never trained a dog to trial in any area, yet she charges to train other peoples dogs. Learning theory and getting qualifications is all well and good but if they can't prove they can put it into action with their own dogs, I would give them a miss. Also many claim to be "accredited" but never say by who. There really isn't anywhere in Australia that I would be interested in accreditaion from. But the very best way to find a good trainer is by personal recomendation from someone else that has had success with their dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 There are plenty of excellent trainers who don't trial themselves. Agree that personal recommendatin is a good way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J... Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 There are plenty of excellent trainers who don't trial themselves. Depends on what you're looking for in a dog trainer. As an agility trialler I would be looking for someone who has experience trialling at a high level, preferably with multiple dogs. Given how much agility has changed even since I started 3.5 years ago they would need to be trialling to keep up with the progression. It would be a different story if I needed some help with behavioural issues - just so happens the person I would ask does trial successfully, but that's incidental. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Of course, that makes sense. I do think its important to look at a trainers dogs behaviour- but also to understand some background of the dog and what the trainer might be training for. Someone might look at my fearful dog and judge me for her behaviour, not knowing how greatly improved she is or someone may look at a trainers working dog bouncing off the walls and wonder why they aren't a calm well behaved pet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 There are plenty of excellent trainers who don't trial themselves. Agree that personal recommendatin is a good way to go. I would also like an instructor that could give me those little tips about gaining extra points in the ring. Not really sure how an instructor can do that as well if they don't have an experience of ringcraft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 There are plenty of excellent trainers who don't trial themselves. Agree that personal recommendatin is a good way to go. All companion dog training should start as if they are going to be trialling in case the owner then decides they want to trial the dog. If you haven't trialled you won't know what is required. Once a trainer has put titles on a dog/dogs and proven themselves they don't have to keep trialling. If a dog is trained with trialling in mind and they don't trial, it doesn't matter. But if an owner decides after basic training that they want to trial and the dog hasn't been started the right way then there is a lot of work involved in re-training with someone else. You should always go to a trainer with proven experience in the type of training you want to do. So if you are training purely for a well mannered companion, someone experienced in obedience trials is a better bet than a trainer that specialises in protection or gundog work, for example. If you want a top agility dog then you need to go to someone that has succeeded in the agility ring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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