Finding a Good Dog Trainer

Currently, there is no licensing or credentialing system required in Illinois to be a dog trainer. Anyone can claim to be a trainer.  How can you find a good trainer?  Here are some questions to ask:

• Does the trainer have experience working with your breed of dog?  Each dog breed has different characteristics, and a good trainer will have experience with multiple dog breeds and hopefully with your specific breed.  A trainer who only works with German Shepherd Dogs, for instance, may not fully understand the timid nature of an Italian Greyhound or the tenacious focus of a Jack Russell Terrier.  
• Does the trainer keep up with the latest scientific methods of learning and behavior?  A good indication of this would be if the trainer is a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. If the trainer is doing the same thing they've been doing for years, it indicates they might not care about finding the best methods of dog training. Older, outdated methods of training can be effective, but often are unnecessarily harsh.

  

  Group training classes cannot fully address
  difficult-to-manage behaviors at home.

• Will the trainer work with you to practice in your home, neighborhood, or areas of difficulty?  While learning in classes can help create good behavior, problem behavior is best addressed at the source. Correcting problem behavior almost always requires some creativity and a willingness for the trainer to observe and make recommendations based on the dog's environment during the behavior. 
• What training tools will the trainer use with your dog?  ​A trainer's motto should mimic a doctor's creed, "First, do no harm."  Find out specifically what the trainer will do to correct problem behaviors. Does the trainer plan to use a prong or pinch collar; an electronic collar; a harness; head halter; clicker and treats; or toys? If you are not comfortable with it, do not let him or her do it.  You are responsible for your dog's well-being.  Your dog depends on you to protect him in the human world.  You have the right to refuse any part of the training regimen that you think will be detrimental to your dog, no matter how learned or experienced the trainer is.  You know your dog best.  
• Finally, observe the trainer in action.  If a trainer isn't willing to let you see what he or she is doing, you probably don't want him or her touching your dog!