Rated #1 In Dog Education !

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How do I  choose a dog trainer for my dog ?
Be smart! Look for credentials and accomplishments. Do not be fooled by:

Fancy web site, that comes on top of the search engines does not mean that you found the best trainer in your area! Cute pictures and stories, accepting Visa and other cards, few testimonials by people you can't get a hold of, do not give any proof about the abilities of the instructor(s)!

Member of ....Don't be fooled by "memberships". Dog trainers like to join  variety of organizations such as the APDT, ASPCA, ABKA, AKC etc. to impress you ! The truth- To join an organization or a club, all you need to do is to pay (of course) your yearly dues ($). You could be a member too if you decide to.

20+ years of experience, sounds great, but what has been accomplished during these 20+ years is what really speaks of the instructor. If anyone has been in dogs for such a long time and have real passion about dog training they for sure have tried to test their knowledge against other dog trainers in dog competitions. See if you can find out what exactly they accomplished.

Trained thousands of dogs. A catchy phrase isn't it? No one could say- no they did not train that many dogs. No one actually even looks any further into it ever.

Certified trainer .... let's be clear a certificate that can be obtained from being willing to work for minimum salary at PetSmart, and others out there looking for ways to collect money is not by any means a certificate of ones knowledge. In fact you can open up a school and certify anyone you want to, by your own criteria. Certified trainer does not mean vast knowledge and experience!

Positive methods - Dog owners love to hear this one! Unfortunately they have very little or no idea of what this means and how to judge if such methods are used with their dog. What is really important in dog training - reliable and happy dog. Not an easy balance to accomplish!

Train your dog in hours?! Have you heard of bigger bogus than this one? Please !!! No one can train your dog in two hours, just as it is impossible to loose 20lb in a day using a magic fitness gimmick advertised on National TV. It is very unfortunate that such companies are getting bigger and more dog owners are being robbed everyday.

University  It is one ting to graduate from a dog trainer school and claim you understand dog behavior. Going to university and studying animal behavior and cognition takes years. To learn animal behavior and learning - takes more than adding words in the vocabulary, such as "operant conditioning and "positive reinforcement". The down side sometimes is that knowing the terminology and applying it is not the same

Competitions Yes dog trainers do compare each others abilities, and this is trough the variety of dog sports. Winning first place at a local dog show does not say much for a trainer. Winning a national or a world championship is a whole different story. Competing against the best 120 trainers in the world and winning is a statement for sure! While such win doesn't bring any money, it brings the recognition and envy among other trainers. The problem is - for the last 20 years there are only 20 world champions, what are the chances one to live near you ? what are the chances they would offer pet training ?

Books and videos there are plenty of material out there, look for the best sellers among the rest in the store, find out if the authors are near by and hope they still work hands on with dogs.

The Dog Park - yes the dog owners you see out there, they are real, they have no intentions to take your money. Talk to them , ask them to refer you to a trainer. It might be the best move in your quest to find that trainer.

Ivan and Carrie
2xWorld Champions!
winning 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006 and 2007 American Working Dog Federation Championships, as well as the German Shepherd and Belgian Shepherd nationals!!!