The Doghouse - Dog Training Tampa Bay

About Carrie Silva & The Doghouse

Learn More About Our Training Methods

Developed their own training system. Tested their own methods of training against the best in the world for 10 years, competing in the most demanding dog sports in the world, which include tracking, obedience and protection with the same dog.

What they have accomplished: Won 7 national championships, place second in the world, and won two world championships! An accomplishment no other American dog trainer has ever achieved.

How Do I Choose a Dog Trainer for My Dog?

Be smart!
Look for credentials, accomplishments, and proven training success.
Do not be fooled by:

A Fancy web site, that ranks high in the search engines does not mean that you found the best trainer in your area! Cute pictures and stories, accepting Visa and other cards, and a few testimonials by people you can't get a hold of, do not provide adequate 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 also be a member too if you wanted to.

20+ years of experience sounds great, but what has been accomplished during those 20+ years is what really speaks of the instructor. If anyone has been training dogs for such a long time and have real passion about dog training, they definitely have tried to test their knowledge against other dog trainers in dog competitions. See if you can find out exactly what 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 can be obtained from anyone willing to work for minimum wages at Petco®, 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 is a reliable and happy dog. This is not an easy balance to accomplish!

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

University It is one thing to graduate from a dog trainer school and claim you understand dog behavior. Going to a 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 through a 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 lives near you ? what are the chances they would offer dog training?

Books and videos, there is 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.

High Obedience Championship 2009