01/28/2025
Did you know that dog training is an unregulated industry? This means that there are no requirements for someone to become "certified" or take a specific training program before advertising as being a professional trainer. This can sometimes be confusing, especially when you are trying to find a trainer to help you with a specific behaviour issue.
So, if there are no required qualifications, what should you look for in a trainer? How do you find someone who knows what they're doing and not get scammed or left with a dog you can't handle?
🐶 Hands-On Experience Working with Dogs 🐶
When it comes down to it, the most important thing to ask is if this person has experience working with dogs, working with the specific issue you are having, and evidence of their program/methods working long term for previous clients. Every trainer will differ slightly in their experience and the methods, but the most important thing is that they can show you evidence of their methods working and lasting long term. If someone has completed a certification program but hasn't actually worked with dogs in a real-world/professional capacity, they likely don't know as much as that piece of paper says they do.
🐶Apprenticeships and Work Experience🐶
As mentioned above, the majority of learning and growing as a professional trainer comes from hands-on experiences. The best way to do this is by working with and learning from other trainers. Who has the trainer worked under? How many apprenticeships or work positions did they hold before going out on their own? Are the trainers they worked with reputable? What trainers do they associate with as colleagues?
🐶Are they Members/Associate Members of Any Organizations?🐶
Similarly to certification programs, there are a wide range of organizations that dog trainers can join to help show their dedication to continued education. One thing to keep in mind when looking at these memberships is the difference between a full member and an associate member. Many organizations offer these two different levels, which have different benefits for the trainer themselves. In most cases, a full member is required to meet a set of criteria outlined by the organization, most often involving methodology and years of experience. For example, the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors requires that anyone applying for a full membership have at least 5 years of professional experience training dogs, 5 years of professional experience teaching group obedience classes, have worked with at least 100 dogs, 104 hours of experience teaching group classes, and 288 hours of experience teaching private sessions. Not only do you have to show evidence of this experience, but you are also required to be evaluated by the organization's board before being approved. In a lot of cases, those requirements are significantly higher than any certification program, and requires you to have a significant amount of hands on experience in order to get the credential of full membership. Because of the high standards of these organizations, many of them have begun to introduce various levels of associate memberships. These are members who are typically pet professionals, but are newer to the industry and don't have the amount of experience needed for full membership. If your trainer is a member of an organization like this, it can tell you a lot about their methods and philosophies as a trainer, as well as their dedication to improving their skill set.
🐶Willing to Be Flexible if Methods Don't Work🐶
Like people, all dogs are different. Some dogs do better with reward-based learning, while others may need some level of correction to really understand what we are trying to teach them. This can become challenging, because most trainers tend to be very set in a specific methodology. When looking for a trainer, you want to try finding someone who is willing to research and try new methods, especially if what they usually do doesn't seem to be working.
🐶Willing to Refer you to Another Trainer🐶
As mentioned above, a lot of trainers are trained to use a specific methodology. This becomes especially true with "certified" trainers, as the certification program they completed was likely hosted by an organization or another trainer based on their own methods and preferences. Because of this, not all trainers will be equipped to use different methods, even if they are flexible and open to using them. For example, if you have been working with a trainer that is primarily positive reinforcement based, and decide you want to try a prong collar with your dog, it might be best for that trainer to refer to to a balanced trainer who is familiar with the tool. While it is a good thing that your R+ trainer wants to learn how a prong could help your dog, the number one way to cause harm to a pet using one of these tools is when they are used improperly. This is especially important when working with challenging behaviour cases, such as aggression and severe separation anxiety. As an example, while I often work with dogs who do have some level of separation anxiety, it isn't an area I'm super experienced with. If a client came to me with a dog that could not be left alone for more than an hour without hurting themselves, I would refer that client to someone more experienced with this issue because I know I won't be able to help this dog.
🐶Behaviour and Management of Their Personal Dogs🐶
This is a tricky one, because when considering the behaviour of a trainer's dogs, you also have to recognize that trainers are often taking on dogs that other people would struggle with or that have higher needs than the average pet dog. Although a trainer's dog doesn't have to be perfect, they should display basic manners and be well managed, especially if they are being used as a demo dog or engaging with clients.
What else do you look for in a trainer? What do you consider to be the most important thing when looking for a trainer? Let us know in the comments below!
