What do YOU look for in a dog trainer?

* Past experience with other dogs and other dogs whose issues have been resolved with accurate and health procedures

* Knows and has an advanced field of knowledge in a dogs body language, signs. ect Knows the different temperaments that occur in each breed, knows a little about genetics and the different of attention spans/learning time of certain dogs either fast or slow.

* Often uses tools or hands on contact to help the dog and offers useful techniques that I can use at home. The trainer must also have time, patience and understanding of certain dogs needs and be able to identify with the dogs needs.

* The person should also make educated assumptions based on the dogs past events or events that took place in the dogs life such as neglect, abuse, rather the dog was a fighting dog, or if it had little or no socialization with dogs.

* Should be able to quickly find analyzes and create a diagnoses of a dogs issue and be able to explain it clearly.

Right now I am looking for a trainer for my dogs.

Currently I am looking for someone who has experience in the field.

Reputation is everything.

I would suggest working at rescues training there and get experience through that.

I would ask for references.

I would want someone who is personable and is easy to talk to. They will be training ME AND my dog so that I can keep up the training after they are gone.

Someone who has experience with multiple breeds. I have an Anatolian Shepherd mix and his breed is notoriously difficult to handle. There are very few trainers who have experience with this breed. I found one trainer that seemed perfect in every way except price.

3 dogs would be 1400.00 2 dogs 1200 etc

I am looking for some who can do the work and not charge an arm and a leg for it. Their overhead is zero, most come to your home to train. 6 weeks of 2 hour classes for 1400 boils down to over 100.00 an hour. Nice pay but bad on the pocket for the people who need training.

Also something that is important to me would be follow through. I want a trainer who will be with me for the life of the dog. If my dog suddenly reverts back to his old self after a year, I want the trainers support in helping me get my dog back on track.

Being able to pick your brain through email, phone, outside of classes is wonderful as well.

But i think what it all boils down to is your price, your experience/effectiveness, and your reputation.

I do competition obedience. So, the trainer I look for is not just teaching "pet people". The instructor I look for should have handled various different breeds to high levels of competition obedience, not just Goldens or Belgium Shepherds or Mals. Must have a lot of other "tools in her toolboox" other than old style correction based training or only clicker.

You can't learn how to train a dog in school. You can only learn how to train dogs by hands on experience. You start by becoming involved in an obedience training cub, start training your dog for Novice level obedience, apprentice with an instructor.

I would look for someone who the dog is comfortable around and has fun being trained, friendly with the owner, can fully explain what they'd like to do with the dog or what the owner should do with the dog in between classes. With trainers they should have some knowledge of animal behaviors and know when enough is enough for the dog. NEVER believes in the use of physical punishment for a dog. (the most my trainer does is makes my dog lay down and firmly tell her "no!" when she starts getting too mouthy or she curls her lip under her teeth so if she bites down she bites herself)

I went to one place to see about enrolling my dog in a group puppy class and while she was there she saw some dogs in pens around the room that were waiting to be groomed and started barking and wanting to go play and ignored me when I told her to sit and stay (she had to have been about 8 months old at the time and knew her basic commands, but was just pig headed about following them, hence the classes). The lady then told me that if that was a dog she was training she would have thrown the dog to the ground and held her down until she listened to her..I dunno, just how she said it made it sound like she wanted to rough up my dog to make her obey. She was also very rude to us and sneered at they nylon collar I had on my dog saying it was useless and we needed to buy a chain collar if we wanted to join the class. Other people I've known who took their dog to this lady (they have a Lab) said that their dogs aggression problems started after doing only a few classes with her. Not someone I would hire for sure!

My current dog trainer is wonderful in my opinion and my dog has been doing very well with her (it's a one on one class at Petco so there ARE distractions from being in the store with people walking around and she's learned to ignore them or mom and the persistent lady in the black and tan shirt makes her lay down and stay haha).

I also suppose the dog's personality and training needs would depend on the trainer you would bring them too, some people are good with the strong willed out going dogs, while others are really good with the timid ones. I'd say find a happy medium between the two.

Emilie, clickers and treats work...they use them to train Shamu...oh wait...oops...didn't Shamu just kill his 3rd person? =x

ANYWAY LOL. A good trainer is easy to spot. Most good trainers have the same lines of thought, some are on polar extremes. The good ones are more middle of the road. The best ones can incorporate the BEST of positive methods and issue corrections that are the least amount, and force as possible to get the results required.

I'd want to meet their dog(s). I'd want to see how they work with them. Personally, I like to see a trainer that is in total control off leash, but a dog that is happy and calm. That's what sold me on my trainer. They work mainly with Belgian and German Sheps and what I saw were happy, relaxed dogs that WANTED to do what they were being asked. They also use traditional methods of correction, but with a lot of breaks and praise. They will correct you for not praising exuberantly as well as not correcting effectively.

I also have beliefs about methods that are from my own experience, so I look for that too. I personally wouldn't waste my money on any trainer that advocated a gentle leader or only using treats, for example.

I've been looking for a trainer to help with some of my dogs issues *sigh* anyway.. I can tell you better what I DON'T want..?

No clickers, no haltis, no all positive methods, no treats. Alot I talked to said they could use things like haltis, clicker training, treats etc to fix it. RIGHT. He'd snap the halti, ignore the treats, and run off chasing a bird/car/dog/cow..