How To Choose The Right Dog Trainer: 6 Questions to Ask

Choosing any hired professional can be a difficult decision. Not only are you spending lots of money on their services, but you're letting them into your life! Any professional involved in the realm of change - like a therapist, a fitness coach, or a dog trainer - knows that there is a level of intimacy & vulnerability involved in this work. 

 As a dog owner, you're likely inundated with all kinds of information about dog training methods, theories, and approaches, so it can be difficult to know how to wisely spend your money. If you're to the point where you've made the decision to invest in a professional, there are a number of questions you should ask before you make your decision. 

1. Are they transparent?

There is a joke among dog trainers: The only thing two dog trainers can agree on is that the third dog trainer is doing it wrong. There are a million different ways to skin a cat, and likewise there are a million different ways to train a dog. 

As the client, you have a right to know exactly how your dog will be trained before sinking a ton of money into a trainer. Any trainer worth his salt should have his tools, methods, and philosophy freely available on his website and social media. If it's not, you should ask. They should be able to tell you what kind of tools and methods they use, including food. If you are hiring a dog trainer to STOP your dog from doing something, your trainer should be able to tell you exactly how he would do it, as well as the results he's gotten in the past. 

2. Are there before/after videos or pictures of dogs they've trained?

Any time you're investing hundreds or thousands of dollars into professional help, you're going to want to be confident of value of that service. If you can't be confident in the value you're receiving, it's going to be difficult to trust your trainer and follow his recommendations. The best dog trainers understand this, and do their best to provide tons of value before you've even spent a cent.

It's 2018, and nearly everyone has a video camera in their back pocket. If your dog trainer can get good results, showing these off will only get him more business. If your trainer does not feature these videos publicly, (perhaps he's camera shy), ask to see them privately. If they're cagey about it, this is a red flag that maybe they can't get the results you're after.

3. Do they love their job? 
Dog training is a challenging profession, for sure. It's hard to witness owners in so much emotional pain for behaviors we know are fixable. But anyone in the industry should have processes in place to prevent burnout and keep them excited to go to work each morning. 

If a dog trainer spends most of his time complaining or bashing other dog trainers walk away. If a dog trainer takes any amount of time to bash dog OWNERS, run away.  This is a sign that your dog trainer CAN'T actually get good results, and needs to put others down to boost his own self esteem. 

Any good dog trainer will be able to put himself in the shoes of a struggling dog owner. Your trainer should be direct enough to offer constructive criticism, but never mean or shame-y about your dog's issues. 

4. Do they have experience?

I'm not talking about an online class on behavioral theory. I'm talking about hands-on experience working with actual dogs. Certificates and classes are fine to round out a dog trainer's repertoire, but the bulk of his experience should come from observing and training actual dogs. You should not be shy about asking detailed questions, like "Have you worked with dogs like mine before and what kind of results did you get?" 

5. Do they train for the real world?

It's easy to get a dog to perform behaviors under controlled conditions. But what happens when you take away the treats? The carefully controlled training room? The leash? Much as we'd like, life in a real American family does not resemble a show ring (if it does, then we've got bigger problems). Real life includes other dogs walking at the same time as you - sometimes nutty dogs! It includes unexpected guests and UPS deliveries. It includes screaming children, vet visits, travel, and not always having a treat on you. Does your dog trainer plan for and address these contingencies? Is it important to you that your dog listen under all circumstances?

6. What kind of support do they offer after training?

Any dog trainer worth his salt knows that training is never truly "done." Questions will invariably come up throughout the life of the dog. How should you handle bringing a new dog into the pack? A new baby? A cross country move?  Your trainer shouldn't ghost you the moment your training package is complete.  They shouldn't charge you for every text & phone conversation afterwards. Can you easily reach out to them by text and email during and after your training program? Better yet, does your dog trainer use his blog and website to pre-empt some of these questions and give you concrete tips on how to approach new situations?

Ideally, your trainer will not be just a momentary part of your dog's life, but a fixture who's with your dog for the long haul. Many good trainers offer exclusive client benefits like boarding, dog walking, and pack walks - you should take advantage of these! Dogs benefit from long term relationships with other humans and dogs outside of your pack.