1.) Versatility— A good dog trainer will use techniques and training styles which are compatible with your dog’s temperament. Every dog is different, and some dogs respond better to certain approaches. What works for a Rottweiler won’t necessarily work for a Poodle.2.) Experience— I know people who have been driving an automobile for 30 years and still can’t parallel park! And dog training is
same way! Don’t measure a dog trainer’s skill by his number of years in profession. Instead, judge a trainer by what he has done in ‘Dog World,’ rather than how long he has been doing it.
3.) Cost— When you pay for training, make sure you are paying for results... not for a specified number of hours or sessions. Good dog trainers know that every dog (and owner) is different. Some need more time to learn than others.
4.) Avoid Group Classes— I’ve never seen a dog that is 100% reliable come out of a group class. When professional dog trainers train their own dogs, they never do it in a group setting. It’s always one-on-one. There are just too many distractions for a new dog in a group class.
5.) How Much Should You Expect To Pay For a Good Dog Training Program: Expect to pay between $400 and $1200. A good dog trainer will sometimes have a waiting list of dog owners who want to work with him. Your goal should be to work with best dog trainer you can find, not to haggle over price. And in virtually all cases that we’ve seen, dog trainers who are charging bargain basement prices are ones who you probably don’t want to be working with in first place. It’s better to spend your money intelligently on a top-notch dog training program in first place, than to waste your money chasing a bargain, and then have to pay more money for a good dog trainer somewhere down line.
6.) Ask for a Free Consultation: You don’t need to pay a dog trainer to take a look at your dog. This should be done for free. And besides, you don’t want to pay money to meet a dog trainer, and then have to decide whether you want to work with him!
