Quote: Katie Finlay

What?! Somebody's playing hard to get.


eta. heheh, I hope some newbie doesn't log on thinking we really are dog people...

What's not to believe about a dog calling me on the phone?

Did he talk to Turbo? He's been begging me for a walky-dog so I don't have to try and hold his leash while we bike around the neighborhood. He wanted his opinion.

 Quote: tiffany holtfret

I understand how many feel about the "certification" but I wish they would first see how they handle their dog and their professioanlism before saying it was a waste of time. The person is the trainer not the school and not the certification.

Tiffany,
At one time I thought that way - but remember that I've been training dogs for 40ish years now. And I've met several dozen ( probably hundreds ) of graduates from the various schools with "certifications" and the such, and I have yet to find a graduate of any school besides Tom Rose and Triple Crown with what I would call a decent skill set for training dogs.

If it was a one or two time thing, I'd still have an open mind. But when I've met dozens of graduates from ABC whom I would only trust to teach a beginners OB class to pet owners, I have to wonder why these people wasted their money.
And as Betty pointed out, they all had an incredibly inflated sense of what they thought that they knew, which is a recipe for disaster.

Professionalism isn't just hanging sheets of paper on the wall, it's knowing what you're doing - I pointed out in a previous post in this thread about a certified honor graduate from ABC calling an e-collar a shock collar. To see that in print from someone that is credentialed from a school makes me wonder what the h*ll they're getting taught there.

I'm sorry if I sound judgmental here, but I can only base my opinion on what I have experience firsthand. Folks that attend the lower level dog training schools start off immediately on the wrong foot if their goal is to become a professional dog trainer. Making a compromise so early in your career, for whatever reason, places an obstacle in your path that as far as I can see from my experience with those graduates, cannot be overcome - they will never rise to the top.

 Quote: will rambeau

If it was a one or two time thing, I'd still have an open mind. But when I've met dozens of graduates from ABC whom I would only trust to teach a beginners OB class to pet owners, I have to wonder why these people wasted their money.
And as Betty pointed out, they all had an incredibly inflated sense of what they thought that they knew, which is a recipe for disaster.

I agree many of my "classmates" thought they knew everything and a few were actually from Petco/Petsmart.

 Quote: will rambeau

Professionalism isn't just hanging sheets of paper on the wall, it's knowing what you're doing - I pointed out in a previous post in this thread about a certified honor graduate from ABC calling an e-collar a shock collar. To see that in print from someone that is credentialed from a school makes me wonder what the h*ll they're getting taught there.

I also agree with the fact that professionalism isnt just a piece of paper on the wall. I agree it is in the work you do not what one test results are or a grade. I feel bad that I went to "the wrong" school but, unfortunately, I was not priveledged to knowing about all of the other schools and most are not even in my area.

 Quote: will rambeau

I'm sorry if I sound judgmental here, but I can only base my opinion on what I have experience firsthand. Folks that attend the lower level dog training schools start off immediately on the wrong foot if their goal is to become a professional dog trainer. Making a compromise so early in your career, for whatever reason, places an obstacle in your path that as far as I can see from my experience with those graduates, cannot be overcome - they will never rise to the top.

All I can say is go ahead and judge who you wish. I would like to ask that you do not place me in the group of certified trainers that you have previously met because I am different. I may have had the "wrong start" but I do want to learn more and will become a trainer like yourself and the many others on this forum. You may consider that a promise.

Tammy,
I looked at both TR and TCA websites and the graduation rate at TCA is about 84%. From what I gather both TR and TCA will not allow people to graduate if they don't have what it takes. I may be wrong about this but that's my impression.

Lenka, Thank you for that information.

Tammy, All the *graduates* of TR and TC that I've known had the skills to train dogs in any venue that I could think of.

That being said, the very worst scammers that I've encountered in the world of dog training claimed to be grads of TR but were found to have been drop-outs from the course.

The lesson there being that if someone claims to be a graduate from one of the big two dog training schools but seems to not know what they're talking about, call the school and check up on them ( we had this happen on the forum during this last year from a former poster, and there's an internet dog trainer with books and everything that claims to be a TR grad, but is not....and it shows....just two examples )

 Quote: Will Rambeau

The lesson there being that if someone claims to be a graduate from one of the big two dog training schools but seems to not know what they're talking about, call the school and check up on them ( we had this happen on the forum during this last year from a former poster, and there's an internet dog trainer with books and everything that claims to be a TR grad, but is not....and it shows....just two examples )

Good point - I am sure there are trainers, scammers, which misrepresent their qualifications. The prodding would be useful tool for those hiring a trainer, and a benefit for the training schools they claim to represent.

I would like to say I apologize for siding ABC. Will you are correct and they are not the greatest school for dog knowledge. I will be sure to double check my advice before ever giving it.