Quote: michael hubert

and Will stick to cookin, your probably better at it.

Oh, I don't know, most people have thought that I was a pretty fair trainer and I can back that up with about 45 dogs that I've titled so far, so how many dogs have you titled thanks to your attendance at your school?

Encore! Encore!



Same as it ever was, same as it ever was,
SAME...AS...IT...EVER...WAS!
Randy

This is from a post that I wrote for protectiondogforums.com.
Some of the information is specific for PPD trainers, but most of the information holds true for evaluating any type of dog trainer:




Here's what I would look for in determining if I would get a dog from a PPD trainer/ kennel:

1) what titles do the trainers hold?
There are a few untitled trainers that do a good job, but these are *rare*. For trainers to be doing something as serious as training PPD's and to not to have a lot of titles in different venues ( titles just in *one* venue is a warning sign ) is a big warning sign.

2) Do they have a ready made list ( and please, take the time to call former clients) of people that have gotten dogs from them. Evaluate closely those dogs - are they still functioning as PPD's, or did they end up pets because the clients weren't serious and no longer trained them ?
And along those lines, what does the PPD train offer for follow up sessions ( hint: free life-time follow should be the norm ), or if the client lives too far to come for follow up, does the trainer help arrange contact between the client and say, their local SchH club?

3) Does the trainer proudly point to some "Master Trainer" certificate hanging on their wall? ( Valuable hint here ) - if the certificate is from anywhere else but The Tom Rose School For Dogs or Triple Crown Academy............walk away, they're bogus.

4) Does the PPD trainer have pictures of all the celebrities that they've sold dogs to plastered all over their office wall or website? Hint - Celebrities are usually the worse PPD clients, their staff ends up taking care of the dog and it's a total waste of a good dog. So Celebrity endorsements are a strong sign of a bogus set-up and a reason to shop elsewhere.

5) Now to more important matters - does the PPD trainer actually know what happens during a criminal attack? This should elementary, but most PPD trainers have never actually been a crime victim and/or even more rarely, have ever deployed a dog to deter an attack.
And if you've never done something in real life, you're working on assumptions that you've learned from others, no matter how hard you train.
This gives trainers that were K9 officers a real advantage in the PPD world, even though the deployment of a canine by an LEO has a very different rule set then what a civilian using his PPD will encounter.

I also give a nod to ex-Military folks that have seen actual combat, it gives them a mind set that is valuable in the training of PPD's ( and not just Military dog handlers, the basic combat grunt has gained the lessons of staying alive against hostile forces to a degree that civilians can never obtain ).

 Quote: Will Rambeau

I also give a nod to ex-Military folks that have seen actual combat, it gives them a mind set that is valuable in the training of PPD's ( and not just Military dog handlers, the basic combat grunt has gained the lessons of staying alive against hostile forces to a degree that civilians can never obtain ).

Aww shucks.

Seriously though, that's a damned good point.
Mindset and approach are a good 80-90% of what makes a good trainer.

If I had my choice.....I would definitely visit Will for training sessions. (not to mention some good food too....and a chance to give ole Fetz a bear hug)

I am not big on certifications and schools. Thought about it, but, can they really teach you what you need to know in a short amount of time? NO, they can give you the basics, and what you do with that knowledge from there is the most important thing.

Experience, knowledge, training methods are all something I look at. Heck, there are even people put there in the dog world that have not been "training" all that long and they are really good. Depends a lot on attitude and dedication as well.

I am very dedicated to what I do (SAR) and I strive to work hard and provide reliable resources to LE so that they have confidence in our abilities as handlers.
Might be one of the reasons I am utilized by LE and the US Marshal service. (not all SAR handlers are willing nor able to also assist in suspect searched)

I think that people need to have open minds, never stop learning and get off their high horses and go train their dogs.

Your right Steve, deja vu.

And if one does have a dog with aggression issues, and is interviewing potential trainers.... are there any specific questions to ask or, telltale signs the person probably can't do the job (other than the PetSmart certification?)

Someone mentioned to interview the trainer BEFORE you give access to the dog, but what if the trainer says they need to evaluate the type of aggression before giving you an answer/estimate? Is this a valid question on their part? Or should they just go by your verbal description of how the dog acts?

Maybe someone could give an example of how an initial evaluation should go.

As a pet owner with no idea what I'm doing, it's easy to just fall into the "trust the professional" and believe they know what they are doing.

David,
I think one of the most over looked evaluation criteria is your gut feeling of the trainer/teacher.
I'll bet 95% of the time one walks away with that kind of general nagging doubt behind the upbeat yeah yeah, by the parting end you realize you were right all along, and wish you had walked away much earlier then you had, irreguardless of what ever credentials the guru has. Not to say they are bad trainers, only that sometimes things just don't, won't and never will fit.
Go out, meet and talk to all the trainers you can. Watch them go though their paces with other dogs. And follow your gut feeling. Other than that, watch out for the ribbon clerks and the cookie cutters/one size fits all.

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

Ummmm, I would do some research on each trainer, ask around to people that you know and trust and even ask to see a resume or ask for references. Any trainer worth their salt will not bat an eye at this.

Then go from there. Most trainers that are worth anything will want to evaluate the dog first before committing to helping as most have an "entrance evaluation" that they perform to A) see what the dog and handler needs really are B) if the dog is even worth their time (from a working point of view)

 Quote: angela burrell

Someone mentioned to interview the trainer BEFORE you give access to the dog, but what if the trainer says they need to evaluate the type of aggression before giving you an answer/estimate? Is this a valid question on their part? Or should they just go by your verbal description of how the dog acts?

They should have a general philosophy and approach to dealing with aggression. Sure, there will always be adjusting for the individual dog and situation; but there will also always be the trainer's basic philosphy.

Give the trainer a hypothetical situation.
"What would you do, if a dog tried to bite you?"
"What would you do, if a dog DID bite you?"

"Have you ever been bitten by a dog?"
"Has a dog ever tried to bite you?"
"Why, or why not?"

I dont think it would be safe for a trainer to go by the words of the owner. specially with an agressive dog. i dont.you have to see how the dog reacts out of its enviornment. get to know the dog, let them relax. I ask the owners lots of questions and find out more about why the dog is the way he or she is, with the more questions, the more i get to know the dog thru the owner and why it acts that way. and yes i have a lot of people that come down to see the place and talk to me and find out my method of training. its your dog, you should do it right the first time