Finding the right dog trainer or behaviourist for you and your dog can be a nightmare, here are a few tips and suggestions to help you.

First you need to decide whether you need a dog trainer or behaviourist:

A dog trainer will show you how to teach your dog commands like Sit and a Recall, generally this will take place in a class environment with other families and their dogs and sometimes in private lessons.  Sometimes they will offer certificates when your dog reaches a certain level of achievement and will often have different classes for different levels of ability.  Training classes can be lots of fun and are a good place to meet other 'doggie' people however they can sometimes be frustrating, particularly when other dogs are learning quicker or slower than yours or when other dogs disrupt the class.  Just to confuse you some dog trainers also know dog behaviour.

A canine behaviourist will help you, on a 1-2-1 basis, with your dogs general behaviour such as calming hyperactive or excitable dogs, dealing with aggression, anxiety, fears, phobias and OCD, eating disorders and general obedience problems such as pulling on the lead and ignoring commands, most behaviourists also know how to train a dog.

Free! Behaviour Assessment

Who is really the boss in your house?  Do you need my help?  How much will it cost? 

Finding a Dog Trainer

First of all compile a list of all the dog trainers that are available in your area - vets can be a good source of information, as can friends, pet shops, grooming parlours, boarding kennels and also check the local newspaper, the yellow pages and the internet. 

Ask for a recommendation, eg if your vet gives you the names of a couple of people ask them which they would recommend - if any.

Find out as much as possible as you can about them - if they have a website take a look at it and read their testimonials page - if they have one.

Speak to/e-mail them, do they seem friendly, are they interested in you and your dog.

Arrange to visit a class - all good trainers will be more than happy to have you sit in if they run classes, don't take your dog along at this stage just sit and watch.  Get a feel for the class, is it what you expected, is it relaxed and fun or stressful and chaotic?  Can you picture you and your dog there?  Are they learning the same sort of things that you would like to teach your dog?  Speak to the people that already attend the class, if you can, and see if they enjoy the class and if they think it is worth the money.  And, most importantly, trust your gut instinct, if something doesn't feel right to you then move on to a different class.

Questions you should ask

What kind of training methods do you use? (I recommend choosing a dog trainer that only uses kind/reward based training methods such as clicker training, use of treats/toys/praise)

Is there a registration fee?

Are you committed to a set number of classes? And do you pay for them all up front?

What age dogs do they take?

Are kids welcome at the class? and Can the kids be involved in the training?

If you have more than one dog, will you have to bring them separately and will you be charged twice?

Finding a Behaviourist

First of all compile a list of all the behaviourists that are available in your area (a good behaviourist should visit you at home, so you can search a much wider area as many are happy to travel) - vets can be a good source of information, as can pet shops, grooming parlours, boarding kennels and even the local newspaper and yellow pages. 

Ask for a recommendation, eg if your vet gives you the names of a couple of people ask them which they would recommend - if any.

Find out as much as possible as you can about them - if they have a website take a look at it, if you can, and read their testimonials page - if they have one.

Speak to/e-mail them, do they seem friendly, are they interested in you and your dog and the problems you are having, do they appear positive about being able to help you (although, they will never give any kind of guarantee they should seem positive), do they appear sympathetic, do you feel comfortable with them - a behaviour session could last several hours - be sure they seem like the kind of person you think you could spend time with.

Questions you should ask

What kind of training methods do you use? (I recommend you only choose a behaviourist that uses positive training methods based on canine communication - no harsh punishments)

Do they come to you? (remember your dog will behave more naturally in his own home and the Behaviourist will get a better idea of the problems you are having and what may have caused them eg a dominant dog will behave more submissively in a strange environment)

How much does it cost?  Does the price include travel expenses?

What aftercare is offered? What does it cost?

What should I expect in the first session? (some behaviourists use the first session to assess the dog and requirements and will then give a quote for further sessions/classes where training/advice will be offered - find out how much the further sessions will be.  Some behaviourists will assess and begin training in one longer session - there is no right or wrong way but one may suit you better than another, personally I prefer to do it all in one longer session as this keeps travel down and allows me to travel to a larger area)

Will the behaviourist demonstrate the techniques to you? (some behaviourists prefer to give advice verbally, others in a written report for you to follow and some prefer a more hands on approach and will show you.  Personally, I prefer to start the training off for you so you can see how its done and then guide you through it so you are confident you are doing it right too, verbal or written advice can often be forgotten or misinterpreted and this can lead to a poor success rate in my experience)

Is your dogs behaviour likely to improve during your consultation? (if they only offer verbal or written advice, understandably the answer will be no, however if they demonstrate the techniques then for most types of problems you should see an improvement)

If you have more than one dog that needs help will you need more than one consultation? (I treat all dogs in a household as one pack and therefore normally only one session is needed, no matter how many dogs, however if they all have different problems it just may be that you run out of time to deal with them all and need a further session)