subject: Choosing A Dog Training School - How To Choose [print this page] Learning how to become a dog trainer is not just about training puppies and dogs. A dog trainer not only must know about obedience training and dog behavior but they must also enjoy working with the people who own the dogs. What a dog trainer really does is to train people to train their dogs.
In addition to loving dogs and working with dog owners, let's take a look at other qualities that can greatly assist in kicking you off to a good start as a dog trainer. Assuming that you are in decent physical condition and have reasonable hand-eye coordination, other considerations are:
Excellent people skills Motivation and a "self-starter" work ethic Strong business sense Good organizational skills Sales and marketing skills
If you pass muster here and you want to continue, what qualities would you look for in a good dog training school? A good dog training school should:
Keep classes small to give you a lot of good one-on-one attention with an experienced dog trainer. Large dog training schools have lots of overhead so the classes tend to have up to 25 or 30 students per class, therefore time with each student may be limited.
The school and dog trainer should teach you exactly what you want to learn and more importantly, what you will be doing in your career as a dog trainer.
You definitely must have the "hands-on" experience of training a dog during your time at the dog training school. Most schools provide dogs for the students on which to practice and usually test the students on the training of their particular dog. This is critical because every dog is different and some dogs come with behavioral issues. For example, you might be assigned to a dog that is afraid. A good dog training school will provide you with the right tools and knowledge on how to approach and train a dog that is afraid or timid. The school must help you understand the different temperaments of dogs so you will be better prepared for your career as a professional dog trainer.
The dog training school you choose must have teachers who can give you an excellent academic base of obedience training plus, they must possess the ability to teach the science of animal behavior and how this knowledge is applied in real life ituations.
Understanding the evolution of dog training, the fascinating and proven science on how dogs think and how they learn, will allow you to develop your own philosophy of dog training and dog behavior as you hone the skills of your trade.
To best do this you need the most current information from nationally-acclaimed dog trainers and professionals working in dog behavior. More importantly, you will definitely need to know how it all applies to your future clients and their dogs.
To best understand academic applications to your future client's dog issues, consider the following as well in your decision of which dog training school to choose - books and theory will only take you so far, you must be able to learn and understand the people part.
You must get a crystal clear understanding of real-life on-going case studies that are representative of what you will be experiencing in your career as a dog trainer. This should be mandatory.
Participating in real-life case studies would be an ideal way to actually see how people present their dog problems to dog trainers and hear the recommended solutions. Being able to follow through on the outcome and see dog problems solved would be the icing on the cake. Because how you handle your first client will be critical in developing your career confidence with people and their specific dog issues.
There are many dog training schools around the country, so keep all of these thoughts and questions in mind. Whether you visit schools personally, on line or talk with them over the phone do your homework before starting school - you'll be glad you did.
