How to Choose a Trainer

The problem with the title of Positive Trainer, or Positive Training, is that if you really aren’t one, what are you going to call yourself?  No trainer is going to advertise themselves as “Consistently terrorizing dogs into submission for 30 years!” or “If you choke them, they will heel.”  So how do you find a truly positive trainer?

Start by asking questions.  You would interview anyone that wanted to work for you as a nanny or housekeeper, wouldn’t you?  So why not the single individual that is the most likely to impact whether you and your dog have a long and healthy relationship together?  What do you ask?

Describe your training methods to me.  A good positive trainer will use lures, clickers, reward markers, “non-coercive” techniques, and reward-based training methods.  They should be able to describe to you non-physical methods for handling common commands like come, sit, and down.  Watch out for words like pull, tug, jerk, correct or push.

What equipment do you require or recommend your students use?  ANY answer aside from “flat buckle collar” is the wrong answer.  The only exception I would ever make for this is in the case of the martingale collar and then only in the case of the small-headed hound-type breeds.  The main function of a martingale (limited slip) collar is to keep the collar from sliding off a pointy-headed dog like a Greyhound or Whippet.

Your best bet for finding a truly positive method trainer?  Word of mouth advertising is the trainer’s best friend.  If someone tells you, “I took Mojo to Xtra Special Training and it was great,” then ask them questions, because they are not likely to have learnt buzzwords of positive training and have no actual financial stake in where you and Mongo go for training.  Ask about every facet of class.  Some questions will be directly related to positive training techniques, others just about the trainer’s class-handling skills in general.

First, take a look at Mojo.  If you are at the park, or strolling the aisles at your favorite pet store, or chatting on the sidewalk, look at his collar.  Is Mojo all dressed up in his shiny best choke chain or prong collar?  Or is he wearing his faded, worn-out, broken-in nylon or leather flat buckle collar jingling with tags?  Is he on a 6 foot leash, or a 4 foot leash, or a short hold strap?  What is his attitude on life?  Does he look resigned, irritated, scared or intimidated, happy, alert, nervous, jumpy, relaxed?  Is he attentive and interested in Mom or is he distracted and ignoring her?  When she tells Mojo to sit or wait watch his ears and eyes.  Flattened ears and eyes looking away can be great indicators of a dog who doesn’t like to “work”.  Does this automatically mean XSTraining is not positive?  No, it could be the dog’s personality.  However, a really good positive trainer is going to teach her human students how to work with their dogs in such a way that not only do they obey, they obey because they want to.

Sit means Here come the goodies! whether those goodies are treats, toys, or “just” praise and attention.  Heel means When you sit next to my knee, and always stay in position to sit next to my knee no matter how fast or far we go between sits, here come the goodies!  A dog expecting imminent goodies is not generally going to flatten his ears, look away from the goodie dispenser, or shift his body farther from the vending machine before “reaching” for the goodies.  This generally becomes true within a very short while of taking up positive training with ANY dog.  Even shy, fearful, or previously abused dogs tend to look pretty perky and focused when they are given a sign that rewards are incoming.

If you don’t believe it, think back to the last time you told your child as soon as his bed was made you were buying ice cream.  How fast did that bed get made?  Now, how about the time you just told him to go make his bed, and you went back to that novel you’d been reading.  How fast did it get made that time?  Did it get made the time after?  At what point did you tell Jr., “If you don’t make your bed, you aren’t going to Freddie’s birthday party”?  And what did you threaten with the time after that?  And the one after that?

Back to Mojo and Mongo.  Does your friend have to physically maneuver the dog into position?  When she says “Sit” does her hand automatically reach toward his butt?  How about Down?  Does she subconsciously reach for his shoulders, neck, or collar?  Does he stand when she tells him it’s time to go, or does she give a tug first or during?  While a professional may be able to cover these mannerisms, friend Sally probably won’t, and won’t even think to.  These are all signs of a dog started with physically coercive methods.  A positive trainer will never have to push, pull, or drag a dog into position, nor will her students need to use these methods.

Mojo spots a likely looking patch of grass and decides to wander over and have himself a sniff.  What does Sally do?  Does she give a pop on the collar and tell him to get back?  Does Mojo flinch or balk or ignore the pop?  Or does she simply insert a simple, “Uh-uh” or “Oops!” into her conversation without missing a beat?  Does Mojo stop all forward progress to the grass?  Does he immediately shift his attention back to Sally?  A positively trained dog is given a simple signal that he has made the wrong choice and will look to Mom for direction towards the correct decision.  His attention will stay on her until he makes the right decision, because… you guessed it!  Goodies will be forthcoming!

For all the time that took to read, this is actually an assessment that can be made within moments.

Ask her about difficult dogs in her class.  There’s always one, and she might be pretty sure it was Mojo.  Find out specifically what the dog and owner struggled with and what steps the trainer took to help them both.  Did she put the dog in a new collar?  A head halter?  Take a few turns at physically putting the dog right?  Take extra time outside of class to make sure dog and human had a good grasp of the lesson before they went home?  Break out the Super Awesome Treats?  Cast around for a more rewarding means of motivation?

What were the behavior management tips given in class?  Husbandry and care tips?  Homework?  Handouts?  One on one attention even during a group class?  All these things can not only help you gain insight as to method, but also proficiency.

After even a brief discussion with Friend Sally, you should have a pretty good idea about the style of training happening at XSTraining.  Still not sure?  Find out when a  class is going on and drop by to watch.  If the classes are in a private building or residence, make sure it is okay to drop by when classes are going on, but it should also be just as acceptable for you to drop in for ANY class.  A trainer with no qualms about method will not require you to observe a particular class.

Talk to folks leaving the class.  Ask for a few minutes of their time on their way to the car.  Ask a vet or his receptionist for referrals.  Chances are the vet will have handled dogs trained by the trainer they refer you to.  But don’t be worried about hurting his feelings if you choose another trainer.

Gather all the resources you can before making your trainer decision.  See, hear, read, and ask.  This decision will have a huge impact on your dog’s life, and yours, and it’s critical you make the right one.


This article was provided by J at Pawsitive University. Thanks J.