What should you ask a dog trainer before hiring him/her?

[snssewell]

If you were to hire a dog trainer what questions would you ask him/her before you would let him/her train your dog?

After looking for about a month I finally found 2 dog trainers in my area. I heard back from one of them today who specializes in dog training, dog psychology, and rehabilitative services. I am pretty much able to teach her the basics but she does have very selective hearing when it comes to her name and recall especially when we are outside. So I thought a little professional help can't hurt and I will see where it takes us. I would also love to walk them together by myself when the hubby is not here so I want to work with a professional on that as well.

However, I am not sure what I should look for. I plan on calling this guy tomorrow and I was wondering if there are any specific questions I should ask him.

So far I know that he is doing home visits or training at his house. He wants to come here first and evaluate the dogs in their home environment and see how I handle the dogs. Then we will go from there. He has also worked with Husky's in the past (that was one of the first questions in my email to him).

I know I want to ask him if he is certified and also what kind of training methods he is using.

So what questions would you guys ask the guy?

I also have a second one that I am still waiting on a email response and she actually has a Husky/GSD mix.

[HuskyCouture]

you really want to make sure they understand the breed you own and are looking to train, Siberian Huskies. Many of the trainers I've come across think of them as the same breed as every other dog out there. Thinking that they will have excellent recall, listen to you constantly, walk off lead, walk heel. Lets be honest, if your husky can do this man you are gifted!

[KSNS]

Erm neverneeded one but i would ask if any previous experience with husky's and if so what was the main reason they were called in for and how did it work out in the end i know no one is born with the experience of all dogs but i would not accept advice from some one who knows nothing of the breed having had a few diff breeds my self i can safely say these are some serious work. Even thou all dogs share some traits they also have their own ones that makes each breed unique so that would be my number one question

[Tamz]

we put shiloh through puppy classes which taught us all the basics...our trainer didnt really know much about huskies but went out and researched the breed so he knew what he was dealing with.......i can honestly say he was excellent......he has helped us so much with shiloh- even now if we have issues with him he still helps us even though the classes have now ended

[valkyries]

i'd ask what his knowledge of huskies are.

what are his thoughts with a husky and off/on lead.

does he know just how stuborn they can be, that they are not misbehaving their just stuborn.

does he know they do have selective hearing.

does he know how high their pray drive is.

A trainer who thinks huskies are like all other dogs can be quit harsh with a dog that does not listen, or that can not be off lead.

He would have to explain to me the extent of his knowlegde and show me he knows they ARE different from other breeds, if not then he would have to prove to me that he is willing to learn and reaserch the breed as he helps me train, also that if he is not sure of the bread then he is willing to work with me not against me, an take my knowledge and advice on board.

[SarahNukka&Shadow]

Honestly? Do they give a full refund if your not happy with their services?! Iv heard of some really crap trainers that just didnt take into acount what breed of dog they were working with, but the people had already paid their money so couldnt do anything as they hadnt asked and there was a strict no refunds policy!

[magical Merlin]

If you were to hire a dog trainer what questions would you ask him/her before you would let him/her train your dog?

After looking for about a month I finally found 2 dog trainers in my area. I heard back from one of them today who specializes in dog training, dog psychology, and rehabilitative services. I am pretty much able to teach her the basics but she does have very selective hearing when it comes to her name and recall especially when we are outside. So I thought a little professional help can't hurt and I will see where it takes us. I would also love to walk them together by myself when the hubby is not here so I want to work with a professional on that as well.

However, I am not sure what I should look for. I plan on calling this guy tomorrow and I was wondering if there are any specific questions I should ask him.

So far I know that he is doing home visits or training at his house. He wants to come here first and evaluate the dogs in their home environment and see how I handle the dogs. Then we will go from there. He has also worked with Husky's in the past (that was one of the first questions in my email to him).

I know I want to ask him if he is certified and also what kind of training methods he is using.

So what questions would you guys ask the guy?

I also have a second one that I am still waiting on a email response and she actually has a Husky/GSD mix.

See if you can go and watch a training session to see if you like how they teach.

punative or posative reinforcement (posative/negative)

what sort of equipment does he use (shock collars, halitis, choke chains etc)

Any experience with huskies before

His qualifications

what the class covers

does he reccomend using treats (which he should if hes any good) or other sorts of praise

what correction does he use on dogs

What enviroment the training class is set in eg high distraction

what the aims of the lessons are

This link is to our website http://www.dogsandownersguidanceschool.co.uk/da/80348 might be worth a look. We only use posative methods and it shows what we aim to cover in the lessons as well.

xx

[snssewell]

Honestly? Do they give a full refund if your not happy with their services?! Iv heard of some really crap trainers that just didnt take into acount what breed of dog they were working with, but the people had already paid their money so couldnt do anything as they hadnt asked and there was a strict no refunds policy!

Hi, The first visit is $20 (about £13) and it does not matter if the evaluation is 1 hour or 3 hours it's still going to be $20. After that he will sit down with me and tell me how he will correct the behavior and it will be $20 for each 1 hour session after that for both dogs. So I don't think there is a refund policy, but $20 is really not that bad. *methinks*

[snssewell]

See if you can go and watch a training session to see if you like how they teach.

punative or posative reinforcement (posative/negative)

what sort of equipment does he use (shock collars, halitis, choke chains etc)

Any experience with huskies before

His qualifications

what the class covers

does he reccomend using treats (which he should if hes any good) or other sorts of praise

what correction does he use on dogs

What enviroment the training class is set in eg high distraction

what the aims of the lessons are

This link is to our website http://www.dogsandow....co.uk/da/80348 might be worth a look. We only use posative methods and it shows what we aim to cover in the lessons as well.

xx

Heather,

Thank you great tips. I definitely do not want a trainer to use any negative reinforcement. That is not happening!!!!! If so then he can pack his s**t and go. My doggies are not that bad. Both of the trainers I have found don't seem to have a set place to train. I found one lady a while back that did home visits and such and when I went on her website to contact her her service had changed and that she now works at this dog training place in town. I had emailed her and asked her a few questions about training my dogs, but I never got a response from her so...... I also googled the place she worked and all they have is a facebook page, I left a message there as well....and again...no response. So I said screw ya'll!

So now I found these two and they both seem to be self employed and do not have a place where they do their work. Both of them come to your house or like this guy said we could also train at his house. From what I understand the classes are customized. So I could tell them I just want them to heel. And we would work on heel and then that is it. However, he did say in his email that he will evaluate them so he will probably point out some behavior problems that could be fixed if I wanted to. Then its my choice if I want to do that or not. Which I like it that way.

But training in a place with high distraction is a good idea to ask because it wont do me any good if they listen at home and when they see a squirrel running when on a walk they still drag me down the street.

[snssewell]

i'd ask what his knowledge of huskies are.

what are his thoughts with a husky and off/on lead.

does he know just how stuborn they can be, that they are not misbehaving their just stuborn.

does he know they do have selective hearing.

does he know how high their pray drive is.

A trainer who thinks huskies are like all other dogs can be quit harsh with a dog that does not listen, or that can not be off lead.

He would have to explain to me the extent of his knowlegde and show me he knows they ARE different from other breeds, if not then he would have to prove to me that he is willing to learn and reaserch the breed as he helps me train, also that if he is not sure of the bread then he is willing to work with me not against me, an take my knowledge and advice on board.

Thanks.....yes I will definitely talk to him about his knowledge of huskies. They are not Golden Retrievers....thats for sure! Thanks for the tips.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

agree with all of the above find out if you can go and watch a session before you comit, ask about experience with huskies, if there isnt any are they willing to find out about them for you!

[snssewell]

agree with all of the above find out if you can go and watch a session before you comit, ask about experience with huskies, if there isnt any are they willing to find out about them for you!

Thanks Nix. I had asked him in my email if he was familiar with huskies and he replied that he worked with them before. So I will see. I am not sure if it will be possible to watch a training session since I assume most of them are at peoples homes. But honestly $20/ £13 is not that big of a deal to me . And if I don't like what I see the first time then it stops right there. It's also important to me to see if they like the trainer. Well Zihna likes everybody, but Whisper can be quite picky as far as who "he" wants to train. I will definitely keep you guys informed how the phone call went later on today. Who knows...if I can tell that he does not know what he is talking about as far as huskies but pretends to know then he can save the gas and does not need to come over here. Thanks everyone.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

ahh so its not a training 'class' as such, well if your gettin good vibes hun then go for it

[snssewell]

ahh so its not a training 'class' as such, well if your gettin good vibes hun then go for it

Yes its not a 'class' where a bunch of dogs get together. They have one here at petsmart but they both already know most of the commands they teach there....so I would feel like throwing my money away.....lol. And other than that I did not find anything in my city. There is one more place that does everything from training, to doggy day care, doggy day camp, and boarding. But its about 45 minutes away. But I would love to take them there later on maybe 1-2 times a month to the doggy day camp. I think they would love that and it would make them nice and tired. He he he he.

[magical Merlin]

Oh sorry, I didn't realise it was someone that came to your house like a behaviourist... In that case I would look for the following:

meeting one: he gets full details about the dog past and presant, what you want from the dog, how everyone else feels about the dog, any biting history, any other issues. He should then go away and think of how to help you. Somone that can tell you what to do there and then might not be fully evaluating whats going on in the dogs brain. In this first meeting he should meet everyone that lives with the dog and find out what input they have eg feeding/walking/what commands everyone uese.

He should then go away and write you a training programme.

Meeting two: go through the options you have and let you pick which way you feel confident approaching the issues you have. Start the training programme showing you what to do. Depening on what you want with the dog it will either be mainly the main carer doing the work or everyone jointly.

Meeting three: This should be a follow up with a new set of questions about how the training is going and any areas that you want further help on. He should also now look at assessing the dog to see how it is responding with you.

Meeting four: visit to check everything is going okay and that there is good progress being made.

My idea of a good trainer is someone that is avilable to you at all times, so they dont mind you calling them at 7pm because the dog has stolen something and you cant get it off the dog. While they dont need to be at your beck and call they should be approachable and easy to contact. If you leave a message they call you back.

xx

[snssewell]

Oh sorry, I didn't realise it was someone that came to your house like a behaviourist... In that case I would look for the following:

meeting one: he gets full details about the dog past and presant, what you want from the dog, how everyone else feels about the dog, any biting history, any other issues. He should then go away and think of how to help you. Somone that can tell you what to do there and then might not be fully evaluating whats going on in the dogs brain. In this first meeting he should meet everyone that lives with the dog and find out what input they have eg feeding/walking/what commands everyone uese.

He should then go away and write you a training programme.

Meeting two: go through the options you have and let you pick which way you feel confident approaching the issues you have. Start the training programme showing you what to do. Depening on what you want with the dog it will either be mainly the main carer doing the work or everyone jointly.

Meeting three: This should be a follow up with a new set of questions about how the training is going and any areas that you want further help on. He should also now look at assessing the dog to see how it is responding with you.

Meeting four: visit to check everything is going okay and that there is good progress being made.

My idea of a good trainer is someone that is avilable to you at all times, so they dont mind you calling them at 7pm because the dog has stolen something and you cant get it off the dog. While they dont need to be at your beck and call they should be approachable and easy to contact. If you leave a message they call you back.

xx

Thank you so much...added rep for that one.... I only know how these things work from TV shows...lol...so this post helped a lot and although he may not be a Victoria Stilwell or Cesar Milan if he can get her to just slightly move her ear to show that she is listening when she is outside and he calls her then that would be progress....LMAO!!!! Cause right now when she is in the yard 9 times out of 10 when I call her she does not move at all...well at least not in response of calling her. HA HA

[HuskyCouture]

Yes its not a 'class' where a bunch of dogs get together. They have one here at petsmart but they both already know most of the commands they teach there....so I would feel like throwing my money away.....lol. And other than that I did not find anything in my city. There is one more place that does everything from training, to doggy day care, doggy day camp, and boarding. But its about 45 minutes away. But I would love to take them there later on maybe 1-2 times a month to the doggy day camp. I think they would love that and it would make them nice and tired. He he he he.

I took Embry to Basic and Intermediate at Petsmart. Yeah they do only teach them basic commands, but it was nice having Embry with other puppies and dogs so he knew how to behave.

[snssewell]

I took Embry to Basic and Intermediate at Petsmart. Yeah they do only teach them basic commands, but it was nice having Embry with other puppies and dogs so he knew how to behave.

Oh I bet it was fun for Embry. Yes I made the mistake and did not socialize Whisper enough when he was a puppy, but he was a stray and washed up in these peoples cul-de-sac after a bad rainstorm. He just stayed in their front yard and did not leave I would guess he was about 6-8 weeks old. They had 3 big dogs already and could not keep him. They had a BBQ and he was scared of everyone but kept coming to me and 2 beers later I said: Oh what the heck! I threw him in my truck and took him home. So he pretty much picked me. They had 3 little boys and I am thinking they was messing with him because when I got him he did not like children too much. When the neighbors kids came over to play with my puppy's (I had a 4 month old Shepard mix as well that was my ex-husbands) Whisper was always under my chair. He loved little girls and still does, but he does have a bit of a problem with "some" small boys. Although my friend was just here visiting from Germany with her 2 boys and 1 girl and he loved the 2 boys to death....so I don't know what makes him tick! He has never bit anyone though, but I can not trust him 100%. Then one of my daughters friends when she comes around he will just bark and growl at her for no reason. She does not even have to be close to him or look at him...she could be walking down the hallway and as soon as he sees here he will growl softly then if she comes closer he will bark and growl. There have only been 2 females that he did not like so far and one of them I did not like either so it was fine with me LMAO. But I did get worried when he was so grumpy with my daughters friend and had to keep him locked away. He also has been bit by 3 other dogs and some others showed aggressive behavior towards him. Most of those dogs were said to be good with other dogs....so I don't know if he wags his tail the wrong way or what.....

ANYHOW ramble ramble......

back to the point....if I get these little behavior problem fixed then I could take them to the dog park and dog day camp and things like that and I would love to because I don't want to make the same mistakes with Zihna and have her act funny with some people/other dogs. And yes I could still take Zihna by herself.....but it would really break my heart to only take one of them and have the other stay behind and I am sure most people with more than one dog know exactly what I am talking about. I already feel bad that I have to walk them separate because I can't handle them together. But HOPEFULLY everything be better soon....

Oh and here is a super cute picture of whisper when he was a fuzzball and my ex-hubbies rottie-shepard mix that we had rescued from a shelter like 3 weeks before Whisper found me lol.

By the way...I told my Ex that Whisper had been laying in our driveway and that I will only keep him till we found his owner.... well never found the owner.... :lol: he would have never let me have 2 dogs otherwise. BUT he was just SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE!!!!!!

OK totally got of topic here....I shut up now!!! Got carried away!!!!

[magical Merlin]

Oh I bet it was fun for Embry. Yes I made the mistake and did not socialize Whisper enough when he was a puppy, but he was a stray and washed up in these peoples cul-de-sac after a bad rainstorm. He just stayed in their front yard and did not leave I would guess he was about 6-8 weeks old. They had 3 big dogs already and could not keep him. They had a BBQ and he was scared of everyone but kept coming to me and 2 beers later I said: Oh what the heck! I threw him in my truck and took him home. So he pretty much picked me. They had 3 little boys and I am thinking they was messing with him because when I got him he did not like children too much. When the neighbors kids came over to play with my puppy's (I had a 4 month old Shepard mix as well that was my ex-husbands) Whisper was always under my chair. He loved little girls and still does, but he does have a bit of a problem with "some" small boys. Although my friend was just here visiting from Germany with her 2 boys and 1 girl and he loved the 2 boys to death....so I don't know what makes him tick! He has never bit anyone though, but I can not trust him 100%. Then one of my daughters friends when she comes around he will just bark and growl at her for no reason. She does not even have to be close to him or look at him...she could be walking down the hallway and as soon as he sees here he will growl softly then if she comes closer he will bark and growl. There have only been 2 females that he did not like so far and one of them I did not like either so it was fine with me LMAO. But I did get worried when he was so grumpy with my daughters friend and had to keep him locked away. He also has been bit by 3 other dogs and some others showed aggressive behavior towards him. Most of those dogs were said to be good with other dogs....so I don't know if he wags his tail the wrong way or what.....

ANYHOW ramble ramble......

back to the point....if I get these little behavior problem fixed then I could take them to the dog park and dog day camp and things like that and I would love to because I don't want to make the same mistakes with Zihna and have her act funny with some people/other dogs. And yes I could still take Zihna by herself.....but it would really break my heart to only take one of them and have the other stay behind and I am sure most people with more than one dog know exactly what I am talking about. I already feel bad that I have to walk them separate because I can't handle them together. But HOPEFULLY everything be better soon....

Oh and here is a super cute picture of whisper when he was a fuzzball and my ex-hubbies rottie-shepard mix that we had rescued from a shelter like 3 weeks before Whisper found me lol.

By the way...I told my Ex that Whisper had been laying in our driveway and that I will only keep him till we found his owner.... well never found the owner.... :lol: he would have never let me have 2 dogs otherwise. BUT he was just SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE!!!!!!

OK totally got of topic here....I shut up now!!! Got carried away!!!!

Your not the first to do it!

[snssewell]

Quick update... I never heard back from any of the local trainers (And people wonder why the economy is so bad I guess they don't want my business) I had called the guy and left him a message and he never returned my call so F*** him!

I did however talk to the lady that runs a dogy daycare, doggy day camp, boarding and training facility 45 minutes from here. She was great on the phone and had knowledge about husky's. She was aware of the recall issue with them and their independence etc etc. I have an appointment with her and my fur babies on Monday morning for a free assessment of the dogs and then we go from there.

The place looks great for dogs....nothing but woods and fields....we also have 2 vacations planned next year where I have to put the babies somewhere so it would be great if they knew the people there and I knew they in good hands while I am away....cause I always miss my babies terribly when I can't take them with me.

They also do training while boarding, so I am kind of leaning towards dropping them off there for a few days, let them work with them, then go by there and get myself trained and come home with hopefully 2 well mannered babies. Plus after the food fight today I could definitely use a break ....although .... knowing me I be driving out there to visit them! LOL!

Here is the website if anyone wants to take a peek http://k9logics.com/

[HuskyCouture]

Oh and here is a super cute picture of whisper when he was a fuzzball and my ex-hubbies rottie-shepard mix that we had rescued from a shelter like 3 weeks before Whisper found me lol.

By the way...I told my Ex that Whisper had been laying in our driveway and that I will only keep him till we found his owner.... well never found the owner.... :lol: he would have never let me have 2 dogs otherwise. BUT he was just SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE!!!!!!

OK totally got of topic here....I shut up now!!! Got carried away!!!!

awww they're both adorable

[magical Merlin]

Quick update... I never heard back from any of the local trainers (And people wonder why the economy is so bad I guess they don't want my business) I had called the guy and left him a message and he never returned my call so F*** him!

I did however talk to the lady that runs a dogy daycare, doggy day camp, boarding and training facility 45 minutes from here. She was great on the phone and had knowledge about husky's. She was aware of the recall issue with them and their independence etc etc. I have an appointment with her and my fur babies on Monday morning for a free assessment of the dogs and then we go from there.

The place looks great for dogs....nothing but woods and fields....we also have 2 vacations planned next year where I have to put the babies somewhere so it would be great if they knew the people there and I knew they in good hands while I am away....cause I always miss my babies terribly when I can't take them with me.

They also do training while boarding, so I am kind of leaning towards dropping them off there for a few days, let them work with them, then go by there and get myself trained and come home with hopefully 2 well mannered babies. Plus after the food fight today I could definitely use a break ....although .... knowing me I be driving out there to visit them! LOL!

Here is the website if anyone wants to take a peek http://k9logics.com/

Looks good! Will be great to hear what you think when you've seen it.

Just a little word of warning - its really easy to put dogs into training centres for a week or so and see amazing changes there, but when you get the dog home they often revert because of the enviroment and they are used to behaving a set way at home. They will be spending more time with you which is totally different to being in a kennel and being taken out for training sessions....for starters there is no chance to play up in a kennel.

Personnaly I would want to do the trainig with the dog rather than give people the dog. I would worry what they were doing to my dog while im not there to watch (but then I dont trust anyone with merlin) and I would want to see the steps and the changes happening rather than getting back a trainned dog. Thats just my oppinion though.

Hope it all goes well!