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Hi All,
I am thinking about taking classes to become a dog trainer. I have a lot of hands on experience already, but I have the feeling that a certification will be important. Eventually I'd like to start my own business. There is obviously a shortage of qualified trainers and many people own dogs. So I see a need for this.
So what do you think, would you rather attend classes given by a certified instructor or a self taught person?
I can buy many books on the subject and it will be cheaper than the tuition for a coorespondence course.
How about personal consultations in the home? If you could afford it wouldn't that be better than a class with 20 people and their dogs?
I personally think that dangerwenches thinking is very flawed when it comes to this topic. Simply because there are so many so called dog behavior "experts" out there who don't really know what they're talking about. There are also many different books on dog training that teach many potentially dangerous methods on dog training.
It also depends on what type of training you are interested in. There are many different kinds ranging from positive punishment (add a shock when the dog does something bad) and negative reinforcement (subtract the shock when the dog does something good) to negative punishment (take away attention when the dog does something bad) and positive reinforcement (add treats when the dog does something good)
Different people will find differenty types of training easier and will look for someone who is certified in that particular field. While someone who is self taught might know most of these, there are many things that you will learn in a classroom that you can't find out on your own.
In your case, having experience with obedience training, along with a certificate will help greatly. If you plan on owning a business, the masses will look for someone who is certified (while that doesn't necessarily make you better, the masses will always go for someone with a title rather than the every day person)
I am just getting done with a class for my bassett hound puppy. While I didn't actually learn anything in the class, considereing that I'm already experienced enough with training and animals to teach my dog to sit, lay, come, leave it and go putty outside. The class did help me, because I went to a class with 6 other dogs (not 20, 20 is way too much) My dog was able to get socialization with other puppies and other people on a regular basis that she might have not gotten otherwise. In that instance, and classroom setting with other dogs is what matters most. While the one on one training technique is good for individual behaviors such as aggression, housetraining, etc, I think for an over-all class, it is best to have a small group of people and animals. That way, you can still get individual attention, but you can also get the distractions and socializations that many dogs need.
So, no, I don't think that a personal consultation would be better. One of the huge problems in this country, along with lack of training, is lack of socializing dogs. Good dogs can get very aggressive to new things if they aren't socialized with them properly.
I agree with the other columnist that said that obedience training should definately be a requirement to owning a dog.
So, my advice is to get certified.
Also, I'm curious, what kind of training do you use? and if you have a column here, can I see it?
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(Rating: 5)
I use positive reinforcement & treats. I am currently training a pet therapy retriever. I also own a basset hound and have trained her that way too. I don't have a column, but maybe I should start one. Thanks for the feedback and I agree.
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