It is normal to seek out a dog trainer if a dog develops behavioral problems. But it is also more than advisable to go to a professional when a puppy enters our home if we are not sure how to train it Dog trainers Houston tx. Even before, an educator can accompany you to the shelter to evaluate the character of a dog you are thinking of adopting.
No one is born knowing and educating a dog is not necessarily an easy task, a good educator can make the task easier in very few sessions, giving you the appropriate guidelines so that you know how to make your dog a balanced and happy dog.
In addition to assessing the personal connection with the trainer and the price, these are some questions you can ask a dog trainer before hiring their services, starting with confirming that their method is not harmful, that they use dog training without punishment , to avoid scares. or dislikes.
Because César Millán and other supposedly more or less controversial media stars continue to exert an unusual influence on too many educators.
1. What training do you have?
Having seen the dog whisperer’s entire collection doesn’t count, quite the opposite. And, be careful, at the moment there is no official title at the national level for canine educators. There is no approved title or anything like that, although there are official certificates.
Just as there are also various schools and professionals with a solid track record who are dedicated to training future educators: Más que Guau with Santi Vidal, or the Bocalán Foundation are some examples.
They also offer more or less extensive courses at the Autonomous University of Barcelona or at the Complutense University of Madrid, (in the latter they offer a Diploma in Canine Education and Training. Behavioral Therapists) .
In 2011, the BOE published the two new qualifications related to the canine world, which have yet to be approved by the INCUAL organization (National Qualifications Institute of the Ministry of Education). In this article by David Ordóñez, from Perruneando, you will find all the details on this issue.
2. How fast are you?
This is a trick question, ideal to save time. It serves to detect and rule out those who follow the miracle cream method .
A dog is not a machine and no trainer is a magician. You have to work and follow some guidelines, you have to have patience and perseverance. And most importantly, the trainer does not do it alone: the owner must learn to educate his dog on a daily basis.
Any so-called trainer who tells you otherwise will be just as effective as creams that make abs appear, at night and effortlessly.
Another thing is when it is a puppy that does not have any problems, in very few sessions they will be able to give you the guidelines you need to continue educating your dog.
3. At my house or yours?
A good canine educator will help you understand your dog, teach you how to continue with his education day by day.
You are your dog’s main point of reference and you are the one who must learn to educate him. Anything the trainer does with your dog should normally be able to do it with you in front of you , so that you learn and understand.
In the vast majority of cases, if they tell you that you should leave your dog somewhere for two months – there are those who insist on something like that – they are not on the right track. Your dog will learn, surely, but you won’t, so conflicts, when he returns home, are served.
4. What experience do you have?
If you go to an educator for a specific problem, it is best to get advice first. Not all educators will be effective for all cases, logically the more problematic the dog is, the more experience the ‘teacher’ will need to have so that he can help you.
Ask your veterinarian, look at the comments that other dog owners have left in the files of other educators in SrPerro… And, above all, meet in person to see what impression it makes on you: the first visit is, very often, free and it is time to see how he treats your dog , to listen and understand what he proposes as a working method…
It is crucial that you feel comfortable, if you get the impression that he is too aggressive or rough with your dog, he probably is and the one who will suffer will be your dog.
How many years you have been practicing matters, but it will also be interesting to know if you have taken courses with other professionals to renew yourself and expand your knowledge. Or if he himself teaches courses, of course, since that implies that he continues in continuous training.
It is always good information to know if you have a dog and enjoy some dog discipline or sport such as disc dog, canicross, agility.
Because? Because the more versatile the trainer is, the more options and tools he will have to understand and teach your dog. And because the more you like dogs, the more empathy you will show.
5. At home or in a center? Can’t you do it for me?
It will depend, once again, on the reason why you need a dog trainer: if it is to educate and socialize a puppy, logically you will have to take it where there are other puppies.
But it is important to remember again that the one who really has to learn is you: it is of no use for an educator to work with your dog if when you get home you forget their advice and do the opposite. The dog will be increasingly confused and it will be harmful to him.
Many (good) professionals, in fact, seek to offer tools to dog owners so that they themselves can continue advancing in the education of their puppy once the course is completed.
And, as previously said, it is no use leaving a dog in a nursing home, like someone who leaves their child in a boarding school, only to pick them up a week later with their military service done.