5 Questions That Reveal a Good Dog Trainer

5 Questions To Ask Dog Trainers Before Choosing One

 “How do you correct a dog’s behaviour?”

A positive dog trainer’s answer doesn’t involve physical punishment, like yanking the lead, of any kind. If the answer does involve physical punishment, you should cross that trainer off your list. What you’re looking for here is an immediate redirection of the dog onto other more positive behaviours.

“Can I speak to your past and current clients?” 

Any trainer who doesn’t want you talk to their references should not be trusted.

“Do you have liability insurance?” 

All good, and professional, trainers have a liability insurance.

“Could medical issues affect my dog’s behaviour?” 

A Good dog trainer wants to work with veterinary care to first rule out any potential medical issues when identifying the reasons of any unwanted behaviour. A good dog trainer also recommends seeing a vet if medical issues might explain the behaviour. They also might recommend talking to your vet about medical help for the issues. Avoid any dog trainers that discount the importance of the veterinary component of dog behaviour.

“Do you use rewards in training, and if so, what kind?” 

Some old-school trainers are against positive training methods. Food reward is very powerful training tool in changing a dog’s behaviour. Anyone who rules out the use of food in training is not using up-to-date information and knowledge about dog training. If the trainer does use rewards but not food, that’s another area for concern. The answer you’re looking for is that yes, rewards are crucial in dog training and that they like to use whatever reward motivates that particular dog the most (food, praise, play, toys, etc).

Your Positive Dog Trainer in Sydney

I provide professional dog training services in Sydney, in the Inner West and surrounding areas. I’m here to help you to build a great relationship between you and your dog with amazing results.

I have over 6 years of experience in dog training and have successfully rehabilitated many reactive dogs. I specialise in obedience training and use reward based positive training methods combined with vocal correction when and if needed.

The session can be held at your own home or at one of our beautiful Inner West Parks.