 Barked: Mon Feb 4, '13 12:49pm PST |
 | |  | | For me watching our trainer who taught our obedience class demo with her dog is what had me sold. It was clear in the demo she loved her dog and believed that positive reinforcement and team work would get you where you wanted to go. Her dog was at ease and very eager to work for her handler. Of course upon meeting her she eagerly introduced herself and her experiences and her dogs and what she showed them in. She was recommended to me by a friend, sometimes word of mouth is the best way to find someone you can trust.
For my nose work instructor, he used the same facility as my obedience instructor did. I was skeptical but his website listed his years working with dogs in the military and now on the public front to help people bond with their pets through team work. He was easy to talk to both in person and through e-mail, and very reasonable in expectations and his goal is what I loved most. Not about competing (even though he encouraged all students to give it a go) but instead about building our dog's confidence and working through team work.
For Nose work they need to be a certified through the National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW). And like you said for other certifications you can see if that is legitimate too, though sometimes I've seen trainers 'certified' but aren't that experienced or that great with their students. Through that site you can find an instructor's site or ways to contact them and ask them anything you like and possibly see about any demos they may be taking part of or ask if you can watch a class to see how they work with their students. I'd recommend doing the same thing for an agility class. Watching them work with their students and or their own dog will tell you more than just asking them questions (not that asking questions isn't important/helpful). You can also attend local agility events and see where or who people work with, who they've had good experiences with and who they recommend. In the dog world, I think word of mouth and just meeting people and their dogs shows you first hand where you want to fit in and whose styles best fits with your personality. A trainer could tell you what you want to hear, but past students may tell a different story or hopefully back it up. Thats how I found my resources and it worked out really, really well for me and I know they'll always be willing to help me and answers question whether I'm in their class or not and I can always reach out to them. That's the kind of trainer you look for 
I'm sure others will have other suggestions too, best of luck finding a trainer  Edited by author Mon Feb 4, '13 12:50pm PST
|  |  | |  |
|
| my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals | [notify] |
3
