1.) Versatility A good dog trainer will use techniques and training styles which are compatible with your dogs temperament. Every dog is different, and some dogs respond better to certain approaches. What works for a Rottweiler wont necessarily work for a Poodle.

2.) Experience I know people who have been driving an automobile for 30 years and still cant parallel park! And dog training is the same way! Dont measure a dog trainers skill by his number of years in the profession. Instead, judge a trainer by what he has done in the Dog World, rather than how long he has been doing it.

3.) Cost When you pay for training, make sure you are paying for results... not for a specified number of hours or sessions. Good dog trainers know that every dog (and owner) is different. Some need more time to learn than others.

4.) Avoid Group Classes Ive never seen a dog that is 100% reliable come out of a group class. When professional dog trainers train their own dogs, they never do it in a group setting. Its always one-on-one. There are just too many distractions for a new dog in a group class.

5.) How Much Should You Expect To Pay For a Good Dog Training Program: Expect to pay between $400 and $1200. A good dog trainer will sometimes have a waiting list of dog owners who want to work with him. Your goal should be to work with the best dog trainer you can find, not to haggle over the price. And in virtually all cases that weve seen, the dog trainers who are charging bargain basement prices are the ones who you probably dont want to be working with in the first place. Its better to spend your money intelligently on a top-notch dog training program in the first place, than to waste your money chasing a bargain, and then have to pay more money for a good dog trainer somewhere down the line.

6.) Ask for a Free Consultation: You dont need to pay a dog trainer to take a look at your dog. This should be done for free. And besides, you dont want to pay money to meet a dog trainer, and then have to decide whether you want to work with him!

7.) Should You Send Your Dog Away To Be Trained? No. The idea of doing this is largely a scam predicated on kenneling the dog so that the dog training company can charge you even more money. For example, as a skilled dog trainer, I can train your dog, and get him responding in a very impressive manner, in about two days. But when I give him back to you, hes going to say, "Ive never had to do anything you say before! Why should I start now?" Its just like driving. I can build you a fantastic sports car, but if you dont learn how to drive it, it wont get you from point A to point B. You must find a dog trainer who will teach YOU how to train YOUR DOG!

8.) Should You Have A Dog Trainer Come To Your Home? No. Its going to work much better if you learn to train your dog in a neutral territory.

9.) Why You Should Avoid the big, chain pet store dog training programs: Because in most cases, the dog trainers youll encounter have only 2 to 3 months experience, and have been recruited through a newspaper ad. Dog training is both an art and a science. There is no way that you can become a professional dog trainer without apprenticing with several experienced dog trainers, with varied backgrounds, over an acceptable period of time. Stay away from the large pet store dog training programs.