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Originally Posted by Erin  There are reputable organizations you can belong to as a trainer but there is no dog training license. Just like you can go to grooming school but there is also no grooming license. Sometimes I think people assume this because you have to have a license to cut hair, for example.
Anyway, while there are some good trainers at Petsmarts/Petcos (maybe they work there for the benefits or something) there could also be an unqualified person who only attended their two day seminar. I can say that after doing obedience classes with Loki and reading training books, I could teach the basic class at PetCo. Sit/Stay/Down/Come/Leave It are not all that difficult to explain and demonstrate. It's the nuances of working with multiple dogs and learning to read their body language that a true trainer learns.
You should get your money back and find an independent positive reinforcement trainer. Good signs are if she lets you use a harness and doesn't insist on a collar, suggests you bring her favorite treats to class, and suggests you never "punish" your dog.
Lots of places will offer small dog classes, you just have to look around. |
I had no idea there are no licences to be had for training or grooming
that is scary, and explains a lot of those horror stories about taking dogs to groomers at petsmart/petco.
I also read two books on training and they were positive reinforcement. It said to never push your dog into position. So I have never done that. I was surprised when she told me to push pebbles down to make her sit.
Whats weird is she said those things, bring harness, and bring favorite treats... I think she believes in punishment though