Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Dog Trainer (& the question you didn’t know to ask!)

Рет қаралды 1,721

Ай бұрын

#dogtrainer #dogtraining #servicedogtrainer #servicedogtraining
My other cool stuff 👇:
🦮 Service Dog 101 Course: courses.doggyu.com/p/service-...
🐕‍🦺 Behavior Interruptions & Alerts Course: courses.doggyu.com/p/bia
👉🏽 Sign Up For my FREE Dog Training Foundations Mini-Course: www.doggyu.com/
🎉 JOIN the DOGGY•U Community! (150+ Exclusive Training Videos!) / doggyu
My Qualifications as Seen on the Video:
Laura DeMaio Roy, DOGGY•U
GDMI (Guide Dog Mobility Instructor):
3 years of hands-on training and education including three 8-hour long exams that include written and practical portions. Apprenticeship under a variety of trainers and placement specialists over 3 years with professionally observed training and guide dog placements. There are a couple hundred GDMIs in the US. No continuing education requirement (though most organizations typically encourage or provide for it, like mine did.)
CPDT-KA (Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed):
Submission of documentation of 300 hours of dog training. 200 question multiple choice examination that I studied for over the course of a six weeks. Study time varies. Continuing education required.
Atlas CT (Certified Service Dog Trainer):
A course of study undertaken in a time frame of 6-12 months with over 25 courses required. Each course typically has testing components that include quizzes, multiple choice and written tests, as well as multiple video assignments that are evaluated and given feedback by professional service dog trainers. Continuing education required yearly.
AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator:
Online education and two years of dog training experience. Renewal every two years.
CTDI (Certified Trick Dog Instructor):
Weekend seminar or online education.
Favorite Dog Body Language Books (last 3 on this list): www.amazon.com/shop/doggyu/li...
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My Favorite Dog Training Books:
👉🏽 www.amazon.com/shop/doggyu/li...
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👉🏽 Blue-9 Multi-Function Leash: amzn.to/3Lj1iEo
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Пікірлер: 55

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

What other qualifications might you look for? Why did you pick your current trainer? Tell me about it below 👇 My other cool stuff 👇: 🦮 Service Dog 101 Course: courses.doggyu.com/p/service-dog-101 🐕‍🦺 Behavior Interruptions & Alerts Course: courses.doggyu.com/p/bia 👉🏽 Sign Up For my FREE Dog Training Foundations Mini-Course: www.doggyu.com/ 🎉 JOIN the DOGGY•U Community! (150+ Exclusive Training Videos!) patreon.com/doggyu

@EpsilonAD Ай бұрын

Thank you for another engaging and helpful clip. I chose my assor/organisation because they had a history of working with PTSD specific ADs and some ability to navigate the Australian disability scheme, the NDIS, for gaining funding. They were connected with a trainer around 100miles away, so close enough to work with on a fairly regular basis and attend some group classes for building social skills with other dogs (still something we would like to improve). We have learnt a lot but this handler still needs to improve cue giving skills and consistency. Complex task building is a lot ofwork. I am grateful for the help. I am especially appreciate finding very practical online resources I can understand that show me where I can improve like your fantastic clips. I heartily agree that online is a very useful place to find trainers (after the well suggested research) who agree with kindness based philosophies I try my best to follow. As a PWD living in a rural and fairly isolated area the ability to distance learn is so useful. Thank you thank you thank you 💞🐾

@brieandmick Ай бұрын

Laura, thank you so much for thinking of people with screen readers not a lot of content creators do that and I really appreciate that when I heard you say that I was like oh my goodness someone actually thought of me

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

I'm so glad that's helpful Brie! I don't always get it right, but I try my best to describe what's happening when applicable, as well as make my work as accessible as possible. Again, not perfect, but I'm trying! Thanks for taking the time to comment!

@user-yz8lv6hc4t Ай бұрын

I picked my trainers on location, experience with years in the field, the amount of titles they have on their dogs in obedience and others that relate to my type of training. Are easy to talk with and explain things that are in simple words that I can grasp quickly. Reputation from others who had taken classes.

@Boone22 Ай бұрын

Often..i seem to forget the 9 month old Newfie doesn't have the same skill levels as my other 3 dogs. I find myself doing what you did, reward,and redirect to the skill i need. I get upset with myself when he is totally clueless to task asked,because of me.

@user-lm5uo3wk2o Ай бұрын

I have my first working line dog (he's a 15 month old working kelpie) and I realized after I got him that I needed help. He is a pretty sensitive and reactive dog, and does some classic herdy things like crouch down/lie down when a dog is coming towards us, chase and lunge at cars, and generally is very sensitive to sudden environmental changes. Also very wary of little kids! The two trainers I worked with first were more used to training pet dogs and shelter dogs than sports/working line dogs and they both expressed some doubt about how to deal with my kelpies issues. The first one thought we could maybe put his crouch behavior on cue and that would help stop it, but wasn't sure, and suggested I ask his breeder what to do. The other one made his car reactivity worse by expecting him to learn to focus on me instead of the cars, when really he just wasn't capable of being that close to moving cars at that point. Eventually I reached out to Sarah Stremming to suggest someone to me in my area and I am working with that person now. So far it's going better and I'm really glad to have someone experienced with working line herding breeds to help me. I could have chosen online training with Sarah Stremming herself, and I still may do that, but I wanted an in-person trainer for now to show me some of the mechanics of how to respond in real life situations when I wouldn't easily be able to video.

@imogenolson5949 Ай бұрын

Your videos are so comforting, truly - I am a hospice nurse, who has just gotten an apprenticeship with a positive reinforcement training group in my area! It's good to see examples of an experienced professional, and learn from your videos (not to mention, your videos were instrumental in training my multipurpose SD's PA and some of his psych tasks)

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

Sounds like a wonderful opportunity! 💜

@unisys12 Ай бұрын

My wife and I have ran a dog training business for the last 5 years, from our home. Thank you for this video! It validates so many things for us. We knew, from the very start, that we wanted to require the owners to come at least once a week for private one-on-one training (if in our board & train program). We also recorded at least one full training session a week with their dog and gave them access to a "private KZfaq playlist" just for their dog. It broke our hearts when we saw that each video would only getting watched once or twice, maybe. But we stuck with it because we think it's supper important! So, if I could echo just one piece of advice from this video to others that are looking for a trainer and the one you choose does weekly recordings (unedited that is), please watch them. There is a lot of potential learning and good questions that can come from these videos.

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

I love that you offer this kind of additional support! It is hard when you make the resources and they aren't fully utilized, but know that they are really helpful for those that choose to invest the time!

@coor0kun Ай бұрын

My favorite local trainers have experience working in a fear-free veterinary hospital - they have a ton of experience, and if we face an issue in training related to fear, uncertainty, or a possible health issue they tend to be more aware, effective, and comfortable problem solving.

@trainingtabbykinna Ай бұрын

Thank you so much for this thorough explanation! I’m totally sharing your video on the local community page where people always ask about a good dog trainer, but sadly it’s dominated by using aversives. Hoping to spread awareness.

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing! I’m really trying to help educate the average consumer, so that is so helpful! 💜💜💜

@angelinacamacho8575 Ай бұрын

I think one major thing to consider is what kind of dog you have vs what kind of dog the trainer is used to. a lot of trainers use easy to train breeds like GSD, border collies, and labradors but the dog you may have may be a bit more difficult to train because it is a husky, wolfdog, or some other breed known to be stubborn and difficult. while all dogs can be trained to do something not every personality is easy to train and some trainers may not be good with more difficult personalities.

@one_field Ай бұрын

So true. I agree with her point in the video that you don't need to exclusively find trainers with experience specific to the breed of dog you have, but still, the category of working dog breed and the temperament do make a massive difference. A lot of the instructors at my dog training club have only ever worked herding breeds bc they're fantastic for obedience, rally and agility, which are the activities this club prioritizes. Only two instructors there seem to do much with non-herding breeds; one works with teacup yorkies, which is mind blowing! She's got them doing advanced obedience work, and it's super impressive. That's still a very human-oriented breed, however. All of my dogs are livestock guardian breeds, including my SDIT, bc I'm a farmer in a high predator region. A few of the trainers at the club basically shrugged their shoulders at my Anatolian shepherd pup and pointed out that that's a really challenging breed to train for anything. And from their perspective, working only with collies and shelties, sure, the Anatolian is a totally different beast. Happily one of the trainers there works with an African breed of giant mastiff that is likewise inclined to make its own decisions, and she has been very encouraging. No dog breed is untrainable! But it's very helpful to find trainers who have experience with the less cooperative breeds.

@Dogwithoutaname Ай бұрын

your videos are so helpful and well explained! and they all have good captions too, thankyou. Im getting a SDIT prospect soon and this has been helping me alot

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

I'm so glad they're helpful! Good luck with your new pup!

@debbie5872 Ай бұрын

I trained my Service Dog myself!!!!

@UNbalancedDogTrainer Ай бұрын

💯 Thank you for wonderfully wise words, Laura 🥰 As a fellow professional trainer, this is such a terrifying reality.

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

💜💜💜

@adventurousdoglover Ай бұрын

Are courses acceptable as far as education goes specifically for a service dog trainers? Every certification that I’ve been looking at is not really aligning with how I train(besides you and very few others) but I found a course I’m taking and eventually her certification course next year. Doing my own research has been helpful however every client I have talked to you about certifications they personally don’t mind just because they can see what I do with the dog and how I train with no tools. I’m not super worried on education as far as a specific time frame however I do want to make sure that I make that correct choice because it is so expensive :)

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

Education and certifications can definitely be prohibitively expensive. When we're looking at becoming a trainer, we're looking at the whole package (all of the things I talk about in the video as an entire unit of what makes up a trainer). Courses are an excellent way to continue your education. Finding a program that does resonate with your values can be a great tool not only for education but for networking and comraderee purposes. In my experience, honestly, few clients ask about education/certification, but it's an important part of the entire training package and shows a commitment to continued learning. That learning doesn't have to be from paid for courses, but having a certification that requires continued education can potentially hold a person accountable for staying up to date in their field. There's always more to learn! Hope that helps!

@adventurousdoglover Ай бұрын

@@DoggyU thank you so much! It is very important and it’s typically the first thing that I will bring up with them is how they want their dog trained and what type of trainer they are looking for if they don’t ask previously. I appreciate the reply very much and it was very helpful! 😄

@oneof7billionhumans Ай бұрын

awesome questions! and great way to handle the situation! thanks for posting!!

@Smokeybluetheraccoon 5 күн бұрын

The insurance isn't one I thought about!

@vsmartdogs Ай бұрын

My most recent "I'm a professional" mistake: I've started working on teeth brushing with Freddie. He LOVES the toothpaste we have, and until the other night had only tasted it by licking it off my finger or off the tube. In session, he will put his nose into my hand and hold still while I touch his teeth with a dry finger, so I decided it was time to try with toothpaste. First few sessions, I kept the paste on a different finger and touched his tooth with a dry finger, then let him lick it at the end. That was a little challenging for him but he figured it out. Next session we warmed up then I tried putting the toothpaste on his actual tooth and that was HORRIBLE 😂 the session lasted less than a minute and the whole time he was trying to lick the paste off my finger and was SO confused and frustrated about why I wasn't just letting him do that. Lesson learned: I prob shouldn't have let him make such a strong association with my finger being a toothpaste lick stick. What did I do about it? I just let him lick the toothpaste and scattered treats to end the session and went back to the drawing board 😂

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

Haha love it!

@asecretcourtofcrowsandcloc4084 Ай бұрын

This was a great video. I love the two questions you miss mentioned. Reading about what material someone chooses to read/listen to/watch related to their field, and how they handle mistakes, are both great ways to get to know someone and figure out if it be a good fit. I wasn’t able to find the area of the description where you wrote your credential definition

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

If you check the description (you might have to click "more" or "details" below the video, there is a list of my credentials with an explanation. You can also pause the video at that section if you don't need a screen-reader friendly version. Finally, just a list of my credentials is available at www.doggyu.com/about

@CA-kv5wd Ай бұрын

Thank you! I love your out-of-the-box questions.

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

💜🩵💜 thank you!

@Lwswillow Ай бұрын

You are so informative you are the best. Thank you for all your information.

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

Thank you! This comment made me smile :)

@Smokeybluetheraccoon 5 күн бұрын

My most recent mistake was earlier when I responded to my dog demand barking. He's got a lot of trouble with demand barking, and I know logically I shouldn't give him attention when he's barking for attention, but I talked to him when he was barking! I fixed it by disengaging with him, waiting for him to offer a more desirable behavior like laying his head on me, and then making a big (positive) deal out of it when he rested his head on me instead

@DoggyU 5 күн бұрын

One other thing to think about in regards to demand barking is getting to the root of the barking before they have a chance to bark so they don't rehearse barking and then quiet behavior. Not sure if that's helpful, but that's another way to work through demand barking - cue the desired behavior before the dog feels the demand barking is necessary.

@Smokeybluetheraccoon 4 күн бұрын

@DoggyU Yes! I've been doing that as well, but I forgot to add that. I've realized he usually does it for three different reasons: he wants attention, he wants to play, or he needs to go outside to use the bathroom. I've been proactive with potty breaks, so that's helped a lot with that. I also taught him the word "outside" so I can ask him if he needs that. I started responding to laying his head on me with giving him attention and him bringing me a toy with play, so now he had alternate ways to communicate what he needs and it's worked very well! I think right now he's still "forgetting" his communication skills sometimes, so I take a step back until he's quiet and then prompt him to do one or the other depending on what I think he wanted and we go from there with lots of praise and immediate reward when he does ask nicely

@RebeccaKronick-gy7dd Ай бұрын

Not a professional dog trainer but a SD user( owner trained). I work in a library with my SD, when in the back office my girls off duty and invested. In order to get her to stay she’s taught with 2 cues, a verbal stay( slightly long wait) and a hand gesture stop aka don’t move at all. One day I had to run out quickly and told my dog to stay but forgot the hand signal and left the door ajar. Couple minutes later my girls bolting across the department like it’s a dog par, excited to come find me. I was completely embarrassed. To remedy this I decided either 1: give her a hand signal, 2 vest her up and bring her( kinda a pain if it’s for less than a minute) or tether her to my desk. In case your wondering why I don’t just close the door, I’m still waiting on my room key( 6 months, get on it work!) so I’d be locked out

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

Great solutions!

@janedeg4725 Ай бұрын

The trainers in my area are bad to worse. I have seen trainers unable to answer simple questions for firsttime dogowners. I have seen dogs fly on their collar for not "listening". The advise I got was helarious. I had to use signs for my dog. Good advise. But not when the dog is almost blind!😂😂

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

Sometimes finding a remote trainer can be a better options

@wildrattygirl7829 Ай бұрын

A mistake i make every so often is i let my dog have too much leash slack, which isn't a bad thing for her but is for me. Sometimes I'll end up stepping or tripping on it and she will become confused thinking I was adding leash pressure and asking something of her when I wasn't and it would be way too much leash pressure for anything I would ever ask of her! It's definitely jarring for her when she's on her sniff walks and she'll give me a look like are you asking for a heel right now?? Was a car coming? Did something bad Happen? And i just say OOPS! and give her a reward for my stupidity :') it's happened at least 3 times and i feel bad every single time lol we all make mistakes!

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

I've definitely tripped over a long line before when I wasn't doing a good job of actively managing it. Good think CoolWhip is pretty forgiving :)

@mrsSeaweed1973 Ай бұрын

I started to become a certified dog trainer a little over 20 years ago, but life and kids happened, and I never formally finished the courses. Since then I have worked with a few other trainers and read and watched as much content as possible. I have successfully trained both mine and my former stepdad's service dog. Would I be wrong to offer my services even though I am not certified? There is a lack of people in my area willing to help others (usually those who are disabled, senior citizens, and lower-income households) unless they spend absurd amounts of money, or are willing to travel. And can't afford the cost or time it takes to get a program dog. What are your thoughts on this?

@CA-kv5wd Ай бұрын

I've love to see more people who have skills share them with those who need the help!

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

This video is all about educating the consumer about dog training. It’s not wrong to offer your services, it’s all about knowing yourself and your skill set, not misrepresenting them, continuing to learn, and knowing when to refer out 💜

@mariedionne9649 Ай бұрын

Do you offer online consult? Or have a resource for dogs that develop a sudden phobia of outside (service dog in training almost there but regressed recently due to some bad experience outside , agitated people, bright police lights and fire cracker exploded near us)

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

Unfortunately, I am not taking new clients. If it's a sudden fear, I'd wonder if your dog is young and in a fear period? Or if there is something medical going on.

@TiltTV1 24 күн бұрын

Humane manors! That’s the issue. Violence in dog training is still normalized and often expected. Choking, electric collars, “no,” and painful “corrections” are still allowed and often expected. 😢 People still don’t understand how intelligent and evolved our animal companions are.

@zaydnharbin6507 Ай бұрын

I have been trying to train my dog for as work for years and she only has one problem, that is she is always looking for my parents when we go out she won’t focus on me and if she does she looks at me then straight back to ears up and sniffing everyone and looking around for my parents. It’s so disappointing. Any advice?

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

This is a bit more complicated of a question than can be answered on KZfaq. Some questions that pop to mind are, who is doing the majority of the care, fun and play with the dog? Can you practice having them leave and then leaving predicting something fun happening with you? Like parents leave and you begin playing tug? Some dogs want the group to "stay together" so it requires significantly more training to these scenarios than others.

@zaydnharbin6507 Ай бұрын

@@DoggyU yes, that might be helpful. I play, walk, groom, train, etc with her. Unfortunately my family can’t afford to hire a trainer and I’m just seeing all the advice I can get.

@FenrirAldebrand Ай бұрын

What happens if you can't find a trainer in person that aligns with your values? To avoid inflaming the comment section, let's just say that there are certain tools that I like to use, that every trainer that I've seen online in my city just absolutely refuses to work with clients who use these tools. Like it's cool, I get it, every trainer has their own values. But to react in that way just makes me feel like you're trying to shame me, or guilt trip me because I use what's best for my dog, and I'm trying to reach out for help for him to become the happiest and confident dog he can be!

@DoggyU Ай бұрын

Looking for a trainer online can be helpful if you're looking for something specific that's not available in your local area.