●  EXPERIENCE AND BACKGROUND HISTORY are the most important factors when looking for a qualified dog trainer or dog trainers.  A qualified dog trainer can do more than instruct a dog owner as to how to lure a dog into a sitting position.  A good trainer will have dog instincts!  He or she will react instinctively to dog behavior because they have experienced many years of dog training.

●  BE WARY OF THE LARGE CORPORATE CHAIN STORE OFFERING TRAINING.  It's now easy to find a large pet food or service corporate store around the corner that offers dog/pet training.  These corporate chains have the power and finances to advertise themselves and their services in almost every home today.  While this may work for those who just want to learn to lure their dogs or puppies into a sit or down, many times, the trainers used by these corporate stores have no background or handling experience to enable them to give owners  insight and answers to dog problem behaviors.  This results in the corporate trainer answering questions he or she is really not qualified to answer.  Remember,  the bottom line with corporate training programs is sales, sales and more sales.   Most of the time these trainers work on commission and are under constant pressure to sell more classes. The dog being trained by the private trainer is a direct reflection of that trainer and his or her skills.  A private trainer is more inclined to become personally attached to their student and their student's dog and work to their best ability to help that student and dog.  Be very cautious when considering taking a class offered by a corporate pet store.  Ask for background and history of that trainer.  Remember, what you don't know can hurt you and your pet.

●  SEARCH FOR A TRAINER THAT REFLECTS YOUR IDEA OF DOG OWNERSHIP AND TRAINING.  If you have a dog or puppy that is a member of your family and you want a good family companion, keep that in mind when looking for a trainer.  An educated and skilled trainer today can teach an owner a METHOD of dog training that uses positive reinforcement and rewards rather than the old choke and yank method that just isn't feasible for most dogs and dog owners today.   A good dog owner is an educated dog owner!  Remember if you need force and the threat of punishment to train your dog, why would that dog obey or want to obey when that force and punishment is not present?