Choosing a dog trainer is one of the most important decisions you will ever make for your dog.

Choose well and you gain a guide who helps you both feel safer and more connected. Choose badly and the cost can stay with your dog for life.

Many people approach trainers because they’re struggling with their dogs. You might be one of those people, and that’s perfectly fine. Asking for help is a good thing.

The thing is, you expect someone who says they are a professional dog trainer or behaviourist to be properly educated, don’t you?

And they really should be. But they are often not.

Sadly, the industry is a mess. In the UK, anyone can call themselves a dog trainer or behaviourist. There are people out there who don’t understand your dog and won’t even consider how your dog feels, or why the behaviour is happening in the first place.

I have seen anxious dogs punished for expressing how they feel. I have seen fear related behaviour turn into shutdown because a trainer made a dog face their fears while wearing a prong collar.

I have seen naturally happy and excitable dogs, who were ripe to learn life skills through straightforward positive reinforcement, lose all their joy and trust. When it's so easy to grow optimism and confidence by using kind methods. Learn more about that here. 

I have seen dogs creeping along in shock collars, all agency and autonomy taken away from them.

All of this treatment does something very specific to the dog. It dysregulates their nervous system.

It makes them feel unsafe. It disrupts their natural homeostasis and health. A dog who feels unsafe cannot learn well, because their body is busy trying to survive.

Just as it would for a child, this kind of treatment creates trauma for the dog.

I have seen so many traumatised dogs, simply because their human took them to the wrong dog trainer.

And believe me when I say, trauma is much more difficult to undo than pulling on the lead. Learn more on this topic here.

Please, please, please don’t wait until your dog’s behaviour is at breaking point. When you are desperate, you are far more likely to choose the first trainer you see.

Know that your puppy will grow into an adolescent, and that adolescent will try your patience. Believe me, I know. I live with one.

Be prepared.

Find your dog trainer while life is calm, so you can take your time, ask questions and choose with a clear head.

A good dog trainer or behaviourist will welcome your questions.

Before you book, ask:

• What qualifications do you hold, and how do you keep learning?
• What methods do you use, and what happens when my dog gets something wrong?
• How will you find out why the behaviour is happening, including checking for pain or health issues?
• How will you know if my dog is feeling worried or overwhelmed during a session?

Look for someone who talks about how your dog feels, not just what your dog does. Someone who uses positive reinforcement, goes at your dog’s pace and treats you as a partner.

Walk away if a trainer:

• Recommends prong, choke or shock collars, or any equipment designed to cause discomfort
• Talks about dominance, being the alpha or putting your dog in their place
• Pushes your dog to face their fears before they are ready
• Makes you feel judged, rushed or uneasy

Most of all, if someone tells you to do something with your dog that gives you pause, or doesn’t treat them (or you) with the utmost respect, say goodbye immediately.

Trust that feeling. You know your dog. you know when they look happy, sad, scared, look for those things. Learn more about canine communication here. 

A dog who pulls on the lead can learn to walk beside you. A dog who has learned that the world, and the people in it, are unsafe has a much longer road back.

So take your time. Ask the questions. Choose a dog trainer who sees the whole dog in front of them.

Because trauma is so much harder to rectify than pulling on the lead.