How to choose the best professional trainer for your pup

DELMARVA – Training dogs can be overwhelming, especially if you’re a first time pet owner.

Many pet owners decide to train their pups themselves, while others prefer to turn to a professional. Mike Kaviani with the Brandywine Valley SPCA says it’s important to do your research and find the trainer that best fits your lifestyle.

“That’s one of the struggles I see a lot is trainers who have an inability to morph their ideal training plan into your very realistic life variables. The best trainers are going to be able to work with you where you’re at to adjust their training style to your lifestyle needs, as opposed to making you conform to what their vision is.”

Kaviani recommends looking at reviews and searching for people in the area who have used a particular trainer, to get their input. He adds that ideally, you want to look for a trainer that leads with positive reinforcement, and one that teaches you how to train your dog. He says this method tends to be more successful than simply dropping your pup off with the trainer for several weeks.

“Usually short term gain from that, but long term not really that sustainable because you haven’t really learned what to actually do to maintain all of that.”