Helpful Pet-Related Links | Old Farm Veterinary Hospital

Choosing the right trainer for you and your canine companion can be a daunting and often difficult task. Dog training is an unregulated industry, meaning anyone can call themselves a dog trainer regardless of their education or experience.

Both the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB) and the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) have created guidelines to help you choose the right trainer.

Along with the AVSAB and the ACVB, we only recommend trainers who exclusively use positive reinforcement training methods. These have proven to be the safest and most effective. Comparatively, aversive training techniques have shown to increase fear, anxiety, and aggression in dogs as well as have a negative effect on the human-animal bond.

One easy way to begin assessing a trainer is to look at their website and look for some of the keywords, certifications, and affiliations listed below:

Certification and Affiliations To Look For

The Pet Professional Guild
Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner: KPA CTP
Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed: CPDT KA
Association of Professional Dog Trainers: APDT
Pat Miller Certified Dog Trainer: PMDT
Animal Behavior College Certified Dog Trainer: ABC-CDT
Fear Free or Fear Free Certified

Keywords To Look For

Positive-reinforcement
Force-free
Reward-based
Fear-Free

Keywords to Avoid

Correction- based training
Dominance
Alpha
Statements that the trainer does not use treat/reward based training

Questions to Ask A Trainer Before Hiring

What training techniques do you use?
What are your vaccine requirements?
What types of classes do you offer?
What is your experience or personal area of interest as a dog trainer?
If you are looking for help with a specific behavioral problem: describe the problem to the trainer and see if they have experience with it.