I’m using a lot of guest articles this year from dog trainer Aidan Bindoff because he is one trainer whose ideas I almost always agree with. I got a kick of out this article and hope you enjoy it too. Please note that he names no names. What he says does not only apply to the currently most famous TV dog trainer!

TV Dog Trainers Exposed!

By Aidan Bindoff

Who could fail to be impressed by the extraordinary results of TV celebrity dog trainers? In minutes they can turn anxious, aggressive, “dominant” mutts into angelic pooches who never set a paw wrong… or can they?

The wonderful thing about television is it’s value as an entertainment medium. TV producers (with some very limited exceptions) are not there to disseminate important information, they are there to sell advertising time or subscriptions. And nothing sells like a story of transformation that inspires hope, particularly if that story is about a beloved pet. It’s something any pet-lover can relate to. Particularly if you are like the majority of pet owners and struggle with training, obedience and doggy manners.

As a dog trainer I am often amazed at the remarkable success stories I see on TV programs about dog training. In minutes, these gifted individuals can turn a problem dog (or dog owner) around. Sure, I’ve had a few remarkable success stories myself, but I know they are the exception, not the rule. Big changes to serious problems tend to take more time than TV producers allow for. Read the rest of this entry

I just read a really outstanding article on Cesar Millan and his methods, in the blog of Patricia McConnell, which I follow regularly… it’s the one dog blog I always keep up with!

The link takes you to it. The comments are very interesting too!

The other day I received an email from a woman who said she was interested in becoming a dog trainer but lacked the money that a lot of the places she had checked out would require. Did I have any ideas?

Well, learning to be a dog trainer takes quite a lot of actual experience with dogs, and much of that experience would ideally be working with a really good trainer who was good at teaching also.

Read the rest of this entry

If you are interested in working with a dog trainer, how do you evaluate the trainers in your area? Last week I wrote about how to find names of dog trainers, but what do you do once you have some people to contact?

Here are five topics to discuss. Depending on the particular situation, you can do early interviewing over the phone, but you definitely need to spend time in person with anyone before choosing them. Read the rest of this entry