Help me Out! Considering Taking up Training!

[onyx'girl]

Originally Posted by Konotashi

How would I go about getting certified? And finding seminars in my area? I'm willing to do anything not only to help get my foot in the door, but get experience also.
I've applied so many times to Petsmart and Petco, but not many places are hiring. :/

Are there a few training clubs in your area, most often seminars are hosted by the clubs or their trainers.
One of the clubs in my area has a few of the trainers getting together and bringing in people to hold workshops(then they fill the working spots with people who are committed handlers). If you can get involved with some actual trainers for mentoring, that would be the best way to get your foot in the door. I've learned so much just by hanging out with the 'professional' trainers and seeing their techniques. And they all have different styles and methods of course, but they get along with each other!!

[wildo]

Originally Posted by onyx'girl

Trainers get most of their business word of mouth so certification usually isn't important.

I definitely agree. However, one thing that I like about the KPA-CPT is that it tells me that the trainer has many hours of experience invested in Karen Pryor Academy. And if I wanted to train via the methodologies of positive reinforcement training then I'd want to make sure that the trainer understood the underlying reasoning for such training (who better to learn R+ methods than from Karen Pryor [or her instructors]). But generally speaking- I agree that certifications are not overly useful or a main reason why trainers get their business. I also completely agree that good, quality trainers are often going to seminars and such to learn from people who are more experienced than themselves!

[DunRingill]

I don't think dog training is something you (generic you) can just decide to become. It's not something you can take a class in, and then hang a shingle as a "Certified Dog Trainer." Some people are naturally good at training dogs but can't work with people. Some can work with people and are really good at the sales end of things, but not so good with the dogs! And often the certification isn't worth a whole lot when it comes to real hands on training. Tho I do know that lack of actual knowledge doesn't stop everyone....

There's a woman who lives behind one of my groom clients, she has a gaggle of schipperkes. (aka little black devils) She wanted me to "just" clip their nails for her.....she couldn't do it, her dogs wouldn't "let" her. But she also didn't want to pay what I wanted to charge, so I declined.

A few months later I heard rumors that she is now a certified dog trainer. Sure enough, she had her van wrapped with a fancy logo and business name. From what I've heard her dogs still won't "let" her clip their nails.

[Elaine]

Originally Posted by Konotashi

How would I go about getting certified? And finding seminars in my area? I'm willing to do anything not only to help get my foot in the door, but get experience also.
I've applied so many times to Petsmart and Petco, but not many places are hiring. :/

I wouldn't go for training from a certified trainer under any circumstances because they don't have the experience and just took a class. The certificate means nothing.

You have to go out and start titling your dog and maybe get another one and title that one. Titles and experience is what sells a trainer.

You can usually find seminars listed on the bulletin boards at the local dog schools and on the local obedience dog internet lists.

[Konotashi]

Now that I'll be getting more hours/money, I'll be able to put more titles on Ozzy. I need to get his CGC. I know it's not a title or worth much really, but it's something. I'm also going to look into putting him onto agility.
When I get my GSD, I'll probably do more since she'll have AKC registration and I'll have more options.
When I visited the breeder, I asked her about local SchH clubsand she said she wouldn't recommend any of them. :/

[Liesje]

Originally Posted by onyx'girl

Remember that training dogs is training their handlers as well...so if you aren't that into people, it may be frustrating and not so rewarding.

So true! Now I don't consider myself a "trainer" but have had people approach me and offer to pay for time and help but I won't do it. I work in tech support and already deal with people (it's not the technology that's the problem....) all day long so pretty much the last thing I want to do when I get home is deal with another person causing problems. I'm perfectly happy to make a video of how *I* would train this or that but I just can't deal with people after a 9 hour day!

How would I go about getting certified?

When I look for all-breed basic obedience type trainers or behaviorists I don't look for specific certifications but I like to see that the trainer has earned some high level titles on different breeds and has attended a lot of seminars so is fairly well-versed in different breeds, methods, and tools. Now if I'm looking for something really specific, like preparing my dog for a certain exercise on the Police Dog 1 test, I'll look for someone who is a certified SDA decoy and thus actually knows this test. That's what I meant my certifications, not the broad sort of certifications one can get by taking online dog behavior classes or something like that, but certifications specific to the task. I'm trying to find a decent local helper to help with some Schutzhund training and get all these guys that say they "used to help train police dogs" that don't even know what arm to put a sleeve on. Like titles, certifications are not the end-all and be-all but if someone is a USCA certified club level helper, at the very least that tells me that this person actually knows the Schutzhund routine.

[Chris Wild]

Originally Posted by Konotashi

When I get my GSD, I'll probably do more since she'll have AKC registration and I'll have more options.

AKC registration isn't required. With an IPL/PAL you can participate with Ozzy in any performance event AKC offers. The same would apply for UKC, and many other organizations.

I agree with the others in that it is experience that makes for a good trainer, and the only way to gain experience is time and working with dogs. I think it's great that you want to look to this down the road, but think that now having done some flyball with one dog you don't yet have the experience or skills to hang up a shingle. Go to different classes and get involved in different things with Ozzy. Read books, watch videos, attend seminars. If you can apprentice under a good trainer, that is even better. Many will allow you to do so for free in exchange for you just helping out with their classes as having an assistant can really make the trainer's life a lot easier. And then understand it will take time.

Even though you're not looking to work with problem dogs, just teaching basic obedience to pet owners requires a broad set of skills. You need to understand a variety of different training techniques and be able to work with different temperament types and drive levels in order to identify what will work best for each individual dog that comes into your class, and then apply techniques appropriate for that dog. And as others said, the bigger part of training is teaching the humans, not the dogs. You have to be able to communicate with people, get them to understand what to do and when to do it and why, and that requires also being able to figure out how to work with a variety of different temperaments and drive levels in the humans as well as the dogs.

[Konotashi]

I'm not willing to neuter Ozzy to get PAL registration. I asked them if a vasectomy would be acceptable, but I didn't get a definitive answer. They basically just said I could register him if he's neutered....

I'm good with people. Being in customer service for almost 3 years now, I've learned to be patient and explain things differently to help people understand.

Woofstock is this Saturday, and the agility club I'm looking into will be there, so I'll go talk to them about getting Ozzy into that. In the meantime, I'll work with him more and post more videos of him.
I'll also work with friends' dogs.