The act of training a dog can truly be a work of art. It is poetry in motion with a give and take dance between the trainer and his pupil. No two instructors move the same way, read the same things or respond with the same timing. Yet the emotional and physical attraction that exits between dogs and humans is undeniable. Many are drawn to working with animals because of a strong love for them.

It has been said that, "The only thing that two trainers can agree upon is that someone else is doing it wrong". It is easy to be a critic. One could attend schools for years studying the different styles of art work yet never be able to put brush to canvas. It is possible to read every dog related book on the market, and still not be a good trainer. It is possible to mentally understand dogs and basic dog psychology and still not possess the physical attributes of timing, coordination, balance, and the emotional repoir with the dog to gain maximum results.

Therefore this a profession, while attracting many, is mastered by few. There are many who aspire to become dog trainers while others claim to be dog trainers, yet how can we evaluate and separate the qualified from the hopefuls?

One of the best ways to discover if a trainer is competent is to see if they compete for obedience or working titles with different breeds. Competition validates a trainer's teaching techniques by putting them under scrutiny in a public forum to be judged by a neutral party to it's content for precision and attitude. (A good positive mental attitude on the dog's part is stressed in competition obedience).

"But my dog is just a our family pet. Why should I look for a trainer that does competition work?"

The average pet owner seldom lists precision as a priority in training, yet they demand it in the dogs actions without realizing it. When a pet owner tells a dog to come, it may be for a treat, or it may be because the dog is heading towards a busy street. Regardless, the pet owner means NOW. When a pet owner goes for a walk, the owner expects the dog to heel for the entire walk, not just when there are no cars, no kids, no barking dog, no distractions, etc.... When the pet owner has company over for a visit, the owner expects the dog to show manners and not be unruly and jump on people. Most owners expect this response to be immediate, not after they have jumped on everyone, ..... twice.

Good trainers not only strive for perfection, but also for consistency. The dogs they train have to function around hundreds of other dogs and hundreds of people with no excuses.

Beware of the "gimmick of the year trainers who are constantly trying every new trick and technique on the market, or bookshelf." These trainers are usually not secure in their own methods and are searching for something that "works". Likewise, one should be careful investing in a trainer, or company that demands payment up-front. Once your money is in their pocket, the motivation to keep you satisfied is diminished. Trainers that always tell the owner what they want to hear, rather than what they need to hear, and trainers that only use positive training techniques are either not very experienced, or are more interested in bank deposits than satisfied and happy pet owners

A good trainer possesses many qualities. They have a good working knowledge of dog behavior and dog psychology. They understand positive and negative reinforcement. They have many methods to obtain results with different types of dogs. They have an ability to read a dog's body language and then correctly interpret what they see. They have excellent timing and an ability to communicate what they want to the pet they are working with. They have years of experience in working with dogs, and their owners, and they actively compete in basic and advanced obedience competition to continuously polish their skills and test them in forum of the real world. P.A.W.S. meets, and exceeds all these standards, and more. We look forward to helping you help your pet.