For dog owners, one of the most important decisions to make is choosing the right dog trainer, regarding the nature and behavior of pet, which makes it one of the most difficult decisions to get right as well.

We assume that you are already determined to get the help of a professional dog trainer, so you are very likely to deal with a virtual armada of people, who would claim that they are the only ones to hold the keys of dog obedience and happiness. They offer guarantees and charge more per hour than the professional human psychologists.

So how can you emerge with an actually qualified dog trainer among this minefield of options as that trainer is required to use force free and science based techniques and modern tools?

Although there are many dog training organizations, this profession still seems unregulated as any person can claim to be a trainer, not matter what kind or level of education and experience he/she has in the field. That’s why, if you don’t want to face a glut of under qualified self proclaimed "professionals", then you should back up to the first step of decision making, which is what do you want your dog to learn?

1. Decide what you want your dog to learn:

If you want your pet to go for "sit, "stay", "come" or "heel" at beginning lessons and the dog doesn’t do the obedience work, then you should take professional help for the dog obedience. Similarly, you can hire the services for the dog agility training, which is a tough task to do for a normal dog owner. Just decide if you want the trainer or not, you have to choose the right tool for the job you require done.

2. Check out a trainer’s certification:

Certainly there are plenty of good dog trainers who are professionally gifted without any kind of formal certification; still you should ask them if they have been certified. This is because a person having the certifications has passed the minimum requirements and has already put in his hands with dogs.

3. Get Referrals:

Before hiring any dog trainer, you should ask to talk to a couple of his/her previous clients. In this way, you’ll get the proper idea of the trainer’s mode of training, reliability and most importantly, willingness to follow through.

4. Make sure the trainer includes you in the process:

A professional dog trainer may have a great expertise and a successful track record, but if you are not comfortable working with them, then you should drop them for sure. A good trainer has to be able to treat you respectfully and discuss things in an easy way for you to understand. Along with that, a good dog trainer keeps up with the modern training methods and adapts them to an individual dog’s needs.

One more thing, if you’ve already chosen someone, but then later you feel like the hired trainer isn’t the right decision for your dog, do not hesitate to seek dog training elsewhere. Drop the person right there and move on with the correct one.