New owner - need to find a trainer

S

stickner

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#1
Hi. Please be kind to me. I am a newbie!!! We just goy our new dog a few days ago. He is a 9 month old hound mix/mutt. We saved him from a shelter.

We are brand new dog owners and are not sure where to start. We were given the book "The Everything Dog Training and Tricks Book " by Gerilyn J. Bielakiewicz. We read it and it sounds great. We started working with our guy and we are trying our best. But we obviously know we need to get him into a real obedience class with a professional ASAP.

Can anyone suggest a good trainer in the Buffalo, NY suburbs area? There are several group obedience places to choose from but we are really not sure what to be looking for when it comes to choosing a trainer. Our zip code is 14221 if that helps (Clarence, NY).

Thanks!
 

Doberluv

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#2
Welcome! Why wouldn't I be kind to you? LOL. Congrats on the new pup. I can't help you with a trainer. I'm on the west coast practically. But I can recommend that you get recommendations from others, try to verify the reputation of the trainer, ask questions, once you narrow things down and that you find a trainer who uses motivation and reward training rather than the old school yank and jerk and scold. You might be able to find online a list of questions and things to look for in a trainer. Just do a search..."how to find a good dog trainer" or something like that. You should also observe one class first and make sure you think you'd get along with the person and that he/she is kind to the dogs.

Dr2Little, a member here may have more help for you for a trainer. It's a great idea to get him into a class....really fun and good for the dog.
You can also contact the APDT. They may be able to help you. It's an organization which certifies trainers and there's a code of ethics they go by. which includes using motivation and reward based training. It doesn't mean that every trainer is wonderful, but it's a starting point.

I can recommend a couple of books. Culture Clash, by Jean Donaldson, Don't Shoot the Dog, by Karen Pryor, The Power of Positive Training, Pat Miller. There are others. Culture Clash will really show you how dogs learn and where they're coming from....lots of specific help, examples etc. I'd start with that one, then Karen Pryor's. They're fantastic....so very helpful.

You can also do a search here on the forums....browse around, ask questions. Good luck with your pup. Do you have pictures?
 
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#3
Would Blasdell be close?
I did find one there that looks/sounds pretty good but as Doberluv said, you'll need to ask lots of questions and possibly view a class or two to be sure. If this one isn't close to you, let me know and I'll find one that is.
I'm from Canada and don't know my way around the New York area at all so no laughing if this is really out of your way.;)


http://www.sitnstaypetservices.com/index.php3
 
S

stickner

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#4
dr2little said:
Would Blasdell be close?
I did find one there that looks/sounds pretty good but as Doberluv said, you'll need to ask lots of questions and possibly view a class or two to be sure. If this one isn't close to you, let me know and I'll find one that is.
I'm from Canada and don't know my way around the New York area at all so no laughing if this is really out of your way.;)


http://www.sitnstaypetservices.com/index.php3

Thanks for the link. That is a touch out of my way.

What do you think of this one?
http://www.nycanineacademy.com/welcome.html
 
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#5
stickner said:
Thanks for the link. That is a touch out of my way.

What do you think of this one?
http://www.nycanineacademy.com/welcome.html
Might be good, the first gal Colleen would be my first choice to at least ask questions with respect to her methods. It doesn't say a whole lot about how they train so I would ask to view a class as well.
Here are a bunch more in New York - Animal Behavior College certified, worth a look/see.
http://animalbehaviorcollege.com/index.asp
You'll see (click to search the Trainer directory) in orange text half way down the page...click on it. Then scroll down to (search by state), use the green arrow to find New York, there are several there to choose from, should be someone close..:) I'd steer clear of the last one on the page (Stacey Lynn Brusseau) sounds sketchy to me..
 
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#6
I recommend training him yourself, as it will create a better bond between the two of you. Plus, you can train him YOUR way.

There's heaps of free tips/guide/stuff available online for people who want to train their dogs.
 

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