Pet Trainers in Beaconsfield, United Kingdom

This is a copy and paste that Jo wrote for someone else with a similar question. The first thing you must realise is that the dog training industry is unregulated in the UK. Anyone can call themselves a dog trainer/behaviourist. Anyone can also set up an academy of dog training, charge a fortune and then issue a 'certificate' at the end of it. (I know little about the ADTB, so cannot say if they are science based or not. The six modules look incredibly basic though:/ I can also tell you that I know one of the trainers listed and she is really not very good. She still refers to outdated methods and has not heard of a very famous trainer and author. This suggests to me that it's not a great course:(. ) I would look for organisations that promote up to date, scientific based methods. Any courses that advocate 'pack leader', 'dominance', 'rank reduction' or 'balanced' should be avoided. Places that I know will promote modern training methods are: * COAPE http://www.coape.co.uk/ * IMDT http://www.imdt.uk.com/ * FdSc in Canine Behaviour and Training at Bishop Burton College http://www.bishopburton.ac.uk/courses/pt/animal-management/foundation-degree-canine-behaviour-and-training-fdsc-pt * Jean Donaldson's Academy for Dog Trainers http://www.academyfordogtrainers.com/ * Ani Ed (Ireland) http://www.anied.ie/index.html * Sarah Whitehead's Think Dog http://www.thinkdog.org/ * Compass Education http://www.compass-education.co.uk/ No doubt there are others. Consider what level you want to learn at. Do you want theoretical and/or practical? Modular? I completed the FdSc at Bishop Burton, so can give you more information on that if you wanted. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IMHO, anyone looking to set up dog training classes needs to look at the following: * Up to date knowledge of how dogs learn. Operant conditioning. The four quadrants. Premack. Reinforcement schedules. 300 peck. Lure and reward. Capturing and free shaping with a clicker... If not, look at appropriate training courses. * Knowledge of how to train not only dogs, but their handlers to train their dogs. Some knowledge of psychology is useful for this. Training courses again help with this. * Market research. What classes are there already? Is the market saturated? What can you offer that no-one else does? What fees will the market take? * Premises. Where? Where is the market? How far will people travel? Are there any suitable premises that will accommodate training classes? * Equipment. What do you need? Toys? Treats? Leads? Harnesses? Non-slip flooring? * Insurance. What do you need in order to be able to charge money for training classes? I'm sure there are many other things that slip my mind right now, but if you have a look at the websites linked in our file 'Associations you can trust to find a trainer in the UK' (link at the bottom of this post) they may give you further ideas Hope that helps! ~Admin~

http://www.compass-education.co.uk/

http://www.coape.org/

http://www.imdt.uk.com/

http://www.thinkdog.org/

I am a dog trainer but Watford is out of my remit meaning I would have to charge for mileage also. I recommend checking out IMDT website for trainers more local to you http://www.imdt.uk.com/

I can highly recommend Selina End Bsl Davies from personal experience, Selina has been invaluable to me with my 2 dogs and I have attended her puppy classes and also on a one to one basis

Hmmm look up Dima Yeremenko at Good Boy Dog School, he might cover Watford

Sean have a look at the courses on the IMDT website http://www.imdt.uk.com/ The two day Career as a Dog Trainer is an excellent way to get started but be warned.... you'll be hooked! smile emoticon

Good start but experience is vital. Have you trained a dog of your own? Volunteer at a dog rescue. Walk the dogs. Get to know about how dogs tick. Read books by respected people such as Karen Pryor Patricia Mcconnel Turid Rugass ian Dunbar. However good a course is its only the start. Experience experience experience.