Finding the Right Dog Trainer – What to Look For and What to Avoid

Hello, dog peeps. Jack here. Just a quick one before we get into this episode. You may or may not be aware that when I'm not talking dog stuff with Max, I in fact interview people who are incarcerated in prisons across the United States on a show called One Minute Remaining Stories from the Inmates. And that show has been nominated for an award in America. And I would love your support if you've got 60 seconds to click the link in the show notes of this episode and just vote for my show. That would be amazing if you could. Thank you very much indeed. Oh, and don't forget to verify your email address. Otherwise, the vote does not count. Thank you.

Therapy's biggest impact doesn't show up in some dramatic breakthrough. It shows up in the smallest moments. You bite your tongue instead of escalating. You put your phone down instead of firing off that text. You say what you actually mean instead of what would hurt someone else the most. Nobody applauds those moments, but they quietly change your life. That's what growing feels like, and that's exactly what Grow Therapy is here for. Grow is therapy that works, covered by insurance. Sessions average $21 with insurance, and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. There are no subscriptions, no long-term commitments. You just pay per session. Grow connects you with thousands of high-quality licensed therapists across the US, offering both virtual and in-person sessions nights and weekends. You can search by what matters, like insurance, specialty, identity, or availability, and you can book a therapy session in minutes and begin in as little as 2 days, not the national 48-day average. See if you could pay as little as $0 for therapy in seconds at growtherapy.com/startnow. That's growtherapy.com/startnow. growtherapy.com/startnow. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan.

You're either all in on this model, or maybe you're building with another. You're either speed, or is it security? You're either custom, or are you ready to use? Or your AWS AI with hundreds of models, ready-to-use agents, speed, and security built in. You don't have to pick a side. You can have them all. How will AI revolutionize your business? AWS AI is how.

I spend so much money on the dog though. My wife's like, you spend more money on the dog than me.

It's the Dog People Podcast with your host, Jack.

Secretly, I decided to start this podcast for some free dog training advice. You know, Malinois seem to be like the dog at the moment. Like, I think people see them on Instagram doing these incredible things. Yeah. Go, oh my God, that's awesome. And then they get one like, oh my God, what the fuck have I done? And Max O'Neill.

You would not believe how many people I meet and I go, what made you want to get, say, an Aussie Shepherd? They go, I don't know. I'd go, had you met one before? They go, no. If you want to ask me how often I walk my own dog a week, it's only twice a week.

It's the Dog People Podcast. Jack Lawrence, Max O'Neill. And we've spoken previously, Max, about how to become a dog trainer. And if someone wants to become a dog trainer, how they do that. But for a lot of people listening to this, it's probably more so the question is how to find a dog trainer.

How to find a good dog trainer.

Well, yeah, I mean, because there's a lot. Yeah. Okay.

Not to be negative.

Jump on Google, you'll find a lot of dog trainers. There is Instagram, Facebook, they're all there. But it's how to find a good one. And I suppose what constitutes a good dog trainer as well. It's a vast topic, like anything to do with dogs, it's a vast topic and a confusing one. So let's break it down. No nonsense, easy way to find a good dog trainer.

And the right one for you. So the first thing we're gonna do, guys, is look at reviews. Now, don't just go off just the sheer quantity of reviews because believe it or not, you can purchase fake reviews for quite cheap.

I don't believe it.

Exactly. So we always—

We purchased some for this podcast too.

Over 100. So our thing we always tell people is we've got the most amount of legitimate reviews because, um, without naming names, there are people out there who have got— wow, they've got 300. That's kind of suspicious. Then when you start reading them, you realize, oh, okay, it's just— it's pretty evident that they're bots. So have a look at reviews, look how many they've got, um, and actually read them, not only to make sure they're legit, but to also make sure that they align with what you're wanting. Um, you know, if you got Let's just say you've got a dog who you really need to work on their activity and you go and read something. Oh, they've got 100 views. Oh, they all seem legit. But it's just 100 people going, this person was great at teaching me to loose lead walk. This person was great at teaching me to loose lead walk and nothing else. You might go, maybe they're not the right fit. They might be really good at that thing and they might be a good trainer, but maybe not the right fit for you. So read the reviews, make sure they're legit, make sure they align with what you want and make sure there's some of them because if they're not getting them, guys, It's every likelihood that people maybe just haven't been that impressed with their service. So just something to look at is first looking at their reviews.

I like to get a sense of how people have found someone, you know, and I did that when I was looking up for dog trainers on the Gold Coast and I found you. Everything people were saying, it kind of aligned with what I felt and how I felt about dog training. And, you know, this no-nonsense, straight to the point, non-judgmental, for me was a big thing, was the non-judgmental, because I've had dog trainers in the past Who make you feel like a dickhead and who make you feel stupid and, and just like, what, you mean you didn't know that? Or what are you doing this for? You know, it's just like, well, hold on a second, that's what called you in.

Yeah. Oh, that's good to hear. Thank you. Well, um, yeah, reviews are a huge one. And, uh, the next one is referrals or recommendations from friends. Um, it's the same thing is if you are looking for someone, it's worth putting that out into your network and just saying, hey, does anyone know a good trainer? Whether that's a post on Facebook or Instagram or asking around or Whatever. Just because again, it's, you know, if people have done a good job, word of mouth will exist. Word of mouth only occurs if you're a business doing good things, whether you're a cafe, a movie theatre, or a dog trainer. So, if people are singing your praise and going, oh my God, definitely this person, then it's probably a good recommendation. But again, after people have had a negative experience with a dog trainer, they might not necessarily leave a poor review. They might just often not say anything. And if They're not then referring that person, that's a pretty good indication. But the opposite's also true. If you put an ad into your network, hey, looking for someone good in the Gold Coast or Brisbane or Tweed area, wherever you're located, and you get 3 or 4 people all telling you we had a great experience with this person, that's a great spot to start. So reviews and referrals are huge.

Now with the age of social media, I think it's very helpful too, because not only do you get to read reviews, get recommendations and all the rest of it, but you actually get to see them in action.

Yeah.

And see results as well.

Exactly. So, yeah, sticking on with the theme of R is results is massive as well. Is a lot of people might, you know, go, oh my God, we love this person, we love their classes, etc., etc. But also looking at the result. So, a lot of dog trainers, you know, don't post results, but most do. Is if you go to their Instagram or Facebook, you should find some videos where they're showing the results they've had. And don't just look for results with like, you know, 1 or 2 dogs. Look, try and see if that's a consistent thing they're producing, but also try and look for results in the area of training that you're struggling with. So again, let's say you're dealing with a complex separation anxiety case and this trainer is posting lots of results for, hey, look at this recall, look at this loose lead walk that I've taught. You need to see results on the issue you're experiencing. Again, training's very broad and there are people that are really good and really adept at training a few areas but not others. And some people can be quite specific with that. So If you can't see it, also message them and go, hey, I'm looking to work on my dog's separation anxiety, but I can't see anything on your page showing that you've got some results of that. Have you got any client testimonials in your inbox, or have you got any videos that I maybe can't see? And maybe they do, maybe they don't, but looking for results is a huge one as well, because you don't just want someone that people have loved, you want to actually get a result if you're going to see someone.

Obviously there's different ways to train dogs as well, so it's important, you know, that just because we, you know, you and I have a very Same opinion on the way dogs should be trained, but obviously not everyone agrees with that. But you can find dog trainers, good dog trainers who, you know, who have a— do balanced training or some people who are positive only. We won't get into that discussion right now because it's too in-depth. But if you are someone who is like, oh, I just want to do positive only. When it comes to dog training, for me, it's like physical training. Like, you find something that works for you and stick to it.

Yeah.

You know, and dog trainers, you can find a dog trainer who has the values that you have or you want to use.

Yeah, exactly. And that's, that's the next one. Our next R is the route to get there. You might see a dog trainer who's getting some awesome results and you go, that's really cool. I wish my dog would do that. But you also, after checking your reviews, your referrals, your recommendations, your result, you then want to look at the route they took to get to that result. Because you might often find that you don't agree with or align with the process. And that's cool. You know, everyone's got their own way of wanting to get there. And there's always plenty of ways to skin a cat, so to speak. So looking at how they got the result, again, looking at their training videos closely and seeing if it's something you align with, or you can even ask any good trainer without anything to hide, won't mind you going along to their class and just watching one or two. Quite often with our classes, we always have an audience there of a few people going, hey, we're really keen to check out your classes. Do you mind if we come along and watch one? We go, yeah, absolutely. Just come along, sit it and see if it's the right thing. And 90% of the time people go, awesome, we want to do that. And occasionally people go, nope, not for us. And it's like, cool. At least you figured that out beforehand.

Yeah.

So it's definitely important to look at how they get there, because although you might love the look of that dog's recall or that dog's sit, down, stay, or the dog's reactivity that's been rehabilitated, sometimes if you look at the route they took to get there, you might not like that process, and that's fine.

Why can't we get AI to production? Our competitors are already— How do we keep data secure? AWS AI cuts through the noise with ready-to-use agents and the broadest set of AI tools. Stop overthinking. Start building. AWS AI is how.

Therapy's biggest impact doesn't show up in some dramatic breakthrough. It shows up in the smallest moments. You bite your tongue instead of escalating. You put your phone down instead of firing off that text. You say what you actually mean instead of what would hurt someone else the most. Nobody applauds those moments, but they quietly change your life. That's what growing feels like, and that's exactly what Grow Therapy is here for. Grow is therapy that works, covered by insurance. Sessions average $21 with insurance, and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. There are no subscriptions, no long-term commitments. You just pay per session. Grow connects you with thousands of high-quality licensed therapists across the US, offering both virtual and in-person sessions nights and weekends. You can search by what matters, like insurance, specialty, identity, or availability. And you can book a therapy session in minutes and begin in as little as 2 days, not the national 48-day average. See if you could pay as little as $0 for therapy in seconds at growtherapy.com/startnow. That's growtherapy.com/startnow. growtherapy.com/startnow. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan. Rollin'!

This week, it pays extra to be a MyLowe's Rewards member. Through October 14th, members get $10 MyLowe's Money when you spend $200 or more on an eligible purchase during MyLowe's Money Days. Also using your MyLowe's Rewards credit card? Even better, that's an additional $20 MyLowe's Money. Use it to save on your next Lowe's haul. Exclusions, restrictions, and more terms apply. See lowes.com/mylowsmoneydays for details. MyLowe's Money, it pays extra to be a member. Expires 30 days after issuance, subject to change. Credit offer subject to credit approval.

I think, you know, we spoke about this before we hit record, but it's, you know, you may find yourself coming up against, like, if you do all of that stuff or you may not do all of that stuff, you do some of that stuff, you may still get a dog trainer that you didn't enjoy using. Like, I know years and years and years ago I had a couple of dog trainers in and we were living in Melbourne. Got a dog trainer via referral. Someone referred him, said it was really great. Came along, we did the training, which I thought was at the time, I thought, okay, well, this sounds legitimate. Looking back on it now, knowing a bit more, I go, he taught me nothing. And at the time he taught us all these things. We tried to implement them and nothing worked. It just didn't work. And it's just like, as you said, you don't, that's not when you just go, oh, well, we'll give up.

Yeah. And that brings us to our last and our final R. Our 5th R is retry. So the analogy we always give to our clients, right, is, you know, or people that have seen dog trainers before and it hasn't worked out, is let's just say that your car's got a funny noise. The engine's a bit rattly. Something's happening like that. You go to a mechanic, you get it back and it doesn't fix. You don't give up and go, oh, fuck it. My car's fucked. I'm not going to do anything about that now and just let it run into the ground. No, you're going to go, all right, I'm going to go find someone better and find someone else who can actually do this for me. So the 5th R is retry. If you've been burned, if you didn't get results, if you felt like it was a waste of money or you didn't get anywhere, or even if you went backwards, is that's not going to be the case for every single person you see. So it's always worth trying with someone else. There's always going to be someone better out there, and there's always going to be that right trainer for the right client, for the right dog, where it all fits in. It's a happy marriage. And we get that with plenty of people who have gone, well, I've seen 3 or 4 people, I don't know whether to book you. And I'm like, come give us a shot. And you'll get people who go, this is what we're looking for, and vice versa. Sometimes the way I train, the way I deliver my message isn't right for some people. And we go, hey, look, this isn't working. I recommend trying this person. They might be just what you're looking for. And sometimes there's a happier marriage there. So it's always worth retrying. So to summarise, guys, our 5 Rs would be reviews, referrals, results, the route, and retry. If you look at those 5 Rs, those 5 things, you'll find yourself a good trainer and the right trainer

What I really liked was your rhythmic tapping as you read out the Rs. Actually, a quick one just to end on before we end this topic. I see a lot these days of trainers offering online training, like, you know, hey, we may not live in the same state or the same country, but hey, I offer this online training program. Sometimes it's purely like buy a training program and it's all in video format. Sometimes they offer sort of, you know, face-to-face via Zoom or whatever it is. What's your opinion on that style of training?

So I think it's excellent because it widens your, uh, your, your market as a dog trainer. It means you can train people from interstate and abroad. And as a client, it widens also your options. You know, if you live in like a one-dog-trainer town where that person's got a monopoly but they kind of suck, it means you go, well, I might not want to see this person up in, I don't know, wherever you live, but luckily I can access this person's online course and get their knowledge and training as well. There's a fair different formats. There's people, like you said, who just do a one-way sort of video course where you just got a library to consume. There's other people that do face-to-face Skype stuff. So we do a lot of that. We've got video calls with people interstate and abroad that we do a live Zoom call with. So it's basically like I'm there with you, but I just can't handle your dog. And then there's also ones where it's like a thing we might submit a video request and then later on they will review that and send it back. So I think it's a great option. I think if you're just going to consume someone's content and you do it as that, like how you purchase someone's course, you've got to be someone that's good at taking direction because that conversation or that interaction is one way and you can't send anything back and go, hey, look, how am I doing? You have to be really good at implementing that knowledge. So, I consume a lot of online courses and content because I'm good at implementing it. But if you're not great at taking instruction, it's worth doing either the— if you are looking for something online, it's worth doing the Skype one where you've got a live thing or worth doing like some sort of programme where you can submit video And they can give you coaching tips because you might think you're doing it right and you might not be. But I think online training is fantastic and probably something we can do a whole episode about at some point.

Yeah. Well, I mean, I'm going to do a little bit of it because, I mean, as you know, I train Kira as a sort of in the style of gundogs. And there's some fantastic gundog trainers in the UK because it's massive in the UK. So there's a couple that I follow that I'm going to look at potentially doing some online training with just for that specific reason. Because there's not really, although there's some great people with some great knowledge and I'm sure you understand gundog training And, you know, our friend Apex is really great with working dogs and gun dogs, and he's helped me in some areas as well. But, you know, these guys purely, that's all they do. That's their thing. And I'm like, you know what? I'm going to test that out. 'Cause I also like to get knowledge, just like when you're trying to become a dog trainer, you surround yourself with different knowledge. I think when you're training a dog, I think it's great to surround yourself with more knowledge as well. So not just one trainer. I like to sort of get a little bit from here, a little bit from here. Different points of view. Yeah, totally. And, you know, even people who've got the same overarching opinion, but they've just got a little bit of different knowledge here and there. So, so I'm going to try the online training. So once we do that, we'll talk about it more and get more in depth with that sort of thing and see how it's going.

I'll give you some good recommendations off air.

I appreciate it. We could do it on air and then go ka-ching and then say, hey, can you sponsor the podcast? The Dog People Podcast is a Mashed Pumpkin production hosted by Jack Lawrence and Max O'Neill, edited, produced, and audio production By Jack Lawrence.

Thumbtack presents Tile Trouble. Every single time I use my sink, I make eye contact with the uneven grout on my kitchen backsplash. The crooked corners eye me, and I'm haunted by more tiling questions than I thought possible. What kind of pro can fix a backsplash? Can I replace one cracked tile or should I replace them all? What— what if I just use Thumbtack? I can hire top-rated pros, read reviews, and compare prices with a tap, all on the app. Thumbtack knows homes. Download the app today.