Don't be fooled!
The advent of the internet has made it much easier for people to search
for Pet Care and Training Facilities but unfortunately there are no
watch dog agency's enforcing the
"Truth in Advertising" laws for these internet websites. It is
very easy to hire a professional webmaster to build a fancy, glitzy
website to attract buyers and equally easy to make false clai
ms.
Imagine contacting a "Trainer" who comes to your home recommending they
take your pet for training at their facility which is a stack of crates in a garage!
It happens, do
your homework, meet the trainer, tour the facilities, ask for references,
a little research goes a long way.
The internet also offers valuable resources to verify many of these
claims. Here is some examples of tactics used by some websites.
If there website claims " As Seen on the Discovery Channel"
Then Check out this Discovery Channel Link
Or if it Claims they are affiliated with "Cesar Milan" such as this.
Then go to the Cesar Milan Watchdog page to verify that in fact they are affiliated with the "Dog Whisperer".
Use this link to find out if the business is even Legal and Licensed
to operate in your State.
Washington State Department of Licensing
Certification does not equate to experience. How many dogs, what
breeds and what types of problems has the trainer worked with? What
exactly was the certification process and what experience did the
certifier have? How much professional experience does the trainer have?
Sure training their first puppy when they were a kid counts but how many
dogs have they worked with on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis?
Just because you own a wrench doesn't make you a mechanic anymore than
owning a leash makes you a competent and well rounded dog trainer.
The
Association of Pet Dog Trainers Website has good information and
interestingly enough makes this comment among others on the site.
Do my own dogs need to pass a test?
Since there are no formal requirements for dog trainers, no. However,
you should have the experience of training a dog to the level that you
expect your clients to achieve.
Scatter Creek Kennel is located in Tenino, Washington and serves, Seattle, Bellevue, Olympia, Tacoma, Tumwater, Rainer, Centralia, Chehalis, Grandmound, Tenino, Rochester, Fort Lewis, Shelton, Lacey, Yelm, Lakeview, Federal Way, Kent, Bremerton, Aberdeen, Alma, Lakewood, Gig Harbor, Port Orchard, Silverdale, Longview, Bellingham, Kirkland, Tacoma and the Greater Puget Sound Areas. We provide seminars & Training Services across the Nation.