We know that it can be confusing to determine what trainer is right for you and your dog...here are some of the factors we feel are important:

Trainer experience, age, and certifications...wherever you go, you should ask your potential trainer about how many training situations they have participated in, and you should also ask about the diversity of their experience with various breeds and training methods. Age and maturity come into consideration, also, when you take into account the patience needed to work through some doggie's issues. Finally, affiliations and certifications say quite a bit about your trainer's abilities: is the trainer certified by a test requiring extensive study and practice (such as CCPDT) or is he certified by a exclusive group to which he must be invited to join (such as NADOI)? Or, is he certified only by a four-week "train the trainer" course from a national mass-market chain?

Finally, we'd suggest that the training environment is really, really important. Many training operations (again, mostly mass-market chains) attempt to locate "training centers" in their stores. Our observation is that these "centers" are really just a cordoned-off corner of the store. Their real goal is to bring in consumers because they know every time we come into the store we are likely to buy. We feel training there is like holding first-grade classes in the aisle of a kid's toy store...way, way too many distractions!

At CityCanine, we have a training and boarding facility that has multiple play and training fields - this allows us to create appropriate social groups for the proper training environment and socialization. Our ultimate goal is to create great Companion Dogs for our clients. To that end, our efforts are directed toward creating positive behaviors in both dogs and owners... behaviors that lead to happy, stable life patterns for the whole family. And, because situations vary from household to household, we offer varied types of training programs: