bogus dog trainers!! ugh - Page 1

Had a litter last year out of my two dogs last year and the only male I had went to a friend I used to train with.  I didn't want to sell the dog, but was talked into it pretty much.  I own his father and mother...VERY strong dogs.  Pup showed great drives up to 9 weeks old when I sold him.  I told the buyer exactly what I figured he was going to be like and how to go about it.  Instead of doing what I told him, he did everything that his "training director told him".  The dog was totally ruined by this "expert" trainer who has never done anything but by $15, 000 dogs and try to go to nationals with them.  He falls on his face every time he gets the opportunity to show at such an event.  Now he is claiming to be a dog trainer.  Teaching puppies from the ground up.  Correcting with pinch collars at 3 months old, force training puppies, and putting young pups (5 months old) into defense by flanking and hitting them. The owners pup would never bite the rag or play ball with him at all. This "expert training director" has titled 2 dogs in his "career".  Both of them were VERY nice dogs, bought from world class trainers, that were ipo3 and fh trained already.

I just got the pup back last night.  In 5 minutes this morning I had him playing ball.  In 10 minutes I had him so crazy for it that I could barely hold him.  My point of this post is to first of all call out the idiots and liars that say they are dog trainers.  If you want to buy expensive dogs and compete with them and look like a bad ass...FINE...but don't lie to people and tell them you are a "dog trainer"...don't teach forced retrieves...don't even try to teach a dog to heel...because you NEVER HAVE.  Second...DO YOU RESEARCH on these "expert" trainers before you EVER take your dog to them.  Ask them how many dogs they have titled.  How many dogs they have trained from a pup that have titles...either their own, or in their club.  Ask them who mentored them.  Do your reasearch on mentor too.  Call them and talk with them about the "expert trainer".  Anyone who has really mentored someone will tell you all you need to know.  DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!!  I wish someone had told me this when I started, instead of having 2 nice dogs ruined and learning for myself.  

I agree,  The big difference is that they are training a trained dog.  It still does mean they are training.

However it is completely differeent from TEACHING a young dog, and THEN training them for competition.  Takes a completely different skill set to do it from puppy on.  Not many of the big time trainers do it anymore because of the failure rate of puppies.  They simply aren't going to waste their time for a puppy who may or may not develop into what they want.  They go out and buy the older dogs that already are.

Something that people should be aware of.  Club dynamics should tell you this before your dog is ruined.  If the club dogs are progressing from puppy to titled dogs and they look happy in their work, that's the club to be in.  If the dogs all looked stressed - it's not.

Exactly right.  I tried my best to make people understand this.  And no...he THOUGHT he was training a dog.  He already had a trained dog..the things he "trained" took a v rated dog into a g category.  He is by far not a "big time" trainer...he just fools newbies into thinking he is b/c he has been to "nationals" and etc.  The big time trainers might not train their own pups, but they know how to train pups, and you see success in their students and club members.