Online Dog Training Schools

About ten years ago we had a guy in town who knew about dog training, his own dog was one of the most well trained dogs I’ve ever seen. Birdie (the trainer) held free classes up at the oval and people who really cared for their pooches took them up and did the training. It was a great social tool, my brother and I had one good dog, and one bad dog!

The bad dog Sirius never really improved but in her old age now she still shakes hands before dinner but we don’t bother pushing her too much! Birdie left town many years ago and no one really puts as much effort into dog training as they should.

This online dog training school review will be very useful for you if you are not able to access a physical class for you and your dog. Online training schools are also great if you just have a few questions about training your dog that you need answered without going to the trouble and cost of signing up with a qualified dog trainer in your local area.

All dog owners long to have a pet who eagerly responds to our every command, and who knows how behave both in the home and out in public places. Or do they? Sometimes, although we think we want an obedient dog, we are in fact constantly rewarding the dog with laughter, attention and affection when he is mischievous. We may even love our dog for those particular qualities.

So if there is a behavior pattern that you really do want to alter in your dog, first be sure that you will not unconsciously undermine the training by rewarding him for being 'bad' in this respect. This doesn't mean that you have to stop loving him whenever he is naughty, but only in respect of this particular behavior pattern. For example, if you want to train your dog to stop chewing your shoes, you must act very cold with him when he does it.

In a physical class the instructor would watch your actions as well as the dog's, to check that you are not rewarding (or 'reinforcing') the dog for the exact behavior that you say you do not want. However, if you sign up with an online dog training school you will either need to do this for yourself or make the whole family aware of the issue and remind each other.

What You Can Expect

Internet dog training schools often offer different levels of membership. First there is free membership which will allow you access to certain areas of the site. For example, you may be able to read articles or receive information by email that is not available to a casual website surfer. Of course you will need to give your email address for this and the site provides this service so that they can stay in touch with you and hope that sooner or later you will register for their paid service.

Be cautious sites that require anything more than your name and email address at this stage. For free services they should not need a phone number, address etc unless they plan to call you or sell your details to somebody else - which you probably would not welcome.

Many membership sites offer a forum where you can interact with other dog owners who are interested in training. Some of them will be experienced and you are likely to find some professional dog trainers in these forums, so you can often get all of your questions answered. You may have to pay a small monthly fee for access to a good internet dog training forum, but it will be very reasonable compared with the cost of a personal dog trainer or group class.

In these forums you will also be able to ask any other questions about your dog that are bothering you, even if they are not related to training. For example you may have questions about health issues like vaccination or dog health insurance or legal questions as in many jurisdictions there are laws about dog owning that it is good to understand.

What To Watch Out For

When you are visiting these sites, look out for these signs. You may want to write them down and check off each one against each site that you find. They will be a great help to you in deciding which dog training website is the best one for you.

1. There are many great dog trainers out there who do not have top web design skills so do not judge a site solely on its looks. However, it is worth keeping in mind that a successful trainer who is focusing on his or her online service - which is what you want - should be spending some money on the website. If the website looks cheap or outdated, the owner is likely to be using the site to attract customers for a 'real-life' class and may not have much to offer you.

2. Can you trust the information that you are given? It is easy for people online (and in print) to gather testimonials from satisfied customers. Every business, even the most unsuccessful, has one or two satisfied customers! Look for people recommending the service on other websites, not only on the training school's own website.

3. Find the 'contact us' email address and ask them a specific question about your dog. A good training school will answer promptly and give you the information that you need. If there is no reply after several days, you should be suspicious about what you will get for your money.

The Bottom Line

Our advice is to find as many online dog training websites as you can and sign up for any free services that they offer. This will give you the opportunity to judge for yourself and select the best online dog training school for you and your dog.