TRAINERS WE RECOMMEND
There are so many good trainers out there with an array of talents, it's hard deciding which one I should suggest to people. I usually base it on either the dog's temperament or the goals the owner has in mind (i.e. some come to your house and deal with stressors there, some have a facility you can go to where you have stimuli you can work around, some do one-on-one in a secure location if the dog has a bite history, some train/certify therapy dogs, etc.) I'm going to do my best putting together this list knowing people will have a difference of opinion, but this is based on my experience (I will probably add more as time goes on.) I usually only suggest trainers that are reward-based trainers - all of these trainers below incorporate food drive in the beginning to some degree because food drive is critical to a dog's training foundation. So, here it goes in alphabetical order.
AGILITY CUES FOR YOU (CHRISTINA WAKEFIELD)
www.aq4u.com
There are a ton of outstanding agility trainers in our area, this facility is one of them. But if you're interested in teaching your dog how to do Barn Hunt, this is THE place to check out! It's a lot harder than it looks, believe me, I tried it with Dolly. Christina's husband, Brian, watched Dolly after a couple attempts and pulls me aside. He tells me that Dolly is just one of those dogs that will probably be interested at first because the concept is new, but then give up once she realizes she can't actually touch/kill the rodents in their safe enclosures. That was incredibly insightful - that is exactly Dolly's temperament. I was thankful for his honestly because Dolly gets so car sick, it's a struggle to take her on long car rides across the bridge on a regular basis (for something she'll eventually not want to do). Gotta love trainers that can read a dog like that. Impressive. But if your dog has a strong nose, try a Barn Hunt class and see if you can get into this world of training. Or if you want to sign your dog up for agility, give them a call.
FEEDERS SUPPLY TRAINING LOCATIONS
www.feederssupply.com
If you're in the Louisville/Southern Indiana area, this is a fantastic place to go to get your dog involved in some group training. There are different levels of training classes, something for just about everybody. Prices are very easy on the budget, so if you try one class but didn't do your homework the first round, you can sign up for the same class for a second round and keep working on it until you get it down (there's nothing wrong with that. Some dogs/people need more time to grasp training, that is perfectly okay. DO NOT GIVE UP!) I haven't worked with any of the trainers in the Louisville area stores, but the New Albany/State Street store (which is quite spacious, a great place to take my fosters when I'm working with them) usually has Lucinda Schultz conducting classes. She's a field trial judge and a Canine Good Citizen evaluator; with all that experience, I could listen to Lucinda's hilarious dog stories for hours! Maybe on day she'll take a stab at standup comedy. Lucinda's best feature is she knows dogs aren't perfect, she will be the first to admit that her dogs aren't, either. That helps take the pressure off you and your dog. She doesn't walk into a room with her dogs like **BEHOLD!!!** You want a straight answer about dog behavior (or even human behavior, haha), Lucinda will give it. And often her response should be printed on a T-shirt. Lucinda also does in-home consultations/training (which is good because she can see firsthand what the dog is doing in the home), go ahead and give her a call and schedule an appointment: 502-931-5375.
JIM DEICH
https://www.facebook.com/DeichsDeals
I haven't used him personally but know a few who have - they very much like his work. He trains service dogs. Jim's training facility is in Salem, Indiana.
Business phone - 812-883-3846
K9 CONNECTION (TYLER MUTO)
www.connectwithyourk9.com
Tyler Muto is the trainer's trainer. Love his YouTube channel, it's a wealth of information. I wanted to add him to the list because a lot of my Facebook followers across the country ask me training questions and I send them his videos in response. He explains things thoroughly, his insight is spot-on, and is matter-of-fact/non-emotional/non-egotistical in his response. I'm so glad he's a lot younger than me, that way he'll be around for a long time. You can purchase his DVDs online through the Leerburg.com website.
There are so many good trainers out there with an array of talents, it's hard deciding which one I should suggest to people. I usually base it on either the dog's temperament or the goals the owner has in mind (i.e. some come to your house and deal with stressors there, some have a facility you can go to where you have stimuli you can work around, some do one-on-one in a secure location if the dog has a bite history, some train/certify therapy dogs, etc.) I'm going to do my best putting together this list knowing people will have a difference of opinion, but this is based on my experience (I will probably add more as time goes on.) I usually only suggest trainers that are reward-based trainers - all of these trainers below incorporate food drive in the beginning to some degree because food drive is critical to a dog's training foundation. So, here it goes in alphabetical order.
AGILITY CUES FOR YOU (CHRISTINA WAKEFIELD)
www.aq4u.com
There are a ton of outstanding agility trainers in our area, this facility is one of them. But if you're interested in teaching your dog how to do Barn Hunt, this is THE place to check out! It's a lot harder than it looks, believe me, I tried it with Dolly. Christina's husband, Brian, watched Dolly after a couple attempts and pulls me aside. He tells me that Dolly is just one of those dogs that will probably be interested at first because the concept is new, but then give up once she realizes she can't actually touch/kill the rodents in their safe enclosures. That was incredibly insightful - that is exactly Dolly's temperament. I was thankful for his honestly because Dolly gets so car sick, it's a struggle to take her on long car rides across the bridge on a regular basis (for something she'll eventually not want to do). Gotta love trainers that can read a dog like that. Impressive. But if your dog has a strong nose, try a Barn Hunt class and see if you can get into this world of training. Or if you want to sign your dog up for agility, give them a call.
FEEDERS SUPPLY TRAINING LOCATIONS
www.feederssupply.com
If you're in the Louisville/Southern Indiana area, this is a fantastic place to go to get your dog involved in some group training. There are different levels of training classes, something for just about everybody. Prices are very easy on the budget, so if you try one class but didn't do your homework the first round, you can sign up for the same class for a second round and keep working on it until you get it down (there's nothing wrong with that. Some dogs/people need more time to grasp training, that is perfectly okay. DO NOT GIVE UP!) I haven't worked with any of the trainers in the Louisville area stores, but the New Albany/State Street store (which is quite spacious, a great place to take my fosters when I'm working with them) usually has Lucinda Schultz conducting classes. She's a field trial judge and a Canine Good Citizen evaluator; with all that experience, I could listen to Lucinda's hilarious dog stories for hours! Maybe on day she'll take a stab at standup comedy. Lucinda's best feature is she knows dogs aren't perfect, she will be the first to admit that her dogs aren't, either. That helps take the pressure off you and your dog. She doesn't walk into a room with her dogs like **BEHOLD!!!** You want a straight answer about dog behavior (or even human behavior, haha), Lucinda will give it. And often her response should be printed on a T-shirt. Lucinda also does in-home consultations/training (which is good because she can see firsthand what the dog is doing in the home), go ahead and give her a call and schedule an appointment: 502-931-5375.
JIM DEICH
https://www.facebook.com/DeichsDeals
I haven't used him personally but know a few who have - they very much like his work. He trains service dogs. Jim's training facility is in Salem, Indiana.
Business phone - 812-883-3846
K9 CONNECTION (TYLER MUTO)
www.connectwithyourk9.com
Tyler Muto is the trainer's trainer. Love his YouTube channel, it's a wealth of information. I wanted to add him to the list because a lot of my Facebook followers across the country ask me training questions and I send them his videos in response. He explains things thoroughly, his insight is spot-on, and is matter-of-fact/non-emotional/non-egotistical in his response. I'm so glad he's a lot younger than me, that way he'll be around for a long time. You can purchase his DVDs online through the Leerburg.com website.
