Anyone here use an Animal Behaviorist? (Arlington, Alexandria: minimum wage, education, best)

[Bigfoot424]

I don't need one as I am a trainer of 28 years but I'm reading something (book) that got me wondering about good animal behaviorists (AB) in the NOVA area. I have a highly recognized friend who is a long time AB in Texas but really know none in this area. I'm always being asked for advice from people and I'm glad to assist in anyway I can although I don't do training outside of the LE community. I'd like to meet an AB with training experience to refer people to when it's apparent they need more than a little advice. Anyone have any personal experience with any?

[spencgr]

I've had great experiences with Yody Blass.

Companion Animal Behavior: Home

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by spencgr

I've had great experiences with Yody Blass.

Companion Animal Behavior: Home

Thanks. While both ladies may be very talented I'd prefer to find someone certified as an animal behaviorist. I know someone on Georgetown, TX who claimed to have trained over 2500 dogs after just a couple years in the business. We all knew it was a lie. We think he must have gone into animal shelters and yelled SIT. Any dog who did sit must have been counted as a success story. I know of others out here who are claiming to be trainers and I know their backgrounds are sketchy. There are some good trainers out here but one really needs to investigate well before throwing out good money. Several years ago I was contacted by Petco about training obedience classes for them at the Manassas store. My name was given to someone who contacted me. When I heard what they were offering for pay I told them good luck. I would never want to take advantage of anyone but at what they were paying I'd hate to see the level of trainer they would get.

[CaliTerp07]

The certification process for a behaviorist is a little fuzzy. There are several different organizations that do it, and it's hard to tell the good ones from the iffy ones. It's similar to training a guide dog--while there are tons of places that do it, there are no regulations or rules for how to train, what a well trained one looks like, etc. Lots of shoddy agencies producing puppies for profit without adequately training them. Lots of programs claiming to give animal degrees too, without much in the way of results.

Woofs! has a lot of trainers on staff with a background in animal behavior. I have not worked with all on that list but a handful of them are some of the best trainers I've ever met in the way they can appropriately identify dog behaviors.

Meet Our Trainers - WOOFS! Dog Training Center in Arlington, VA

This lady is phenomenal: Dog Obedience Training in Alexandria, VA - Best Behaved Dogs
She and I take agility together, and the results she gets with her dogs are awesome. I would highly recommend her for problem behaviors.

Google will bring up dozens of people locally who are supposedly "certified behavior consultants" or "Applied behaviorists", but I honestly don't have any experience with most of them despite being in the dog world quite heavily for years. There are actually a couple names that popped up that I would actively avoid, so I'm not sure the behaviorist label is everything you want.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

Several years ago I was contacted by Petco about training obedience classes for them at the Manassas store. My name was given to someone who contacted me. When I heard what they were offering for pay I told them good luck. I would never want to take advantage of anyone but at what they were paying I'd hate to see the level of trainer they would get.

This is why I tell people to avoid obedience classes at petco/petsmart.

They pay essentially minimum wage, hire people who know nothing about dog training, and teach them "their way" in a super short crash course. You end up with trainers who have only ever trained their own dog, or maybe don't even have a dog, surrounded by 10 clueless new dog owners. Recipe for disaster with dog/dog interactions, lack of understanding of stress signals, etc.

For just a few dollars more, you can take obedience at a facility where the trainers are invested in long term education and are up to date on the most recent methods.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

This is why I tell people to avoid obedience classes at petco/petsmart.

They pay essentially minimum wage, hire people who know nothing about dog training, and teach them "their way" in a super short crash course. You end up with trainers who have only ever trained their own dog, or maybe don't even have a dog, surrounded by 10 clueless new dog owners. Recipe for disaster with dog/dog interactions, lack of understanding of stress signals, etc.

For just a few dollars more, you can take obedience at a facility where the trainers are invested in long term education and are up to date on the most recent methods.

LOL. I'd like to think I had the qualifications for the job at PETCO with my training background. Obedience is the foundation for all police K9 training. My K9 course was 17 weeks long with a minimum of two obedience sessions a day then the training never stops when the teams graduated.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

The certification process for a behaviorist is a little fuzzy. There are several different organizations that do it, and it's hard to tell the good ones from the iffy ones. It's similar to training a guide dog--while there are tons of places that do it, there are no regulations or rules for how to train, what a well trained one looks like, etc. Lots of shoddy agencies producing puppies for profit without adequately training them. Lots of programs claiming to give animal degrees too, without much in the way of results.

Woofs! has a lot of trainers on staff with a background in animal behavior. I have not worked with all on that list but a handful of them are some of the best trainers I've ever met in the way they can appropriately identify dog behaviors.

Meet Our Trainers - WOOFS! Dog Training Center in Arlington, VA

This lady is phenomenal: Dog Obedience Training in Alexandria, VA - Best Behaved Dogs
She and I take agility together, and the results she gets with her dogs are awesome. I would highly recommend her for problem behaviors.

Google will bring up dozens of people locally who are supposedly "certified behavior consultants" or "Applied behaviorists", but I honestly don't have any experience with most of them despite being in the dog world quite heavily for years. There are actually a couple names that popped up that I would actively avoid, so I'm not sure the behaviorist label is everything you want.

You're right on the certification process. No one should be hired without knowing the certificates held by the person as well as their background.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

LOL. I'd like to think I had the qualifications for the job at PETCO with my training background. Obedience is the foundation for all police K9 training. My K9 course was 17 weeks long with a minimum of two obedience sessions a day then the training never stops when the teams graduated.

I'm sorry, I wasn't meaning to imply you had no experience. I was only stating that with the money they offer and the policies of their company, the people they generally have as trainers have no real background in dog training.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

I'm sorry, I wasn't meaning to imply you had no experience. I was only stating that with the money they offer and the policies of their company, the people they generally have as trainers have no real background in dog training.

I'm just pulling your leg. She knew when she told me what they paid that I was going to turn her down.

[zeedogwhisperer]

Hello there. I'm really curious on how to be the pack leader, to be incharge.