Group vs. Private Dog Training Lessons

by Wayne Booth

If you are considering a career as a dog trainer you may be wondering if you should focus on group classes or whether you should offer private obedience classes. Actually, both classes can offer great benefits to you. They each have their advantages for you, the dog trainer, and for owners and dogs.

Traditionally, group classes have been the way to go for most trainers. They allow you to give one lesson to many people at one time. All of your clients are paying you for your training expertise at once. You are getting the maximum return for your work. If you are using a facility — perhaps renting a space — you can reduce the number of nights you have to rent it. If you are giving group lessons on the weekend you can give them all on one day. Your expenditures are kept to a minimum with group lessons. From a business standpoint group lessons offer many advantages.

With group lessons you can also offer as many or as few classes as practical for the number of students. It’s up to you to determine the best working number of dogs and owners in a class. However, it’s usually possible to fit in one or two more students and their dogs if necessary, so you have a great deal of flexibility. You can also set up classes to appeal to special groups, such as puppy kindergarten classes, classes for older owners, classes for new dog owners, and so on. There are good reasons why group lessons have always been popular with both trainers and owners.

Yet there are some good reasons to consider giving private lessons, too. For one thing you can give these lessons during weekdays on a day and time that is convenient for you and the owner. You will usually go to their home so you would not need to use your own facility. Private lessons can be a way to supplement your dog training income at very little expense to yourself.

Additionally, many owners are willing to pay more for private lessons. They may have dogs with a problem that can’t be addressed in a group lesson — some issue that isn’t resolved with simple obedience lessons yet which is well within your scope as a dog trainer. It could be housebreaking problems that wouldn’t be an issue in a group obedience class. It could be a problem that is only triggered in the home environment, such as excessive barking in the backyard.

Some owners are simply more comfortable receiving one-on-one instruction and they are willing to pay extra for your time and attention. They can be inhibited in a group session and will be able to focus on learning and training their dogs much better with private instruction.

Likewise, some dogs may learn better in a private training session since there are fewer distractions offered than there are in a group lesson. It may be easier for a dog to focus on learning without being surrounded by several other dogs and people in an unfamiliar setting.

While group classes offer the trainer the advantage of having many clients in one place at one time, private lessons can be very lucrative for dog trainers since you’re offering a more specialized service tailored to an owner’s needs. Specialized services can almost always command higher rates. Your time and effort spent working with one dog and one owner in a private lesson can be a great supplement to your income as a dog trainer.

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The Dog Behavior Coach is now open!

by Wayne Booth

I wanted to share some exciting news….The Dog Behavior Coach is now open.

Here’s the best part….The first 50 people to sign up get the program for only $37.00 per month instead of the usual $47.00. This is your chance to save money.

Simply go to http://www.TheDogBehaviorCoach.com and sign up to take advantage of this special offer.

Thanks for your interest in The Dog Behavior Coach.

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Drug Dog Coach Announces Launch Date

by Wayne Booth

Drug Dog Coach will launch April 21, 2009. If you want to want to learn how to train drug detection dogs please take a look at www.DrugDogCoach.com .

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Now Is The Time To Become A Dog Trainer!

by Wayne Booth

I know there is a lot of negativism floating around right now. Watching the news can easily lead to discouragement. Discouragement can lead to pessimism and pessimism can quickly turn to anger. Anger will cripple anyone from moving ahead to a better future.

That is why I want you to know that if you have a true passion for working with dogs there has never been a better time to do it. The pet industry is set to do over $52 billion dollars in sales this year and that is in spite of us being in a a recession! I talk to dog trainers all over the country and everyone I talk to tells me that business is better than ever. I have experienced that same thing with my dog training business here in Nashville.

Things may be tough right now but people are still spending money on man’s best friend, the family dog. Don’t put it off any longer ….get off the fence and get started with your own dog training business. Take a look at these outstanding dog training programs.

www.k9-university.com – online programs and “Live” programs in Nashville

www.learntotraindogs.com – 4, 6, and 12 week programs in Austin, Texas

www.dogtrainercoach.com – an online membership training program

Good luck and make 2009 the best year you have ever had….your family deserves it.

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The Dog Behavior Coach - Coming Soon

by Wayne Booth

Announcing a new membership learning site

TheDogBehaviorCoach.com will be launching soon. I have had so many trainers asking for a program like this. There has been nothing available to teach about behavior issues and how to solve them until now.

We have also developed an eight week Behavior Training Program at K9-University.com. Feel free to take a look at both programs.

We will talk more about this new program when it launches.

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Fire! Training Dogs for Arson Detection

by Wayne Booth

Arson detection, or accelerant detection dogs, includes dogs trained for law enforcement, such as fire departments, as well as private detection companies who do searches for insurance companies.

Arson detection dogs require intensive training. Training usually begins even before the dog is assigned a handler. Dogs can be trained with small tins containing a couple of drops of evaporated gasoline. The dog is then rewarded. As you would expect, the dog begins to associate the smell of the accelerant with the reward. Many other accelerants besides gasoline can be taught.

The reward is very important for these dogs. Some trainers train with food while others use toys or give a tennis ball. But the reward must be consistent. Arson detection dogs are typically very enthusiastic and focused on their work.

Once the handlers arrive for their training sessions with the dogs, the dogs are taught how to alert the handler to the presence of an accelerant, either by sitting or by showing excitement. Together the dog and handler will work on other accelerants and the handlers will hide drops for the dogs to find in difficult places.

Once dogs and handlers are paired up they usually remain a team for several years with the dog living with the handler off-duty. After the dog is retired they can live out their years with their handler or be placed in a home with a family who wishes to adopt them.

Arson/accelerant detection dogs are more sensitive to finding accelerants than human electronic equipment. In one study to determine the smallest amount detectable by the dogs, they found .01 micro liter of 50 percent evaporated gasoline 100 percent of the time. A .01 micro liter sample is 1/1000th of a drop. Lab confirmation of a dog’s sense findings is always necessary. The dogs tell the investigators where to take samples, usually finding the spots at the fire scene where the smell of the accelerant is strongest so the investigator can take the sample for the lab. The dogs can also help rule out arson if no accelerant is detected.

In more sophisticated training the dogs are trained using many scents they might detect at an arson scene, but they are only rewarded for alerting to accelerants. Some of the scents may be almost identical to accelerants so the dog must be very discriminating and precise. Some arson/accelerant dogs can alert to as many as 20 different accelerants.

Dogs and handlers must be re-certified yearly.

Arson/accelerant dogs have only been in use since about 1985 but they have proven to be very effective for fire departments, the ATF, and private detection companies. The dogs can work in both urban and rural settings and have been used to determine whether accelerants were used during wildfires. Demand for the dogs is growing and there should be more opportunities for trainers for these important dogs.

If you are interested in training Arson Dogs take a look at:

www.arsondogs.com/trainerschedule.html

www.learntotraindogs.com

www.k9-university.com/programs/arson.html

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