Kansas City Dog Trainer

When you search for a dog trainer near you you’re going to come across dozens of options. Searching for a Kansas City dog trainer is no exception! Every year since Canine Solutions was established in 2009, more and more dog lovers have offered up their own take on reforming your enthusiastic bundle of dog hair and shenanigans. Service options and skill set vary from trainer to trainer so how do you know to choose the best fit for you and your dog?

In most states and cities in the United States, dog training is an unregulated industry. Anyone can literally wake up one day and call themselves a dog trainer. Your trainer’s handling methods are guaranteed to leave a lasting impact on you and your pup in some way.   A good training package is certainly an investment in your future so discernment is crucial!  To reiterate the sage advice that Indiana Jones received in The Last Crusade, ‘Choose wisely!’ Philosophies abound and everyone who own a dog is an expert on how you should handle your dog.

You can get some basic information about your local options from a Google maps search. The longer the length time the service has been active in your area the less risk you assume. Obviously, take a moment to consider the reviews left by both satisfied and unsatisfied clientele. More importantly, take a look at how the service provider responds to poor reviews. That will indicate a little about the character of the business representative and the culture of the company. You’ll also be able to discover a bit about the range of services and service area.

Click whatever links the ‘trainer’ offers. If the provider only has a Facebook Page to represent their business that may indicate that dog training is more of a hobby.  Well established businesses usually have a website, a Facebook page, and Instagram or other social media you can follow.  Look for videos of how they interact with the animals in their care.  Are they using training devices that cause pain? Large Veterinary associations such as the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists or the American Veterinary Society for Animal Behavior have taken a firm stance against the use of aversive training methods for training dogs.

You can also search for businesses at the state level.  While a business license isn’t legally required most legitimate businesses will hold state license.  If they have a public facility offers high volume boarding or daycare there should be a physical kennel license displayed in the lobby.    

In some ways credentials matter and in some ways they don’t. Having letters after your name likely means that the dog trainer took the time to educate themselves about a certain subject matter and then paid money to take a test provided by a certifying agency. As an business owner who both employees trainers and sub contracts out some of my work, I routinely use the CCPDT website to review new credentialed dog trainers in my area. If they are not credentialed by one of only a handful of certifying bodies in the industry I won’t even consider them as a potential employee or contractor.

As anyone who has taken one of these tests can testify, however, just having letters after your name doesn’t mean you have the handling skill to back it up. While you most certainly can learn effective training skills from books and videos, nothing replaces decades of hands on experience. Good trainers are nuanced in canine body language and how to mitigate stress so that your animal can learn effectively. If reinforcing in a timely manner and communicating clear boundaries were easy, no one would need the help of a dog trainer in the first place!

So while credentials may not mean that the trainer knows their stuff, it likely indicates that the provider takes their job seriously. They likely hold themselves accountable for investing in ongoing education and that’s never a bad thing. However, it’s also still important to remember that certifying organizations are for profit businesses. They make money on these certifications. Not everyone who is a CPDT uses purely positive methods. Even though most dog training academies have acknowledged that positive punishment and the use of aversive methods in training is undesirable, it doesn’t mean that all certificants strictly abide by the positive reinforcement philosophy. So, while certification is a great vetting tool, it’s not the only thing you’ll want to rely on to determine if the trainer is a good fit.

A great way to improve your chances of finding a quality Kansas City Dog Trainer is to ask other industry professionals for referrals. You probably have a veterinarian or a groomer already. They may have some knowledge of available resources in the ear. Younger veterinarians especially have greater awareness of the importance of utilizing reward based training methodology. Just because punishment ‘can’ reduce the expression of problematic behaviors at one point in time doesn’t mean that it is best for the welfare or future of that animal.

It is also important to note that scientific research and prevailing opinion of socializing puppies recognizes the importance of prior to the completion of vaccines. Some veterinarians still recommend delaying socialization until the vaccine series is complete which can be as late as 16 weeks. By that point puppies may already be showing fear associated with novel people or experiences. Be sure to get a couple of different opinions. Canine Solutions works closely with the growing number of veterinarians in the area to ensure they have force free educational material to pass on to clients in need.

The Kansas City region is a vast network of 9 counties across a broad geographic area. It even spans two states! As a resident of the southernmost reaches of Johnson County, KS I don’t even technically live IN Kansas City. But, as anyone who’s ever made the drive between Spring Hill, KS and North Kansas City, MO can attest, traversing from one side of the Metro to the other can amount to multiple hours of drive time.

Because of the expansive geographic area that the Kansas City Metro covers, In Home dog trainers will often limit their travel to a certain distance or time of travel from their home base. Further distances may incur upcharges. Families that want to involve their children or have special behavioral needs are best suited to private services.

There’s also a handful of dog training facilities located in and around Kansas City. Dog training facilities often offers group classes if they can accommodate the volume of dogs and people. Group classes are frequently offered in the evenings and on weekends and provide a lower price point than private training. However, the setting could be overwhelming or too distracting for your dog to learn effectively. Well run group classes will utilize visual barriers to help novice dogs and handlers focus and identify and excuse dogs that are not safe for the group setting. Also factor in the need to rush home to get your dog then rush to the training facility during rush hour.

When board and train is the preferred service the list of Kansas City Dog Trainers grows even shorter. It’s particularly prudent to ask lots of questions when picking a board and train service. This trainer is going to spend a lot of alone time with your dog. While freak accidents can occur even in the best run facilities, recent events involving scams, abuse, and even deaths of dogs under the guise of board and train highlight the need for discernment. Beware those who guarantee the outcome. Behavior is a culmination of many factors. Three weeks and an e-collar can’t fix what’s encouraged in the home environments. While these services can serve as a jumping off point to fast track certain skills, you, the owner, must still master a basic skill set to maintain good behavior at home. Canine Solutions is one of the few positive reinforcement skilled dog trainers that serves the Kansas City Metro.

Whatever you’re needs are for dog training, if we can’t serve you we definitely have a recommendation for someone who can!

This is the county where ‘Downtown Kansas City’ resides. In Blue Springs, a city due east, hails a facility called the Dog Obedience Group (D.O.G). D.O.G has proudly provided dog training to residents from Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Independence, Kansas City, Lee’s Summit, Liberty, Oak Grove, Overland Park and Raytown since 1992.  They feature small group class sizes and private training with certified trainers through nationally recognized and respected organizations.

In North Kansas City within walking distance of the Iron District resides The Dog’s Spot. The Dogs’ Spot will show you how to help your dogs make good choices through small classes and private consultations. Service option include Puppy Socialization, Family Manners, Canine Good Citizen® training and evaluations, Dog Agility, K9 Nose Work®, Therapy Dog preparation, Flyball, and Reactive Dog classes.