Choosing a trainer
“Balanced” training
Ask your trainer to name the tools they use, what happens when a dog gets something “wrong”, and how they protect welfare along the way.
Why I am blunt about this
I often warn people that if a trainer proudly calls their work “balanced,” dog guardians should run the other way. “Balanced” training has no single legal or scientific definition. In common use, it often means combining rewards with aversive consequences… AKA a “balance” of punishment and reinforcement.
Some trainers use the word to mean that they reward behavior they like and apply pressure, pain, startle, or intimidation when a dog does something they do not like. If the plan includes shock, prong or choke collars, leash corrections, intimidation, or deliberate startle, you should avoid that trainer, period. Those methods have been linked with welfare consequences for your dog, and better ways are well known to exist.
Not every person who uses the same marketing word behaves identically. The welfare concern when it comes to “balanced” trainers is attached to the tools, contingencies, and effects on the dog, not to the word by itself.
What the research supports
The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior states that reward-based methods should be used for dog training and behavior modification and warns against aversive methods.
This page: International Professional Guidance on Humane Dog Training collects additional guidance from organizations around the world who have reached a consensus that aversive punishments are unnecessary, potentially harmful, and should not be used as part of any training plan, for any dog.
Read the marketing carefully
A study by Johnson and Wynne in Anthrozoös analyzed the stated philosophies on 100 highly reviewed trainer websites in 10 United States cities. They found differences in language by training approach, including how electronic collars were described, and that non-aversive trainers in the sample were more likely to list certifications and credentials.
Pay attention to language. Promises of instant transformation or a guaranteed fast fix should make you pause.
People often contact trainers when they’re scared, exhausted, embarrassed, or desperate for relief.
Quick-fix promises can take advantage of that vulnerability. But a suppressed behavior is not the same thing as a genuinely resolved problem.
No nationwide license is checking for you
The United States does not have a nationwide dog trainer licensing standard or regulatory oversight.
Requirements and animal welfare laws can vary by place, while private certifications have different rules. Our Legislation page follows efforts to create clearer protections in the USA.
A credential can show education, testing, experience, continuing education, and an enforceable code – depending on the organization. It’s worth reading the actual standard and asking directly about a trainer’s methods.
So what does a good trainer look like?
Modern, ethical training takes the dog’s emotional health, cognitive abilities, sensory experience, learning history, and individual personality seriously.
It’s not about using rewards to extract behaviors from our dogs. It’s a commitment to understanding and nurturing the dog in front of us. Your trainer should respect dogs as sentient beings whose wellbeing deserves protection.
You deserve a trainer who does not just claim results, but who can foster genuine trust, resilience, and emotional safety with transparency, compassion, and scientific rigor. Your dog deserves that too.
HOW TO Screen a trainer – ASK THESE QUESTIONS:
- What exact equipment might you use with my dog, including collars/harnesses, leashes, food, toys, and any “training tools”?
- What happens when my dog gets the behavior wrong or cannot respond?
- Do you ever deliberately use pain, fear, startle, intimidation, or physical discomfort to change behavior?
- How do you identify stress, fear, freezing, shutdown, or escalating arousal?
- What would make you stop a training session?
- Can I observe a class or session before committing, and will you explain each intervention before using it?
- What education and independently assessed credentials do you hold, and what code of ethics applies?
- When do you refer to a veterinarian, veterinary behaviorist, or another specialist?
Green flags
Specific answers, reward-based teaching, thoughtful management, observation of body language, realistic goals, informed consent, and willingness to refer when a case exceeds the trainer’s scope.
Red flags
Vague tool language or blatant use of aversive tools/methods, “dominance” stories, guaranteed results, punishment for fear or growling, lack of transparency around board-and-train work, blaming the dog, or pressure to act before questions are answered.
A safety line I would not cross
Do not hire someone who punishes growling or other warning signals, pushes a frightened dog toward a trigger, or treats a sudden behavior change without a health assessment. For biting risk, severe fear, separation distress, or abrupt behavior changes, start with a veterinarian and qualified humane behavior support.
How this connects to the wider problem
The dog training crisis
Why evidence, marketplace incentives, identity, and rhetoric keep the public debate confused.
International Professional Guidance on Humane Dog Training
Read current statements from veterinary and behavior organizations in their own words.
Open International Professional Guidance on Humane Dog Training
Sources and further reading
- AVSAB position statements: Humane training and how to choose a trainer
- Vieira de Castro et al. (2020): Companion-dog welfare study
- Fernandes et al. (2017): Literature review with findings and limitations
- Johnson and Wynne (2023): Language and certification across 100 trainer websites
You are allowed to ask before you trust
A good professional will not make you feel difficult for asking what they plan to do to your dog. Clear questions protect your dog, and they help you find someone whose methods match the welfare standard you want.