Dog Trainer School Review
A Professional Dog Trainer School Review from a former student and graduate of Highland Canine Training, LLC
People often ask me about the professional dog trainer school at Highland Canine Training, where I graduated. They wonder why I selected Highland Canine Training for my education when there are so many professional dog trainer schools out there from which to choose. To be honest, I am not sure what it was initially that drew me to Highland’s School for Dog Trainers, but when I stop to review it and reflect upon my experience, I know what made it the best choice for me.
I looked at professional dog trainer schools for over a year before I arrived at Highland Canine. Some of the schools were easy to eliminate based solely on their website and reading the fine print. One school would only allow me to bring one of my two dogs with me to school, and even then, he would have to be kept in a kennel, instead of in my student quarters with me, as I preferred. Most schools required me to spend at least some portion of my time cleaning their kennels as part of the learning experience. While I don’t have anything against cleaning kennels, I wasn’t sure how that was supposed to help me learn to train dogs. It seemed like it was something that would be good for the trainer school, and not necessarily of benefit to me. One school offered the option of paying higher tuition fees to get out of kennel cleaning duty. That definitely sounded like it was designed to help them more than it would help me.
One of my good friends graduated from one of the other trainer schools. I was still in the process of selecting my school when she graduated, so I took advantage of the opportunity to visit and tour the facilities with her. From the website, their school looked fantastic. I liked the course options, because they seemed designed to teach me everything I wanted to know about training… which was everything! She gave me a very honest behind-the-scenes look at the school, trumpeting the great things she experienced, but not ignoring her disappointments. As I looked around, I tried to picture myself attending training with my two dogs. She spoke of her time cleaning kennels with her classmates. They opted to share the burden two weeks at a time, splitting it up, but with over 100 kennels to clean daily, she was up at 4:00 for her morning shifts before classes, and not home until after 9:00 in the evening. It would be hard to focus on learning with a schedule like that, even if it was only for two weeks at a time. Unfortunately, some of the things she mentioned as causing frustration for her, I knew would continue to bother me. In the end, I decided to continue searching.
I stumbled across Highland Canine Training after a friend of mine mentioned an in-kennel training program in North Carolina he’d used for his dog. His dog was so well-behaved, and very attentive whether on or off leash, so I started researching dog training programs in North Carolina. When I started reading about the School for Dog Trainers at Highland Canine, I was immediately interested. I could bring both of my dogs to school with me, they wouldn’t be kenneled, I would have the opportunity to train them, and I would not have to spend precious study time scrubbing down kennels before or after classes.
There was a course available for everything I wanted to learn about becoming a dog trainer; and rather than lump it all into one course where I would get limited exposure to different specialties, it was broken out into several focused courses. The instructors were with our class throughout our entire cycle, so they knew where we were, and what we needed help with. The class size was small enough that we could receive individualized attention, but large enough that it didn’t feel like someone was always watching.
Of course, that doesn’t mean everything ran smoothly and I never had a problem or complaint while I was in training. I would have liked more personalized feedback, especially if I was doing something well. Feedback was less targeted to individuals, and given back to the group as a whole so we could each learn from each other. There were times I would have preferred someone to walk me through training a little bit more, rather than allowing me to work so independently. Although, in retrospect, it has made me a much more confident trainer. I was allowed to make mistakes and learn from them on my own. My friend was a lot less comfortable going out into the world to work with her first client than I was. That’s not to say I wasn’t nervous; I just felt a lot more prepared to meet the challenge of working with a client than she did.
The staff at Highland Canine Training, LLC, told me up front that I would get out of school what I put into it, and they were right. It was a lot of work, and I was expected, as an adult, to do it. Success was up to me, but there were people along the way ready to help whenever I needed it. It was hard asking for feedback on things I was struggling with, because nobody wants to hear what they are doing wrong, but the instructors were great at providing suggestions for improvement without making students feel bad for asking.
Today, I am stopped with regularity by people telling me how well-behaved the dogs I’m training are, and if I can help them with a problem they are having with their own dog. I credit that to the great education I received at Highland Canine Training, and would highly recommend their courses to anyone looking for a professional dog trainer school.
If you are interested in pursuing a career as a professional dog trainer, contact Highland Canine by email at training@highlandcanine.com or toll-free at 866.200.2207.