I whole-heartedly agree
Why should good trainers, who have proved themselves to be - stick themselves into an organisation.

What a great idea for a thread!
Who ARE you talking to.
I wonder if it would be longer or shorter than a thread entitled who AREN'T you talking to? the dog world being the dog world.

Sorry, giggles got me.

I completely understand the pressure involved in trying to achieve a qualification if you are already firmly established in the training world and have your own clubs and customers etc.
I've seen the huge disappointment when this occurs.

Sorry if it came over that way. My answer to the original quote was just to counter the idea that trainers/behaviourist who take courses somehow neglect their clients because of it - which was, it seemed to me, to be the implication

As you say, assumptions can often be misleading especially when based on words on paper (or forums in this case). Actually, my business was successful before taking my chosen education route. Education, for me, came in wanting to ensure that my knowledge and understanding was a thorough as could be and since taking that route, I still keep my finger in the pie even though I've now retired .

So in other words, you are going to educate people by running courses?

Nope, but it does help in both concentrating the mind and ensuring that the study actually does take place (if the student wants to pass the course) and also allows for direction and guidance to be given when required where the student is struggling with analysis and evaluation of the information currently coming forward. This guidance comes from the very experienced people who run the courses - provided the courses are reputable and of good quality of course. In my view, you can't get much more reputable that a university education and you can't get much better quality than a Batchelor of Science recognised qualification as the exacting criteria that has to be met to run a degree with this qualification ensures the level of education is up to standard

I think you might be surprised how many of those stuck in a rut with methods used for 20, 30, 40 etc years change both their views and their methods as they advance further and further along the course .

Many are resistant to change, but equally, not many will continue with that resistance once they start to understand for themselves (rather than being dictated to) how they can become more effective trainers by embracing change once they understand why and how things work and why and how dogs and people learn

What about membership of professional bodies?

On one hand I can see the benefits of having professional membership - it should give the customer some kind of guarantee of the trainer having reached a recognised standard ...

However, if it's anything like in chemistry - if you don't pay your yearly dues, you can no longer be a member of the professional body, regardless of how experienced you are, or your qualifications.

Not sure I understand? I would imagine all professional bodies require annual subscription to remain a member.

As I see it, if your personal ethics match those of the professional body you are in then there is much to be gained from membership - not least, from a dog trainer's standpoint, the ability to discuss matters with a peer group all very like-minded when it comes to methods and ethics

However, some professional bodies are better than others. Some have very exacting procedures for entry, others you just pay your money and your in. I prefer the former and can't see the point of the latter