Dog Trainer or Behaviourist?

This made me think from another thread below....

Can a dog trainer be a behaviorist?

Can a behaviorist be a trainer?

How do you know if you have the right one?

If your dog wouldn't get off the sofa, nicked your socks, barked at fireworks and had no recall would you use trainer or behaviorist?

Would you prefer vet recommended or personal recommendation?

Would you trust someone because they had the right number of letters after their name?

We used both a trainer and a behaviourist with Duncan when we first started having problems. Trainer was lovely but said he really needed a behaviourist and the behaviourist said he was beyond help and so nervous she couldn't help him at all.

While I am sure they are both fantastic they didn't help him. But years later when we changed vet we met the only person (other than us) he would not just tolerate but quickly calmed down and listened to ! So for us the vet we now use is the first place we go if we have any problems.

Sorry I'm not clear on that one, Was the vet the one that helped or did they recommend someone else?

You need to have a good knowledge of how a dog learns and how their brain works which is more a behaviourist but to be a trainer you also need this knowledge. Reverse it for a behaviourist, they need to know how to train a dog to be a good behaviourist. In other words, it is a matter of what they call themselves, many are both trainer and behaviourist.


You don't until you speak to them and ask them questions.


Doesn't matter as long as they understood how to help the dog achieve these without any force.

Most vet know nothing about dog training or behaviour work so wouldn't bother asking one, I would like to see the classes in action before deciding if to go with them or not.


Not unless they can back it up with experience.

When I first got a computer and came on the internet I signed up for a course to become a behaviourist/consultant, it was a load of rubbish, even then I knew more than that course was teaching me but at the end of it I could call my self a behaviourist/consultant and I would have letters after my name. I put it in the bin.

1st vet recommended a trainer and the behaviourist 2nd vet helped us himself.

Thank you

Sounds like you have a great vet

I got caught out by a similar thing years ago and my confidence was really knocked by it am much better at it now though and am getting lots of experience

Indeed we do he isn't so good with people but the dogs he understands and they seem to understand him. Real affinity with animals which is rare to see.

Hi There is another category Dog Phsycologist,it it always bring a smile to my face visualising them asking the dog to lie down on the couch.Gemini54