If you aren’t an experienced dog owner, or if you just have a particularly fussy dog on your hands, your best bet is seeking the professional assistance of a dog trainer.

Choosing a dog trainer can be as difficult as chooing a dog -- you have to find one that is right for your needs, your budget, and of course, your dog. You should interview as many dog trainers as you need to until you are confident enough to make a choice for you and your beloved pet. Group training is usually far less expensive than individual in-home training sessions.

If your primary reason for seeking a trainer is that your dog doesn’t get along well with other dogs, you should look into group training sessions. In these training environments, other owners and dogs will be trained alongside you and your pet.

A trainer who specializes in working with toy and small dog breeds is not likely to be the best fit for training your German shepherd or Pit bull. Find out what breed the trainer has worked with.

Ask for some references. Find out how long they have been in the business and what certifications and accreditations they hold. If the trainer is as good as they claim to be, they will be totally willing to give you all the information that you need to make an educated decision.

Remember that your dog trainer isn’t just training your dog – he’s training you, the owner, so that you can take the lessons that you learned and implement them into your real life – after the trainer is gone and paid for. The most important thing when getting a dog trainer is making sure that you pay attention so that you can learn how to be the best “best friend” you can be!