Do I need to see a behaviorist or a trainer? What’s the difference?

Although they sound as though they do a similar job, trainers and behaviorists have particular expertise in different areas.

Dog Trainers specialize in teaching you how to use rewards that your dog enjoys in order to teach them what you would like them to do, such as walking nicely on lead, not jumping up on people, not begging for food, and settling down quietly when you need them to. Trainers can also specialize in specific types of activity, such as agility, obedience, trick training, or nose-work (teaching your dog to find hidden items by smell), any of which you might choose to do just for fun or even for competition. A trainer will help you to improve your own training skills when it comes to teaching your dog.

Dog Behaviorists specialize in problems that are much more emotional for dogs, for example when they become anxious, frightened, or frustrated. Feeling like this can lead dogs to behave in ways that may be dangerous for themselves and anyone involved, such as chasing traffic, panicking when left alone worrying about noises and causing damage to themselves or the home, or behaving aggressively towards people or other animals. These types of problem behaviors aren’t able to be resolved simply through training, because as well as learning to behave differently, the dog also needs to learn to feel differently about things. Behaviorists will show you how to help your dog feel better and resolve the problem by identifying and removing the underlying emotional distress involved, and then creating a tailor-made plan for you to follow that teaches your dog an alternative, more positive way of behaving instead.