Meet Your Dog Trainer

About me, Madeline Aronson Friedman, your insured NY Dog Trainer and NJ Dog Trainer and Dog Behavior expert: Madeline has raised and trained dogs for over 35 years and has been a state certified teacher since 1992. She is a Pro Member, and one of the first dozen members since October 2009, of Animal Behavior Associates' 'Behavior Education Network' where she frequently accesses continuing education about canines and felines. Most recently, in July, 2010, she took a live webinar called: 'Making Sense of Risk Factors for Dog Aggression,' and attends to her learning constantly through both live and recorded seminars. She is well versed in canine training and behavior and is an observant, intuitive, talented teacher. She owned and operated her own school from 1998 - 2001 where she was state certified head instructor to children and adults from six years old to eighty, and employed and managed seven employees; and, later taught at the college level. Now her mission is to train and educate people about their dogs!

Madeline writes: The certification I have is a permanent one issued by the State of New Jersey. It required that I have a college degree (I attained a BFA) and that after attaining it that I invest another year completing post-baccalaureate, formal credits full time in an accredited teaching certification program at a well-known, reputable college. This makes me a Professional teacher-trainer in the true sense of the word (see more, below, about how the term 'professional' is frequently misused amongst certified dog trainers!).

My certification required that I student teach for a year in the public domain, putting in over 300 hours of teaching time even before I was able to test to obtain the state certification. Keep in mind that dog trainers certified by other, different means are not required to have attained nearly this level of education and teaching time, and that to get their dog training certification not even anything this close to the educational requirements I have achieved is demanded or required of them. In addition, I have a graduate degree, and later studied both psychology and animal science at the college levels. Because my certification process was so rigorous and the standards by which I became certified state sanctioned and overseen, my certification is permanent, while other dog trainer certifications are not permanent and have to be renewed annually for a fee. This means that some certified dog trainers' pricing may not be as competitive as mine, because of their annual certification renewal costs.

Many different organizations and entities offer certifications for dog trainers, and the requirements are not standardized across the nation for dog trainers; nor are they sanctioned by ANY state. NO STATE CERTIFICATION EXISTS FOR DOG TRAINERS! I wish it did, but such doesn't exist yet. My certification IS sanctioned by, and held with, the STATE of New Jersey! When a trainer says they are certified, do you really know what you are getting and what they are saying they have, unless you have researched the instructors who taught them and their methods, and the content and requirements of the entity from which the trainer received the certification? You can not know unless you have viewed the curriculum, know by whom they were taught and what methods their instructors used and your trainer uses, and know what kind of material was disseminated to the students. Some entities which offer certification to trainers are actually self-certified in terms of who sanctions their training program, so many are not overseen by an independent body. As for grades, I can show you mine. Can a certified dog trainer demonstrate to you how they performed while fulfilling the course work for the entity which certified them? Were they near the top of their class, or at the bottom of it? Did you know that most dog trainer certification tests contain only multiple choice questions?

In addition to my formal education requirements, in order to attain my STATE certification, my skills and knowledge were physically and routinely assessed frequently live and on-site by teaching professionals at regular intervals throughout the year. This means that I got continuous feedback from true professionals as to how to perfect my teaching skills! Evaluations of my progress were submitted on a regular basis to my college professors and advisors. I was evaluated by the students themselves, too; and, later, my grades and evaluations were sent to the STATE of New Jersey in order that I be allowed to take my certification exam. With my formal grades and evaluations submitted to the state, along with proof of my student teaching experience for the year, I was allowed to take, and passed on my first try, a STATE-approved, standardized, multi-hour, rigorous test which assessed my skills and knowledge for teaching. The skills assessed included (but were not limited to) learning theory (the same learning theory which applies to dog training and teaching as well as human training and teaching); classroom/student management; teaching methods, including those intended to provoke both divergent and convergent thinking; comprehensive lesson plan preparation and follow-through; and, curriculum planning and implementation. What evidence do you have that the certified dog trainer you hire has the requisite skills in order to formulate, write and implement a lesson plan and curriculum for training your specific dog - and for you, as a human? The ability to do so is not a skill considered to be self-taught! And, there is no 'cookie cutter' approach to writing a plan for you and your dog - I write a CUSTOMIZED plan for every customer of mine, because each situation is unique in many ways! If you want to take a look at exactly how much is demanded of state certified and licensed teachers in the state of New jersey, take a look at this Web site link: http://www.nj.gov/education/code/current/title6a/chap9.pdf

In addition, in order to obtain my certification, I had to have my fingerprints taken and checked and had to be clear of any kind of CRIMINAL RECORD. Do you think you know who you are inviting into your home when you hire a trainer? YOU SHOULD!

The requirements for many certified dog trainers are not nearly as stringent as the relevant requirements which I had to fulfill in order to attain my state certification. Remember, a trainer is primarily a teacher; or, should be, since they are teaching you a skill - to train your dog - and as well teaching your dog who is developmentally similar to a toddler of two or three!

I strongly feel that the hands-on, practical experience required for attaining a certification such as the CPDT is not nearly enough for anyone to call themselves a dog trainer. This is my personal opinion based on my years of experience, the fact that between a several month period between 2002-2003 I fulfilled all the requirements for applying to take the CPDT exam, and my having been able to observe some certified dog trainers who didn't appear to have what I would consider the requisite knowledge and skills in order to work with dogs and, in some cases, humans! I have seen, and been the object of unfortunately, appalling behavior on the part of certified dog trainers toward humans which would clearly violate the Code of Ethics for the certifying body! I felt compelled, in fact obligated, to report very unprofessional behavior by one certified trainer in writing to their CPDT certification council, which sent me a letter back informing me that they would do nothing to even look in to the situation! I cited the Code of Ethics clause clearly applying to the certified trainer's violation, which was posted on the CPDT Web site at the time! As far as I know, they never attempted to speak to the trainer in question about the serious violation! So, another question you may want to ask yourself is whether the certifying body which certified your trainer has any 'teeth' when it comes to problems or unprofessional behavior on the part of your certified dog trainer should such arise. Based on my own experience, I have no evidence that the certification council truly upholds their Code of Ethics for any dog trainers certified through their organization. To me, that's scary!!

In addition, some of the requirements can be faked. That is right, I actually said faked. I have been asked to write, rather recently at the time of this writing, trainer recommendations for other trainers seeking a CPDT. The recommendation required that I had actually observed that trainer training a dog. In all cases when asked for the recommendation, I NEVER saw the trainer actually train a dog, but wrote the recommendation based on what they told me they wanted me to say and what was needed for their letter of recommendation. I did so after expressing my concerns directly to the trainer that I had not ever observed them training a dog. In one instance, the trainer accompanied me to a training session of mine and observed me teaching-training the dog and the humans for over an hour, and raved to me about my skills afterwards...but, I never got to see her train a dog and a human!

When I expressed to the trainers in question my concerns about not having observed them training any dogs at the time, they indicated that they were aware that they were asking me to do something which was, in essence, lying for them, and assured me that this would be temporary and that in the near future, after they took their certification exam which was fast approaching, they would allow me to observe them in at least one full training session working with a dog and a human student. The reason they gave for putting off this crucial aspect of the recommendation was because time was of the essence and their certification exam time near. This sounded reasonable to me at the time, especially since I thought the trainer was a friend, and I trusted that they would remedy the observation requirement in the near future. They said they needed the time at the moment to submit recommendations and other items quickly to the certification board to look over and approve so that they would be able to take the certification exam coming up. The CPDT exam is given only several times a year, and if one is missed, a trainer might need to wait months to take the next one given, and then wait almost a couple of months afterwards to find out whether or not they passed the exam. If they find out they didn't pass, then a lot of time will have passed until they can take the next exam.

I wrote these recommendations based on promises from the trainer that I would get to see them work with dogs, which never did take place as they didn't pursue this (even though I asked) after I sent the recommendation they asked me to write for them out to the CPDT certifying council. Given that the promises that I would get to see them train a dog were made by 'friends', I did not see how I could reasonably deny a recommendation to a trainer-friend without being concerned that I would lose the friendship and networking opportunities associated with that particular trainer if I were to say 'no'. After all, they were promising that they would fulfill the terms of the recommendation I was writing for them soon enough; so, I wrote the recommendation. I will never again do so without following the proper protocols up-front, before writing and sending the recommendation. if I lose the 'friend' because I refuse to fake a recommendation, so be it. I have learned something (and I hope you have, too)!

While I felt at the time that I may have known enough about the trainer asking me to write the recommendation, in hindsight I feel I did not know that trainer and 'friend' well enough and know enough about their training methods and skills. I regret that I did not fully realize the implications of this until later, when one trainer 'friend' dropped me shortly after I wrote her the recommendation, and before she gave me the opportunity she promised for me to see her work with dogs and make my recommendation valid for her.

As well, I had a trainer 'friend' who admitted to me that she faked the required veterinarian recommendation for attaining her CPDT. She told me that she did not have a relationship with any vet where she could ask for a letter of recommendation, and indicated that she did not feel she had the ability (nor had she put in the time) to form this type of working relationship with such a professional. So, she asked around (and asked me if I knew a vet who could help her out as well) until she found a remote relative who knew a veterinarian somewhat locally who agreed to write the recommendation for her as a favor. She never met the veterinarian, and the veterinarian had no idea about her skills, methods or her knowledge, which he was supposed to in writing the recommendation. But, she still got her CPDT certification! To be fair on this point, I am going to write a bit more here as to why I feel asking a trainer seeking certification to get a letter of recommendation from a vet is a problem, and should perhaps not be a required item for certification. Most vets are super busy, and trainers often don't have direct access to vets, only to staff who controll access and the information they pass on to a vet. Most vet office staff are overwhelmed by a trainer's requests for referrals and requests that the vet be informed about them, as well as overwhelmed by their challenging office responsibilities. With staff this busy, it is quite difficult to get them to pay attention to a trainer's needs, to remember to refer many different trainers, and to make informed decisions about any trainer's methods and skills, since they probably see very few trainers actually train a dog. As well, staff may simply like one trainer more than another, and which trainer they recommend may have little or nothing to do with the trainer's actual teaching skills. Most vet offices form an allegiance to one trainer, and won't recommend others who may be just as good, or even better, trainers. All of these seem to be huge problems as regards getting the vet letter of recommendation for dog trainer certification, as many vets are not 'on board' with or available to so many trainers. Trainers, then, feel the need to fake the vet letter of recommendation, as my ex-friend did, in order to obtain certification. I don't know what can be done to resolve these problems, short of making the public and vet office staff aware of what to look for in, and a little bit more sensitive to, trainers; but I know that they ARE problems for dog trainers seeking to obtain at least a dog trainer certification.

Though I completed, as far back as 2003, every requirement (and much more) needed for the CPDT certification, which is the best-marketed and probably the most well-known of the dog trainer certifications, I decided shortly after not to pursue and obtain that particular certification since I felt my current state certification and education demonstrated that I had already achieved way over and above the majority of the requirements needed for the CPDT. As for the hands-on experience with dogs, I long ago achieved that. In addition, I admit that I do not have much regard for a certification where I have become personally aware that other trainers have been easily able to fake some of the requirements for it. Last, the certification test is quite expensive, and as well the continuing education credit requirements annually in order to keep certification occur at some significant expense to trainers. This may cause some certified dog trainers to raise their prices - and you may not be getting the most bang for your buck in terms of knowledge, methods, skills and experience to make spending more money worthwhile! Don't get me wrong - I think the least a dog trainer who has not earned a state certfication as an instructor can do is obtain a CPDT or other certification.

While it took me over a year to complete the required shelter hours and working part-time as a trainer in 2002-2003, I have calculated that it is possible for someone motivated and with the time to do so seeking a CPDT to complete the required shelter and hands-on required hours within a matter of weeks and then proceed to taking and passing the exam for the CPDT. Ask yourself if you really want someone who may have less than a year of experience, perhaps less than six months of experience, trying to train or behavior modify your dog, particularly if your dog is developing or already has serious issues? If you're saying, 'well, my dog is just a puppy, so does it really matter' consider this: The method of training employed and prevention of behavior issues is MOST crucial for puppies, and the methods employed with that puppy and the skills trained at that time will affect the puppy for its whole life! Years ago in the mid-90s, about 10 years before I became a dog trainer, I hired a certified dog trainer to train my puppy. Before I could stop him, the trainer THREW a shake can at my dog for expressing curiosity in an item the trainer had purposely dropped on the floor. My pup was so very frightened and startled by the sudden and loud noise and the can that was THROWN AT HIM that he remained fearful of sudden, loud noises for the rest of his life, which was 12 years. Although I became a trainer toward the end of his life, he had been so badly damaged by that dog trainer and had remained phobic for so long that I was unable to cure him of his phobia.

If the person you're seeking to hire has formal, college education and at least a four year degree, then it is most likely they are able to think critically and analyze situations and information well, and employ resolution strategies to a problem. If they have a teaching certification from the state, the requirements for being a dog trainer are 'built-in,' with one exception - a state certified teacher must obtain hands-on experience with dogs applying the learning theory education they obtained. Since the state-certified teacher already has a huge amount of hands-on experience with humans, making the transition to dog teacher-trainer is really seamless - and the human gets the benefit of someone who is very experienced working with the human part of the equation, including children of all ages in an age-appropriate manner! As well, they are someone who is capable of putting a great deal of effort and time in to attaining a long term goal, a four-year degree - something which I know is necessary - i.e., time and consistency - in training or behavior modifying a dog. CPDTs have only a 'certification,' and are not required to have a degree of any kind. In addition, state certified teachers-trainers can call themselves "professionals" in the true sense of the word. CPDTs are not professionals in the true sense of the meaning of the word if they don't have at least a four-year degree and a state-sanctioned license of some type (Professionals include state certified and provisional teachers, lawyers, doctors including veterinarians, and accountants). Yet, many certified dog trainers call themselves 'professional dog trainers,' which they are really NOT. I have to wonder why the entities certifiying these dog trainers are not teaching them that the use of the term 'professional' is not accurate? As well, why do they allow it? College degrees and formal teaching and training education and experience over the long term are NOT things which can be easily faked, if at all. Frankly, I can not understand why the CPDT council has not yet encouraged state certified teachers to take a modified form of their exam, since state certified teachers have proof that they already have learned and passed the requisite learning theory at college level needed in order to be a dog trainer! Why not offer the modified exam at a reasonable price to state certified teachers and take in that revenue, and as well have the benefit of marketing and providing access to genuinely professional trained teachers certified at the state level holding CPDTs in their state to the dog-owning public?

So, ask yourself which certifications have meaning to you when seeking a 'certified' trainer and weighing that trainer against a state certified teacher. I hope I have been able to educate you a bit on the difference between certified trainers and professional teachers! The choice is yours. In any event, educate yourself and ask questions of the trainers you seek to hire. Don't be afraid to ask about their eduation! Are they articulate and communicative? Do they ask intelligent and relevant questions during your phone conversation? Do they sound not only articulate, but 'user-friendly?' Do they have a process by which they work, and a Training Agreement; or, do they just show up at your door? Are they insured? Make sense of that information you get, and really think about and weigh it!

More About My Experience: Madeline has trained with, worked with, and been educated by many respected dog trainers and canine dog behaviorists over the years, both in one-on-one situations, group situations, and by attending many, many of field-relevant seminars and watching relevant DVDs. She is founder (2005) of the original metropolitan area dog trainer and dog field-related Yahoo network and support group. She is a 2003 graduate of the Instructor's Training Course (ITC) run by Sue Sternberg. Madeline is a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator and is listed as such on the American Kennel Club Web site at www.AKC.org. She responds to questions from dog owners as a volunteer (since 2006) on the www.AllExperts.com Web site in the categories of dog training and dog behavior once they have read her bio listed there. She has almost a decade of extensive experience working in both class situations and real-life situations, including currently at animal shelters, with dogs behaving aggressively to both other dogs and humans utilizing desensitization and counter conditioning techniques, shaping, meta-communication, and other methods including operant conditioning Skinnerian and post-Skinnerian methods as her ever-present foundations and guides. It is said that we Trainers are always perched on Skinner's shoulder! Madeline constantly expands her knowledge with formal and self-motivated continuing education on training, methods, and behavior through course work, reading, seminars, professional conventions, workshops, DVDs, volunteer work, other hands-on experience, and other relevant dog behavior and dog training study. Madeline recently continued her professional, degreed education by taking college accredited course work in Animal Science at Rutgers University. She also studied Counseling Psychology at Caldwell College. Until May of 2008, she was working in an animal practicum with swine two days a week as part of this accredited, formal education. She also took riding lessons in south Jersey and in Florida and is used to working with horses.

Madeline is committed to training using positive reinforcement methods, providing patient, sensible, and compassionate guidance to dog owners and their families so that they will be able to thoroughly enjoy the companionship of their pets. She is a five-year professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT). She has attended the APDT's annual dog trainers' convention twice for five intensive days in order to continue her professional development in such areas as dog behavior and learning theory. APDT has published many of Madeline's articles regarding dog behavior and dog training in their peer publication, Chronicle of the Dog. Many of Madeline's articles regarding dog behavior and dog training have appeared in various well known publications. She has been quoted in Dog Fancy, the Tonawonda News (July, 2007), the Popular Dog Series Housetraining issue, has had articles published in Chronicle of the Dog, Boston NOW, and other well known publications.

Madeline is guardian to two companion dogs, a schnoodle (the second she and her husband have owned) and a Welsh terrier. Both dogs have earned their Canine Good Citizen certificates from the AKC, independently evaluated by another evaluator, and have worked quite well towards competition obedience titles. Our schnoodle passed a test before he was two years of age that enabled him to become a Volunteer Pet Therapy dog. He has volunteered a portion of his time sensitively visiting at the bedsides and homes of chronically and terminally ill patients and also visiting assisted living homes locally in New Jersey and in Florida, doing tricks to the applause of the delighted and generous residents.

Madeline grew up with mostly wire fox terriers, an often challenging breed she lived with until 2006, this most recent companion a two-plus year survivor of T-cell lymphoma until he succumbed to the disease in August of 2006 at age 12. Madeline extends her heartfelt thanks to Garden State Veterinary Hospital for prolonging this dog's life, and sustaining his good QUALITY of life, for over two years. He is greatly missed, and Madeline dedicates her commitment to her training in part to this dog, Buster, who was a challenging mill-raised dog "rescued" from a pet store at almost four months of age, and who became a wonderful companion, teacher, and eager learner. Madeline's dogs are always continuing their education and learning through classical and operant conditioning techniques, praise, lure and reward, shaping, clicker training, and other positive, motivational techniques.

Madeline has volunteered over 250 hours to various shelters, giving of her time whenever possible with both shelter dogs, cats and rescued birds. She has volunteered for Animal Network of New York (A.N.N.Y.), Bide-a-Wee in NYC, the ASPCA in New York City at their Adoptions Desk and as an ASPCA volunteer Behaviour Hotline contact, at the Edison, N.J. animal shelter, and currently volunteers time at NJ and Florida animal shelters. Her best assets are her strong knowledge base of dog behavior and training combined with her keen intuition; her curiosity and desire to continue learning about cutting edge, positive techniques; her deep love and respect for all animals, including the human ones; her education; her excellent communication and writing skills on the subjects of dog training and dog behavior; her multi-species experience; and, her ability to patiently and enthusiastically articulate thoughts and ideas to dog owners and dog related groups, and communicate with dogs themselves. It won't be overtly mentioned here that dogs are pretty much her passion!

Madeline holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration and is a published and award winning illustrator; a N.J. K - 12 Permanent State Teaching Certification; a Master's Degree in Painting; has taught undergraduates painting and drawing at St. Elizabeth College; and is the former owner of an art school and retail store in central NJ where she taught children and adults the pleasures of fine art, ceramics and jewelry making and managed seven employees at a time. Her pursuit of art and her experience as an illustrator for over 18 years has finely trained her eye to notice nuances in dog behavior and dog body language that others often miss. Her formal study of music (voice, violin, and drums) and acting in her 'teens and 20s (Madeline appeared in two M-TV videos and on stage, and was a union member until her mid-20s) also serves her well in both the visual and aural (hearing) departments, making her very sensitive to sounds and other subtle details which effect dogs as well as informing how she and others move and behave around animals.

Personal Information: Madeline comes from a theatrical family, her mother having been one of the famous and beautiful Feder Sisters (read about Madeline's mom, Sylvia Feder, at http://www.klezmershack.com/archives/008151.html), along with Madeline's aunt, Mimi Sloan (to hear my Aunt Mimi's beatiful voice, go to http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mimisloan), both having recorded on the United Artists label and heard on many recordings. The Feder Sisters appeared on film and t.v., including the Victor Borge Show, and they hosted their own radio show, the Maxwell House Coffee Hour. They appeared in such movies as Catskill Honeymoon (go to youtube.com and type in Catskill Honeymoon - my mom is the lovely young woman on the far left, and my aunt is the lovely young lady, almost four years younger, immediately to the right of her). To hear the beautiful voices of The Feder Sisters in the song Yass, cut and paste this link in to your browser, and be sure to wait until the song 'takes off' at about 2:40 minutes: http://www.rhapsody.com/player?type=track&id=tra.12066576&remote=false&page=&pag eregion=&guid=&from=&hasrhapx=false&__pcode=

My mother's voice leads the song and is slightly lower in timber and deeper in this recording (although she was a coloratura soprano) than my aunt's, who has a slightly higher timbered and 'bright' voice. They blend beautifully and sound similar to each other. I was so fortunte to have grown up constantly surrounded with these beautiful voices and this kind of talent, even on car rides. My father and I were treated to memorable, live concerts wherever we went with my mom.

Both my mom and my aunt worked with theatrical and recording greats such as Molly Picon, Ben Bonus (who directed me as a young girl in my first play, The Blacksmith's Daughters), Mina Bern-Bonus, Seymour Rechtzeit, Abe Ellstein, Leo Fuchs, Zalmen Mlotek, and many others. Bruce Adler was a beloved friend of my mother's and my aunt's. He is also greatly missed.

What's lesser known but still very important about Madeline's mom and aunt is that they were avid dog lovers and dog guardians themselves, and introduced Madeline as a baby to her first dogs, creating for her a lifelong love of this amazing species. Madeline recently found her mother's loving diary entries about her first dog from the time when she was a young girl. Madeline feels fortunate to have gotten those genes, as well as some of the musical and dramatic ones! I guess we can all be called Birds of a Feder! This proud daughter and niece of these two accomplished, talented and oh-so-missed women also paints and draws commissioned dog and cat portraits when a customer twists her drawing arm to do so. The artistic talent was also inherited, and encouraged, by Mom.

Madeline has worked with breeds of all types and ages, from small Chihuahuas to large Mastiffs and Rottweilers in the NYC and NJ metropolitan areas, and starting in 2008 in Palm Beach County, Florida as well.

Madeline studied counseling psychology at the college level, and knows what every Trainer worth their salt knows: that dog training and the study of psychology are highly complementary to one another. In 2002 and 2003, she instructed chronically mentally ill patients in art therapy at a partial care facility in New Jersey. She is grateful for everything those wonderful patients taught her, and as well for the lottery numbers they contributed one day that she still plays, although they haven't been the winning numbers yet. Madeline earned a red belt (two away from black belt) in Tae Kwon Do that she earned over two years' training with Grandmaster Tiger Chong, a former Olympic martial arts coach for the Korean team (and hopes to never need to use any of what she learned!). She is also bilingual and speaks Spanish.