We hired a dog trainer when our 3-year old dogs were still puppies. Pipoy, the hyperactive pug, and Barbie, the pekingese, were trained for an hour session 3 times a week for 3 months. It was a long period of training and although the fee is much less than other trainers, it is still expensive in total. And when the training was over after 3 months, our puppies learned the "sit" command and nothing else. They would only obey the trainer but not us. It was a real waste of money.
Yeah, I think you're way better off just watching videos of understanding dogs and dog training on youtube. You need a great trainer to get the cool stuff done quickly, though. Otherwise it's a good few years of learning like anything else before you see great results, but I can train almost any dog if I really meet it at this point.
As I already mentioned in another forum relating to this topic, you are probably best advised to take yourself and your dogs to a dog obedience school. There you are being taught how to teach your dogs to behave the way you want them to behave. In such schools the dogs are trained to pay attention and obey their owners, and not the trainer. After all, your dog needs to learn to listen to you and perhaps other family members, and not a person who will only be with your dog for a few days or weeks.
А rесоmmеndаtiоn frоm а friеnd, nеighbоr, vеtеrinаriаn, humаnе sосiеty, bоаrding kеnnеl, оr grооmеr is а gооd рlасе tо stаrt. Yоu саn аlsо sеаrсh оnlinе оr сhесk thе Yеllоw Раgеs undеr "Реt Trаining." Dоn't аssumе thаt а trаinеr's mеmbеrshiр in а dоg trаinеr аssосiаtiоn quаlifiеs him аs а suitаblе instruсtоr: Nоt аll аssосiаtiоns' mеmbеrshiр сritеriа will mееt yоur еxресtаtiоns.
Аlsо, bесаusе nо gоvеrnmеnt аgеnсy rеgulаtеs оr liсеnsеs trаinеrs, it's thаt muсh mоrе imроrtаnt tо invеstigаtе thеir quаlifiсаtiоns bеfоrе еnrоlling in а сlаss. Find оut hоw mаny yеаrs оf еxреriеnсе thеy hаvе, hоw thеy wеrе еduсаtеd, аnd whаt trаining mеthоds thеy usе. Аsk рrоsресtivе trаinеrs fоr sеvеrаl rеfеrеnсеs frоm сliеnts whо соmрlеtеd thе сlаssеs.
Sorry to hear the outcome wasn't as you want it, and I agree, it was a waste of money since the dog only listened to the trainer.
We trained our puppy right off the batch when we first brought him home, and he is a very well listener! It doesn't take him long to learn new commands. The one thing we are trying to establish with him at the moment is to teach him to be calm when someone coming into the house. He is still young and rambunctious, so this will take time.
It is quite sad, but a little funny that he listens only to the trainer. I trained my puppy at home with the help of youtube videos and reading some books, I had to do it because we live in China, and trainers only speak mandarin. It was challenging but I was patient and now he is well trained, atleast to my standards.