Hi. Okay. I know of a dog trainer who earned a certificate online. I was thinking of taking my dog to her. She’s very good. She did get certified by an online program though. Apparently, she did go volunteer at shelters and dog training facilities for years before she opened her own business. She has even volunteered to teach full on classes for local shelters and veterinarian offices and gave them all the money. She is highly recommended, but I’m not sure. Would you go to a dog trainer like this?
When I was starting out as a dog trainer, I was literally told by a trainer "don’t waste your time studying, just start training, you’ll pick it up in no time." I was shocked, and continued with my studies! I’ve also heard of trainers in large businesses (note: these are exceptional cases) who are given really minimal training (sometimes just a few hours) before teaching their first class or visiting their first client.
I think it’s important that a trainer has a mix of book-learning (acquired online, or at a school, or by reading old fashioned books), hands-on experience (essential), and time spent with other trainers learning what they have to teach. So I would ask any trainer how much of each of those they have done, then ask for references from satisfied clients. You say this person is highly recommended, so I would not discount her just because she got her certification online.