dogs
Just adding to comments made by Gerard (client/pro relationship) and Dr Ed (other top trainers). Having your dog with a pro that gives your dog the time and consideration as his other top clients is a must. If you don't have a special rapport with your pro, he could be the best trainer on the planet but it will do your dog no good. The pro has to like you and your dog to get your money's worth. Of course, you have to have a very good dog to begin with because the competition is just too stiff and you are not going to make delicious chicken salad out of chicken poop. Finding the right trainer for you and your dog is paramount. And, it doesn't have to be a big named pro. Ya just need one that is a successful and accomplished in the sport you want to run and someone that you can develope a great working realtionship with. When I moved to this part of Alabama, my thought were; I'm in no-man's land with no FT heritage or appricaition. Who am I goona send my doggies to? I was thinking that Lardy is too expensive and has too full a load to take my dog or dogs on, with the attention I would require from him. Ditto for Farmer, afterall I'm just a nobody FT guy. I started thinking about Dave Moser and Bill Eckett but wasn't quit ready to make the phone call. Then I met a local guy who had been running HT's for years with great success. He had just hired an assistant to handle the HT dogs and he wanted to concentrate on competing in FT's. All of his current FT dogs at the time were from clients that had no idea what a FT was and he convinced them that they need to run the better dogs in Ft's. At the time, he had just a few well bred dogs and most of them belonged to him. Since then he has sold most of those dogs to clients and they are running FT's with a certain degree of success. Most are still young and in Qualifying. I was the first to go to him and say, "I want you to train and handle my dogs for FT's" That helped greatly in building the relationship. He got Booty when she was 1.5 years old(and since then, sold Booty to Jeff and one of his clients) and Raider after I got him through swim-by when he was 9 months old. I like the work and success that he has deliver to me. Moral of the story is; that special realtionship that one needs with the pro, to be successful with their dogs may well be just around the corner and all you need to do is look, ask and hopefully make the right decision. Sending a dog to an A List trainer is no guarentee that they are going to win with your dog. As an Amateur, one needs to be as good at evaluating potential in a pup as in evaluating a potential pro.