as most of you know i am putting together my business plan for the launch of Carefreek9s!!! I am at the point of doing some Market Research.
What I would like to know is:-
a) how far from home would you be willing to travel to go to a training class?
b) how important is it to you that the trainer holds a recognised qualification and holds the correct insurances?
c) what is the maximum you would be prepared to pay for classes?
d) what are your feelings on negative reinforcement techniques being used in classes?
e) do any of the trainers in your area offer any discounts or incentives for attending their classes?
f) do you get a recognised certificate at the end of your course?

if you guys could answer these questions for me i would be most greatful. names will not be used in my MR report, just an average of all the answers i receive. it would help if you could get as many of your friends to take part as possible. the greater the number of answers i can get the more realistic
the averages will be.

many thanks
gilly

a) how far from home would you be willing to travel to go to a training class?
45 mins one way

b) how important is it to you that the trainer holds a recognised qualification and holds the correct insurances?
Very little. Positive Reputatation is 95% of it for me. I insist that the trainer give me a customized plan for "my dog's training".

c) what is the maximum you would be prepared to pay for classes?
35 group ... 50 private

d) what are your feelings on negative reinforcement techniques being used in classes?
No problem with some, negative reinforcement has its place as long as there is no physcal contact or stress on the dog.

e) do any of the trainers in your area offer any discounts or incentives for attending their classes?
Not that I know of.

f) do you get a recognised certificate at the end of your course?
no idea, and unless the trainer has a national cert, a peice of paper is worthless.

a) the farthest I have driven for training was 126 miles round trip. That was years ago when it was tough to find the kind of training I wanted.
b) pretty important to me. I've seen a few really good trainers that were not certified and a few bad that were.
c)depends greatly on what type of training. I have paid as much as $150 for group training.
d) have been in classes where it was recommended and even used at times. If it were physical corrections, I would walk out and not look back at this point in time. There are plenty of good trainers out there.
e)yes, sort of. One of the local trainers gives free basic training for any dog adopted from a shelter.
f)yes, but it's pretty much just a token.

a) I 30-45 minutes there and another back is reasonable enough, depending on how often it was a week.

b) I think its important, certification helps but references are better, as for insurance I think it makes everyone feel more reassured.

c) I think it depends on what is covered in a class. For instance around here its about $100 for a 6-8 week period. I think thats alright.

d) Used without first exploring a dog friendly alternative would really put me off, but if its the only way and the owner knows what the consequences will be then I wouldn't be so upset.

e) Not to my knowledge.

f) For petsmart and Petco yes, other people I wouldn't be sure.

Hope that helps! Best of wishes on your business!!

a) how far from home would you be willing to travel to go to a training class? ..not more than 10miles for sure

b) how important is it to you that the trainer holds a recognised qualification and holds the correct insurances? very important

c) what is the maximum you would be prepared to pay for classes? ~$80-100

d) what are your feelings on negative reinforcement techniques being used in classes? not a fan

e) do any of the trainers in your area offer any discounts or incentives for attending their classes? not sure but would be nice

f) do you get a recognised certificate at the end of your course? yes

thanks for all your input everyone...i have quite a few of this post all over the internet and have condensed the answers into percentages for my research....the business plan is looking good!!!!!! thanks again everyone.

No problem, and once again hope that your business will be a success!