Are Neutered Dogs Safer to Work with than Intact Dogs?

There are several factors that should make a trainer more cautious when working with a dog: low sociability, bite history, medical problems, maternal instinct, injuries, barrier frustration, sexually mature and finally, the topic of this post - sexually intact males. All of these justify more caution. I am always a bit more careful when working with intact males (higher drive means harder biting). But I still enjoy working with them hands-on. 

Some trainers are wary of working with intact males and will quote a study from a few years ago that showed that intact male dogs between eighteen months and two years of age have a greater incidence of aggression than females or neutered males. But it's not proven science that this is due to testosterone. It is just as likely that it's due to socioeconomic factors. Dogs who arrive at animal shelters intact are mostly from lower income communities. People who cannot afford to provide medical care certainly cannot afford professional training, and some even encourage aggressive behavior in their dogs in a misplaced effort at "protection training." 

In my almost 30 years of dog training experience, I've been bitten more often by neutered dogs than by intact dogs. I know trainers from military and police backgrounds who worked exclusively with intact males and have never been bitten.

Neutered male dogs have 3 times the risk of hypothyroidism - and there are more dogs who bite due to hypothyroidism than any other medical factor. 

Testosterone doesn’t make a dog vicious, it merely adds drive. All police patrol dogs and military dogs are intact – and attacks on their handlers are virtually unheard of.

A landmark scientific study found that only a small percentage of dogs realize a change in aggressive behavior after being neutered:   Neilson, Eckstein, and Hart,(1997) found that [only] 25% of adult dogs that were aggressive toward humans or other dogs in the household can be expected to have a 50 to 90% level of improvement after gonadectomy.  A 50 - 90% level of improvement can likewise be observed in [ONLY]  10 to 15% of dogs that are aggressive toward unfamiliar people or human territorial intruders after gonadectomy.

No trainer should get a false sense of security because a dog is neutered. And no trainer should ever recommend neutering as a solution to aggression.  (Of course, neutered males who have not yet fought are less likely to fight if they are neutered as a preventative measure.)

There is universal agreement among breeders of large breed dogs that, for a number of developmental reasons, it is inadvisable to neuter too young, and there are well known health risks involved with spaying and neutering dogs.  

Regarding females and any connection between spaying and aggression, Lindsay’s Encyclopedia of Dog Behavior and Training (Volume 2, p. 187) includes a study which supports the assertion that incidents of aggression are higher in spayed females than in non-spayed females. 

 My main point is this: No trainer should be "more relaxed" just because a dog is neutered.

Emotional Support Dogs for People with Alzheimer's

Choosing the right dog and the right trainer are two critical steps involved in the process of successfully bringing an emotional support dog into a family.

In her book  "The 24-Hour Rule: Living with Alzheimer's" Cheryl Levin-Folio writes, "Dogs offer unconditional love...comfort and a calming influence influenced by his emotional support animal training. 

The physical contact, we've discovered, is as important and effective as the emotional connection that comes with having dogs in the family. Lack of touch is devastating to anyone, particularly someone suffering with Alzheimer's."

Cheryl and her family worked with Carol Ross, CDBA,  to help  train Oliver, their English Creme Golden Retriever for his job as an emotional support dog for Cheryl's husband Michael.  In Chapter 8, Ross, a certified dog trainer and Director of Training for Canine Dimensions North Chicago region, describes some of the work she did with Oliver:

“I started working with Oliver when he was about eight weeks old. The window for socialization runs until they are about five months old. My first goal was to get Oliver up to American Kennel Club “Canine Good Citizen” standards. I wanted him to have good manners, be polite, and act appropriately wherever he went, no matter whom he was with. He had a little more training specific to being an Emotional Support Animal, so he’d stay close to Michael, literally touching him much of the time, place his head on Michael’s lap to help keep Michael calm as needed, and do things like “hold stay” for two hours so he could go on plane trips.

We were laying the groundwork for all of this starting at two months old. But the key piece when he was so young was introducing him to as many people and situations as possible. While working with me, he was exposed to at least 300 people, 60 friendly dogs, and wide range of environments, medical equipment, and behaviors. We went to all kinds of dog-friendly events, stores, schools, and parks, anything I could think of. We spent time downtown. We went to the airport.

A lot of this socialization was before we began to work on specific skills with Michael. In the early days, their job was just to form a strong bond. After that, we started the more formal “obedience” training. Like humans, dogs learn best when the process is simple. In this case, keeping it simple meant breaking the process down into smaller piece, and more repetition of each skill. Consistency is the key.

Through this process, Oliver and Michael learned the commands “Come,” “Sit,” “Down,” “Stay,” and “Drop It.” In addition, they mastered “Look” (for Oliver to make eye contact with Michael), “Touch” (for Oliver to gently touch Michael’s hand). “Enough” (Stop what you are doing!), and “Away” (give me a little space). Oliver and Baxter both learned “Go to Your Place” for when someone comes to the door who doesn’t really need a high-energy canine greeting committee.

This collection of commands covers most things that come up for most dogs and their people. Many dogs need additional training in this or that, specific to their situation and depending on their personalities, behavior and circumstances. A small dog that lives in an apartment and annoys the neighbors with barking can be taught to stop barking on command, for example.

Some dogs are trained specifically as service dogs for people with Alzheimer’s, which is mainly to help with a person who wanders or gets lost. But Oliver’s job is different – he’s for company, calming and comfort."

The Cult of Purely Positive

I am continually astonished at what passes for “dog training” these days.  This post, for example, from one of the dog trainers forums: 

“Ever since my son brought home a yellow lab puppy named Dirks, he has pulled like a freight train while walking on lead. First he tried CT (click and treat) but pulling was more rewarding than any food treat or toy. So next came a Halti then a Gentle Leader and still no dice. Even an Easy Walk harness didn't stop him. So when all else failed, and unbeknownst to me, my daughter tried a prong collar. The reward of pulling was greater than putting holes in his neck!

Let’s pause for a moment. Several things are interesting here – first, she is surprised that a dog has natural drives that trump click-and-treat, luring, and containment devices. Balanced trainers understand dogs’ natural drives and they work in harmony with them; they don’t try to shut them down, they USE them.  Second, she is unaware that trying to use a prong collar (or any tool) without first learning how to use it properly is bound to get poor results.  Third, prong collars don’t poke holes in dogs. That is a myth perpetuated by the Cult of Purely Positive. 

(back to her post…) “When I found out what was going on, it was time for some motherly intervention. I simply told my daughter to think outside of the box and to channel what Dirks loved best, and since he loved pulling just teach him when it's appropriate. And since I had all equipment along with a draft harness that I though should fit a 2+ y/o Lab, she taught him to back up (necessary skill for a cart/draft dog), get used to the rattle sound of wagon following him down a gravel driveway, plus a solid stand stay...yielding right and left can come along though turning around is relatively easy given enough room to maneuver.  Now Dirks can "pull his weight" here by pulling my Radio Flyer wagon with daily garbage down the 2/3 mile gravel driveway to the garbage cart at the road. Best of all it's *mission accomplished* with loose leash walking!”

The poor dog is now so exhausted from pulling a wagon full of crap 2/3 of a mile down a gravel driveway every day that he no longer has the strength to pull on leash.  Nice job - you’ve turned your dog into a pack mule.

But what do we do with a client who doesn’t have a wagon full of crap and a 2/3 mile gravel driveway handy? Or the client who simply doesn’t have the heart to subject her poor dog to hours of weekly slave labor?  Instead of simply using, gentle, humane, professional leash training, i.e. training the dog to walk on a leash without pulling - you use a short cut and announce that “it’s mission accomplished” by exhausting the dog instead of properly leash training him.

Call me crazy, but this doesn’t sound very “positive” to me.  If this dog belonged to  one of our clients, we would take the time to do some basic leash training and the result would be a new world opened to the dog - a dramatically improved quality of life for both the dog and his owner! They could get out into the world,  go to the town’s July 4^th parade, to the county fair, to the local big-box-pet store, to a neighbor’s home for a barbecue, to the vet’s office for a checkup, to a sidewalk café for a snack or simply enjoy a pleasant walk in the neighborhood.  All of these activities are a heck of a lot more fun than pulling a wagon full of garbage up and down a gravel road. 

Instead of teaching the dog how to walk politely on a leash, you’ve eliminated his desire to walk on a leash at all!   Take a break from your victory laps, buy Lindsay’s three volume “Handbook of Applied Dog Training and Behavior” and read about the dead dog rule[i].   

While you’re at it, read about operant conditioning and you’ll begin to understand why all working dogs (seeing eye, service, military, search and rescue, police patrol, etc.) are trained with balanced training protocols.

Sadly, if today’s purely-positive-training madness continues, it will cost many dogs their lives. Their owners, after having tried some of the inane dreck that passes for dog training today, will  conclude that their dogs are “untrainable” and give up on them.[ii]  

Purely Positive cult members – please stop using gadgets and gimmicks as substitutes for real dog training!  Herbal potions, hoods over the head (ThunderCaps) and containment devices (head halters and no-pull harnesses) are no substitute for training.  Open your minds and your hearts, and learn how to give your clients and their dogs what they really need, not just what makes you feel good.

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[i] The dead-dog rule is a complementary logic for framing the least intrusive and minimally aversive (LIMA) principle. By converting training goals into affirmative statements and identifying objectives that can be achieved only by a live dog, the resultant perspective is biased toward reward-based training efforts.   

[ii] Despite the great efforts made by animal shelters in low cost spay/neuter programs, shelter [dog] populations have continued to increase. Is it mere coincidence that the number of dogs in shelters has increased along with the spread of the purely positive movement over the past decade?

Is it a Good Idea to Bring Home 2 Puppies from the Same Litter?

Let me start by saying that I do know people who have made this work.  I also know people who drive too fast and have never been in an accident. That doesn't make either of those things a good idea. 

I would advise against getting two puppies from the same litter.   Here are 10 reasons why:

1) Dogs are social animals. Young puppies form strong bonds with their siblings before they've meet you and your human family. Bringing your puppy home with its litter mate interferes with the bonding process which must occur between a dog and its human family. It's tough enough for a puppy to understand that you and your family are its new social group.   The presence of a littermate slows the process.  In fact, most litter mates exhibit a strong preference for the company of each other over the company of their human owners.

2) People tend to neglect socialization with other dogs when they have 2 puppies. Yet by the time the puppies are about 6 months old, the primary windows of socialization have closed. Two dogs who grow up together and are denied the experience of meeting lots of other friendly dogs of various ages, will only enjoy the company of one another. Many of them will become fearful or aggressive toward other dogs. 

3) Owning a puppy is a huge responsibility. It requires a lot of hard work to raise even ONE puppy properly. Raising 2 puppies is twice the work.  For starters, each puppy will require its own crate. Also, you will have  to find time for  2 training schedules, along with separate times for play, exercise and mental stimulation.

4) Housebreaking will take longer.  There will always be one puppy who starts to "get it" before the other one - then that one will regress when he or she smells indoor elimination by its litter mate. This cycle of regression can continue (and even switch from one puppy to the other) resulting in much more time needed for housebreaking. 

5) Learning each new obedience command requires a three phase process (instruction, correction, distraction). But when you have 2 puppies you're setting them up for failure by providing a huge distraction (each other) during training. As a result it takes a lot more time for each one to learn basic obedience commands and household manners.

6) The less confident puppy will "hide in the shadow" of the more confident puppy. Therefore the  less confident puppy will  grow up lacking in social skills and will often exhibit a variety of fear and confidence issues (for the entire life of the dog).

7) Most breeders are smart, dedicated and ethical. But there are some unscrupulous breeders out there who will tell a potential buyer that the last two members of the litter are "really attached to one another" and will lay a guilt trip on the buyer, sometimes even giving a discount to purchase them both together.  There is absolutely no merit in the idea that you're doing emotional harm to a puppy by separating it from its sibling. In fact, the opposite may be true.

8) In order for proper social development to occur, a puppy must LEARN TO BE ALONE.  This part of their training becomes extremely difficult when they always have a sibling nearby.

9) When the puppies reach adolescence, competition is intensified and fights can break out. Fights between litter mates are much more severe than fights between unrelated dogs.

10) In situations where the owner has  decided to re-home one of  their two puppies, each of the them began to form a much closer bond with its human owner, and made great strides in obedience training, confidence and sociability. This was most noticeable when the re-homing was done prior to 6 months of age, but I've seen it happen with older dogs and puppies as well.

In conclusion - there is no reason to bring home 2 puppies from the same litter and lots of reasons not to. But if you've already taken the plunge, follow the above tips (separate crates; separate time with each puppy for training and play; time for each puppy to meet and play with other dogs without the littermate present) in  order to increase your odds of success.  And be sure to provide appropriate control of resources and clear human leadership in the home to prevent fights as they get older.

One more suggestion: If you really have your heart set on owning two dogs from the same breeder, wait until the first dog reaches social maturity (about 18 months old for small and medium breeds, about 2 years old for large breeds, and 3 years old for giant breeds) then bring home a new 8 to 10 week old puppy (of a different sex).   It will still be important to provide everything I just mentioned for the proper development of the new puppy, but by waiting you'll be more likely to avoid "litter mate syndrome."

Grain-Free is Not Always Best

I feed my dogs a high quality all-natural dog food but it is NOT grain free.

The kibble is made with:
 
• High-quality protein from human grade chicken 
• Antioxidants including vitamins C & E
• Prebiotic fiber & probiotics
• A selection of nutritious vegetables
• Omega-3 fatty acids for healthy skin & a shiny coat
• Calcium & phosphorus for healthy teeth and strong bones
• Dietary fiber to help maintain a healthy digestive tract
• No artificial flavors or colors
• No corn, wheat or corn/wheat glutens

I have not yet embraced the grain-free dog food movement because a) I don't think that enough research has been done, and b) as an owner of large breed dogs I stick with the diet that my own puppies and dogs have done very well on over the years (avoiding large breed problems like bloat and panosteitis).

Here is an excellent post by Linda Arndt (The Great Dane Lady) on the topic of grain-free dog food:

Things to Ponder About Grain Free Diets by Linda Arndt

I get many emails asking my opinion of the new grain-free diets on the market.
The growing holistic pet food industry has much competition these days, so they are looking for ways to reinvent the wheel and here you have it, the new grain-free diets!

What the Public Wants

After all, if “the public wants grain-free diets, certainly they know what is best for their pets – right? Wrong”. Just because the public wants it, is not a good enough reason to manufacture it. Just because it is a grain-free diet, does not mean it is appropriate for your dog’s individual situation.

Propagation of Myths

Thanks to knee-jerk reactions and the propagation of nutritional myths on the internet, grains in pet foods have a bad reputation. Grains are carbohydrates and carbohydrates are not necessarily bad. Just because it is a grain-free diet does not mean there are no carbohydrates in the grain-free food. Instead they substitute potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams and tapioca, as other carb sources yet tapioca is a questionable ingredient for pets. More feed trials are needed on these foods.

So when people think they are using a grain-free diet, it still has carbohydrates in it and in many cases potato carbohydrates are worse for allergies, systemic yeast infections, diabetic and cancer diets – worse than quality whole ground grains used in the proper proportion.

Not a Black and White Issue

My point here is this, like most things in life, this grainless diet topic is not a black and white issue. There are many things we need to consider before using a grain-free diet for our pet’s current health situation.

More Research is Needed

Most grain-free diets have not been around long enough to see how they will do in 3-4 generations. And feed trials, if actually done, are very limited. 

No Grain-Free for Puppies

I do not recommend grain free diets for weaning or growth in any breed and especially for large and giant breeds. Actually, I do not recommend a grain free diet be fed as the “total diet” to any healthy breed. I even have reservations about them used totally as a cancer diet due to the high calcium levels. They are really meant for very specific uses and often for short term use – each animal’s situation would have to be considered before I could ever recommend a total grainless diet to my puppy buyers.

It is IMPOSSIBLE regulate growth patterns on raw or grain fee diets in order to avoid developmental orthopedic diseases such as; HOD, Knuckling Over/Bowing (Carpel Flexural Deformity) OCD, and Pano.

So Are Grains Good or Bad?

There is some notion out there in cyberspace that grains are bad, when in fact grains are only bad when they were used as the basis for commercial foods, in other words grain is listed first on the label - now that’s bad. In super premium and holistic lines, grains are used as carbohydrate components, not as protein and not as filler, and that is good thing. Plus the quality of grains used in holistic and super premium lines is grade#1 Human Grade or Organic. This means low gluten components in the grains.

• fractionated (not ground whole)
• when they are not human grade or organic
• when they are the basis for commercial dog foods (grain listed first instead of meat protein based).

Grain Bashing

The biggest grain bashing problem was started by a West Coast dog food company years ago, and it had to do with corn and allergies. The fact is Human Grade #1 corn is one of the best natural sources of coat and skin conditioners like Omega 6, and it is low in gluten. It has an overall digestibility is 90% and carbohydrate digestibility is 99%.

Research

In 2005 one of the most respected holistic dog food companies decided to pull the corn from their foods only because they had pressure from consumers to do so. This decision to remove the corn was not based in any kind of research, but just because they bowed to public pressure. They removed the corn and now had a “grain-less” holistic food which is what the public clamored for in a pet food.

Grain-Free is Not Always Best

After test feeding the diet over a long period of time they witnessed several changes in the dogs energy levels, coat and body weight. All were negative effects. The dogs had significant weight loss, it took much more food to maintain the dogs weight, coats became brittle and the dog’s energy levels plummeted, real working dogs were lacking in endurance. After seeing this results over many months of feed trial research, they decided to put the Grade 1# whole corn back into their holistic diet – as a carbohydrate source, and after thousands of bags were sold not one allergy was reported.

Diabetic Dogs and Grain-Free Food

I have found in dealing with dogs that are diabetic or have cancer, that when we totally remove the grain from the diet, their energy level plummets. So using a very high quality, high protein/fat diet with some component of whole grain is actual a good thing. Remember if it is ground whole, the fiber is intact – if there is natural fiber present, the grain does not convert to sugar in a flash, it burns slow and steady and sustains energy levels and appetites.

Quality Grains with a Protein Base

The key is the diet should NOT be grain based, but instead should be based in protein from quality meat sources.

Grain Can Help Brain Function and Athletic Performance Nature made all muscle and brain function (99%) using glucose and oxygen. Carbohydrates, such as grains, are stored in the liver as glycogen, this is then released as glucose in the blood as the body requires it.

Dogs Need Exercise, Play and Mental Stimulation

Exercise means doing things with your dog, not just letting him run around alone in the yard. Dogs are social animals and require interactive play – they must play with you, their owner. Time spent alone running around in the yard will not solve your dog’s behavior problems. In fact, it may lead to more behavior problems, e.g. barking, digging, fence fighting.  It may actually increase, rather than decrease, a dog’s level of frustration.  An active, involved owner with a small back yard is a lot more fun for a dog than a detached, aloof owner who banishes the dog to “go play” in a big back yard. 

 

Steven Lindsay, in The Handbook of Applied Dog Training and Behavior concurs, “Putting a dog outside in a fenced yard is not enough to produce adequate exercise. The owner must become directly involved in the exercise activity, insuring that the exercise is done in a way that produces physiological and psychological benefit.” 

Dog parks and day care are not appropriate for every dog. But luckily, those are not the only ways to exercise your dog. Dogs enjoy fetch, jogging, long walks, swimming and playing games like tug-of-war and flirt pole.  

Tug-of-war is a great game to play with non-aggressive dogs, as long as you follow some basic rules. The owner should be the one to start and end the game, use only one object as the tug toy, put it away when you’re done and  teach the dog to drop the object on command.   

A flirt pole is simply a wooden pole with a length of rope and a toy tied to it.  Dogs with high prey drive love to chase and try to catch the toy. Dogs are not cats though, so be careful not to use the toy to make the dog jump up into the air, or your dog may be injured when he lands. Instead, make the toy “run” along the ground, simulating the movement of a running critter.  

Food games (like food puzzles or balls that dispense treats when hit a certain way by the dog) can be fun for dogs, providing much needed mental stimulation. While mental stimulation is not a substitute for exercise, don’t underestimate its impact on your dog’s overall well-being.  

Occupying your dog’s brain can sometimes be just as tiring as physical exercise. Take your dog with you wherever dogs are welcome.  Invest in a good obedience training program so that your dog will learn to be polite and well-mannered - then he will be welcome in more places. (Plus the training itself is another great way to occupy your dog’s mind.)

By the way, if you’re thinking about getting a second dog to keep the first one company, think again. You just might wind up with 2 bored dogs instead of one. There is no substitute for human attention, love, guidance and companionship.

Want to Become a Professional Dog Trainer?

If you want to know how to become a professional dog trainer, consider this: There are many schools for dog trainers in the U.S., graduating hundreds of new dog trainers each year. But dog trainer schools only teach how to train dogs – not how to earn a living training dogs. In contrast, the best dog training franchises teach people how to become a dog trainer and how to earn a full time living training dogs.  People who are serious about becoming a dog trainer should consider dog training franchise business opportunities instead of schools for dog trainers.

Why Choose A Dog Training Franchise Over A Dog Trainer School?

A recent study by PetMarketWatch.com found that owners of dog training franchisees can earn 3 to 5 times as much as their non-franchised counterparts (dog trainer school graduates and independent dog trainers).

There are many schools for dog trainers that offer good foundational knowledge, but if you’re looking for a small business startup opportunity as a dog trainer, you might want to consider the franchise model. Unlike dog trainer schools, dog training franchises follow a proven, step-by-step system that produces income right away.

There are a few companies who have begun selling dog training franchises regionally, and others have evolved a distribution model. Let’s first take a look at the difference between a  franchise and a distributorship:

• Franchising involves a contractual relationship whereby the franchisor permits a franchisee to use its trade name, marks and brands; exercises continuing control over business operations; provides training and assistance to a franchisee and requires initial and continuing payments to the franchisor.

• Distribution is when a manufacturer or a supplier of goods appoints an independent third party – the distributor – to market its goods.  The independent third party purchases the goods on his own account and trades under his own name as an authorized distributor.  His business name will usually have no connection with the name of the supplier of the goods nor will the supplier regulate the way in which the distributor operates his business other than, perhaps, to oblige the distributor to reach minimum turnover levels.

There are many ways in which a person who wants to become a dog trainer can achieve their goal including schools for dog trainers, franchises, distributorships and independent study. But the highest paid dog trainers with the most successful track records are  those who have chosen the dog training franchise model.  

Becoming A Dog Trainer: Economic Trends

The demand for dog trainers and dog training remains high, even in today’s economy. Since most dog owners consider their dog to be a part of the family, it would appear that spending money on man’s best friend will remain one of the most recession-resistant segments of consumer spending. 

Are Owners Of Dog Training Franchises Happy?

The Franchise Business Review, a leading market research company, conducted a survey of franchisees in a prominent dog training franchise and found: 

• 93% of all franchisees rated the franchisor as an "above average" business opportunity.
• 93% of franchisees believe that there is "above average" communication and support between franchisees in the system.
• 100% of franchisees said they respected the franchisor as an organization.
• 99% of franchisees stated that their schedules are flexible enough to allow them time off as needed.
• 75% of franchisees joined because they were seeking more control over their finances and their future.

Dog Training Franchises vs. Schools for Dog Trainers: Key Considerations

There are a number of other factors to consider when investigating dog training franchise opportunities. The process of offering franchises for sale in the Unites States is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission.   The FTC provides advice for people considering the purchase of a franchise.  

A sound business model will include a proven system for consistent sales. However, as with any other business opportunity, a prospective dog training franchisee must consider factors such as demographics, competition and median household income within the franchisee territory in determining whether to invest in the business.

The information contained in the franchise disclosure documents should be helpful in this regard, as they will include a list of other franchisees, past and present who can share their opinions as to the effectiveness and viability of the business system, as well as the level of ongoing support provided by the franchisor.

A Quick Review of Some of the Many Available Options: 

Canine Dimensions is a U.S. based company with dog training franchises located throughout the United States. We've been in business since 1997, currently operate in 20 states, and offer franchising opportunities for around $50,000.00 We require financial disclosure and a background check. Not everyone will qualify. Also, the offer and sale of a franchise can only be made through delivery and receipt of a Franchise Disclosure Document (see disclaimer notice below). 

Chain stores train thousands of dogs each year, but work is based upon your ability to sell their training programs for commission (no sales = no pay). Generally, you must have prior sales experience. You will need to be 18 years of age and you will be required to work in other areas of the store as well. 

Fees to attend on-site  dog training schools vary greatly - a quick Google search found a range of roughly $10,000 to $20,000. They require several weeks away from home (necessary to give you the dog handling experience that you'll need to learn their system).  Some of them specialize in e-collar training, so make sure that you're ok with using shock collars to train dogs; a method that, despite advances in technology, remains controversial among some pet owners.

There are many distance learning options as well.  An "online dog training school" is an option that's heavy on theory but light on actual dog handling.  When you contact them you will speak with a "career counselor" - who is essentially a commissioned sales person very skilled at talking up their school's certification program. But not all "certifications" are equal - so check online reviews carefully before you invest.   

Notice: The information contained herein does not constitute the offer or sale of a franchise. There are certain states that require the registration of a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) before the franchisor can advertise or offer the franchise in that state. This franchise may not be registered in all registration states and may not offer franchises to residents of those states or to persons wishing to locate a franchise in those states. The offer and sale of a franchise can only be made through the delivery and receipt of a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).