I just got my certification and one of the things to make sure is that you have a licensed trainer. The ones at Petsmart, PETCO, etc. rarely are.
If you go to APDT.com, you will see who in your area is.
After you find a certified one, visit a class - not just with the trainer, a full class to see how they interact with dogs. Do they require you to buy certain equipment, won't work with you on yours (some hate angel collars also known as prong collars but for some dogs they are necessary), and how are the people in the class interacting with their dogs. Are the dogs scared of them? Is the class fun? Does the instructor pay close attention to the people in class and correct them when necesary? Do they seem confident?
If you aren't comfortable with them, don't go any further and visit another class. I went to a class where this lady was highly recommended by everyone, certified, etc. but she was so focused on training signals that she didn't realize that they work differently based on the size of the dog. So, this owner was giving the command to their dog and this poor little weiner dog was terrified and submissive (getting on back). If the instructor had been wise enough to realize that the dog was scared because it was so small and saw the command as a threat, she would have had the owner step back or try a different signal. She was also against my mixed breeds Angel Collar (that works well for her) and kept trying to get us to use the Gentle Leader which terrifies my dog. So, we walked away.
We found a trainer that incorporated agility into her classes so that the dogs as well as the owners would stay interested. My dogs love going to the classes and look forward to it. That hasn't always been the case before I learned about certification and different training programs. It is important to find a trainer that uses positive reinforcement. Not punishment. That has small classes, meets with you one on one to assess your dog and one that you are comfortable with. Most have classes on the weekends. But, I also love trainers that are involved in things with their dogs. Whether it is obedience competition, rally competition or agility competition.
It is a tough decision, but you will find a great trainer. It just takes some time. Since your dog is small, I would hope that most trainers would not encourage any choke collars or prong collars (the necks are very sensitive on small dogs and those methods hurt them a lot of the time). Listen to your instinct and you will know if a trainer is good or not. Just because they have the title doesn't mean that they are good! Dog training clubs are the same way. We have a local obedience club that has teenagers teaching the classes and to me, it was a waste of time because they subscribed to a one size fits all type of training. No two dogs are the same.
Good Luck! If you have any other questions, please let me know.
