The problem lies in 'unscrupulous' trainers ripping people off not the associations.
When a person goes to the trainer they pay the trainer whether they be a NASDU / NTIPDU / BIPDT or whatever, the trainer sets his amount or daily rate, which does not go to the associations but the trainer, all the handler would pay for is maybe membership and for the certificate.
A good bonafide trainer will invite you down, would not be bothered if you turned up unnanounced to view a training day (health & safety permitting) and maybe even tell you to 'shop around', let you have some information on him and his activities. We have mentioned this be before in other threads 'shop around' because at the end of the day you are parting with your 'hard earned' cash.
For someone 'jaune' to do a 5 day course and become a 'dog handler' is ludicrous and I agree with you totally, not enough time, never mind the £728. Then you would have the dog on top £££££s
The reason I asked about the 'reality' training (which you took offence at due to the amount of bold text) is that there are some trainers that do all these car attacks etc as part of a 'basic' course and it gives out the wrong impression to someone new coming into the industry as thats what its not all about.
We had a guy who came to us (no longer with us, though not for this reason) and he did not even know the basic principles of how to groom or maintain his dog, how can you work a dog operationally if you dont know the first thing about it? I cringed when we done some manwork and some scenarios on location, because he had not a clue of the basic do's & don'ts.
The fact is all he done on a course was biting, sleevework, biting sleevework............... If we had a situation where his dog had been involved then I would probably be on 'D' wing at Walton Prison doing a 10 stretch for 'manslaughter' right now, being sued by someone!!!
No one is denying that you are not an experienced trainer, or have the staff with you and their expertise (I dont know you or them) and I was not asking for you to justify yourself, just wanted know where you would use this 'reality' training in the security industry (which you explained).
Personally I think with the associations available at present they are a 'neccesity' just in case the license for a security dog handler does eventually happen as my company is in one of them.
Just one on the 'building sites' neither do I or we, it aint the 80's where we sing 'accapella', dressed in a 'donkey jacket' around an 'upturned oil drum on fire'. I think the industry's (especially the dog sector) come on a bit since then.
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