Quote: bounette white

i also agree that hands on speaks alot louder than anything else, but i know people are also going to want to see that you have some training or schooling. something to put on my resume. i can't go apply for a job and say " uh professional experience,? oh, no but i have lots of dogs at home that i work with.
it's like applying for a job at a day care just because you have 10 kids at home.

i just figured i would need some sort of certificate and training. also the whole thing of getting my schooling online is so convenient. i'm an at home mom and can't really afford( in any sense) to actually GO to school right now.

I have new fosters all the time that I enroll in classes. The local dog trainers here make a fortune from me.

I have never once asked to see any certification or proof from the trainer. It didn't actually occur to me.

I ask what have they done with their dogs.

The trainer I go to now has multiple obedience titles, agility and utility titles on her Belgian Tervurens. She encourages people to come and watch a training class so you can decide if you want to go there or not. She lets us know when there is events coming up (trials) that we can enter - as she is always putting her dogs in them. She uses prong and not Halti and I have learned a lot from her.

I have taken courses form other trainers, including PetSmart. It is not the piece of paper but the meaning behind the paper.

Step 1.

Start competing with your dog. When you have several titles on your dogs, it is proof you can do what you say you can. Put your money into obedience/agility/utility/tracking trials and get some good solid field experience.

Just having a dog that can do a nice sit-stay is not enough.

Step 2.

Spread the word via family and friends that you have some well trained dogs ("I am so happy I got that UDX title on my male! We had so much fun!"). Offer to help them train THEIR dogs (for a very low cost or even free). If you get good results they will refer others to you.

This is how I would get started.

You could join the APDT if you wanted, however like I said I would be way more interested in the dog's certifications than the trainer's.

You know, I'd almost be leery of working for a place that requied a "certificate" or the such as a dog trainer - that would mean that your employer is uneducated in the very least about the bogus nature of the vast majority of "certificates", or possible they're part of the grand scam on the public, in which case they're unethical.
Neither would be the type of employer that I'd want to work for.


If I was making a dog trainers resume, I'd simply add the number of dogs that I've titled in all the different venues I've competed in.
That says far more about my ability as a trainer than a certificate ever would. And almost always, you see the people that find certificates as important are those with very little real experience and no titles. Go figure.

I think that for a dog job worth having, a boat load of titles would be seen as far more important than a piece of paper from a likely bogus training academy ( The Tom Rose School and Triple Crown Academy being the only two dog training schools whose certificates are worth a damn ).


If I was re-opening my dog training business and advertising for employees, resumes that listed a certicicate from one the many bogus dog training outfits or listed "CPDT" - that resume would go in the trash without a second thought.

I have not seen this mentioned, but maybe I missed it too....

Training Logs are a great thing. I keep a seperate training log on each dog that I have.
In it are copies of ALL of the paperwork form ALL of the classes I have taken as well. I do not look at them as certifying me, but rather just saying that I took the class and passed.

I also have letters of recommendations from all of the trainers that I have worked with, and in among those letters they also state what areas I need to work on, once they see that I have gotten better in that area, they write another letter.

I am brutally honest in my training logs so the "issues" are in them that I had with each dog as well as the accomplishments....which is how ALL training logs should be.

You cannot and should not have a training log that says you have been 100% (only logging the good) or that will bring up serious red flags. I have seen it happen.

Plus, if I am ever called to court, these training logs will be asked for as well and will be reviewed with a fine toothed comb.


Wanted to add....if anyone asks for my resume.....they get 9 logs so far to go through. (those are dogs that I worked with personally and my own, I do not log the handlers and their dogs that I work with)

I think there are two different ideas being posted here. One is the opinion of people who are heavily involved in dog training, who understand that there really is no "standard" or certification to be a dog trainer.
The other is how to start gaining interest and credibility AS a dog trainer.
1. you need to be honest with yourself and your skill level. If you honestly feel that you have educated yourself to a level that justifies being paid money to train dogs, then you need to start investing in that. Advertising, working with shelter dogs, volunteering to train friends and neighbors' dogs... these are all good ways to start. As I mentioned in my other post, many people who cannot teach their dog to "sit" do not know there is no credibility in a "certification". But they are more likely to hire someone who has one. Most certifications (in other professions) have to be earned, and serve as "proof" of one's knowledge and skill. Only someone experienced in the dog training world would know that is not the case with dog training certs. So, from a marketing standpoint, someone that is uneducated is more likely to pick up the phone to call the person with certs rather than someone without. It is not right, and it is something that that I hate, but it seems to be the case. At least where I live. That is why I said to be honest with yourself about your skill level.
2. if you feel that you are NOT ready to jump into the world of dog training just yet, you can start the same ways - volunteer at the shelter, work with another trainer, ask local trainers (that are reputable and GOOD) if they would be willing to let you mentor under them. Certifications that can be bought will not MAKE you a good dog trainer, but they may help to get people to reach out to you. Being a good dog trainer comes with experience and hard work. It is definitely a rewarding job though!

 Quote: cameron feathers

As I mentioned in my other post, many people who cannot teach their dog to "sit" do not know there is no credibility in a "certification". But they are more likely to hire someone who has one.

It's sad to say, but I think this is actually pretty accurate. A real trainer will know someone with some generic cert is full of crap, but John Q. Public generally has NO idea and the certs do make them feel that some organization has done the work of researching them that the client should have.

Because of this, there has been some official noise about having a dog trainer become state licensed...The reason being that an inexperienced trainer can easily cause more harm than good, especially with aggression issues.

And while I can understand the motive behind wanting to protect people from a fly-by-night, state licensing is a scary thought because who decides what the "proper" method is? Petsmart?

Oh, and one other note: In a relatively small town, anyway, a crappy trainer will get BAD PR. References are key. People see a friend's dog go from unruly to well-mannered and they say, "Hey who was your trainer? That's impressive." On the other hand, if they see that their friend shelled out some serious cake to have a dog that isn't improving in any noticeable way and they will avoid that trainer like the plague.

God help us if they use Petsmart to determine what a trainer should be like...

If I may.... I'd like to blow the dust off this thread.

After reading all the past postings, talking with schools and reviewing websites my head is spinning.

I have to agree with everyones assessment that hands on training is the best way to learn. My current line of work that I am getting out of is same, one could be the most book smart but without having the hands on training it all means nothing.

What I am feeling is that there is nothing wrong with attending a "distant learning" course, but that alone is not even close to being enough to call yourself a professional. Getting that hands on experience while attending a "distant learning" course should make for a good learning experience. Experience was the key word and the initial foundation this thread was first asking. I have grown up my entire life with German Shepherds and have worked with them all and even did some basic Schutzhund work with our last one. Sure... sit, stay, down, come, heel and so on they all did fairly well, but am I a professional? NO! So my question and I think the first question is how does one who is looking for a career change get the experience or back ground to walk into a kennel or shelter and say I want to train dogs?

I have spoken with many schools and even the two everyone is raving about and all the ones that were put down. The price range for the education is $800 - $13,000(only 16 weeks). One of them is literally the next town over and unfortunately the MOST EXPENSIVE. If there is no official certification that is recognized nation wide or world wide I have a very serious problem shelling out this kind of money for a program. I know you get what you pay for... but a $11,000 split in today's economy is scary. But in the same breath, I have no problem investing in my education and really could careless about a resume.... I HATE RESUMES and if I have to look at one of mine again I am going to freak out!(J/K) But seriously, what is the point of a resume if you cannot get through to dogs or be able to work with high risk problem dogs? So I agree with everyone... hands on. But how does one get the education and hands on in a relatively short time frame?

I hope this post makes sense and that I am just not rambling.

 Quote: Rick Massimi

So I agree with everyone... hands on. But how does one get the education and hands on in a relatively short time frame?

That’s the thing. There is no short cut. There is only experience.

Those fly by night schools are not respected among the dog training community because they teach flawed material, but in a manner that tends to convince the student that it is the only correct material. They become almost self important with their new found right and only way, and I have seen many become defensive when offered a different way of doing things. They are the good ones that are open to differing points of view.

The only advantage I see to them is to know what the other methods are. I like to be able to convincingly and intelligently argue what I stand for, be it dog training, nutrition or any other topic I become passionate about.

Experience is how we learn anything beyond theory, and it always takes time.

Most shelters are only too happy to have someone volunteer to work with dogs that are not getting adopted as a result of training/behavior. If they question your ability, give them a demonstration of your current dogs and explain that you are eager to work with more and share your knowledge as part of your continuing education preparation.

Do your own dogs have their CGCs?

Do you volunteer at a shelter a couple of times a week?

Jessica, thank you for the reply. I agree there is not only one way to train a dog and being open minded I am think is probably the key to success.

Connie, no he (just had to put the Sable down) does not have the CGC. But this is something that I will look into. In regards to the shelter.... I planed on talking to them on Monday about volunteering to help socialize and train their dogs. I just never though about it till now, I never actually thought I could without some form of training.

Thank you for the replies.