Why Certification?
One of the best traits of ‘man’s best friend’ is your dog’s capacity to be trained. Most owners train their own pets to some extent – if you own a dog yourself, you’ve probably taught them a few basic commands. But what if you want to become a certified dog trainer?
Maybe you get along well with canine companions and want to make a living out of it! Maybe you want to work with dogs training for competitions and shows. Working with dogs is an admirable task, but you can’t just set up shop and expect people to bring in their pets. So what are the steps to becoming a certified dog trainer?
First Steps
Before you can pursue a certification, you need to have a familiarity with the job. Personal experience working with dogs will be a big help, but you also need to do research and become educated on the history and principles of dog training.
You will have to be used to working with all different kinds of dogs with different temperaments and needs. It will be important to have the basics down before pursuing certification. Check out a list of basic training tips here to make sure all of your bases are covered!
There are many resources to research dog behavior and training practices. If you haven’t worked with a variety of dogs before, try to get acquainted with some new pets. Interact with your friends’ and families’ dogs, or volunteer at a shelter or pet shop to care for the dogs there.
Get used to recognizing different dogs personalities and needs, but make sure to do so safely and under supervision of the owners or caretakers! Remember that as a trainer, you will be trusted with other people’s animal companions. This is a big responsibility, so you want to build some confidence and knowledge before going for that certification!
You can also consider fostering dogs as a way to interact with many different breeds and personalities, which will also give you experience training each dog while they’re in your home.
Education
When you’re ready to pursue certification, consider observing the work of a qualified trainer. This will give you an idea of what you will be doing as a trainer yourself, and will help answer any questions or concerns you may have.
You can also peruse dog training websites such as GDA to get an idea of the courses available and see what information they have online. Read blogs about training or talk to established trainers one-on-one to get more information on the field.
There are also many written guides on dog training as well as a lot of informational posts online. Make sure to check that materials you read are up to date and well-reviewed.
Both the U.S and Canada have Associations for professional dog trainers, where you can find lots of good information and resources for training. You might also consider looking for local dog training groups where you can meet up with other trainers and learn from them!
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Your Certification
The requirements for certification will depend on where you are located and what program you are using to pursue your education.
There are no national requirements in Canada, and some states in the U.S will not require any certification to begin training, but it’s still best to become certified to give potential clients confidence in your qualifications.
Some certifications will require that you already have a certain amount of experience before beginning, so make sure you do your research and that you have a record of your work hours. You will want to find the certification program that works best for your location and needs.
Because there are no certification requirements in Canada and much of the U.S, the time needed to finish a certification will vary based on the program. Training programs take time, though, and they generally run about 6 months to a year.
A thorough education will take time, but putting in those hours will give you the confidence you need to be a professional trainer, and will make your services more attractive to potential clients.
