Is Your Dog Trainer Actually "Certified"?
Is Your Dog Trainer Actually "Certified"?
Written By Lauren Tsao, MS, CDBC, CPDT-KA
I have a story about my luck with professionals lately and I thought it helped make a good point about searching for a dog trainer. So, settle in and read on!
Did you know that the dog training industry is unregulated? The same can be said for many professionals in today's world. When purchasing our new home, we had a professional contractor do an inspection and she informed us of some repairs needed on behalf of sellers. But what makes this story interesting are these two factors: one — the 'professional' contractor hired to make the repairs didn't have any credentials to work at all within my state’s codes; two -- even though he claimed expertise by saying so very much about himself during our conversation, he used the word “professional”, but never “licensed”.
Now, by “professional”, I thought everything would be fine because that surely meant they had to hire someone licensed to work on my new home.
Actually it didn't.
It allowed them to hire someone off the street calling himself a professional. Turns out, "licensed" and "professional" mean two different things to the law. Chaos ensued shortly after, but I will say it cost us extra money and the sellers extra money. Two licensed contractors and a month later, we have finally fixed everything that was either broken or repaired incorrectly by the original "professional".
Why Is It So Hard To Find A Good Dog Trainer?
The dog training industry is much the same way. Anyone can open a dog training business without a day of training or dog ownership and call themselves a "professional dog trainer". Heck, in our industry, they can even call them "certified professionals" and guess who "certified" them? Themselves! There are no laws against this behavior. The only thing preventing an uneducated trainer from training your dog is you.
Our students have seen anywhere between one to four uncertified dog trainers or “behaviorists” before hiring us. This also means they have waited longer than necessary for real help and now the behaviors are often out of control with unpredictable consequences - making it more difficult on both sides!
Be sure you verify your dog trainer’s education and not take someone's word at face value when looking into training services yourself, which could lead you down an unpleasant path full of unwanted results if left unchecked. You can view the databases of certified dog training organizations and search for your trainer on the CCPDT, PPG, KPA, or IAABC websites.
The person being listed in the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) directory or the person having an American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizenship Evaluator standing does not mean they are a certified dog trainer. There is no such thing as an APDT or AKC certified trainer.
Don't take your trainer's word on their education or certification. You should verify they are actually certified as many people claim they have these certifications, but don’t.
Being a "professional" doesn't mean they will train in a way that will get results, be humane, or prevent unwanted consequences by default in our industry. Make sure you can verify their education, certification, or whatever they claim to have, with a quick email to the governing body they say certified them, taught them, mentored them, etc. Even attendance at conferences about dog training and behavior can usually be verified.
A big red flag is anyone “guaranteeing results” as many certifying bodies for dog trainers prohibit any type of guarantee on results due to their unethical nature, as the behavior of a living being can never be guaranteed and everyone with a formal education in behavior is aware of this fact. No matter how many years of experience someone says they have, practice and experience are only as good as their education. Otherwise, they could be practicing poor skills every day for years in a row without even being aware themselves. Dog trainers need both formal education that is verified by a third party that isn’t themselves or their own business and hands-on experience, which preferably can also be verified by a third party.
Not every trainer needs to be certified to be a good trainer, but they do need an education in canine behavior. This is unavoidable if you want to be a good trainer. Education can be verified in many different ways and someone on the up and up should be happy to present some proof to you.
Do your research. Ask deep questions. Think critically before hiring anyone - contractor or dog trainer. If you need help finding a truly certified dog trainer, contact us for help, or better yet, let us help you train your dog! We offer dog training and dog behavior consulting services in the Jackson, MS metro and virtually worldwide.