01/18/2025
Every year for over 25 years I've spent over a thousand dollars, sometimes several thousand dollars in training classes and trainer education, and Ive been doing that since 1996 when I was in college with a self-designed major in behavior science.
Why? Partly because my dogs (Ive had 9 of my own in that time) benefit from group classes, while I grow as a trainer and partly because I LOVE behavior science. What we know and do today is so more effective from what we knew and did when I was a "horse-y girl" milking goats and feeding our rabbits as a child.
I maintain my certifications such as the CPDT-KA ( as a Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed) Fear Free Professional, Certified Control Unleashed because certifications require that trainers continue to grow and/ learn. The CPDT for example requires 32 CEUs, but this renewal period I see I had 102.5 I am member of other professional organizations such at the Pet Professional Guild and the APDT international that host regular education events. When you choose certified professional trainers, and members of professional training organizations, you are getting a trainer who is continuing their education, growing with the industry.
But honestly, no one ever asks me about my credentials or education. You should. Just as you'd want a doctor who has stayed up-to-date with current best practices, you want your dog trainer to be up-to-date with current training best practices. Especially if you are seeking private lessons and behavior consults, you should know if your trainer is up to date in their practice versus still doing what trainers did 20 or 40 years ago.
And you should continue your own education. Learning about animals helps us better understand ourselves.
I take group classes locally, I travel to competitive events (competitions are like a college exam!) participate in a variety of online courses, seminars, symposiums and in person trainer conferences. Last winter I also visited as many zoos as possible and followed around zookeepers, amazed and impressed to see how zookeeping and pet animal training are evolving in the same ways : towards deeper awareness of animal sentience, animal rights, and the important of choice and agency in helping animals successfully adapt and live in a world dominated by humans.
If you are young, starting out, this is the field of study that could make the world a much better place. Go for it.
The APDT is the leading organization for professional dog trainers, providing resources, education, and certification worldwide.
