By Sharon Wachsler CPDT-KA KPA-CTP

When seeking out a product or service, most of us start with a search engine. To find an oil change, pet food store, or the best late-night pizza joint, googling your local area can be a perfect solution. However, to find a skilled professional to partner with for years on one of the most challenging and important journeys you may take, “service dog trainer near me,” might not be the only consideration. Locale and convenience may be small factors.

Your service dog trainer will help you mold your impressionable, living, breathing puppy into your canine assistant. Your trainer needs to be…

• A great trainer of dogs
• A great teacher of humans (you!)
• Very knowledgeable about this niche area of dog training (service dogs)
• Knowledgeable about life with a disability

Before you decide whom to work with, know what to look for! Learn what to expect from the right service dog trainer.

DEFINITIONS

• By “private trainer,” we mean a trainer who helps you train your own dog (whether in group classes, private lessons, board-and-train, etc.). Private trainers may help you find a dog to train or may train with a dog you acquired on your own.
• By “a program,” we mean an organization that provides you with a fully trained dog. While there are variations, generally, programs own the dogs they train and match clients to those dogs once they are fully trained.

Finding the right trainer or program is equally important whether you are getting a partly or fully trained dog or doing all the training yourself, assisted by a skilled trainer.

Why the Wrong Trainer Can Lead to Disaster (for You and Your Dog)

Why does it matter so much who your trainer is? The stakes may be higher than you realize.

We’ve been helping disabled people train their own service dogs since 2014. This means that in addition to helping a lot of people transform their lives with a trained service dog, we have also seen firsthand the devastation that can befall those who used the wrong trainer before they found us. Here are some examples:

• Numerous clients who paid $10,000 to $20,000 for a fully trained service dog from a program and instead received an untrained or poorly trained dog, sometimes just a puppy, and in many cases, a dog that was aggressive to people or other dogs.
• Clients whose dogs were trained partly or primarily with punishment (shock collar, prong collar, choke chain), which led to fearful, nervous, shut-down, or reactive behavior. (These were often the same dogs as in the previous example.) Dogs that are trained with corrections may also have a conflicted relationship with their handler, as well as more likelihood of medical or behavior problems.
• Ambulatory trainers who trained a dog to heel for someone with significant mobility impairments (e.g., wheelchair or crutch users, or those whose gait is affected by CP) without altering their standard practices. A dog being trained for someone with an uneven gait or using mobility devices should be trained to heel wide and also needs additional positioning cues and behaviors. Not doing this puts both dog and handler at risk for falls and injuries.
• Clients whose previous trainers advertised that they train service dogs, but had limited expertise with dog behavior or reward-based training and therefore didn’t understand how to properly assess, socialize, raise, or train for public access. Building confidence in a service dog takes skill and experience. Trainers who lack these skills can accidentally flood (overwhelm) dogs, leading to fear, reactivity, or overexcitement in public settings.
• Worst of all was a client with a wonderful young service-dog-in-training (SDiT) we were helping to train. The owner decided to speed up the training process by sending her dog to a board-and-train that charged less and made big promises. (Learn why training guarantees are a red flag.) Tragically, this magnificent dog died at the facility. It is sadly not uncommon for dogs to die of abuse or neglect in board-and-train programs because of a combination of a lack of training skill, desperation to train the dog at any cost (including to the dog’s physical and mental well-being), and the ability to operate in secrecy, without oversight.

Good news: by reading this article, you are taking the first step to avoiding pitfalls! You’ll learn what to look for, what to ask, and when to walk away. You’re on your way to finding a great service dog trainer who will help you achieve your service dog dreams.

Alphabet Soup – Badges, Titles, Associations

Dog training is an unregulated industry (in the United States). While only someone with a doctorate in veterinary medicine can call themselves a “veterinarian,” anyone — regardless of experience, education, or credentials — can set up a business, organization, or social media presence and call themselves a “dog trainer,” “breeder” or even a “service dog trainer” or “service dog organization.” Given this, a good starting point is to make sure your private trainer has meaningful credentials.

Begin with trainers that have a certification from a recognized independent certifying body (such as the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, CCPDT) or that graduated from a respected, science-based trainer vocational program, such as Karen Pryor Academy.

When you start your search by focusing on trainers with a certification from CCPDT or KPA, you know these trainers have, at minimum…

• A basic understanding of instruction skills, animal husbandry, canine ethology (dog behavior), and learning theory (the behavioral psychology framework that explains how animals learn)
• Experience as a professional dog trainer working with clients
• A commitment to professional education and development
• A network of other skilled trainers to consult with

What are the Letters after a Trainer’s Name?

You may have noticed that I sign my name “Sharon Wachsler CPDT-KA KPA-CTP.” Below, you can see what these letters mean. Look for trainers with one or more of the certifications below — but don’t trust that a trainer has these certifications without looking them up! Double check by searching for their name in the certifying body’s or school’s directory of certificants. (Make sure you spell their name properly!)

These certifications don’t guarantee a good fit for you and your dog. There are great trainers without credentials, as well as highly credentialed trainers who may not be right for your dog’s personality or learning style.

A trainer without certifications may tell you, “I don’t need some letters after my name. What counts is experience.” Experience is important, but a trainer with 20 years of experience using leash corrections to train competition obedience is probably not the best person to train your dog to help you when you have a panic attack.

Your time, your money, your dog, and your goals and aspirations for a better life are precious. Entrust these precious gems to someone with the credentials and skills that make them worthy.

Certifications from Independent Certifying Bodies

At minimum, these professionals have logged a certain number of professional training hours and have passed an exam that proves relevant knowledge for the field.

• CPDT-KA or CPDT-KSA or CBCC-KA – Certified through the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT.org) as a Certified Professional Dog Trainer or Certified Behavior Consultant Canine (KA = Knowledge Assessed, KSA = Knowledge and Skills Assessed). This trainer has a minimum of 300 hours of professional training, signed a code of ethics, been vouched for by another certified trainer or a veterinarian, and has passed a certifying exam that tests learning theory, instruction, canine husbandry and ethology. To maintain certification, this trainer must earn CEUs (continuing education credits).
• CDBC or CABC – Certified through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC.org) as a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant or Certified Animal Behavior Consultant. This professional has a minimum of 3 years and 500 hours of professional behavior consultation with clients, 400 hours of coursework, signed a code of ethics, been vouched for by a client, colleague, and veterinarian, provided written case studies, and passed a certifying exam in assessment, behavioral science, species-specific knowledge, consulting skills, general animal behavior, and the biological sciences as it pertains to animal behavior. To maintain certification, the consultant must earn CEUs. (Note: Anyone can become a member of IAABC by paying a membership fee, and there are trainer certifications from IAABC that are much less rigorous. If a trainer tells you they’re certified by IAABC, look them up to see if they’re certified as a CDBC or CABC.)
• CAAB or ACAAB – A behaviorist certified through the Animal Behavior Society, the Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) or Associate CAAB (ACAAB) has a rigorous background in the science and application of animal behavior. A CAAB has a PhD in biological or psychological sciences with an emphasis in animal behavior, at least two years professional experience, research, clinical, and presentation experience in animal behavior, liability insurance, and more. An ACCAB has the same requirements but has a Master’s Degree instead of a PhD.

Graduates of Science-Based Trainer Vocational Programs

These trainers have taken a relatively comprehensive dog trainer vocational course and passed with qualifying grades. There are many dog trainer vocational courses, of varying quality, breadth, and renown. These two courses have solid reputations for teaching science-based training material and providing enough course material to prepare trainers to serve dog owners well.

• KPA-CTP – Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. A KPA CTP has completed a course in dog training using marker-based positive reinforcement training and passed a written exam, a practical training exam, and an instructor exam with a score of 90% or higher on every exam. To maintain certification, this trainer must earn CEUs.

• CTC – Certificate in Training and Counseling. The CTC has graduated from Jean Donaldson’s Academy for Dog Trainers and passed written and practical dog training tests including animal learning and cognition, applied behavior analysis, ethology, class curricula, dog body language, and diverse forms of reinforcement.

Other Badges, Titles, & Associations

There are lots of other memberships and designations. Some of them are more meaningful than others. For many, you can claim professional membership status by paying annual dues. This is the case for the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, which asks you to commit to reward-based training when you join, but doesn’t do anything to verify your training experience or methods. In other cases, such as the Pet Professional Guild, some minimal background search is done before you can claim the designation. A badge on a trainer’s website that says they’re a member of one of these organizations may indicate an interest in continuing education and professionalism, which is good, but it doesn’t indicate any skill or knowledge.

There are organizations or designations that mean even less. They may have no membership requirements or might not even be real. If my business card says I’m president of the “International Society of Dog Behavior Professionals,” that sounds impressive, but this organization doesn’t exist. This is why you should look for specific, meaningful credentials, and double-check that the trainer is listed on the organization’s database of credentialed trainers.

Service Dog Professional Red Flags

Once you find a trainer, even with credentials, keep an eye out for these red flags.

• Look at the dogs in the program’s or trainer’s videos and pictures. Are they wearing choke chains or prong collars? Does the trainer sell e-collars or recommend “stimulation” training? Does the trainer call themself “balanced” or offer “balance” training, or talk about training as primarily being an issue of leadership, asserting control or dominance? These are trainers to avoid.
• If a trainer says about a dog you’re considering, “There’s a behavior problem (reactivity, aggression, anxiety, fearfulness, attacking cats, etc.) but we can fix it with training.” You cannot start service dog training with a behavior modification project. Watch the video on our home page for an understanding of what temperament to look for in a service dog.
• Is the trainer open with you and with the others you’re working with? Do they share information and details on their methods of training? Are they eager to send you, your vet, or another trainer their recommendations, conclusions, or notes about your dog or a dog they’re assessing or training for you? Are they clear about their credentials and experience? If they act secretive or say they have “a unique method” they can’t share, they may have something to hide.
• Is the trainer working as a trainer? Or are they working in another profession and doing some training on the side? Many dog lovers work as rescue coordinators, groomers, vet techs, etc., which gives them knowledge about dogs, but does not typically give them the dog training and behavior skills and knowledge you need in a service dog trainer.
• Training or behavioral guarantees or offers of unlimited training are a red flag. Odd as it may seem, providing behavioral guarantees is considered unethical by trainer certifying organizations. We provide more detailed information on this topic on our Ethical Guarantee page. Board-and-trains that say this are very dangerous for your dog.

  Note: A behavioral guarantee is different from a program that offers a warranty on their trained dogs. A large program that breeds and trains hundreds of dogs can legitimately promise that if the dog they match you with does not work out, they can provide you with another dog. On the other hand, a trainer or program that promises to train your pet as a service dog for a flat fee should be asked about what happens if the dog does not succeed: Will they provide a refund? Are there assessments to let you know whether your dog is meeting benchmarks to succeed on schedule? At what point do they recommend career-changing (“washing out” a dog)? If a program or trainer tells you that they do not career-change dogs or have a 100% success rate, that is a red flag.

• How much experience do they have with service dog training or with your disability? Ask them about their experience with service dog training in general and your type of disability in particular. You want a trainer who will be honest about their experience level. It’s fine to hire a credentialed positive trainer who doesn’t know about service dogs or your disability to teach your dog to sit, stay, or come. But they are probably not the best source of information on choosing the right dog, on how to train service tasks, or sometimes even how to train the dog in public access to work best for your disability (for example, if you want a dog to offer balance support because you get dizzy, you probably don’t want an automatic “sit” when you come to a stop). If you are working with a pet dog trainer you already know and like, you may want to work with this trainer for now, and look into hiring a service dog trainer to set up your training plan or consult with periodically on disability-related training issues. We even offer consulting for pet trainers in this situation — to help the trainer and dog/handler team maximize their results together.

What If the Right Trainer Is Far Away? Is Online Training Useful?

Yes! Very often, the best trainer for the job is not in your back yard. That’s OK!

Online training can be excellent for service dog training. We offer several service dog classes online, with live, individual coaching. We also offer private one-on-one lessons online. Online training is excellent for foundation training and usually the best option for task training, too.

Zoom classes and lessons provide such great flexibility, you can train with the service dog trainer who is a perfect fit for you and your dog — regardless of where they’re located.

Evaluating Service Dog Programs and Organizations

Many of the same questions for private trainers can be asked of “programs” — businesses (whether nonprofit or for-profit) that provide fully trained service dogs to people who apply. If a program provides a partially trained dog, you might need to assess it by combining criteria for private trainers and programs.

 Additional Information on Evaluating Programs

Once you’ve read the articles above, here are additional issues to consider:

• Do staff trainers have the certifications or schooling outlined in this post? If staff trainers don’t have these credentials, that may be fine if they’re working under direct supervision from a head trainer with strong credentials. If the head trainer’s resume is not on the program website, ask for written material on the head trainer’s background in animal training and behavior. For example, this is how we added a new trainer for our board-and-train program. After being mentored by me for a year (and training pet dogs in group classes), he took over our board-and-train program while he worked toward his CPDT-KA. When he first started, I met with him daily about the dog he was training.
• What conditions do the dogs live in? Ask to visit the facility and watch the training and see where the dogs are kenneled. Is the living area clean? Do the dogs seem relaxed and friendly? Are there toys and beds? During training, are humane methods used? Punitive methods such as choke chains and prong collars cause stress that is more likely to lead to a shorter working life due to the negative impact of stress on a dog’s health.
• Ask to speak to several of their graduates (service dog handlers). Sometimes it’s possible to get names and phone numbers of graduates to ask about their experience with their dog. Some programs make it more difficult, in which case you might have to network on social media to find people. Ask to meet the handlers and dogs so you can assess the dog’s level of training. If they are not in your area, ask them to send you some video of the handler and dog working together. A trained service dog is able to train and work around distractions.
• If the program is new and cannot refer you to graduates, ask the program contact person what skills they train the dogs to do and whether they’ve trained any dogs to do them yet. Pick one of these skills and ask them to take a short video in the next couple of days and email it to you of one of their trainers and dogs performing this skill five times in a row. The dog should be successful 80 percent of the time (four out of five times).

Program Website Red Flags

These issues are not necessarily deal breakers, but they warrant caution, careful attention and research:

• If there are lots of pictures of people and service dogs, look at the gear on the service dogs. If the dogs’ vests and packs are from other service dog organizations, this may be a red flag. First, it’s likely copyright infringement, which suggests a willingness to cut corners and poor ethics. Secondly, it tells you nothing about the dogs that are actually in the program because these are not their dogs.
• The website should give the full names (first and last) of the people who are involved in training the dogs, as well as information on their backgrounds and credentials. If the organization is a nonprofit, there should be a board of directors listed. If the program is a for-profit business, that should be clear, too.
• Trainers or organizations with websites that are incomplete or under construction (or that only have a Facebook page) may be new or inexperienced, or may not be fully committed to the work of service dog training. This is an important consideration. Everyone has to start somewhere, but people that have been training service dogs professionally for twenty years will have a deeper depth of experience than people who are just starting out.
• Organizations or websites that rail against breeding dogs for service work or that say that they get all their dogs from shelters are often suspect. There are a small number of successful, ethical programs that train rescue or shelter dogs, but it requires them to screen out hundreds or thousands of dogs to find a handful that will work out. Most reputable programs rely on purpose-bred dogs or sometimes a mix of purpose-bred dogs, dogs donated by breeders, and rescue dogs or client pets. Reputable programs that train rescue dogs are upfront about the rigorous testing required and the high number of dogs that do not pass assessments.
  
• Information about costs and wait-lists should be clearly presented on the website. Requiring you to call to find out basic information on fees and timetables can be a red flag.

Be an Informed Consumer – Screening questions to ask trainers

If you’ve used the information in this article to find a trainer who seems like a good fit, screen them further. If you haven’t already done so, make sure the trainer uses methods recommended by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, as explained inthis article on How to Choose a Dog Trainer.

Then, reach out to the trainer to ask the questions below. While it may feel awkward to ask a stranger about their background, credentials, and experience, the right trainer will be eager to answer these questions. (I love it when a potential client asks about my methods! It tells me they’ve done their homework and are serious about training their dog the right way.) If a trainer responds badly to reasonable questions, ask yourself if you want to work with someone who has something to hide.

1. Find out if they use ONLY rewards-based methods or if they also use some aversive methods. Ask, “If my dog does something right, what will happen? If my dog does something wrong, what will happen?” If they use any form of negative consequences, such as leash corrections, choke/shock/prong or other “training” collars, scolding, shake cans, spray bottles, etc., find another trainer.
2. Find out how experienced they are in training service dogs. Ask, “How many service dog teams have you worked with? How many with my type of disability?” You should know if you’re their first or second service dog team. We all learn by doing, but you should know if you and your dog will be their “guinea pig.”
3. Find out if they have an ethical and honest approach. Ask, “How many of the dogs you’ve worked with have gone on to become service dogs?” Ethical, experienced SD trainers will screen out and career-change many of the dogs they come across. Weird as this may seem, a trainer who works with members of the public and doesn’t extensively screen before taking on a service dog team should have a low rate of success. On the other hand, if the trainer only works with one or two teams a year, only trains dogs they help to select, or extensively screens before accepting clients, this percentage might be quite high. But a trainer who says that all of the owner-trained service dogs they work with become fully-trained public access service dog probably either doesn’t know that some of these dogs are not happy and functional as service dogs or is just in it for the money. (Accepting every dog for training is more lucrative than putting in the extensive time and money to screen and operate ethically.)
4. Ask for many, many references. Ask for contact info for several former or current clients. Five to ten is a good number. Make sure the people you speak to really felt safe, confident, and got good results from the trainer.
5. Get a sense of their style and approach. If they’re in your area, ask if you can observe a group class. If they offer online lessons or classes, ask to watch a recording of an online class or lesson. You want to be sure you feel comfortable with the way they communicate and work with the people and dogs. (Here are two sample classes. A class from our PEARL DISC series taught by Sharon Wachsler CPDT-KA KPA-CTP and a class from a tasks foundations course taught by Alex Wise CPDT-KA.)
   
6. If you’re looking into a board-and-train program, meet the trainer and the dogs they’re working with in person. Make sure the dogs look happy, healthy, relaxed, and friendly. Do they like the trainer, or do they behave nervously around them? Is their body language loose, open, and eager around the trainer and during training? Or do they get very “calm”? (Which is often a sign of suppressed behavior.)

IF YOU HAVE A BAD FEELING ABOUT A TRAINER, WALK AWAY!

Remember that there are no regulations for trainers. Literally anyone can say they’re a service dog trainer and charge you thousands of dollars for a dog they say they’ve trained. If things go badly, you may not have any recourse for a refund, nor is there a cure for the heartbreak of the loss of your hopes or a traumatized dog.

Be polite but persistent. A professional who is honest about their limitations may be a better bet than someone who bristles at being questioned. The former is more likely to research and consult with colleagues if they are stumped. The latter may put reputation above your best interests.

The relationships you have with a service dog trainer, program, or other professional is often long-term and has a profound impact on your life. Working with the right trainer is enriching and empowering. I am still in contact with clients whose dogs I trained over a decade ago. Some come back to me to help me train their successor dog. Choose with care. You and your dog deserve it.

https://atyourservicedogtraining.com/service-dog-trainer-near-me/