Is it important for dog trainers to be certified? Yes.
Is it important where dog trainers receive their certification? Yes! Yes!
Your graduation certificate is only as good as the institution who gave it. Therefore, your potential clients want to know 
that you attended and passed a trainer course from a reputable school. As one of the fastest growing, grad-satisfied dog trainer schools in the US, Dog Trainer College will exceed that criteria.
Many budding trainers are of the opinion that they can take an easy online course and become certified. It’s only after they have invested their time and money that they realize that clients demand hands-on training. In other words, anyone can click around on a website. But dog training is practical, applied knowledge. Trainers will need to learn how to effectively and efficiently juggle a leash, treat bag, tugs, or other training tools as well as keep their focus upon the dog and maintain correct rewards and/or corrections. Dog Trainer College students are immersed in hands-on experience. Yes, they learn training theory and the “why” behind the “what” in training. But the entire focus here is sending out graduates who can actually train dogs in an effective manner.
Students who enroll in an online dog trainer course are often promised hands-on training. But upon further inspection – and when the student is too invested in the class to turn around – they find out the weaknesses of these shabby promises. Many times they are paired with a veterinarian or humane society worker. While we highly respect both of these positions, they are not trainers. They are good vets and good shelter workers but not professional trainers. Most of them wouldn’t know if you goofed and wouldn’t know how to show you to do even better and raise your bar even higher. Students at DTC are paired with an instructor/s who is a professional dog trainer. It’s their life. So, they can recognize weak spots and expand your strengths, thereby molding you into a much better trainer than a computer screen ever could!
Serious dog trainer students will want a school that teaches various methods of training – or at least become familiar with various methods – in order to make intelligent decisions in training a variety of dogs. At DTC, we familiarize students with all methods and fundamentals of training. Some of these methods we endorse; others we do not. However, a professional trainer needs to be aware of the variety. This is one of the many things that distinguishes him/her from the backyard hobby “trainer.”
For a school to be successful in training students, the classes will have to be comprehensive. All bases must be covered. Across the years, we have had students – even graduates – from other dog trainer schools contact us about our courses. It’s amazing what these other schools don’t teach! We’ve been told (many times) that our courses pack more information into the student than other schools. Now that’s a compliment!
The courses are only as good as the instructors who teach them. The instructors at DTC have faced what they’re teaching. They share a wealth of information and experience in the classroom and training area. This helps the budding trainer gain insight and experience. Furthermore, our instructors do not have the arrogance issues that other schools have. They are down-to-earth, friendly, and any critique is given in a constructive manner, never to tear a person down.
Yes, it does matter where you become certified/accredited. At DTC, we think we have what it takes to mold budding students into professional dog trainers. Our graduates tend to agree.
Enroll today and boost your quest to become a dog trainer!
