Why We Should Demand Regulation in Dog Training

Dog training in the US is an unregulated industry. This means that anyone can market themselves as a dog trainer. Full stop. There are no education, experience, or certification requirements. Literally anyone can say they are a dog trainer and start taking money from clients. There is no governing agency holding us accountable. For anything. Are you scared yet? You should be. Change is coming. Dog training has needed regulation for a long time and it is my hope that we are finally going to have it. The Alliance for Professionalism in Dog Training is working to get legislation passed that would require anyone earning money as a dog trainer to register and have a license. Here are just a few of the reasons that licensing will be GOOD for dog trainers, clients, AND dogs. 

Higher Standards for Trainers

Would you hire an attorney that hasn’t passed the Bar exam? Would you trust a veterinarian to perform surgery on your pet if they hadn’t passed their boards? I’m betting the answer is no. Why should dog training be any different?
In this post, I am not going to go into what I think the license requirements should be, but, a license with some continuing education requirements should be a no-brainer. Training is a science after all! This will weed out trainers that don’t keep up with modern training methods. If you are a trainer and you stop learning new things, you quickly become irrelevant. And honestly, this happens really quickly. Best developed practices and recommended techniques do change with time. The best information about training and behavior that was available 10 years ago in many cases, has become outdated and may or may not still be in use. Trainers, just like other licensed professionals, should be required to stay abreast of these changes.
I hope that eventually specific certifications and/or educations are required for licensing of dog trainers.

Increased Ethics and Accountability

Most other professions have some sort of governing body to set standards for care and practices and hold members accountable when they act recklessly or endanger others. As dog trainers we have the ability to do great harm if we don’t know what we are doing. And believe me, there are A LOT of people calling themselves trainers that are endangering dogs, their clients, the general public, and themselves.
We have all seen the news headlines about dogs being injured, traumatized, stolen, and even dying during so called training sessions. These incidents are mostly involved in board and train services where dogs live with the trainer for a specific amount of time to be taught skills and manners. Board and train programs can be great! But you really have to trust the trainer you’ve chosen because they will be working with your dog when you are not present. Trainers should be required to go through background checks prior to licensing, carry insurance, consent to certain safety procedures, and be held responsible if a dog is injured/killed while partaking in any type of training. Even simple checks and balances like these will go a long way to prevent unnecessary suffering and heartache for dogs and the people who love them.

Higher Product Value in Training Services

Requiring dog trainers to meet certain criteria to be able to practice is going to greatly increase the value of the product that consumers receive. If dog trainers must have some sort of educational minimum to obtain and/or specific certifications to earn, dog trainers are going to be much better as a whole. The current industry standard of “anything goes” allows for a huge range in the quality of dog trainers and training services available to clients. There are truly great and skilled trainers out there that don’t have formal education or certifications, but for every one of those there are 50 more who are using methods that were disproven decades ago.

One of the saddest parts of this is that clients frequently get duped. I truly believe that it isn’t always the intention of the trainer to commit fraud, but it does happen. Trainers taking clients that they aren’t skilled or educated enough to help, recommending training programs that aren’t right for that individual client, using training tools or methods that cause other behavioral issues that clients now need to address, guaranteeing results, or simply not showing up to perform services that have been paid for. I have (unfortunately) seen it all. I have had clients whose dogs developed aggression because another trainer used a shock collar on them. I have helped clients who thought the training boot camp they purchased would prevent them from having to work with the dog, and they ended up with a $2,000 “sit” before coming to me. I have had clients whose previous trainer must have been a magician on the side, because they vanished after receiving payment for services! I have helped clients whose first trainer promised them the world and set unrealistic expectations for animal behavior. The list goes on and on and on. Regulation and licensing will protect clients and consumers from so much harm.

Better for Dogs

Let’s not forget the dogs! When dog training goes bad it is our furry friends who often get the short end of the stick. Improving the quality of dog trainers and dog training services will improve the lives of all of canine kind! Regulations will mean that fewer dogs are abused in the name of training, and that less aversive methods are used altogether. It will also in turn produce better behaved dogs. We should expect a better product to yield better results. Did you know that the number one reason that dogs are surrendered to shelters from their home is due to behavioral problems? Better behaved dogs means that dogs are surrendered less, euthanized less often and adopted more.

Ultimately licensing and regulation within the dog training and behavior industry is what we need. We need it because it is better for everyone involved, humans and dogs. As a dog trainer, I believe in science and I believe in self improvement. I stand fully behind setting licensing requirements and will happily make any changes to my services and business that I need to. I will gladly study for and obtain any certification that is required. We have to move forward and demand change.