Over recent years, our International Scholarship has been awarded to recipients from across the world. From Mexico to Singapore, and the United Kingdom to Costa Rica, we have welcomed students who have attended our 24-week Master Dog Trainer program at our Main Campus in Harmony, NC.
The most recent recipient of the award was Megan Johnson, from South Africa. Megan attended our Master Dog Trainer program in 2024. A few months have now passed since graduation, and we decided to catch up with Megan for a quickfire Q&A to find out about her experience during her studies, and what she has been up to post-graduation.
Megan, what was your favorite part of the Master Dog Trainer program?
My favorite part was definitely learning about how all the service dogs are trained and just how much work goes into raising all the dogs. I was fortunate enough to be in a situation where I could sign up for the puppy raising program so I was able to get hands-on experience working with all the young dogs. I naturally also enjoyed all the new friendships and connections that formed during the course which will last a lifetime.
Did the course live up to your expectations?
It definitely did! In fact for the first week or so after I arrived at the facility I was just in awe of how smoothly everything was running and how professional and well set up it all was. I was especially excited for all the hands-on learning portions of the course and really enjoyed the many opportunities that were provided for that.
What are the main differences you have noticed between the dogs you have encountered in the US, and the dogs back in South Africa?
That’s a bit of a tricky question, I’m not sure if I noticed any major differences, but one of the smaller differences I guess would be the fact that I saw some different breeds than I would normally see back home. They were also just generally well behaved which I think is because dogs in the States seemed to get out and go to stores and things more frequently than our dogs back home. We unfortunately don’t have that many dog friendly establishments here, which can make it very limiting on where you can bring your dog with you.
Has there been any difference you have noticed in attitudes towards dogs in the US, compared with South Africa?
I found the everyone’s attitude towards dogs is very similar to ours back home, we all enjoy doing stuff with our dogs and including them in as many things as possible. You will always find some people who only see dogs as guard dogs or yard dogs, but the majority of them want to build relationships with their dogs and really enjoy connecting with them. The training worlds are very different though, especially when it comes to training methods – I’ve found that trainers here in South Africa tend to be a lot more close minded when it comes to trying different methods, whereas in the States it was a lot easier to find like minded people who agree with more balanced training methods.
What have you been up to with dogs since you returned home?
I have started up my own business called Step By Step Training and so far things are going really well. I have mainly been focusing all my training on private lessons and at home training since the demand for that seems to be very high. I will probably branch out to do more group classes in the future, but for now I’ve got my hands happily full.
What would you say to anyone thinking about applying for the International Scholarship?
I’d say go for it! You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to win. Honestly winning the scholarship and completing the course has given me so much more confidence and knowledge than I thought I’d get from it. I really wouldn’t be doing what I am now without it, so I’m very grateful.
Please feel free to include anything else you want to share about your experience at the School for Dog Trainers.
I found everyone at the school so welcoming and was very pleasantly surprised by how encouraging and supportive all the instructors were towards us while we were all learning. I feel like as long as you go into the course wanting to learn and willing to take a bit of initiative and communicate with others around you then you will get so much out of it and it could change your life.
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We want to thank Megan for taking the time to partake in this article. Keep your eyes peeled on our blog – in the coming weeks, we’ll have an in-depth interview with our 2025 International Scholarship recipient!
For more information on our International Scholarship, click here.
For more information on our Master Dog Trainer program, click here.
For more information on our Main Campus, click here.