At the School for Dog Trainers, we offer a number of dog trainer programs which are focused on providing you with the education you need to start your career as a professional dog trainer. Delivered across two campuses (Main Campus in North Carolina, and Southeast Campus in Alabama), our programs are delivered by a team of instructors who have a track record of success in the dog training industry.
Across the breadth of our curriculum, our programs differ depending on your overall aims as a dog trainer. For example, our comprehensive Master Dog Trainer program is an intensive, 24-week program which covers all aspects of dog training – but we also offer specialized programs which are primarily focused on obedience/behavior, protection, detection or search and rescue. Your program choice will likely be influenced by the direction you envisage for your career as a dog trainer.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at the dog trainer programs we offer at the School for Dog Trainers. This will help you to understand which program is likely to align with your career path and professional goals.
Scroll down to browse through our programs, or use the links below to jump to the relevant program:
Master Dog Trainer Program
Course duration: 24 weeks
Start dates: January and July
Campus: Main Campus (Harmony, NC)
Curriculum covers: Canine Training & Behavior Modification; Service Dog; Police K9; Specialty Training (Agility, Nosework, etc.); Search and Rescue; Marketing and Running Your Dog Training Business.
Our Master Dog Trainer Program is the most comprehensive program we offer at the School for Dog Trainers. This program will teach you about every facet of dog training and runs for 24 weeks. Whether you are looking to build on a foundation of prior dog training experience, or you are a complete newcomer to the field, the Master program provides you with all of the information you need to become a successful dog trainer.
As with our other dog trainer programs, the Master Dog Trainer program provides you with a mixture of hands-on experience and classroom theory. This program includes much of the curriculum from our other dog trainer programs, meaning you will learn about the fundamentals of canine training and behavior modification, experience the excitement and unique capabilities of Police K9s (including protection and detection disciplines), and understand the selection, testing and training process of Service Dogs.
In addition, you will learn about how to actually start a successful career as a dog trainer. Our instructors don’t just teach you about how to work with dogs; they teach you the importance of business and marketing principles that will set you up for success, either as a trainer with another organization, or if you intend to start your own dog training business.
Our Master Dog Trainer students also have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities to further their development, such as through our Student Excellence program.
Service Dog Trainer Program
Course duration: 18 weeks
Start dates: January and July
Campus: Main Campus (Harmony, NC)
Curriculum covers: Canine Training & Behavior Modification; Service Dog; Specialty Training (Agility, Nosework, etc.); Search and Rescue; Marketing and Running Your Dog Training Business.
Our Service Dog Trainer Program is geared towards individuals who are seeking a career working with service dogs and their handlers. This program will provide you with a complete understanding of how to select, socialize and train service dogs for a variety of purposes.
Service dogs provide numerous benefits for their handlers, and during this program, you will learn about how a service dog program is designed from start-to-finish to achieve successful outcomes. You will learn about how to evaluate puppies for selection; take them out in controlled socialization outings; and train them for specific tasks to build a capable, reliable service dog.
Throughout this course, you will have the opportunity to experience first-hand the work that goes into building an amazing service dog. You will play a part in our community enrichment programs, which involves taking service dog candidates into public places for socialization activities and helping children with reading initiatives (alongside service dogs in training).
The Service Dog Trainer Program also teaches you the fundamentals of canine behavior and theory, and provides you with valuable information to market your skills after graduation.
By the end of this program, you will have all the tools and knowledge to start your career as a service dog trainer, helping families to improve their quality of life through the power of a fully-trained service dog.
Police K9 Trainer/Instructor Program
Course duration: 6, 8 or 12 weeks
Start dates: January, April, July and October
Campus: Southeast Campus (Hanceville, AL)
Curriculum covers: Canine Training & Behavior Modification; Scenario-Based Police K9 Training; Advanced K9 Handler Instruction
Our Police K9 Trainer/Instructor Program offers the most comprehensive and in-depth working dog education available. Combining both our Protection and Detection programs, our extensive background with Police K9s makes the School for Dog Trainers the best place to learn about the field of Police K9s, whether you intend to pursue a career as an instructor, handler or trainer.
These programs are offered for 6, 8 or 12 weeks. Only our six-week program requires considerable experience in the field; our 8 or 12 week programs are available for those without prior experience.
During the Police K9 Trainer program, you will learn about different facets of police and military dogs. You will learn about how detection dogs are trained, from the initial imprinting phase to the eventual alert; and how trailing dogs can locate missing individuals; apprehension and bitework technique. You will also understand the importance of often overlooked concepts like record keeping, report writing and canine case law.
The program is a mixture of classroom theory and hands-on training. Our unique, scenario-based training sessions help you to put the theory into practice.
At the conclusion of the Police K9 Trainer program, you will have a thorough understanding of police and military K9s, and should feel confident in moving forward with your career in the field of working dogs.
Obedience and Behavior Program
Course duration: 6, 8 or 12 weeks
Start dates: January, April, July and October
Campus: Southeast Campus (Hanceville, AL)
Curriculum covers: Canine Training & Behavior Modification; Working With Dominant/Aggressive/Fearful Dogs; Introduction To Competitive Obedience; How To Market/Advertise Your Dog Training Business
Our Obedience and Behavior Program is a great starting point for your education in the world of dog training. If you have a desire to work with dogs and are looking to take your first steps into the world of professional dog training, this program is the ideal fit for you! The program is available for six, eight or twelve weeks.
During this program, you will understand the fundamentals of how dogs learn, and how to teach obedience and resolve problematic behaviors. After learning the theory in a classroom environment, you will be able to apply the concepts in a practical setting with a number of different dogs. This helps you to increase your knowledge, build your confidence, and prepare you for the dog owners waiting to work with you after graduation.
The Obedience and Behavior program places an emphasis on working with a wide variety of dog breeds throughout the course. This approach ensures you will be equipped to work with a range of different dogs after graduating. In addition to the concepts of obedience and behavior modification, our 12-week program also shows you how to teach advanced obedience and trick training.
You will be learning from some of the most knowledgeable dog trainers in the industry, all of whom have vast experience applying behavioral concepts on a daily basis. You will also learn strategies for marketing and advertising your dog training business, which offers you another competitive advantage over your rivals upon graduation.
After graduating from our Obedience and Behavior program, you will have the skillset to offer obedience training and behavior modification services to pet dog owners.
Detection Dog Trainer Program
Course duration: 6, 8 or 12 weeks
Start dates: January, April, July and October
Campus: Southeast Campus (Hanceville, AL)
Curriculum covers: Detection Dog Fundamentals; How To Select A Detection Prospect; How To Train A Detection Dog; Case Law And Record Keeping
Our Detection Dog Trainer program is designed for individuals who are looking to specialize in offering detection services to their clients. The demand for these services is ever-increasing – from police K9s trained to locate narcotics and human remains, to private businesses offering bed bug or termite detection services.
This program is available for six, eight or twelve weeks. Shorter programs are intended for students who already possess knowledge and experience in the field of detection.
During the Detection Dog Trainer program, you will learn about all aspects of training a dog for detection work. You will understand what to look for in a detection prospect, and how to imprint and train a detection dog. You will also be taught how to overcome common training problems. This program also covers the relevant aspects of canine case law, record keeping and report writing.
After completing our Detection Dog Trainer program, you should have a complete understanding of how to train a detection dog to find target odors.
Protection Dog Trainer Program
Course duration: 6, 8 or 12 weeks
Start dates: January, April, July and October
Campus: Southeast Campus (Hanceville, AL)
Curriculum covers: Selecting Protection Dogs; Training For Personal Protection, Competition And Police Patrol Work; Decoy And Handling Protection Dogs
The demand for protection dogs has only increased in recent years. Whether families are looking for a personal protection dog to protect their home, or individuals are seeking a trained protection dog for use in competition, there is an expanding opportunity for dog trainers to fulfill this need.
In our Protection Dog Trainer program, you will learn the entire process of selecting, training and handling a protection dog – from the initial selection of a protection candidate, to drive development, targeting and channeling. You will understand the various protection sports and how to utilize a protection dog in a variety of real-world scenarios, in addition to successful decoy and handling techniques.
Upon graduation from our Protection Dog Trainer program, you will be able to apply all aspects of training, handling and maintaining a protection dog to your future clients.
Search and Rescue Dog Trainer Program
Course duration: 6, 8 or 12 weeks
Start dates: January, April, July and October
Campus: Southeast Campus (Hanceville, AL)
Curriculum covers: Selecting A SAR Candidate; Training And Handling A SAR Dog; Search Strategies; Record Keeping And Report Writing
Search And Rescue (SAR) dogs play a pivotal role in the aftermath of natural or manmade disasters, or in the search for missing individuals. Training a SAR dog is a challenging and rewarding experience which can ultimately make a massive difference to society.
Our Search and Rescue Dog Trainer program is designed for those students who wish to specialize in SAR, from disaster search dogs in rubble piles to wilderness search dogs in wooded or rural locations.
This course equips you with the skills you need to train a SAR dog from start to finish. You will learn about the different types of search and rescue; how to train and handle a SAR dog; search strategies with a SAR dog; and other information relevant to search and rescue, such as record keeping, report writing, K9 First Aid and CPR.
By the end of this program, you will understand the training concepts for SAR dogs, and be able to apply your knowledge to training SAR dogs for real-world situations.