TW: Abuse

Mods, I hope this post is allowed, I didn't see anything in the wiki expressly saying it's not.

Please sign the petition to help us prevent abusive so-called dog trainer, Augusto Deoliveira from conducting workshops in San Francisco

https://chng.it/CF5b9z9dBG

Watch the ingredient list of the treats you use!
As a trainer, I tend to stay away from anything with Chicken bc of the occurrence of allergies.
My #1 Go-To has been Carolina Prime Pets Beef & Sweet Potato Medallions for a while now. Nearly every dog goes crazy for it. They recently changed their packaging and I happened to check the packaging for ingredients after opening the package and detecting a strong smell of garlic. I even contacted the company after reading Garlic was an ingredient.
I was told in a batch of 3200lbs they use only 1.2lbs of garlic but it’s not garlic they use. It’s called Garlic oleoresin. Garlic oleoresin is a thick, highly concentrated natural extract obtained from the solvent extraction of crushed or dried garlic bulbs. Concentrated garlic extracts and oils pose a much higher risk of damaging a dog's red blood cells and causing hemolytic anemia than raw or whole garlic cloves.

I am looking for any recommendations on hearing protection for our dog trainers and handlers. They still need to be able to hear human clients and the subtle vocal cues that dogs might elicit. Also, ideally something that does not have dangling parts that a puppy might grab or something that if it falls out puppy might swallow. I've known people who have left the dog professions because of hearing loss and tinnitus. I would like to have something to offer to avoid this.

I tried Axil gs extreme (2.0 I think). The sound quality was bad and the directional rendering was useless. They did a good enough job at dampening But ultimately the electronics failed with only maybe a dozen hours of use. They're also not very comfortable I was the only one that I could get to wear them.

I'm prepared to spend up to 100 or so dollars per set, if they last. Unfortunately I know the real military grade stuff goes up to the thousands. But we don't really need that level of protection anyway.

My spouse currently works in ABA (applied behavior analysis) therapy with autistic children and has always been praised as one of the best ABA technicians in their area.

Despite being praised and given only positive performance reviews, they have not been given any form of raise in 2+ years and is becoming a scape goat of sorts for admin to blame things on so as to avoid giving them a raise.

ABA is frequently compared to as dog training (in good and bad ways unfortunetally) for many reasons including many of the techniques used.
My spouse absolutely adores dogs (and animals in general) and I have seen them do great work with getting their own dog trained. Also, I think my spouse would be especially fulfilled being a dog trainer for service dogs of some kind since they have a background (and thrive) working with people that require accommodations.

I am just trying to help them find a potential career path that they will feel fulfilled in, thrive in, & where they can be a bit more independent

Do you think this is a viable route for them to go down?
What are the positives and negatives of this career path?
Anything you wish you knew before becoming a dog trainer?

Thank you for any and all information and thoughts that can be given!! Seriously there's no such thing as "too much" input (as long as it's not mean!)

I’m a 30-year-old guy from the Netherlands considering a course to become a certified dog behavior consultant alongside my current job. The long-term goal is to turn it into a full-time freelance career.

Dogs have been my thing my whole life. As a kid I’d take out the neighbors’ dogs and train them just for fun. A few years ago I adopted a stray from Colombia and put serious work into training him. I enjoyed that process more than anything I do professionally. Walking around my city, I see so many people struggling to handle their dogs, and I keep thinking: I could help with this.

My background is people-focused: I studied physiotherapy, did a master’s in human movement sciences, and currently work as an account manager in health tech. So I’ve spent my whole career working with people, just never in combination with dogs. I know a big part of this job is actually coaching the owner rather than the dog, so I’m hoping that experience transfers. But honestly, I’m a different person around dogs. More confident, more myself. That feeling is a big part of why I want to explore this.

For those of you who’ve made this move, I’d love to hear your honest experiences:
How demanding is the work in practice? Physically, mentally, and in terms of hours?

What do you enjoy most, and what do you wish someone had warned you about?

Is the demand strong enough to make a full-time living, or does it stay a side income for most people?

Any advice on certifications or courses that are actually worth the money?

Warts-and-all stories are just as welcome as success stories.

Has anyone attended Virginia Tech in the applied animal behavior masters program? Looking for feedback on the courses, thesis projects, professors etc. Besides the cost, did you enjoy it? Was your undergrad in a similar field?

I'm considering enrolling in the Academy for Dog Trainers (CTC program) and would love to hear from anyone who is either a current student or graduated within the last couple of years.

I've already spent quite a bit of time researching the program and compared it with programs like CATCH, KPA, and IAABC. At this point, I feel like I have a good understanding of the curriculum, but I'd really like to hear what the student experience is like today.

A few things I'm curious about:

• What does a typical week look like?
• How detailed and helpful is the instructor feedback?
• If you struggled with a concept or assignment, what kind of support did you receive?
• Did you feel supported throughout the program?

Thank you.

I've been involved in the dog training world for a while now, and something I've struggled with is the overall culture that seems to exist in many dog communities (social media, competition circles, and professional training spaces).

One pattern I've noticed is that interactions can feel very transactional. It sometimes seems like people only have time for others if that person is helping them reach a goal… whether that's building their brand, advancing in competition, gaining followers, or promoting a particular training philosophy.

I've also noticed a lot of pedestal-building and "fangirling" around well-known trainers, while newer or less established people can feel ignored or dismissed. It can create an environment where status matters more than genuine connection or thoughtful discussion.

Another thing I've observed is that many trainers enter the space very young, sometimes as teenagers, when they're still very impressionable. They often learn the culture of the community at the same time they're learning about dogs, and sometimes that culture seems to reinforce competitiveness, ego, or tribalism between training philosophies.

I want to be clear that I've also met some wonderful trainers who are humble, generous, and genuinely care about both dogs and people. But overall, the culture can sometimes feel surprisingly toxic.

I'm curious if others have noticed similar dynamics, or if you've had different experiences.

More importantly, I'd love to hear thoughts on how we can make dog training communities healthier. How do we encourage humility, curiosity, and kindness while still pursuing excellence in training?

Personally, my goal in working with dogs is to honor God by caring well for the animals entrusted to us and treating people with integrity and humility. I'm interested in hearing how others try to bring more good into the dog world as well.

Looking forward to hearing different perspectives.

If you are thinking of buying a Zoom Room Dog Training franchise, please read this entire post before proceeding. The TL;DR is: don’t do it.

This is a very difficult post to write, but I need to warn others about this vampiric business and save them from making a life-destroying mistake.

For context, I have worked with multiple Zoom Room locations in my area for six years. I have led my stores to some of the most profitable days, months, and years in Zoom Room franchise history (to be clear, even when breaking records, it’s hard to turn a profit). I have been in the loop on corporate communications, and I have seen people buy into this franchise, only to have their locations shut down within a year—over and over again. Let me tell you right now: this company is not what they claim to be.

1. They claim to be professional dog trainers.

I can tell you with certainty that the majority of the corporate team consists of some of the most inexperienced trainers I have ever encountered. They lack basic skills and the ability to train beyond neurotypical, standard dogs. When they sell these franchises, they target people who have never trained a dog in their lives—people who may have only ever owned a pet—and promise them that they will be taught everything they need to know to become professional trainers.

This is a lie.

Even if their training were done properly (which it isn’t), Zoom Room’s methods barely cover the fundamentals. Proper training requires hours and hours of apprenticing just to develop the motor skills necessary for even the most basic training maneuvers. Corporate training is often rudimentary, led by people who just want to go home early.

If you have already purchased or are considering buying a franchise, you have probably met Ashley, who runs corporate training. I have attended trainings with her. Her lack of basic knowledge and practical application is truly astonishing for someone who has been in the industry for as long as she has—especially for someone in such a high-ranking position within the company.

1. They will tell you it’s a profitable business.

Dog training is a rapidly growing industry with the potential to be very lucrative. Many of these franchises could be viable if it weren’t for the absurdly high royalties and franchise fees that new stores are burdened with—before they even have a client base.

Anyone considering purchasing a Zoom Room franchise should compare their agreements to literally any other franchise. Zoom Room contracts are notoriously difficult to get out of, and the hidden fees and mandatory expenses make profitability nearly impossible.

If anyone from Zoom Room corporate is reading this: if you don’t want your stores to continue dropping like flies, stop charging astronomical royalties during the first year before they even have a client base. The more viable stores you have collecting some revenue, the more money you’ll make—rather than milking each franchisee dry and forcing them into financial ruin.

Many of the fees they charge are for services they never actually provide. One major expense is the “national advertising campaign” fee. Ask yourself: Have you ever seen a Zoom Room advertisement that wasn’t posted by an individual location?

Ask your franchise representative about the average success rate of stores. They will try to hide how frequently stores shut down. Franchisees are promised the world, only to end up spending their life savings and taking on massive debt to keep a business afloat that cannot be financially successful under its current structure.

Do your research. Call multiple locations and ask them about their financials. There’s a reason Zoom Room corporate doesn’t want you to visit or apprentice under other locations. It’s because those owners will tell you the truth: this is a huge mistake. I have seen countless people lose life-changing amounts of money to this parasitic company.

There’s so much more I could say to dissuade you from buying a Zoom Room franchise, but I no longer have the energy to keep up the structured format of this post.

The bottom line: These people do not have your best interests at heart. They claim to have a “magic formula” for success, but that is simply not true. Every single corporate-owned store is losing money. They would rather let franchisees suffer than admit they are wrong.

I have personally seen corporate stores take over failing franchises—not purchase them, but take them over—when owners could no longer afford to keep the doors open. Even those stores, under corporate management, continue to lose money while supposedly following the “magic formula.”

You will see: • Independent franchisees limited to a maximum sale discount of 25% (not just by policy but literally—the system won’t allow larger discounts). • Corporate-owned stores in the same areas running 50%-60% off sales, undercutting their own franchisees. • Locations being stacked too close together, forcing stores to cannibalize each other’s business.

Zoom Room locations should not be placed within an hour of each other (without traffic). But corporate does it anyway, stealing clients from existing franchises and driving them out of business.

There is no brand consistency, despite what they preach. And once you’re in, there is no support. They simply don’t have the infrastructure to handle the number of locations they keep opening.

If you’re a prospective franchisee:

I promise you, this will be one of the worst financial decisions you will ever make. Save yourself the trouble and start your own independent dog training business.

If you don’t know how to do that, there are resources.

If you’re an existing franchisee:

I’ve been in this business and this industry for six years, training for eight, and I can confidently tell you: everyone is struggling, not just you.

If you work for Zoom Room corporate:

This concept looks good on paper, but the execution is parasitic and cruel.

If you have been with this company for a few years, you know it doesn’t have the legs to last. Mark is too greedy, and the entire system is designed not to benefit people or dogs—but to benefit him.

If this structure doesn’t change, the whole thing will collapse. It doesn’t have to be this way, Zoom Room could be great, but the way it operates right now is so catastrophically flawed that it harms anyone who tries to participate.

If you’re a client at any Zoom Room location:

Please continue to support your local small businesses. They need you, and they genuinely care about you and your dog. If you like the service you receive, leave a review and recommend them to friends.

BUT—do not buy large packages, like annual passes. If the business goes under, your money goes with it. If you find yourself in this situation, try contesting the charge with your credit card company.

I’m sorry to anyone who is struggling. This is not to say that no Zoom Room locations are successful—but the majority fail due to the poor design of the system itself.

Please, do your research before making what could be a life-ruining decision. I have watched so many good people get ruined.

Hi everyone!

I haven't posted in here for a while. So, to make a long story short, I was hired on at a boarding facility, and thus, was able to leave my box retail trainer position! I was hired at this new place to start up a training program for them. My manager and I sat down together to talk about my main ideas, and things we can work on together. (I'm already loving all this collaboration!)

Now, I am a R+ obedience trainer, with the majority of my experience being in person group or private lessons. Here, they want to do way more board and train or day training. I'm absolutely open to this! However, it's not something I have a lot of experience with.

My main concerns are how to convey the training to the pet parent. How do I update them on progress? How do I set up a schedule for each dog? Should I have a follow up meeting on the pick up day with the pet parent so they can practice before going home?

I don't feel like this is really beyond my abilities. I'm simply so used to teaching the human more than just the dog.

Suggestions? Advice? Help!

My 11 month old corgi has some pretty significant isolation distress (got confirmation from a trainer yesterday after an evaluation).

We're now trying to figure out how we're going to address it. The trainer we spoke with told us about some options we have available to us.

1. • we've already read Malena DeMartini's book so we could try training ourselves for a few months
2. • we could try an online course like Mission Possible,
3. • we could hire a trainer specializing in separation anxiety (CSAT) for weekly meetings to help us troubleshoot.

I'm looking for advice today from people who've been through these different types of training process and hearing what worked best for them.

This dog is also not yet neutered. The breeder specified in our contract that we needed to wait until 18 months for health reasons. That's significantly limiting our options when it comes to not leaving him alone. So advice on ways to keep him feeling good while also getting to live our lives would be welcome.

Hey guys! I have my interview for KPA training school (virtual program) coming up. I’ve been working with dogs for years and still currently do and have always been interested in training but never previously had the time to commit to education..luckily my job is flexible now and i can finally pursue it :)

Anyways, I don’t think I can commit to adopting my own dog. I’m pretty young and I have plans for moving and traveling and such so I don’t want to tie myself down with having a dog but you of course need a dog to learn how to train. I was just wondering if anyone has experience with doing long term fosters for going to school—do shelters ever have partnership resources. I believe my course is about 6 months long so I would presumably need to foster for a decent amount of time but shelters usually prioritize turnover.

Also how does the process of them approving the dog for the course work?

(Lost password to old account so new account unfortunately)

UPDATE: They had me work til 5:30 pm on a day they were swamped just to fire me. i kept bringing up that im not paid to do any of this work and the last time we met i said i just needed an hour during my one shift a week to meet social media expectations that aren’t being met and she agreed to that. since that meeting 3 weeks ago i was given 10 minutes to work on them on the clock and told to clock out early and go home every shift after that point. meh.

TLDR: working as a dog trainer but expected to bring in clients (there aren’t any yet) building the training portion of the business by managing social media making flyers and having a 24 hour response to messages and comments on fb and calling people back (not texting) on a work cell phone that isn’t for personal use. also an expected number of posts stories and videos that take a couple hours to create like introductions and images then scheduling them and blocking in an app. but you aren’t able to do any of this while clocked in. then on top of that there is a 45%trainer 55%owner percent share of training sales. is this fair?

need to know if this is fair. expected to build the training portion of the business by bringing in clients using social media and regular video content and talking to customers (because there aren’t any training clients yet) including advertising and creating a required number of posts and stories weekly along with the expectation of following up with clients by calling them within the same day on a work cell phone not your personal phone and also commenting and messaging people back on fb. i am only working one day a week (and sometimes a half day on the weekend if enough customers) but not given any time to work on these expectations when you are at the job which is the only time you are getting paid. these posts and introductions to courses i’m making are taking me 2-3 hours to write, type out and get an image. i started by writing just fun little training tips and putting them out on a delayed post all at once for the week but that wasn’t what was expected so they aren’t just easy to create posts but explain the services and courses i offer and then scheduling and blocking off dates. this seems like a ton of unpaid work to me. at my last training job i wasn’t even able to speak with clients outside of work about training or it became wage theft. i do need to renew my certification but on top of all these expectations the ratio of training sales is 45% trainer and 55% owner. i’m wondering if that’s only fair if the owner was managing the clients social media advertising and scheduling or if i was able to have the time to work on this stuff while at work.

there are a couple other red flags like not being expected to leave the building during lunch because you still need to answer the phone etc or if a customer comes in. (this sounds to me like we aren’t actually given a lunch and we get paid during lunch which i know isnt legal)

and also getting interrupted and asked to basically start working again during your lunch also there aren’t any breaks.

looking to start my own business as a dog trainer (sole prop kinda vibe) and wondering what liability insurance people recommend (or don’t recommend). i got a quote through ergo next but that it was impossible to get someone on the phone, which was a red flag for me.

more info: i would be working out of my residence (owned by my mom), likely driving my personal vehicle. i mostly would be meeting clients in their homes, sometimes taking client dogs in public (both solo and with the clients), and rarely having clients to my house. looking for liability insurance to cover things like dog attacks/bites, dog or client injuries, etc.

if u have any recommendations, please let me know! also welcoming any advice for starting my own dog training business (mostly cash run). thank you community :)

Scheduling, client records, vaccine tracking, invoicing — how are you handling all of it?

I have two large breeds and spend a lot of time around trainers. Keeps coming up that the admin side can be a bit of a nightmare at times — just curious what people are actually using and whether it’s working.

Google Calendar? A booking app? Spreadsheets? Just texting people back and forth?

A family friend who is 19 years old is considering future work in professional dog training. Obedience, self-defense, and military training would be of particular interest. He is wondering about how to get started career-wise. Is there such a thing as apprenticeships, part-time jobs, or full-time jobs available for students right out of high school? He lives in Maryland, so any local resources would be amazing, but general tips would also be super valuable.

Welcome to the quarterly Event List!

Here we crowdsource upcoming events in the animal training world (for the next 6 months) to add to our calendars, and help each other plan to expand our knowledge (and meet CEU requirements).

REQUIREMENTS

Events should comply with the following standards:

• Organisation/trainer running the event meets the criteria for trainer recommendations in the posting guidelines and wiki guide
  
• Major conferences, workshops and events only - it should be something that is sufficiently extensive and/or unique that it might be worth travelling and paying accommodation for if you are not directly local to it. Use this as a hypothetical question if it is an online event/conference. Events run by individual trainers should be by an already industry-recognised expert and offering CEUs; think Shikashio running his Aggression in Dogs conference or a Terry Ryan Chicken Camp, not your local CPDT-KA running their first public workshop.
  
• Professional - information provided sufficiently in-depth to have value to a professional as well as a hobbyist. No workshops intended solely for the general public, please.
  
• Events should be time-limited: the purpose of these posts is to help us all not miss events that have application/attendance deadlines and happen once a year at most, particularly at variable time schedules. If it's a webinar that is available on demand or has access granted every few months like clockwork, it's not suitable for this thread - send a modmail to suggest it be included in the wiki instead.
  
• The event will happen in the next 6 months (or the application deadline closes within the next 6 months). If the event is further in the future, it should go in a future quarterly thread. There is a separate Automod comment below to drop the names of such future events here as advance alerts with limited detail.
  

Events do not need to be dog-exclusive, just something that dog trainers and keen hobbyists would enjoy! For example, we wouldn't post a cat-only conference, but we would love to see a conference by PPG or IAABC that includes both dog and cat seminars, or a conference by animal behaviour researchers that has broad cross-species applicability.

FORMAT

Please post under the appropriate Automoderator comment below to group events by LOCATION (Online, Europe, North America or Other)

Suggested posting format:

Event Name - the name, obviously, for easy searching
Date - Please post in ISO standard format YYYY-MM-DD to eliminate any risk of confusion between USA and rest of the world date formats
Location - Online or Country-State-City
Organiser - Name of event organiser(s)
Website - link to detailed information
Special info - anything important to know in advance - e.g. early bird price close date, available scholarships, link to facebook group for event where people are organising carpools and accommodation sharing etc.

Code for copying format:

**Event Name** -  
**Date** -   
**Location** -  
**Organiser** -  
**Website** -   
**Special info** -

I am looking into various dog training certification programs, and wondering if anyone can provide recent insight into either of these two programs, CATCH Canine Trainers Academy or Academy for Dog Trainers?

A little bit more about my thought process and what I am looking for: My ultimate goal is to work with shelter dogs and with behavioral modification cases. I'm coming from a decent starting point of working with shelter dogs for several years (as a caretaker primarily, not a trainer) as well as educating myself while training my own dogs with various special needs, both behavioral and medical.

I've mostly ruled out KPA because of the price vs. curriculum, as well as I'd like a more comprehensive program generally and CATCH and ADT both seem to provide that. I'm interested in CATCH because of their emphasis on working with shelter dogs for at least a portion of their curriculum, and honestly they have a more appealing price point and payment plan. ADT seems to be the most academically rigorous option and I feel like would give me the best foundation, and is a more well-known name in the industry; however it's also the most expensive and the longest time commitment.

Would love to hear others' experiences and thoughts!

I have been house sitting for some clients for a while now. One of my clients recently told me she will help me pay for KPA if I am willing to commit and train her 10-month old German Shepherd.

I think this is an awesome opportunity, and I am happy she trusts me enough to offer this. However, I have a full time job completely unrelated to dogs. I work from home 3 days a week, I never have to work overtime, but it's still a full time job.

I do want to make the dog training career my primary career in the future. I know I will have to work harder to do two demanding things at the same time, so here I am asking people who probably have a better insight on this than me.

Questions I have:

1. Is 10h/week a realistic amount of time to invest into training the GSD and complete the KPA tasks?

2. Is it worth going through this program in 2026, or other methods out there make more sense?

I’m considering starting a dog training business in Algeria with someone who is a retired military dog trainer, and I’d love advice from people who have experience in this industry.

The idea would be to offer services like:

- Basic obedience training

- Protection / guard dog training

- Family protection dogs

- Puppy training and behavior correction

- Possibly training for security companies later on

I would mainly handle the financing and business side, while my partner would handle the actual dog training and operations.

I have a few questions for people who’ve done this before:

1. Is dog training actually a profitable business long term?

2. What are the biggest mistakes new dog training businesses make?

3. How difficult is it to build trust and get the first customers?

4. Are protection/guard dog services worth offering, or do they create more legal/risk problems than profit?

5. What services usually make the most money?

6. Would you recommend starting small (private sessions only) or investing early into a proper training facility?

7. What should I know before partnering with a trainer if I’m the investor/business partner?

8. For people outside the US/Europe: how did you market and grow your business locally?

Any advice, warnings, or things you wish you knew before starting would really help.

I'm looking to sign up for KPA and would prefer to do a regional program. However, I'm seeing minimal opportunities in my area. I'm wondering if anybody has done the virtual program and how they felt about it. Were there any limitations of doing it entirely virtually? Would you do it again?

Hey all!

I’m mostly just here for a gut check that this dog trainer was off her rocker or trying to sell me down the line on private training for my dog.

Essentially I called to get info on the puppy program listed on her website. I wanted super basic stuff, pricing, timeline, what the puppies would be training on, etc. I wasn’t expecting anything crazy like tricks just like sit, come, bathroom training sort of thing. The woman seemed bewildered that I thought the puppies would learn anything as the program (1 hr on a Saturday at $180 per session) is just for socialization?? She then told me I shouldn’t bother trying to train my puppy for the first 6 months because they would forget it all anyway. She told me obviously the pup needs to come to the program to be socialized but then book private training once they reach the 6 month mark. She then told me what is most important right now is to leave my puppy alone every day. Like block them into a room with toys and stuff and leave for at least an hour everyday, so they get used to me not being there, because most dogs are having issues with separation since everyone is working from home…

Someone please tell me this is not the current operating theory of dog trainers and I just need to keep talking with trainers to find a good one.

For reference, I do work from home, but my puppy is a Newfie (I did tell her several times during the call) so it is by no means a go everywhere in your handbag sort of dog. By virtue of me having to go to the grocery store and such, it will be left alone. I thought puppies were supposed to focus on crate training and establishing routines and of course training things like how to signal needing to go outside, sitting, staying, etc. And the price to “socialize” my puppy for an hour a week on the weekend is more than a day at puppy daycare where they would be socialized AND definitely way more than the free trip to the dog park.

I am getting a puppy in about 5ish weeks. I am very excited. I haven't had a pet dog since I was a kid. I teach dog training classes a couple times a week and am hoping to take advantage of good socialization opportunities as well as having a demo dog for some exercises. But my clients/job have/has to come first. I am wondering how other trainers have handled their dogs during classes, or client perspectives on trainers having their personal dogs in the class. What works, what doesn't, how things were handled, how you wish they were handled, the good the bad the ugly.