The CCPDT is an international testing and certification program for professional pet dog trainers.
The CCPDT’s certification program is based on humane training practices and the latest scientific knowledge related to dog training. Competence and continued growth in training practices is promoted through the recertification of qualified professionals.

We are the only Dog Training Company in Ireland with trainers with this certification. It is a huge honour and privilege to be awarded the CCPDT certification as it is independently assessed and only awarded to those who have an excellent understanding and experience of Instruction Skills, Animal husbandry, Ethology, Learning Theory and Equipment.

For more on the certification and what it means to you as a dog owner please go to www.ccpdt.org

We pride ourselves on our high level of education, certification and deep understanding of canine learning, behaviour and training.

APDT – Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK
www.apdt.co.uk
The Association of Pet Dog Trainers was founded in 1995 by John Fisher to offer pet dog owners a guarantee of quality when looking for a puppy and dog training class in their area.
All members of the APDT have been assessed according to a strict code of practice and have agreed to abide by kind and fair principles of training. To this end the use of coercive or punitive techniques and equipment are not used.
Members of the APDT UK must display their membership number in the form of MAPDT after their name. If this is not present then they may simply have paid membership of the APDT USA group.

APDT – Association of Pet Dog Trainers USA
This is a group for interested trainers to join. There is NO ASSESSMENT or EVALUATION simply a joining fee of $100. Members do not have to abide by a code of ethics.

CPDT – Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers
The CCPDT is an international testing and certification program for professional pet dog trainers.
The CCPDT’s certification program is based on humane training practices and the latest scientific knowledge related to dog training. Competence and continued growth in training practices is promoted through the recertification of qualified professionals.

CAP – Competency Assesment Program
www.learningaboutdogs.com/html/cap.html
Clicker Training is a fast growing teaching method that has evolved into thousands of different classes and interests around the world.

Essentially the definition of a “clicker trainer” is a person who trains using a clicker. Competency is not directly measurable by the description. Some clicker trainers are reaching for the sky and able to achieve astonishing results, some clicker trainers are simply adding the clicker to an existing program of training, which may or may not be coercive.

To gain access to this powerful method the teacher (clicker trainer) needs to be skilled, very self aware, observant, able to analyse, adjust the teaching to suit that particular dog at that particular time. As they develop their skills their understanding of the process deepens and they are able to transfer the learning to other animals, other fields of interest and have genuinely learned to communicate with another species through skilled use of the clicker.

DogStarDaily.com is a free website for dog lovers — a daily magazine with news, blogs and articles about dog behavior; a comprehensive digital dog training textbook, with everything you need to know about raising or training your puppy or dog and especially, how to prevent or fix most common behavior problems; plus a place to share photos and videos of your favorite canine companions. We so strongly believe that puppy husbandry and training information is so important that it should be freely available to all, with the hope that dogs (and their humans) will be happier and healthier because of it. dogstardaily.com is growing everyday, with new content and features added on a regular basis.

As many of you are aware at Dog Training Ireland are APDT certified. This means that our certification was gained from the APDT in the UK. We were assessed by an APDT assessor and gained our certification. Our registered certified numbers are 00853 and 00854. To be a member of the APDT in the UK one must keep up with training and personal development. The certification is renewed yearly and all trainers must abide by the APDT code of ethics.

One can also gain certification by paying on the internet to the APDT in the USA www.apdt.com
There is no assessment criteria for this as it is simply membership of a group. While this is benefitial from a learning point of view it bears no reflection on the trainers ability and many training companies use with without displaying their number.

So when you are looking for an APDT trainer you must be sure that they display their membership number as MAPDT and that they are listed here www.apdt.co.uk/trainers_area.asp?area=Ireland%20-%20Southern

Also the black and white registered LOGO for the UK APDT is displayed on their website www.apdt.co.uk.

Irish Registered UK APDT Members are:
Tara Choules
Lisa Whelan
Maureen Byrne
Nicola Barrick
Alison Bush
Julie Holmes
Mary Owens
Mairead Raleigh
Denis McKeon