» Becoming a Dog Trainer

Time to take responsibility for advice given… Trainers, behaviourists, psychologists, whisperers…what and who?

Tara — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 10:56:41 +0000

It will take the big organisations to push for legislation in the area of Puppy Farms, Animal Welfare and control in the area of Animal Behaviour work.

If you are a large rescue or organisation please send the message out by promoting trainers and behaviourists with qualifications (academic) and FULL insurance. Verify all claims of certification and membership of associations or groups. Check out these associations with specific reference to how a member is assessed, who assesses them, how and why they are qualified to assess a person, what protocols are in place for colleagues assessing colleagues? What is the pass criteria, how is this documented and most important what is the code of ethics and what happens when a member breaks this code? Remember self regulation is no regulation.

Industry standard and regulated organistions include the Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK (APDT UK), Association of Pet Behaviour Councillors (APBC), Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), Centre of Applied Ethology (COAPE). Good trainers are and want to me members of these groups.

For now and until this area is regulated please ask questions, do not do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable and always dig deep and find the meaning of titles, associations and certifying bodies.

Train the Dog Trainer Courses are now running and booking

Tara — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:03:46 +0000

Click here for online booking and all information

Dog Training Ireland is pleased to be able to offer ‘Train the Dog Trainer’ on behalf of FETAC QA Centre, MCX, registered no. 38332N. On successful completion learners will receive the FETAC Level 6 award Canine Obedience and Training (N32919).

This course covers the following units:

Unit 1 Evolution of the Dog
Unit 2 Learning and Training
Unit 3 Training Equipment
Unit 4 Training Procedures
Unit 5 Puppy Training and Socialisation
Unit 6 Group Training Classes
Unit 7 Specific Dog Training for Organisations and Industries
Unit 8 Problem Behaviour Management
Assessment is in the form of Practical, Project and Examination.

The course is ideal for:
Those who want to work in the area of Canine Training and Obedience, offering Pet Dog Obedience and Puppy Classes (not Behaviour or Clinical Behaviour Modification work)
Those who are already working with dogs and who wish to gain a recognised qualification and improve both on their theory and hands on skills
Those who would like to understand more about how dogs learn and the area of Canine Training and Obedience

The FETAC award is an excellent starting point for study in the area of Canine Training and Obedience. You will also have the opportunity to get hands on experience working in our very busy Dog Daycare and Training facility. On completion you will have a solid understanding of what is involved with working with dogs along with a recognised qualification.

Classroom Tuition Schedule
The course is run in two formats evening over 8 weeks with an extra Saturday for assessment and an intensive version which is run over 4 longer Saturdays with extra assessment day, ideal for those who need to travel to attend.

Students will also need to attend as a spectator the Beginners Pet Dog Obedience level 1 course (1 hour per week x 4 weeks) and a minimum of 2 puppy classes 1 hour each. These courses run constantly at Dog Training Ireland, so there is plenty of choice to suit schedules. Current Schedules can be seen here: http://www.dogtrainingireland.ie/training_classes.php.

Students are welcome to attend other courses available at Dog Training Ireland as spectators to gain experience prior to completion of this course.

All assessments and project work are graded by an internal assessor, external assessor and there is a strict verification process.

Course Fees start at €800
Contact us by email Info@dogtrainingireland.ie should you need any extra information.

Well done to our Group 3 Interns!

Laura Jennings — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:23:53 +0000

Earlier this year DTI roled out our Internship program. This is our 3rd and current group of interns:

Lisa Jones (from the 1st group)
Shaun Quinn (from 2nd Group)
Sabrina Phelan
Siobhan Lyons
Caroline Memery
Tara Whelan
John Boyle
Robert Campbell
Anna Zimtania

Are all doing well and we are extremely proud of the improvement in their handling skills and knowledge, as well as their motivation and drive to be great dog trainers! It can be very tough to balance the demands of studying and practical skills and experience, but both are essential to make a great dog trainer.

Our current Interns are proving they have the skills and drive to succeed and we will help them as much as we can with gaining other certifications such as CAP1, First Aid and as much practical and hands on work as possible

Welcome to our Interns – Group 2

Tara — Tue, 26 May 2009 08:01:01 +0000

Successful group 2 Interns are:

Joe Kelly
Emma Heely
Edel O’ Meara
Nadine Fiebich
Shaun Quinn

Welcome to the Interns at Dog Training Ireland

Tara — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 13:23:44 +0000

The successful Interns who have started work with us are as follows:

Andrew Harold
Lisa Jones
Izaskun Arrieta
Rachel Archbold

The Intern List is now CLOSED and will reopen closer to the Summer. If you are interested in becomming an Intern please email your CV to Info@dogtrainingireland.ie with a cover letter.

Delighted to Announce CCPDT Certification Awarded to our Trainers

Tara — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:03:25 +0000

We are delighted to announce that Tara Choules, Lisa Whelan and Laura Jennings have been awarded the CCPDT certification (Council for Certified Pet Dog Trainers). After a lot of study and practical work we sat the four-hour exam at Dublin Institute of Technology, Kevin Street earlier this month.

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.

Canine Training and Behaviour Certification

Tara — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:24:01 +0000

Explanation of Certifications

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.

Dog Star Daily – GREAT Website

Tara — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:04:40 +0000

www.DogStarDaily.com

DogStarDaily.com is a free website for dog lovers â€” 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.

APDT or APDT?

Tara — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:42:43 +0000

Now that is the question!

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

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS for Internship Positions – Winter ‘08 Start

Tara — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:59:45 +0000

We are now accepting applications for our Internship. This offers an excellent opportunity for those who are interested in and/or studying in the area of Canine Training and Behaviour or Animal Care.

You should ideally be studying in the area of Canine Training and Behaviour or Animal Care. We can offer the practical experience you will need to complete your education. Canine Training and Behaviour is a science, those who understand this will welcome the experience we can offer.

Previous Experience is not required but is of advantage.

Studying a college / educational facility backed course is of great advantage. These include distance learning or correspondence courses, short courses, canine first aid courses, animal care and husbandry courses, veterinary nursing.

Holding or having applied for APDT (UK), CCPDT, CAP or other recognised certification / exams is of distinct advanage.

Should you wish to apply please contact careers@dogtrainingireland.ie with the following:

Your CV
Why you wish to work with us
Why you wish to apply for the position
Experience
Animal or dog related qualifications
Further study or courses that you are enrolled on
Your personal views on dog training

Check www.dogtrainingireland.ie/careers.php for full details

Good Luck and we look forward to hearing from you.