Enrolling in a dog training school and earning your dog obedience trainer certification can make your dream of a career working with animals a reality. Learn how to become a dog trainer at Animal Behavior College (ABC). The ABC Dog Obedience Instructor Program is an accessible, flexible, and affordable way to enter the dog training profession.
Even though you can technically call yourself a dog trainer without any education or licensing, attending a dog training school is important. Having a foundation in animal behavior and positive reinforcement training techniques will help you plan successful strategies for working with all sorts of dog personalities.
And you’d better believe today’s savvy dog parents are looking for certified dog trainers; not just anyone who claims to be a trainer will do.
There are many great reasons for animal lovers to go into dog training.
Animal Behavior College offers a hybrid program that combines online learning with real-world experience close to home. We provide you the education, practical skills and real world experience needed to start your professional obedience training career.
Our students enjoy the affordability and flexibility of an online program plus the invaluable experience of working with a professional mentor during the “externship.” In person experience is critical in learning how to become an effective dog trainer, and it’s what allows our students to exit the program confident in their skills.
Our curriculum consists of 11 stages covering topics ranging from basic study of canines to business building tips. Once the online stages of the program have been completed, you advance to the externship, in which you can apply everything you’ve learned in a real-life setting.
*Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Academy of Pet Careers, Indeed.com and Talent.com 2024. Hourly rates may vary in your area.
*Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Academy of Pet Careers, Indeed.com and Talent.com 2024. Own Your Own Business earnings statistics reference the prices charged in 2025 for private in-person dog training lessons, based on what multiple companies charge across various cities in the specified state. Hourly rates may vary in your area.
In support of ABC’s commitment to keeping dogs safe from injurious training methods, our updated curriculum will continue to advocate science-based, positive reinforcement training philosophies, including using the least invasive minimally aversive (LIMA) training techniques.
Students in pursuit of the Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA®) certification need to be LIMA Compliant which is one of the many reasons our certification preparatory program teaches ABC students LIMA training techniques.
Our new, enhanced curriculum includes an additional 300 pages of information and features a beautiful, sleek graphic design and training videos all with the goal of providing students an improved learning experience.
The improved curriculum also includes content on conducting remote training lessons; up-to-date information on how to get the most out of using both current and traditional marketing tools such as search engine optimization (SEO), social media, email and print media; and an expanded appendix of various training and business forms. Take a sneak peek at our curriculum here.
In person experience is critical in learning how to become an effective dog trainer, which is why we include an externship portion in our dog trainer program. During in person training, you work with a Mentor Trainer thus gaining the work experience required to become a professional dog trainer.
Our Dog Obedience Trainer Program is a perfect foundation for students looking to learn the basics of dog training. Once you complete your learning, consider growing your skillset by enrolling in our Service Dog Trainer Program!
Our Dog Trainer Program is approved by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) and the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors (NADOI).
This program also prepares students in pursuit of other independent certifications including the Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA®) Certification.
Tuition for our Dog Training Program ranges from Regular price: $2,899.00 to $5,647.00 depending on your payment arrangement.* This cost covers your study materials and externship.
*Ask about our discount for Active Military and Veterans who enroll in our distance learning courses
Our dog training certification program is available in all 50 U.S. states and every Canadian province. We’re able to offer students in these locations in person training due to our growing network of pet industry professionals.
You can rest assured you’re learning from experts when you enroll in Animal Behavior College. Founded and operated by award-winning professional trainers Steven Appelbaum and Debbie Kendrick, our school is designed to help you succeed.
In addition to enrolling in a school built by dog trainers for dog trainers, you’re receiving quality education and support from our Program Managers. All of our Program Managers are graduates of our school, some still train dogs in their local communities.
Career Information and Advice for Dog Trainers from the professionals at Animal Behavior College
Our curriculum is designed to teach you everything from positive reinforcement philosophies to business building. We bring more than 100 years of professional dog training experience to our program with the goal of helping you succeed. You will also become certified in Pet CPR and First Aid.
Dog trainers can benefit from the fact their job has potential. With more than 65.1 million dogs in the U.S.1, there is an undeniable demand for dog trainers. You can stand out from the competition by getting your dog training certification from Animal Behavior College. By graduating from our program, you’ll have extensive knowledge and real world training. This is an important point. Is it possible to learn to become a dog trainer without attending a school like Animal Behavior College? Yes, it is. However, without the structure or knowledge it becomes more difficult, more time-consuming and far less efficient to choose and read the literally tens of thousands of books and online materials available. Additionally, you won’t get the supervised externship from a pre-screened professional. All of these reasons are why we’ve trained more than 18,600 dog trainers over the last 25 years. Finally, if you are looking to sit for another national certification like the CPDT-KA, our program will prepare you. This makes our course perfect for those in pursuit of this and other certifications.
You can become one of them! To learn how you can get started today, please call 800-795-3294 or fill out the form.