The Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Program takes an innovative approach to developing and supporting outstanding dog trainers who teach the general public. Our students learn from some of the most experienced teachers in the field, using a curriculum designed exclusively for Karen Pryor Academy. Our goal is far greater than having trainers add a new title to their name. Graduates of Karen Pryor Academy become part of a community of trainers who have achieved and demonstrated a consistent level of excellence and can represent themselves and the Karen Pryor Academy name proudly.
To learn about enrolling in the Dog Trainer Program, read How to Enroll.
To learn about enrolling in the International Edition of the Dog Trainer Program, click here.
To see the entire course curriculum, click Curriculum Flowchart.
To read what students and graduates say about the program, click Student Feedback.
To learn about current scholarship opportunities, click here.
Course details
The Dog Trainer Program combines the convenience of distance learning with the power of hands-on teaching.
- Distance learning: A feature-rich online learning platform leads students through web lessons and challenging training exercises designed to prepare you for your workshop sessions with the faculty. Distance learning allows you to learn at your convenience. Our engaging curriculum was created specifically for this environment. Click here to preview the online course.
- Hands-on workshops: Every few weeks, you will work with a teacher of your choosing for two intensive days. You and other members of your class gather together at the teacher's training facility to practice, hone, and test your skills. This program has four workshops, each two days in length. Since these occur at fixed dates, you should choose your workshop dates carefully. Click here to see the workshop schedule.
- Ongoing support: Between workshop sessions, you'll have the support of both your teacher and the staff of Karen Pryor Academy to answer your questions and help you along.
- Alumni support: Graduates of the program become Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partners, joining a network of expert trainers with a common local and national marketing infrastructure and ongoing opportunities for learning.
- Earn maximum continuing education credits (CEUs) for CCPDT and IAABC for completion of the course.
Who should enroll
This program is for you if you are a highly motivated trainer with specific goals for improving your knowledge, skills, and career prospects. You should also want to be affiliated with Karen Pryor Academy.
We recommend that interested students have a good bit of dog experience prior to applying. Specifically, experience as a dog trainer, assistant dog trainer, veterinary technician, shelter staff, or similar experience is preferred.
Although you do not necessarily need to be a dog trainer or know anything about clicker training to enter this program, experienced trainers, including experienced clicker trainers, will find this program very challenging very quickly. We do cover the basics of clicker training at first, but move on to advanced topics like behavior chains, shaping, cueing, TAGteach, and business planning shortly thereafter. Click here to see a flowchart of the program syllabus.
You will need to provide references from managers, other trainers, and at least one client. Your application will be reviewed and acted on as quickly as possible, usually within three weeks.
Program logistics
The Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Program typically takes six months to complete. We expect you to invest a minimum of 25 hours in the online units preceding each workshop. This includes your online time and your homework assignments. You will need access to a dog to complete your homework assignments, and occasionally you will need an animal of a different species or a second dog as well.
In this program, you will attend four workshops, each two full days in length. During the application process, you should choose a teacher for your workshops. There is a maximum of 12 students per teacher, so your workshop will have no more than 12 students at a time. Please review the schedule to ensure you can attend your chosen teacher's workshops on the dates scheduled. We discourage attending workshops with different teachers. Teachers are best able to help you learn when they can track your progress over the course of the entire program. However, if there are extenuating circumstances (for example, if you happen to move while enrolled in the program), we will be happy to work with you.
You will need to bring a dog that you have been working with to each of your workshops, to demonstrate your progress.
Tuition
Tuition is $5300 when paid in full upon enrollment or $5600 when paid in four installments. We believe the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Program is a terrific value, given all of its unique features and benefits. If you are comparing our program with the cost of programs where you stay in the teaching facility, be sure to include the costs of travel, lodging, and food as well as material costs in your comparison. If you are comparing our program with online-only programs, consider the value of live workshops with our teachers. Please compare our business training, our classroom skills training, and our alumni business and marketing support with those of any other program. We think you’ll agree that the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Program is competitively priced, and the lifetime value is incomparable.
Admission Requirements
The following requirements are the minimum criteria for admission:
- Two professional references
- Access to a dog and at least one animal of another species for completion of certain training exercises
- Access to a computer with a broadband Internet connection and either Internet Explorer or Firefox
- Ability to travel to a teacher's facility to participate in hands-on workshops
- Experience handling dogs prior to entering the program, for example, as a dog trainer, assistant dog trainer, veterinary technician, or experienced animal shelter employee/volunteer
We also recommend, but do not require, that applicants also have completed two years of college. Applicants do not need previous clicker training experience to be accepted into the program.
Frequently asked questions
- What technical equipment do I need for the online program?
- You need a computer, high-speed Internet access, and a printer.
- What are the graduation requirements?
- Students must pass assessment points along the way.
- Students must pass final written and practical assessments.
- Students must receive a score of 90 or above on both the written and practical final exam.
- Why is the passing grade an A? Isn't that high?
- Yes, the passing grade is high. We will be counting on each student to represent a high level of achievement and create a consistent set of expectations in the marketplace. If we graduated students with less than superlative marks, we would lose this consistent quality.
- What if I don't pass my final assessment?
- Students must pass their final assessments in order to graduate.
- Students who do not receive a score of 90 or better on their first attempt of the final assessment may take the assessment again no earlier than three months after their initial assessment. If they do not pass again, they must wait six more months and may take it one more time. For each of these additional assessments there is a charge of $270.
