FAQs

Here are some common questions we get asked.

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To apply for The Academy, you will need:

Some basic dog wrangling/handling skills. You might have acquired these volunteering with a rescue or shelter, or through taking part in canine sports, such as agility
At least 10 – 15 hours a week to commit to studying and practicing training
Access to dogs to demonstrate your training techniques in video submissions. You may use your own dog if he or she does not already know the behaviors. Many of our students put out an ask on apps such as NextDoor and get huge response from neighbors delighted to offer their dogs for training

You’ll also need:

A PC or Mac (OSX 10.6 or later) loaded with:

Ability to read PDFs
An up-to-date version of an internet browser such as Google Chrome or Firefox
A smartphone, tablet or video camera to record your training for assignments sessions

You’ll need to be able to upload files and videos, and do basic editing on your videos.

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Yes. The Academy vets applicants for three main things:

Academic aptitude. Will you thrive in the curriculum?
A personality well-suited to a rewarding and challenging profession that involves counseling sometimes distraught owners about their companion dogs. Good fits for this program are people who are intellectually curious, methodical and science-oriented, who like working with and are patient with people, and are conscientiousness, compassion and cooperative. If you have some background in the social sciences, this will serve you well.
Dog handling experience such as professional training, fostering, walking dogs at shelters, participation in dog sports or having worked or volunteered in other professions where you will have handled a variety of dogs.
It is helpful but not required to have read from our recommended reading list.

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