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.