Academic Standard
Dog training is currently an unlicensed, unregulated profession in the United States and most other countries. There are no education requirements and no gold standards regarding techniques for training dogs or teaching their families. The Academy is committed first and foremost to providing science-based education on pet dog training, behavior and behavior modification. The Academy's academic and practica standards are therefore necessarily high in order to counter the current climate of self-proclaimed experts with inadequate knowledge of learning science, animal behavior, teaching or counseling.
The program is organized to allow dedicated students to succeed with a large volume of complex material, however prospective students should be aware that The Academy is challenging. Mastering graduate level applied behavior analysis, developing polished and efficient dog training technique, acquiring a broad, science-based understanding of animal behavior, learning to troubleshoot behavior problems, and teach and counsel effectively will require a long-term commitment.
Who Is Our Ideal Student
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 who have most or all of the following from "The Big Five" personality traits: conscientiousness, compassion and cooperativeness, and emotional stability.
Students also must adhere to our Ethos and Code of Conduct.
Technology Skills Pre-Requisites
The e-learning format is not for everybody. In order to get the most out of the Academy experience, students must be fluent (or have help from friends and family) with the following:
- Downloading and streaming video to their computers
- Navigating common sites such as Dropbox, Facebook and Vimeo
- Shooting and uploading video
How Long Will It Take Me?
The Academy allows six months per level - Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior -, and two years in total. Students may roll over time on levels completed early towards subsequent levels. If you apply yourself and make full use of the resources - studying modules and webinars, training regularly, and participating in discussions for at least eight hours per week – you will be exam ready in one to two years.