We’ve created the Leash Free Living Dog Trainer Certification Program to ensure that we are meeting our own standards for choosing a dog trainer. Education is one of our core values at Leash Free Living. More than just educating dogs, we put a lot of effort into educating our staff and making sure our trainers are continuously growing. The program consists of three levels. You can read more about the requirements of each level here.
Our loose goals for each level are…
LFL Trainer – At this level, we expect trainers to have a basic understanding of dog training and animal husbandry topics, and be proficient at all Leash Free Living basic obedience exercises so that they could perform any exercise assigned to them correctly and efficiently.
LFL Instructor – At this level, we expect trainers have learned to instruct clients on all basic obedience exercises, and are proficient at Leash Free Living advanced, elective and mild behavioral rehabilitation exercises
LFL Behaviorist – At this level, we expect trainers to be able to design training programs and plans, and are able to instruct clients on all basic obedience, advanced, elective and behavioral rehabilitation exercises.
So what does having a dog trainer certification program mean for us, and for our clients?
- Consistency.
The same leash handling you are learning in group class is the same leash handling our Day Training staff is using with your dog at school. If you ask a training question to any of our instructors, you will get the same answer from each of them. You can switch instructors in any program seamlessly since each instructor will teach exercises in the same way.
- Accountability
There are tests built into the program at each level to prove mastery of the previous level. The tests are objective and pass/fail for clear results. Every LFL Trainer has passed the LFL Trainer Test. Every LFL Instructor has earned the Companion Dog Title. Every LFL Behaviorist has earned a Companion Dog Excellent Title. I mentioned in the Choosing a Dog Trainer article that 90% of pet dog trainers could not train a dog to a high level. Our certification requirements ensure that 100% of Leash Free Living instructors have done that.
- Reflection
Our Instructors and Behaviorists are required to log a minimum of 100 training hours. This isn’t just 100 hours working with dogs, but 100 hours that they kept a journal of their training plans, how it went, how it was different than they expected, how it changed their future training plans, etc. Practice doesn’t make perfect. Deliberate practice makes perfect.
- Collaboration
LFL Behaviorists create and oversee all training plans and programs. LFL Instructors create and oversee all Day Training activities performed by LFL Trainers. Weekly lesson planning between Behaviorist and Instructors means that every dog we train benefits from multiple trainers’ inputs. It also means we can give each other feedback, offer suggestions, and plan where to focus future staff training exercises.
- Clear Communication
Training dogs is a different skill set than training people. Dog training requires both. Our Instructors and Behaviorists shadow over 100 teaching hours at each level, and submit teaching videos before co-teaching lessons and classes. We are not only confident that they can do the exercises that they are teaching, but that they can clearly communicate to someone else how to do it before they are working on their own with a client.
- Pride
Our certification process is more rigorous than most, but it means that the trainers that make it through take a lot of pride in their work. When I see dogs and people training at Leash Free Living, I want to see sessions that are productive, safe, organized and humane. I’m proud of the work that our staff does, and of all the hard work that our Instructors and Behaviorists invest in themselves.
We know the dog training space can be big and overwhelming to dog owners. The Leash Free Living Dog Trainer Certification Program is one way we hope to provide you peace of mind.
