Professional Dog Trainers Program
IMPORTANT UPDATE!
We are taking an indefinite break from teaching our 12 week, full time Professional Dog Trainers Program. We enjoyed teaching the only government accredited program for dog trainers in Canada for 15 years. A big thank you to our hundreds of graduates on all 7 continents worldwide for all the sweet memories and great times together. We decided we needed more family time as our daughters won’t be with us forever.
We haven’t changed this section of our website so you can compare our full-time curriculum (that we previously taught) to our distance learning program or shorter on site program. We will still be offering our dog training certification online, our video training series and a condensed 3 week on site program in the future. Please let us know if any of these options interest you. Thank you for beginning your professional dog training career with us!
Welcome to the world of professional dog training! If you love dogs, this is your opportunity to work with them in a fulfilling, profitable, and healthy profession. Dogs have been used for years to make life easier for the blind, deaf and handicapped. New advances are now taking place in areas like dogs for cancer detection and epileptics. Future careers in dog training are looking exciting! Click here to read more.
Whether setting up your own dog obedience school, working for the police, or training dogs for the special needs, our program will give you a solid foundation. This program gives you an indepth intro into many different aspects of dog training such as dogs for movies, television and advertising, the German dog sport of schutzhund, and herding dogs. You will experience all of these canine activities firsthand from our instructors and guest speakers who specialize in these areas. Our program has graduates working worldwide in all the above mentioned diciplines and you can be one of them!
Join The Best International School for Dog Trainers
The Wonderdogs’ “praise-play training method” is a system of dog training that really works! This program has made news on radio, TV, and newsprint across North America. Why? Because it’s fun for dogs and their owners and produces incredibly fast results. For feedback from graduates, please view our testimonials.
The Wonderdogs International Dog Trainers school is registered with the Private Career Training Institutions Agency (PCTIA) of British Columbia. Developed from over three decades of experience, our guidance will give you the skills and expertise required to excel in your new career.
The Goal For our Students
We have Four Goals for Students taking our Program :
- That students will find the learning experience fun and enjoyable! The Wonderdogs teaching style is relaxed yet professional.
- That students receive value for their dollar learning a wealth of information and finding the course both stimulating and well organized.
- That students, upon graduating, will have the ability to professionally train any breed of dog and solve any type of problem behaviour.
- That students will leave our program with the skills and confidence to start up their own business anywhere in the world.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
The Wonderdogs team
Program Information
We are located in picturesque Victoria, the provincial capital of British Columbia. Victoria is consistently rated as one of the most popular tourist destinations in North America. Over the years, many of our graduates have ended up making Victoria their new home after spending 3 months here!
As prices may be subject to change, please contact us for current fee schedules for the Professional Dog Trainers Program. We are currently offering an Early Enrolment Incentive and a Scholarship Program for those that qualify. Contact us for more information.
The program runs seven hours per day, five days per week for twelve weeks. There are also evening classes for 4 weeks during the program, which run for an additional 2 hours.
Students now have the option of completing our program in two 6-week segments instead of the full 12-weeks all at once.
The student to instructor ratio is kept low to ensure lots of individual attention for each student.
We still offer one of the only programs in the country that is an actual “hands on” program. This goes well beyond the job shadowing, mentoring or distance learning approach of many programs available.
We also provide extra curricular help outside class hours to all students at no additional charge.
We are currently running one program per year starting the second week of September. We are now accepting applications for our 2014 fall intake. Please submit your application now to ensure your space.
Our program is eligible for government student loans click here for more info.
The majority of Canadian students can write off the entire tuition for our program as a deduction on their income tax if they are self-employed. In addition to this, students in our program are eligible for an educational tax credit of up to $1395.00 as our school is certified as an educational institution by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development Canada. See form T2202 on the Canada Customs and Revenue web site for more details.
Business is wonderful. I am so glad that I took your course. It has changed my life in ways that I never dreamed possible. And believe it or not, I haven’t advertised yet! I have the full support of all the vets and they recommend many of their clients to me. I also had a spot on television (news) and two stories in the local paper so that helps as well.
Cara Wilson, Miramichi, New Brunswick
doglady@nb.sympatico.ca
Program Hours
The program runs Monday to Friday for a minimum of 7 hours per day starting at 9:30am.
Exceptional Value
In terms of price and course content, our Professional Dog Trainers program offers exceptional value when compared to other programs in North America and worldwide.
Here are some of our value highlights:
- Direct video feedback allows students to maintain their momentum uninterrupted while training. After handling a dog, each student receives immediate video feedback on their technique.
- Students will have the opportunity to job shadow our staff on real dog training jobs.
- All students receive our Professional Dog Trainers Program Manual which contains over 200 pages of information when all theory related handouts are included. This course material has taken years to develop and is constantly being updated!!
- Students handle dogs of all sizes, breeds, and temperaments during the Professional Dog Trainers Program. Training is often done in real-life situations: busy city parks, the downtown core of Victoria, provincial parks, etc.
- Ben has over 300 videos on every topic and discipline from police dogs to search & rescue! This valuable wealth of information supplements the Professional Dog Trainers Program and can only be fully appreciated upon graduation when students realize how much this has contributed to their overall education.
- Students in the Professional Dog Trainers Program have access to over 30 dog related books that Ben has collected over the years. New publications are added annually to ensure students are kept up to date with the newest concepts and ideas.
- Enjoy a great learning environment. We feel that in order for students to learn properly the setting must be quiet and comfortable which is why our program is not taught in a kennel-type setting. You will not find any barking kennel dogs here! Click here to see Ben in action at our main campus. Click here to see Ben and his Family at the Pet Hotel and Training Center.
- Observe for half a day free of charge! We are the only dog training facility in western Canada to offer this opportunity. This is an ideal way to get a feel for the teaching style and receive feedback from other students.
- Free class reunions. We succeed as teachers when you have succeeded as a professional dog trainer! For that reason we offer a two day follow-up seminar at no charge to all graduates. We review your training technique and discuss your company marketing, advertising, and sales methods.
- Unlimited free follow up. Our students are important to us and therefore, we provide help and support long after you graduate! We recently created a facebook group just for graduates and constantly provide updates to ensure their success.
A RECENT EMAIL FROM BEN TO GRADUATES:
Hey Grads!
I am happy to invite you to join my new PTP Graduates facebook group. I hope this will enable me to stay in touch with you and share information that will help your career prosper. Some examples that will be up on facebook within the next few days are:An insurance policy available to grads throughout BC and the YUKON, with a very low cost and extensive coverage
Permission to use all of my copyrighted written material at no charge (with a signed agreement)
Monthly Skype conference calls with me, giving you a chance to get answers to any questions you may have (free of charge)
Links to new forums of interest such a site created by Monika (a grad from 2009) which reviews new dog products.
If you are not already a member, join today! .
Best wishes,
Ben, Nancy and Staff
Bring Your Own Dog
During The Wonderdogs program, you will be able to train your own dog(s) if you wish. You will leave Victoria not only with a career you can use anywhere in the world, but also with a highly trained dog that will be your future ambassador! To train just one dog to this advanced level would cost a small fortune – this program is obviously a great value to those coming with one or more dogs.
To see how much your genius dog(s) will learn in our Professional Dog Trainers Program, click on Course Curriculum.
Students are welcome to bring any dog they choose to the program to be trained. Please note, however, that not all dogs may be suitable to be trained to the highest level depending on age, health and energy levels.
Help Wanted
Priority will always be given to graduates of The Wonderdogs program should a trainer position become available. There are also occasional income-earning opportunities available while taking the program. These include: general maintenance, miscellaneous office duties and commission on sales.
Did you know that dog training companies, kennels and doggie daycares contact us on a regular basis looking for quality staff? Certified Professional Dog Trainers will always be in demand as the pet population continues to rise and dog enthusiasts are willing to invest more in their pet’s safety and training. The following are a few examples of dog training facilities looking for qualified staff (please note these positions have now been filled by graduates from our program):
Hi Ben,
We are looking for a trainer to join the Good Dog team on a part time basis. I was wondering if you could recommend someone out this way that you think would be a good fit for our team, given that you know how we roll pretty well. I will post something on the graduates FB page, but thought I’d see if you specifically could offer a direct referral to someone.
Thanks!
Vanessa
www.gooddog.ca
“Hi Ben! I am just wondering if you have any graduates from your Professional Dog Trainers Program that are in the Vancouver area that are wanting full or part-time employment for my dog boarding and training facility. I look forward to hearing from you.”
Janice
TNT Kennels
“Hello, I’m wondering if you could refer me to a couple of your dog training program graduates in the Vancouver area. We’re looking for a dog trainer to lead a puppy class in our store – and are looking for a energetic, motivated trainer.”
Thanks, Suji
Bow Wow Haus
“Positions available for Guide Dog Training Assistants. The CEO of BC Guide Dog Services asked me to forward this job posting to you. We are hoping you may be able to post it at your school.”
Thank you, Trudy
BC Guide Dogs
“I am the owner of a pet services company based in Vancouver, BC. We offer group walks lead by certified trainers from Monday to Friday, as well as puppy visits, pet sitting and one-on-one training. As our company grows we are constantly looking for skilled certified dog trainers to join our team. I am hoping that you might be willing to forward this email to your alumni.”
Kind regards, Sarah.
www.muttbuddiesonline.com
Job Opening – I have an opening for a part-time employee starting mid August. I was wondering if you have could let people who are taking or have taken your training course know. I am located in Shawnigan Lake.
Website: happytails-dog-daycare.com
Thanks Ramona Cools
Beautiful Training Venues
We are very fortunate to have use of many beautiful and scenic training venues through the municipality of Saanich Parks. Click here to view the location of Layritz Park, where we spend the majority of our time.
We also go on weekly field trips to many spectacular settings in around the city of Victoria. Imagine going for a class in one of the area’s breathtaking provincial parks with lush forest all around you. We also go on excursions to high distraction areas such as public beaches and off-leash dog areas.
I really want to recommend this course to others. I shall never forget what you taught me for those three months. I will work as a dog trainer as long as possible. Thank you so much.
Shinobu Saito, Tokyo, Japan
Diplomas and Certification
On successful completion of our Professional Dog Trainers Program, all graduates receive a beautiful 8×10 diploma, something they can be proud of for years to come.
Upon successful completion, graduates will be certified as professional dog trainers.
Fall 2012 Grads