When selecting a membership title (level) this has to be your primary work with dogs at the time of applying for membership.
This does not negate any other canine related work that you do but informs the client that is your main canine discipline. You can only choose one title (level) that you have a qualification and or experience for that title. All people who are accepted as a GoDT members are entitled to use MGoDT (CPDT) Companion Pet Dog Trainer except assist trainer level which is prefixed MGoDT (APCDT) Assistant Pet Companion Dog Trainer.
Companion Assistant Dog Trainer: Trainer £40
A person new to the industry / field or activity; a beginner. An example is a student dog trainer who is under the care and guidance of a qualified dog trainer. No minimum experience necessary to apply.
Companion Dog Trainer: £65
Primarily, pet training clubs running group sessions. Typically these are part time trainers working approximately from four to 10 hours per week in classes and maybe the odd one to one session. They do not make a financial living as professional dog trainers. Most make sufficient to pay their facility costs. 2 years minimum experience to apply.
Specialist Dog Trainer: £70
This trainer primarily specialises in one or more specialisms and this is their primary work. For example agility, competitive obedience working trials, sports dogs, assistance dog, guide dogs, detection dogs scent work and similar specialist training above practical general dog training skills, they may run dog training classes but that is not their primary work. 3 years minimum experience to apply.
Professional Dog Training Instructor £95
Primarily a one to one full time occupation and may include other canine husbandry dog skills that support their status i.e. dog training classes / scent work courses et al. In essence dog training is their full time occupation and provides a financial living. Profession includes those activities, which require special knowledge and skill to be applied by individuals in the said occupation. Employment may refer to the occupation in which people work for others and get remunerated in return. 3 years minimum experience to apply.
Master Professional Dog Training Instructor £95
This is similar to the professional dog trainer level but the applicant has a professed knowledge of canine training, the vocation / career, involves prolonged training and is supported by a formal academic qualification(s). This title has to be supported by a CIDBT or GoDT academic qualification in this case a Higher Certificate from the CIDBT and or GoDT Training qualification; in addition to experience in the field as a minimum of 2 years which may include academic training courses time. Other training academic/workshop qualifications may be considered if supported by the PETBC accredited organisations.
Vocational Education and Training also called Career and Technical Education prepares learners for jobs that are based in practical activities, traditionally non-academic and totally related to a specific work, occupation or vocation, hence the term, in which the learner has attained a wide knowledge base. All persons applying must understand the full principles of the Science of operant conditioning. Experience and applied skill over time are the critical component of a trainer.
What counts as a qualification?
This put simply is what the industry describes and requires for the dog training vocation. Dog Training is primarily about hands on learning over time with a tutor trainer working alongside you. Vocational courses are designed to help you learn in a practical way about a specific dog training discipline. They can help you get the skills you need to start work and progress in a career or go on to higher canine education courses if you choose. If you know what job or job sector you want to go into you may want to study a dog training /instructor vocational qualification. See the www.petbc.org.uk list of canine descriptions we observe.
Definition of an expert, what qualifies a person as a dog expert?
An expert, more generally, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability based on research, experience, or occupation and in dog training care and behaviour and or a particular area of canine study and practice. Experts are called in for practical advice and teach the pet dog owner those skills required to achieve a dog training standard or problem solving issue, dog trainers do not always agree on the particulars of a field of study, solutions or techniques.
The Guild of Dog Trainers is a member of the Pet Education Training and Behaviour Council