Local Dog Training Company Earns Prestigious CCPDT Certification as Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA®)

Washington, DC, United States, December 1, 2021–Patrick’s Pet Care is proud to announce that five members of its team have achieved CPDT-KA® professional certification by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT)—making it the only brick-and-mortar pet care company in DC to have multiple CPDT-KA’s on staff. There are only 65 other CPDT-KA’s in the DMV.

What does this alphabet soup mean? CPDT-KA® certification recognizes the knowledge and experience of professional dog trainers. Certificants must provide references that attest to their work and pass a rigorous written exam containing 180 questions that focuses on the science behind dog behavior and the application of training techniques. CPDT-KA® certification provides an independent, scientifically valid measure of an individual’s understanding of the field of dog training, including instruction skills, learning theory, ethology, equipment, and animal husbandry.

“Patrick’s Pet Care has always been dedicated to applying modern behavioral science to pet care,” says Patrick Flynn, founder of Patrick’s Pet Care. “Now, we can confidently say that we are certified on current, sound, scientific principles that work in the best interest of your pup.”

The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers is the only independent assessment and certification authority for dog trainers in the United States. Unlike guilds and associations which you can pay to join, you can’t call yourself a CPDT-KA® unless you’ve passed a comprehensive exam. And, until the industry is more regulated and licensed, literally anyone can call themselves a “dog trainer.” So if you’re looking for a dog trainer, make sure they have this certification first by looking them up on the CCPDT’s website.

CCPDT® requires its certificants to adhere to its Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics and Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive (LIMA) Effective Behavior Intervention policies. Certificants must engage in on-going continuing education to maintain the credential. These rigorous standards ensure that CPDT- KA® certificants are actively engaged in professional development and applying the most current science and techniques with their clients. Established in 2001, CCPDT is the leading independent certifying organization for the dog training profession. 

“Our team puts in countless hours of professional development and continued education each year,” explains Flynn. “All paid for by the company because we understand how critically important it is to invest in our staff and ensure we’re practicing what we preach by providing the latest science-based, fear-free, force-free service to the dogs in our care.”

Patrick’s Pet Care offers many opportunities for canine training and enrichment through its fear-free, force-free Dog Montessori School, Day Care 101, Enrichment 1:1, Puppy Head Start, private training, and Enrichment Dog Walk programs. Local dog owners interested in experiencing the fear-free, force-free difference can learn more on their website, www.PatricksPetCare.com.

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Patrick’s Pet Care is an award-winning local dog care company offering fear-free, force-free Dog Montessori School, training, and grooming. Its science-based, innovative Dog Montessori School has received accolades in The Washington Post, Washington Business Journal, and Washingtonian, and the business has been voted “Best of DC” three times by readers of Washington City Paper. Patrick’s Pet Care is a mission-driven, women-managed, gay-owned small business that celebrates diversity, pays a living wage, and only uses pain-free, force-free, and fear-free practices in caring for your dog(s). www.PatricksPetCare.com. 

Contact: Megan Flynn

[email protected]