The Academy is an online, $42 per month membership site. You'll have access to it for as long as you're a member.

You'll receive one new level every week.

 Note: The task training library opens up to you in stage two.

You'll have access to the first level and the community immediately upon joining.

Because this is a self-study program that does not require an application process, we do not offer certification at this time.  Instead, the Academy is designed to be an educational program providing students with dog training skills, training plans, and knowledge to train their dogs to a high level.

*At this time, certification is not required in the United States. Click here to learn more about the ADA and how it governs the use of service dogs.

One level in the Academy will be released to you every week. This means you have access to the entire academy in about six months. But every dog-handler team is different and service dogs take two years to fully train.

While there are lots of downloadable resources inside the academy (that you’ll be able to download and keep forever), the videos and lessons are not downloadable. This means you only have access to them while you are a member.

Once you cancel, you’ll lose access to these lessons.

If you and/or your dog are more advanced, you’ll still need to start with the Fundamentals Stage. This is for a few reasons. 

• First, foundation training is always the most important type of training to revisit and return to, even if you’re a professional dog trainer and this is your fifth service dog.
  
  
• Second, as you probably know, there is a lot of variation in how different trainers teach different skills, even among positive reinforcement trainers. But, the thing about our programs is that they are designed to be used as a system, each lesson building off the last the entire way through.  The way we teach each behavior or skill has been chosen specifically to teach not just that behavior but to teach a variety of specific skills simultaneously.

  For example, we know that one way to teach eye contact is with a lure. We purposely teach eye contact without a lure so that we are setting you, and your dog, up for success in upcoming lessons. If you haven't taught eye contact the way we teach it, you'll be more likely to struggle in upcoming lessons.
  
  

  In order for us to teach effectively using this format, we need to know that everyone has learned the same set of foundation skills, behaviors, and physical mechanics.

• Third, if you’re struggling in any area of your dog’s training, there’s a very high chance that it is due to a hole in your dog’s foundation. Patch the hole and you're on the way to solving the problem.
• Fourth, it is simply unethical for us to provide service dog training to students and dogs without any kind of prerequisite. The Fundamentals stage and checkpoint allows us to make sure you and your dog are ready for service dog training (just as we would if we were working with you in person).

The short answer is yes, the course is suitable for dogs of all ages and training levels. The Fundamentals Stage is EXACTLY how we start our own dogs and puppies, regardless of their age.

However, this is why we also include the puppy training library as a bonus. It adds the puppy-specific resources you need.

In order to take advantage of this course, you'll need to be comfortable learning through written text and video examples, comfortable posting videos to our course community, and fluent enough with your computer (or mobile devices) to use the online course and community.

• A computer or mobile device with an up-to-date operating system. We cannot guarantee access to the content from older devices or operating system. 
• A stable internet or cellular connection is required to access the online content. We do not have an option to work offline or download the course material. - A way to print the printable resources. 
• A camera or smartphone for video submission for coaching feedback inside the community. It is also useful to have a tripod or stand to film training sessions. 
• You will need to have basic technology skills and basic knowledge of troubleshooting problems with your equipment.
• You will need to understand how to upload, download, edit your videos, and post in a community platform. 

While we have training videos specific to our platforms, our team is not able to offer in depth individual technical support, so it will be up to each student to ensure they have the skills and equipment necessary for online training.

Yes, however, as a professional trainer, you already know there are as many ways to train a sit as there are trainers to teach it. The thing about our programs is that they are designed to be used as a system, each lesson building off the last the entire way through.  The way we teach each behavior or skill has been chosen specifically to teach not just that behavior but to teach a variety of specific skills simultaneously.

For example, we know that one way to teach eye contact is with a lure. We purposely teach eye contact without a lure so that we are setting the student, and their dog, up for success in upcoming lessons. If a lure is suggested, and used, the student will be more likely to struggle in upcoming lessons.

For this reason, we ask that professional trainers who join refrain from offering alternative ways to teach things, leaving this up to the coaches (who are familiar with the entire curriculum). This way students who are new to training are not accidentally overwhelmed with a variety of options.