DogSmart Training 100 - 8206 Ontario Street Vancouver, BC. V5X 3E3 Phone: 604-267-9500
Mon-Thurs	11:00am~9:00pm
Friday	Closed
Saturday	9:00am~4:00pm
Sunday	By Appointment
Holidays	Closed

Instructors

Alice Fisher, CPDT- Behaviour Specialist and Training Director
Delores Wall, CPDT - Behaviour Specialist and Certified Trainer
Rita Britton, CPDT - Certified Trainer
Nicole LeBlanc, CPDT- KA - Certified Trainer and Agility Instructor
Tracey Harrison, CPDT- KA - Certified Trainer
Linda Dear - Trainer
Cathie Timascheff - Trainer
Carol Leiren - Operations Director
Shelley Dubé - Administrative Assistant

Helping You Decide!

The DOGSmart Training Systems Professional Team

The DOGSmart Team of instructors is dedicated to furnishing clients with the most effective, non-abusive training and behaviour modification that gives you the knowledge and expertise needed to control your dog. As part of this ongoing commitment, the DOGSmart Trainers and Assistants routinely attend professional development courses, workshops, and symposia both locally and internationally.

Occassionally an individual states that they have apprenticed with DogSmart, or have completed the Apprentice program. Please call us to verify their statement.

Certified Professional Dog Trainer - CPDT-KA

Lower Mainland Dog Trainers, Delores Wall and Alice Fisher earned certification through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), the first national certification for dog trainers in history. Delores and Alice joined more than 400 Certified Professional Dog Trainers in the United States and Canada. Rita Britton received her certification a few years later and in 2009, Nicole LeBlanc and Tracey Harrison earned their CPDT-KA.

Up until the creation of the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers in 2001, there was no true certification process for dog trainers. Many schools teach dog trainers and offer certification for their specific programs. These certificates, therefore, reflect the teachings and quality of a specific school. Other organizations offer take-home tests for "certification". The trainers are not monitored to make sure they are completing the test without any assistance or collaboration, nor is the testing process standardized.

The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers is a true certification entity pursuing accreditation from NOCA, the National Organization for Competency Assurance. The Council administered its first test September 28, 2001.
All test sites are professionally secured and moderated by Professional Testing Corporation of New York.

This unprecedented process was originally implemented by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), the largest association of dog trainers in the world, founded by noted veterinarian, behaviourist and author Dr. Ian Dunbar. Early on, the APDT recognized the need for certification for its profession. Pet dog trainers needed a credible means of measuring their knowledge and skills and the dog-owning public needed a credible barometer for choosing a trainer. A task force of approximately 20 nationally known dog training professionals and behaviourist worked for three years to research and develop the comprehensive written examination. The APDT also hired Professional Testing Corporation to ensure the process met professional testing standards. It then created a separate, independent council--the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers--to manage the accreditation and pursue future development.

Candidates who pass the exam earn the title Certified Professional Dog Trainer and may use the designation, "CPDT" after their names. All certified trainers must earn continuing education credits to keep their designations. Certification currently is CPDT-KA, the KA standing for "Knowledge Assessed".