In many areas, there are people working as dog trainers who don't hold certifications. Since they're able to do this, you might wonder why you would want to go through the process of becoming certified to become a dog trainer. Why not just open your business and start training dogs? Well, as it turns out, there are some distinct benefits of becoming a certified dog trainer, even if you are someone who already knows a lot about dog training.

You'll learn a standardized approach.

Yes, you might know the basics about how to train dogs. You may even know some very good techniques for specialized situations. But if you have not gone through a trainer certification program before, you probably have not developed or adopted a streamlined, standardized approach to dog training. When you're training professionally, you really want this streamlined approach that is taught in certification classes. It will help you keep things straight in your mind as you work with a wide range of different dogs and clients.

You can, of course, depart from the standardized approach when you feel it is called for, but having this approach as a fallback will save you a lot of time and help ensure more consistent training between clients. 

You'll learn how to work with clients.

If you have dog training experience, you might already be great with dogs. But what about people? As a professional dog trainer, you also need to interact with the owners of those dogs. You need to do so in a way that conveys information, helps teach those owners, and also makes the owners feel welcome. Most dog training certification courses contain a few units on client interaction, so this is a good way to learn and hone these skills. Dog trainers whose human clients love them get more business!

You'll stand out from the crowd.

When you earn your certification, you can advertise that you have earned that certification. This will help set you apart from other dog trainers who may not be certified. Clients who really care about who is training their dog will often seek out a certified trainer, and you'll be that certified trainer!

While people can and do act as dog trainers without being certified, you really should take a certification course if you're able. You'll be able to do a better job of training dogs, talking to clients, and marketing yourself.

Contact a school like the International School for Certified Dog Trainers to learn more.