Join The Dog Trainer School and get your ABTC registration
Whether you’re qualified or in need of assessment, we’re ABTC-approved and ready to help you join the register.
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How do you qualify to register with the ABTC?
To join the ABTC as a registered practitioner, you must evidence your knowledge and understanding AND your practical skills.
This is to ensure that all their registered practitioners are exemplary in their understanding of the theory and able to put it into practice with the animals and people they support.
Before you can join the register, you need to be able to evidence your competence in both areas.
The Dog Trainer School is an ABTC-approved Assessing Organisation & a Practitioner Organisation.
We can assess your prior knowledge and skills AND your practical skills.
AND
We can provide the ongoing support, CPD, and access you need to be a registered ABTC practitioner.
Which qualifications count to evidence your knowledge & understanding?
The ABTC maintains a list of recognised courses and qualifications that can be used to evidence the Knowledge & Understanding requirements for registration.
If you already hold an ABTC-recognised qualification, you won’t need to complete the Knowledge & Understanding assessment with us. You can move straight on to having your practical skills assessed.
Not sure whether your qualification is recognised? You can check the ABTC’s current list below.
Don’t have a recognised qualification?
That doesn’t mean you need to go back to college or start another course. You can still be assessed through the APEL route, which allows you to evidence the knowledge and experience you’ve already gained throughout your career.
Hold a recognised qualification but need to get your practical skills assessed?
If you’ve already got the qualification that evidences your knowledge and skills - but still need your practical skills assessed and certified, we’re here to help.
It can all be done online and we’ll guide you every step of the way.
This assessment is about showing you can do the job. It’s not about being a Spielberg level director, so don’t worry about your camera set up or artistry! We’ll guide you on how best to film your training so we can see what we need to assess.
And you won’t be marked on surprise criteria, you’ll know beforehand exactly what we’re assessing so you don’t have to second guess yourself.
Animal Trainer (AT)
Level 3
For professionals who train dogs directly.
For your practical assessment you’ll need:
Access to at least one dog that you can train and film.
Animal Training Instructor (ATI)
Level 4
For professionals who teach people to train their own dogs.
For your practical assessment you’ll need:
A group class with 3+ handlers and dogs, plus at least one 1-2-1 client.
How much does it cost?
Because your recognised qualification has already evidenced your Knowledge & Understanding, you only need to pay for the Practical Skills assessment.
Animal Trainer (AT)
£220
Animal Training Instructor (ATI)
£270
The assessment fee covers your Practical Skills assessment and certification once you have successfully demonstrated that you meet the required standard.
Ready to get assessed?
Secure your place with a £100 deposit
Payment plans are available.
What happens after you pass your assessment?
Once you pass your assessment, you’re eligible to join the ABTC register. To do so, you’ll need to belong to a practitioner organisation.
The Dog Trainer School membership is £19.99 a month and gives you access to the register (and a lot more).
There is no additional fee for verifying your recognised qualification for the knowledge and skills element. The only extra cost is your registration fee of £18 payable to the ABTC and your membership with a practitioner organisation.
Joining us gives you unparalleled support and resources that’ll save you time, grow your confidence and inspire you with ideas for classes, workshops and so much more.
Already hold a recognised qualification & on the register - wanna move to TDTS?
If you’re already registered with the ABTC as an Animal Trainer (AT) or Animal Training Instructor (ATI), but would like to transfer to a new practitioner organisation - we’d love to have you.
Moving to us requires no assessment. We verify your existing registration and handle all the admin of maintaining your ABTC registration.
You’re not tied to staying with the same organisation for the entirety of your career, so you can transfer anytime.
If you are paying an organisation that takes your renewal every year and gives you very little in return, we think you’ll love The Dog Trainer School.
Our membership is £19.99 a month and you get a frankly insane amount in return for your membership.
Here are just a handful of the highlights to help you decide if joining us is right for you:
★ Instant access to our full resource library
★ Complete course plans & workshop templates
★ Handouts & cheat sheets
★ Weekly live clinics with Lee
★ Q&As & guest expert sessions
★ Business builder sessions with Helen
★ T&C templates, onboarding resources and more
★ Priority access to practical skills workshops and in-person events
Plus you’ll be eligible to become a Dog Trainer School Product tester - which gives you access to free products that’ll far outweigh your membership fee.
What if I fail the assessment?
Firstly, we will do our best to help make sure you’re ready for the assessment before you take it - you can take our free readiness quiz here or book a free call to talk it through with us here.
If there is a part of the assessment that you don’t pass, you’ll receive clear written feedback on why - so you know what you need to focus on to meet the standard.
Once you’re ready to retake, you can simply re-submit the specific parts that were needed for a resubmission fee of £125. You don’t have to redo the whole thing or pay the full assessment fee again.
There's no limit on attempts and no time pressure.
Can I be a member of more than one practitioner organisation?
You certainly can! If you’re already a member of another organisation but would like the support of The Dog Trainer School, there’s nothing stopping you being a member of more than one!
If you’d like to transfer to us but are waiting for your membership with another organisation to expire, you’re more than welcome to join us while you wait and get instant access to our support and resources.
I’m not sure if I’m ready for the practical assessment, how will I know?
We know that assessments can be daunting and the fear of the unknown can make us feel a bit apprehensive.
We offer a free, no-pressure call to talk through your worries and give you an honest appraisal of whether you’re ready.
Eventus
Sunderland Road
Market Deeping
Peterborough
PE6 8FD
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