Continuing Education

Students in a training classBecause certification is a standardized measure of a professional’s grasp of the Body of Knowledge within a field, education is integral to the certification process—and continuing education is integral to the recertification process.

We continually update our examinations to reflect the latest developments in humane, science-based dog training and behavior modification. That way, your certification remains an accurate gauge of up-to-date skills and knowledge—and reflects your commitment to staying current in your profession.

The content of CEU-eligible educational courses, authored articles, books, and video productions must meet at least one of the testing domains in the content outline for the examination for which you are seeking CEUs. CCPDT reserves the right to deny any application or request additional information regarding course content prior to approving CEUs.

Visit the recertification page for an overview of how many CEUs you need for your designation.

Attend a course

Attend a course whose content covers one or more of the testing domains for the certification you’re seeking. Courses can be College/University Academic Courses, Tele-Classes (both live and recorded), Online Courses, Seminars (both live and recorded), or Hands-On Workshops. See Approved CEU Events.

Note that for CBCC-KAs, courses must be taught by a CBCC-KA, DVM, DACVB, PhD, CAAB, or CDBC. (If the presenter holds another scientifically significant qualification, contact us about the course’s eligibility.)

Present a course

Present a course that meets the subject matter and scientific qualifications outlined above. (Dog training classes and behavior consulting services regularly offered to the public as part of your business don’t qualify for CEUs.)

Author and publish an article

Author and publish an article in a dog industry or peer-reviewed publication that meets the subject matter and scientific qualifications outlined above. By “dog industry publication,” we mean a printed or electronic reproduction distributed by a dog industry organization for sale to the public or as a benefit of paid membership.

Participate in an Item or Exam Review

Participate in an Item or Exam Review for  the certification exam for which you’re applying for CEUs.

How to calculate CEUs

CPDT-KA® or CPDT-KSA® certificants can use CEUs designated CPDT-KA, CPDT-KSA, and CBCC-KA CEUs toward recertification. CBCC-KA® certificants can only use CEUs designated CBCC-KA.

For example, if a course has been granted 4 CBCC-KA CEUs, 2 CPDT-KA CEUs and 1 CPDT-KSA CEU, the following CEUs could be earned toward recertification:

  • CBCC-KA certificants would earn a total of 4 CEUs towards CBCC-KA recertification
  • CPDT-KA certificants would earn 7 CEUs towards CPDT-KA recertification (4 CBCC-KA, 2 CPDT-KA and 1 CPDT-KSA)
  • CPDT-KSA certificants would earn 6 CEUs towards the CPDT-KA portion of their recertification (4 CBCC-KA and 2 CPDT-KA) and 1 CEU towards their KSA portion of the recertification. If the certificant has already obtained sufficient CPDT-KSA CEUs, the CPDT-KSA CEU would be applied toward the CPDT-KA requirement
  • CBCC-KA/CPDT-KA (KSA) certificants would earn 4 CEUs towards their CBCC-KA recertification and 3 towards their CPDT-KA (KSA) recertification.

For more information, please see the CEU Policies.

CEU events

Find approved CEU events to attend

Search among hundreds of CEU-approved events, in-person and online: Approved CEU Events.

Get an event approved for CEUs

Have you attended an educational event?
Will you be hosting an educational event?
Will you be speaking at an educational event?

Enter the details in our CEU Request System. Provided the event meets our requirements for subject matter and scientific standards, we will get back to you with the number of CEUs assigned.

Get a recurring event re-approved

If your event was approved once already and the content is the same, it’s easy to get it reapproved for CEUs. Just enter the validation code you got with the original approval. Reapprove Event

Don’t have your approval code? Contact us with the event details and we’ll check our files.

Note: If anything other than date, time, and location has changed, you will need to submit a new application.

Approved Educational Provider (AEP) Program

CCPDT® recognizes there are experts in the field of dog training and canine behavior consulting who may not meet the Speaker Eligibility Requirements outlined in the CCPDT CEU policy. While CCPDT believes that certification is an important measure of quality and professionalism, the organization also believes that encouraging educational diversity is a key component to a well-educated community.

To support this belief, CCPDT has developed an Approved Educational Provider (AEP) Program. This program allows organizations who are providing continuing education to dog trainers and behavior consultants the opportunity to vet non-credentialed speakers and have their courses approved to offer
CCPDT CEUs.

** CCPDT is currently updating the AEP program to better meet the needs of our providers and certificants. More information will be available in late summer 2024. **