The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers® (CCPDT®) is dedicated to advancing the field of professional dog training and behavior consulting by establishing and maintaining industry-recognized baseline standards for certification, continuing education, and ethical practices. By implementing an independent, psychometrically sound certification process, the CCPDT enhances professionalism and credibility within the dog training community, safeguards consumers by identifying qualified professionals, and fosters a commitment to ethical practices and ongoing professional development among our certificants.
Demonstrating professional competence through psychometrically sound certification examinations remains the cornerstone for maintaining the profession’s integrity, preventing poor welfare outcomes, protecting the public from unqualified professionals, and empowering certificants to exercise independent, timely, and ethical professional judgment in the best interest of their clients.
CCPDT certificants offer services across various practice areas, aiming to positively impact the lives of dogs, their owners or caretakers, and their communities. The CCPDT fosters ethical behavior in the profession by establishing objective certification eligibility and maintenance requirements, adopting the ethical standards outlined in these Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics, and enforcing these standards in instances of professional misconduct as specified in the Certification and Disciplinary Procedures policy.
The CCPDT supports effective, humane, practical, and outcome-driven training strategies that are consistently informed by evolving science and real-world experience, bridging the gap between academic theory and practical application. The Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics (Code) guide the professional activities of CCPDT certificants. The Code also provides a way for certificants to evaluate their behavior and for others to assess whether a CCPDT-certified dog trainer or behavior consultant has violated their ethical obligations.
Scope of the Code
The Code applies to all individuals who hold a CCPDT certification (CPDT-KA®, CPDT-KSA®, CBCC-KA®) or have completed a CCPDT certification application. For the sake of efficiency, the term “certificant” is used throughout this document to refer to those who must act in accordance with the Code. The CCPDT does not have authority over dog trainers who are not currently certified through our organization.
The Code governs the professional activities of certificants, encompassing direct service delivery, consultation, supervision, training, management, and other roles in the dog training profession. It dictates certificants’ conduct in all settings and methods of delivery, including in-person interactions, written communication, phone calls, social media, emails, text messages, and video conferencing. The Code pertains to certificants’ personal behavior only when it directly affects their professional responsibilities or poses a potential risk to the health, safety, or welfare of clients, dogs, the community, supervisees, or trainees. This includes situations where a certificant’s personal behavior related to their own dogs, such as neglect, mistreatment, or employing training practices inconsistent with the Code, might reasonably raise concerns about their ability to maintain ethical practices in their professional activities.
Enforcement of the Code
The standards outlined in the Code are not exhaustive, as it is impossible to predict every scenario that could constitute an ethics violation. Therefore, the absence of specific behaviors or actions from these standards does not imply that such behavior is ethical or unethical. The interpretation and application of the standards require careful attention to their wording, intent, and the core principles they embody. Each situation must be assessed practically, considering all relevant factors. Certificants are expected to be knowledgeable about and comply with the Code. A lack of awareness or misunderstanding of this Code cannot be used as a defense against allegations of ethical misconduct.
The Certification Compliance and Disciplinary Procedures outline the CCPDT’s process for addressing ethical misconduct. Certificants who are found to be in violation of the Code may face disciplinary actions, including, but not limited to, supervision periods, required continuing education, suspension or revocation of certification, withdrawal of candidate application approval, or other sanctions as determined by the CCPDT.
Ethical Decision-Making
Certificants will inevitably face complex ethical dilemmas that require careful consideration and adherence to the principles outlined in the CCPDT Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. Trainers should approach these situations by systematically identifying problems, evaluating potential solutions, and ensuring that decisions align with both core principles and specific professional standards. Ethical decision-making involves a thorough assessment of the full context of the situation and the relevant ethical standards.
Certificants must prioritize the safety and well-being of the community, followed by the best interests of their clients, while striving to meet dogs’ needs and enhance their overall well-being. This commitment includes maximizing the use of reinforcement-based training strategies, minimizing reliance on punishment-based methods, and ensuring no harm is done. In all cases, decision-making should be guided by the ethical principles outlined in the Code, ensuring adherence to both its letter and spirit.
Click here for the full Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics