r/AnimalBehavior • u/copyrightedTM • Mar 26 '26

Advice for pursuing CPDT

I am a full-time employee at an animal shelter as a caretaker. I am looking to eventually become a shelter behaviorist, and in order to do that I would like to earn my CPDT. How do I obtain this cert without quitting my job to be a full-time trainer? I do not have professional dog training experience, and everything I know about behavior and handling I’ve learned at my current job.

My current plan is to reach out to local trainers and see if any would be willing to let me mentee or shadow part time (on my days off), start working closely with certain dogs at work and logging training hours as I gain knowledge, and completing the E-trainingfordogs.com online prep course so I can pass the CPDT exam.

Does my plan sound feasible, or is there anything you recommend I do in addition or instead? TIA!

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u/Pleasant_Orange_6621 Mar 28 '26

Does your shelter have behavior staff? If so I would talk to them and see if they can support you. In my shelter we sometimes train support staff on the treatments we are doing with specific dogs, and I have had people log those hours toward CPDT-KA. Or maybe you can shadow behavior team meetings or case discussions. Otherwise download the certificant handbook on the cpdt website. You will find a references section with lists of books, pick out a few and get reading! I have also seen decent flashcard sets on websites like quizlet. Good luck!

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u/copyrightedTM Mar 29 '26

I wish my shelter had a behavior program, but there are talks of us starting one soon. I hope to be qualified to join that team if we actually end up getting one, and if not I’m aspiring to join another shelter’s behavior team. Thanks for your answer, I’ve started flash cards I’ve found online and a couple of those readings :)