School for Dog Trainers
The Global Leader in Canine Education
Since 2006, the School for Dog Trainers has been teaching progressive and innovative dog training methods to the next generation of canine professionals. There’s no better place to learn to become a professional dog trainer!
Our curriculum emphasizes a mixture of hands-on dog training with classroom theory – ensuring you are fully prepared to further your career as a dog trainer after graduating. In addition, our programs not only teach you how to train dogs – we also teach essential business and marketing principles to make your dog training career successful.
The School for Dog Trainers offers a variety of extensive and exciting programs to get you started with your dog training career. We offer courses of differing lengths to meet your needs so that you can gain as much knowledge as you need – the variety and quality of our courses have contributed to our reputation as one of the leading dog trainer schools in the United States.
Financing is available for all of our programs, and each of our campus locations can assist with housing for the duration of your studies.
Click below to learn more about what the School for Dog Trainers has to offer you.
Our Programs
The School for Dog Trainers offers seven dog trainer programs across three campus locations. Click on a program below to learn more:
Master Dog Trainer Program
- Main Campus (Harmony, NC)
- Duration: 24 weeks
- Start dates: January and July
Our most inclusive program, the Master Dog Trainer Program will give you the hands-on training and experience necessary to provide a range of dog training programs and services to your customers.
- No prerequisites
- Program includes everything you’ll need to train pet dogs, Police K9s, Service Dogs and SAR dogs
- Learn crucial business and marketing concepts to enhance your career prospects
- Financing available
- GI Bill® and other VA benefits can be used for this program
Service Dog Trainer Program
- Hill Country Campus (Utopia, TX)
- Duration: 18 weeks
- Start dates: January and July
Want to train service dogs? Our Service Dog Trainer Program helps you develops the skills to correctly train service dogs for a variety of tasks, in addition to understanding how to work with their handlers.
- No prerequisites
- Learn how to train Service Dogs for mobility, stability and hearing assistance, as well as autism spectrum disorders and other psychological disabilities
- Learn the complete service dog process – from initial puppy selection to service dog delivery
- Learn crucial business and marketing concepts to enhance your career prospects
- Financing available
Police K9 Trainer Program
- Southeast Campus (Hanceville, AL)
- Duration: 6, 8 or 12 weeks
- Start dates: January, April, July and October
Learn from experienced K9 handlers in the most comprehensive program in the industry. Our Police K9 Instructor Course covers all aspects of police dog training, preparing you to train dogs and the people that handle them.
- Course available in 6, 8 or 12 week durations (6 week course only available for those with more experience)
- Train K9s for patrol functions, drug and explosives detection, trailing, obedience, agility, and more
- Gain invaluable perspectives from our team of expert instructors – many of whom have served as law enforcement officers
- Financing available
Obedience and Behavior Program
- Southeast Campus (Hanceville, AL)
- Duration: 6, 8 or 12 weeks
- Start dates: January, April, July and October
Our most popular 12-week course, the Obedience and Behavior program will give you all the skills necessary for beginning or expanding your professional dog training career.
- No prerequisites
- Teaches you all you need to know about canine behavior and how dogs learn
- Work with a variety of dog breeds to apply behavioral concepts in the real world
- Learn crucial business and marketing concepts to enhance your career prospects
- Financing available
Protection Dog Trainer Program
- Southeast Campus (Hanceville, AL)
- Duration: 6, 8 or 12 weeks
- Start dates: January, April, July and October
In today’s world, protection dogs are a valuable asset to keep families, property and businesses safe. Our Protection Dog Trainer course teaches you precisely how to train dogs for this purpose.
- No prerequisites
- Understand the complete process of training a protection dog, from testing and selection, to complex, real-world training scenarios
- Learn how to correctly decoy and handle protection dogs
- Financing available
Detection Dog Trainer Program
- Southeast Campus (Hanceville, AL)
- Duration: 6, 8 or 12 weeks
- Start dates: January, April, July and October
Our Detection Dog Trainer program provides a concrete foundation for teaching reliable and effective detection dogs to locate a variety of different odors, whether for law enforcement teams or private businesses.
- No prerequisites
- Learn how to train detection dogs for a variety of functions, including explosives and narcotics
- Understand proper imprinting techniques and develop problem-solving skills
- Financing available
Search and Rescue Dog Trainer Program
- Southeast Campus (Hanceville, AL)
- Duration: 6, 8 or 12 weeks
- Start dates: January, April, July and October
Natural and manmade disasters mean that Search and Rescue dogs are always in demand. Our Search and Rescue Trainer program teaches you the skills you need to train effective SAR teams.
- No prerequisites
- Learn how to train disaster, cadaver dogs, trailing dogs, and mor
- Understand how to select, train and maintain a successful SAR dog
- Financing available
Campus Locations
Our programs at the School for Dog Trainers are taught at three campuses across the United States:
- Main Campus (Harmony, NC)
- Southeast Campus (Hanceville, AL)
- Hill Country Campus (Utopia, TX)
Main Campus (Harmony, NC)
Our Main Campus is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, located about an hour north of Charlotte and just minutes from I-77.
The Master Dog Trainer program is taught at our Main Campus location.
This location includes a 50+ acre Canine Education Center with a climate controlled classroom building for an optimal learning experience. Our Canine Development and Education Center is a 23-acre facility with areas set up for agility, detection and other types of specialized dog training.
Student housing is available, with short-term accommodation options on-site and in the surrounding areas. The local area also boasts several RV parks for students with their own RV.
Southeast Campus (Hanceville, AL)
The Southeast Campus of the School for Dog Trainers is situated in Hanceville, Alabama (approximately half an hour from Birmingham, AL).
Several of our programs are taught at our Southeast Campus location, including our Obedience & Behavior, Police K9, Protection, Detection, and Search and Rescue courses.
Our Southeast Campus features a 100+ acre Canine Education Center, home to the classroom and Pro Shop. The Canine Development and Training Center has an abundance of space for a variety of dog training activities.
Student housing is available, with short-term accommodation options located nearby. There are also RV parks close to the campus for those who have their own RV.
Hill Country Campus (Utopia, TX)
Set on 15 beautiful acres in southern Texas, the Hill Country Campus at the School for Dog Trainers is designed for outdoor and indoor dog training activities.
The Hill Country Campus is home to our 18-week Service Dog Trainer program.
Limited housing is available on-site, and there are a variety of rental properties, AirBnB and RV parks nearby.
How To Apply
The first step of our application process is to submit our online pre-application form).
Following completion of our pre-application form, a member of our team will contact you at the email address you provide with details of our full application and next steps.
For any questions on our application process or for more information on our programs, you can email learntotraindogs@highlandcanine.com or call (800) 726-7412.
Why Choose The School For Dog Trainers?
With the pet industry estimated at around 70 billion dollars per year, there is no better time to start your career as a professional dog trainer. Even though a majority of our students enter our programs with the idea of becoming an entrepreneur and opening their own dog training business, others look to working as a professional dog trainer in other areas of the industry.
With the market booming, there are countless opportunities to put your skills to work. Research has also shown that pursuing formal education in dog training can lead to improved career opportunities and increased remuneration.
Many of our graduates have gone on to train dogs for major dog training companies, while others have gained employment as professional detection dog handlers and kennel masters for NGO and government organizations.
The School for Dog Trainers at Highland Canine Training, LLC fully supports our alumni in any way possible. We offer constant support from everything to specialized marketing guidance for dog trainers; assisting with job placement; and providing expert business coaching for their new start ups. We understand that their success is our success!
Testimonials from some of our graduates are shown below.
More Information On The School For Dog Trainers
International Dog Trainer School Students
Our School for Dog Trainers has graduated scores of dog trainers that have gone on to establish profitable and fulfilling dog training careers all over the United States and across the globe.
We have hosted many students from Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia as well as North and South America and the Caribbean. For students traveling from outside the US, we are happy to assist with any necessary Visa and travel documentation that may be required. If you are from outside the United States and are interested in attending a School for Dog Trainers we have compiled information for international dog trainer school students.
Affordable on-site housing is available during our programs. We also offer free airport pick-up and drop-off for students who are traveling by air.
VA Approved Dog Trainer School
Our School for Dog Trainers is approved through the North Carolina State Approving Agency to accept the GI Bill and VA benefits for some of our programs. The programs that are eligible are:
Master Dog Trainer Program
Service Dog Trainer Program
Police K9 Instructor Program
If you are a qualified veteran or family member and are interested in attending our School for Dog Trainers, contact our admissions specialists and they will be happy to assist you with the process.
In many cases, we can also work with students and coordinators to use Vocational Rehabilitation benefits for our dog training programs.
Our Dog Trainer School Schedule
Our dog trainer programs begin on the first Monday of January (Winter semester), April (Spring semester), July (Summer semester) and October (Fall semester). Our Master Dog Trainer Program and our Service Dog Trainer School is offered only during our Winter and Summer Semesters.
View our Program Calendars for each Campus below:
- Main Campus (2025)
- Main Campus (2026)
- Southeast Campus (2025)
- Southeast Campus (2026)
- Hill Country Campus (2025)
- Hill Country Campus (2026)
If you have further questions about our School for Dog Trainers or would like to schedule a tour of our facility, call us locally at 704.539.4102 or toll-free at 800.726.7412 or you can email us at learntotraindogs@highlandcanine.com to start your dog training career today!
Highland Canine Training, LLC – School for Dog Trainers is licensed by the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges.
The North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges is not an accrediting agency.
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