Pro Trainer Academy

Empower Your Passion, Elevate Your Skills: Whether Aspiring to Train or Seeking Exceptional Training for Your Dog, Your Journey to Excellence Begins Here

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A structured path into professional-level dog training

Built around real decision-making, accountability, and responsibility to dogs and clients

Becoming a professional dog trainer is not defined by a title or a certificate.
It is defined by the quality of decisions you make — especially when situations are complex, imperfect, or unfamiliar.

Professional-level training requires the ability to:

Observe accurately
Interpret behavior thoughtfully
Choose appropriate strategies
Adjust when outcomes don’t match expectations

This pathway exists to develop those skills deliberately and responsibly.

This page outlines how our professional trainer pathway is structured, who it is intended for, and how to begin.

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This Is a Progressive Training Pathway

The Training Academy is not designed to function as a single, standalone program.

Professional-level training depends on shared language, foundational frameworks, and a consistent way of analyzing dogs and behavior. Without that common foundation, advanced discussion and mentorship quickly become fragmented and ineffective.

For that reason, this pathway is intentionally structured as a progression.

Advancement is based on demonstrated understanding, engagement, and readiness — not enrollment or interest alone. The work builds over time, and each phase prepares candidates for the next level of responsibility.

This structure allows training conversations to move beyond surface-level techniques and into the kind of nuanced decision-making that real dogs and real clients require.

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Who This Pathway Is Designed For

This professional training pathway is intended for individuals who are genuinely interested in developing the skills and judgment required to work responsibly with dogs and clients.

It is a good fit for those who:

Take learning seriously and are willing to spend time developing foundations
Are open to having their thinking examined, questioned, and refined
Understand that progress comes from practice, feedback, and reflection
Are interested in long-term competence rather than quick outcomes

This pathway tends to work best for people who are curious, self-reflective, and willing to engage with complexity rather than relying on fixed rules or formulas.

Not everyone who explores this page will choose to pursue the full pathway, and not everyone who begins will advance to the academy. That is a natural and expected part of a progression built around readiness and responsibility.

Why This Pathway Exists

Dog training decisions have real consequences.
They affect animal welfare, client trust, and long-term outcomes — often in situations that are nuanced, imperfect, and time-sensitive.

While there is no shortage of information available about dog training, there is far less emphasis on developing the judgment required to apply that information responsibly. Knowing what to do is not the same as understanding why, when, or whether it is appropriate in a given situation.

This pathway exists to address that gap.

It is designed to support the development of:

Thoughtful decision-making under real-world conditions
Accurate observation and interpretation of behavior
Ethical consistency across a wide range of scenarios
Professional accountability to dogs, clients, and the broader community

By structuring training as a progression, this pathway prioritizes depth, reflection, and responsibility over speed. The goal is not to produce trainers quickly, but to support the development of trainers who can think clearly, adapt appropriately, and act in the best interests of the dogs and people they serve.

Step 1: Communicate with Clarity Membership — Foundations & Orientation

All individuals interested in pursuing the professional training pathway begin in Communicate with Clarity Obedience Membership.

This phase serves as both a learning environment and an orientation to how training decisions are approached within this program. It is where foundational concepts are introduced, shared language is established, and expectations around thoughtful training are made clear.

During this phase, participants focus on:

Understanding core training principles and terminology
Learning how dogs and behavior are analyzed within this framework
Developing observation and self-assessment skills
Engaging in ongoing discussion within a professional learning community

The Communicate with Clarity Obedience Membership also provides an opportunity for mutual evaluation. Participants can explore whether this approach aligns with their learning style and goals, while we gain insight into how individuals engage with material, think through problems, and apply feedback over time.

There is no required timeline for this phase. Progress is based on demonstrated understanding, engagement, and readiness to take on greater responsibility.

The Communicate with Clarity Obedience Membership is a required foundation for the academy pathway, and an important step in determining whether continuing forward is the right fit for both the participant and the program.

Learn About Communicate with Clarity Obedience Membership

Goals Within Communicate with Clarity Obedience Membership

The Communicate with Clarity Obedience Membership is not passive learning.
Participants who wish to pursue the professional training pathway are expected to gain hands-on experience training three different dogs.

All dogs begin with the same foundation, using positive reinforcement-based teaching to establish clarity, engagement, and learning mechanics. From there, training progresses into the Thoughtful Use of Pressure, where candidates are expected to demonstrate competency across differing training approaches.

Specifically, candidates will be required to train:

One dog using positive reinforcement only
One dog using thoughtful, appropriate use of an e-collar
One dog using thoughtful use of corrections, without an e-collar

This requirement exists to develop breadth of understanding, not allegiance to a single method.

We are not interested in cultural or ideological divisions within dog training.
We are interested in developing trainers who can evaluate individual dogs, contexts, and outcomes — and select the most appropriate tools accordingly.

Exposure to multiple training approaches strengthens judgment, even for those who ultimately choose to specialize. Understanding how and why different methods work equips trainers to think critically, communicate clearly, and act responsibly.

Learning is not about choosing sides.
It is about becoming a more capable, informed, and adaptable professional.

To advance beyond the Communicate with Clarity Obedience Membership and into the next phase of the professional pathway, candidates must submit proof of training work demonstrating competence across these three dogs.

Readiness Assessment

Completion of the work outlined within the Communicate with Clarity Obedience Membership allows candidates to move forward to a Readiness Assessment.

The Readiness Assessment exists to evaluate applied skill, judgment, and consistency across the required training work. It is not a test of memorization or ideology, but a review of real training decisions made with real dogs.

Submission of a Readiness Assessment includes a review fee, which reflects the time required to evaluate training work and provide individualized feedback. Submission of materials does not guarantee advancement.

Candidates who demonstrate sufficient competency across the required work advance to the next phase of the professional pathway.

The expectations for this assessment are clearly defined and stable, so candidates can prepare intentionally and submit when they believe their work reflects readiness.

Candidates who do not advance with all three dogs will have the opportunity to resubmit work for the remaining dog(s).

Next Steps…

Ready to begin? You can now enroll directly in Phase 1 of the Pro Trainer Academy by joining the Communicate with Clarity Membership. That's it. Join the Membership and start learning. We also suggest downloading the Assessment Curriculum soon so that you start working towards that.

Still deciding if this is the right fit? Let’s chat.
I’d love to learn more about your goals and help you determine if this program aligns with your vision. Schedule a free virtual consultation with me, Cherie Flores, and let’s explore what’s possible together.

Whether you’re ready to jump in or just gathering information, I’m here to guide you through the next step. Let’s turn your passion into a career you love.

We’re here to help you make your dream career a reality!

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