Stop Piecing It Together: Why the DCBC Standalone Exists

If you've been training dogs for a few years, you already know the drill.

You take a seminar on reactivity in the spring, watch some webinars on fear-based aggression in the spring, attend a conference in the fall, and watch a handful more webinars through the winter months. You regularly read books, follow a dozen behaviour consultants online, and slowly build a mental patchwork of what to do when a client walks in with a dog who's shut down, snapping, or reacting.

It works, sort of. Until it doesn't.

Because piecing together your behaviour education from disconnected sources means you're also piecing together how those pieces fit. And you’re doing it with no one checking your work, no structured hands-on practice, and no mentor to tell you when you're about to get in over your head with a case that's outside your scope.

That gap is exactly why we built the DCBC (Dogma Certified Behaviour Consultant) as a standalone program to build off the DDT (Dogma Dog Trainer) foundation course.

This Isn't an Entry-Level Course

The Dogma Certified Behaviour Consultant standalone track isn't open enrollment, and that's on purpose.

To qualify, you need to already hold an active CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, DDT, ADT designation (or equivalent - reach out if you're not sure where yours fits). If you are not a DDT, you need at least two years working as a professional trainer, with a minimum of 450 hours logged in the past 12 months. You'll also need to pass an entrance exam at 80%.

We built it this way because the DCBC covers complex, high-stakes work like fear, reactivity, anxiety, and aggression, and we're not interested in handing that designation to someone who hasn't already proven they can handle the fundamentals. This program is for trainers who are ready to go deeper, not for trainers who are just getting started.

Twelve Months, Not a Weekend

The standalone DCBC runs as a 12-month program, and it's structured, not self-paced. Everyone moves through the material as a group, because the behaviour work builds progressively and each concept sets up the next.

Here's what's inside it:

• Theory covering the hard stuff like complex behaviour problem-solving, fear, reactivity, anxiety, aggression, consulting skills, and compassion fatigue, plus guest speakers throughout the program.
• A minimum of 120 hours of class observation and 60 hours of private training observation, so you're seeing real work before you're expected to do it.
• Two required 3-day workshops working with dogs struggling with fear, reactivity, and/or over-arousal, along with focus on teaching group classes, private training, and dog-dog interactions.
• Monthly live workshops, webinars, and mentor sessions built into the program itself, not offered as an afterthought.
• Three completed case studies, reviewed with written feedback.
• A final assessment that includes written and video analysis along with the case studies.

You're not collecting a certificate at the end of a few Zoom calls. You're building a body of supervised, documented experience.

Graduation Isn't the Finish Line

One of the things that sets Dogma Academy programs apart is that we don't disappear once you pass. DCBC graduates get lifetime access to our community through monthly mentor hours, regular self-care sessions, social hours, ongoing continuing education opportunities, and discounted rates on future Dogma programs, seminars, and workshops.

That's not a revenue stream for us. It's the whole point. Behaviour work is isolating enough already as reactive and aggression cases carry a weight that's hard to explain to anyone who hasn't sat with a growling dog and an overwhelmed client in the same room. You shouldn't have to carry that alone just because you already have letters after your name.

If You're Already a Trainer, Ask Yourself This

Have you ever finished a seminar on aggression cases and thought, okay, but now what? Have you ever taken on a fear case because no one else in your area would, and quietly hoped you were doing right by that dog?

That's the gap the standalone DCBC was built to close. Not more information, but instead a real foundation, hands-on practice, and a community that sticks around after the workshop ends.

Two intakes per year: Fall and Spring. If you're a certified trainer ready to build real depth in behaviour work, not just add another certificate to the pile, book a free 15-minute Q&A, or reach out and let's talk about whether it's the right fit.