The 300 dog training hours, explained
The CPDT-KA needs a log of at least 300 dog training hours from the last 3 years, at least 225 of them hands-on and no more than 75 assisting.
Hours can be paid or volunteer. Hands-on training means teaching classes, private lessons, consulting with clients or training dogs yourself; assisting means related work. Hours with your own dog never count. You also need a signed attestation statement, and you must be at least 18 with a high school diploma or equivalent.
Build your training log in six steps
These steps work with a spreadsheet or the training log on this site, which checks each row and totals the hours for you.
- Keep session notes as you go. Date, client or facility, what you did and for how long. These are for you; the application wants monthly summaries.
- Add up each client's hours for the month. At the end of the month, total the hours for each client or facility.
- Split hands-on from assisting. Hands-on and assisting hours for the same client go on two separate rows.
- Write one row per client per month. Month and year, the client or facility, the type of service, the type of training and the hours.
- Spell everything out. No acronyms anywhere in the log, and no rows for your own dog.
- Check the window before you apply. Only the last three years count. Rows older than that drop out of the total.
The numbers
| Requirement | Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 300 hours | In the last 3 years, paid or volunteer. |
| Hands-on | At least 225 | Teaching, lessons, consulting with clients, training dogs; includes an assistant who actively instructs. |
| Assisting | At most 75 | Shelter volunteering, case discussions with other trainers, plan design, vet tech or grooming work, assisting without instructing. |
| Own dog | Never | Hours training your own dog do not count. |
The 75 hour limit on assisting is a cap, not a target. You can log more assisting hours, but no more than 75 of them count, so the other 225 hours have to be hands-on. In practice that means 225 hands-on hours is only enough if you also have the full 75 assisting hours.
What else the application asks for
- A signed attestation statement from a certificant, a veterinarian or another credential listed on the statement form. The handbook says credentials not on the list are not accepted.
- An agreement to the certifying body's standards of practice, code of ethics and the hierarchy of behavior change procedures.
- Being at least 18, with a high school diploma, GED or equivalent.
Since 2025 the log can be uploaded from a template inside the online application or typed in directly, according to the log instructions. The template is not linked from the public certification page, so keep your rows in a form you can copy from.
Worked example: a part time trainer with a gap
A trainer teaches a weekly puppy class, 6 hours a month, and volunteers at a shelter 4 hours a month, both since January 2024: 33 months of rows. Counted by this site's engine as of 27 September 2026: 198 hands-on hours, and 132 assisting hours of which 75 count (57 are above the cap), so 273 counted hours.
Needs 27 more hands-on hours for the 225 minimum and 27 more counted hours for the 300 total, so at least 27 more hands-on hours. At 6 hands-on hours a month, the window would not reach these numbers within ten years. That is not a typo: at 6 hands-on hours a month, three years hold at most 216 hands-on hours, so the window can never reach 225. More shelter hours would not help either. This trainer needs more teaching, not more volunteering.
Common mistakes
- Counting all assisting hours toward the 300 when only 75 can count.
- Logging hours with your own dog.
- Logging sessions instead of monthly summaries per client.
- Using acronyms for services, clubs or titles.
- Forgetting the attestation statement until the last week.
Log your own hours
The log keeps one row per client per month with the role and the hours, flags rows that will not be accepted, and the progress page totals hands-on and assisting hours inside the three year window. Everything stays in this browser.
Frequently asked questions
Do volunteer hours count?
Yes. The handbook says training hours can be paid or volunteer. Volunteering as a trainer is hands-on; volunteering at a shelter in another role is assisting.
Can I use more than 75 assisting hours if I am short on hands-on hours?
No. At most 75 assisting hours count, and at least 225 must be hands-on, so extra assisting hours cannot make up a hands-on shortfall.
Does this site tell me I can apply?
No. It totals the rows you log against the published numbers. Trainer Hours does not determine eligibility. The certifying body decides eligibility.
Sources
Last reviewed 27 September 2026 against:
- CPDT-KA Candidate Handbook, Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, 2026 testing periods, read 27 September 2026. Used for: The 300, 225 and 75 hours, the assistant rule, own dogs, the attestation and age and education.
- CPDT-KA Online Training Log Instructions, Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, 2025 edition, template upload or direct entry, read 27 September 2026. Used for: The row rules, the fields and the 2025 template upload.
- Dog trainer certification, Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, web page listing the 2026 handbook, read 27 September 2026. Used for: The current eligibility list and documents.
This guide is our own summary of the published documents, not legal advice and not a finding about your eligibility; the credentialing authority decides. If it disagrees with the current documents, the documents win. Trainer Hours is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) or any other certifying body. CPDT-KA and CBCC-KA are marks of their owners.