Dog training hours that do not count
Four kinds of hours do not count toward the 300: any hours with your own dog; assisting hours beyond the first 75; any hours older than the last 3 years; and, on the behavior consultant log, group hours from basic obedience classes. Rows with acronyms or with more than one client are not a question of counting but of form: fix them before you submit.
Your own dog
The handbook and both log instructions say training hours cannot be earned by working with your own dog. That includes competition training, puppy raising of your own dog and demonstrations with your own dog. The log on this site keeps an own dog row so your records are complete, and leaves it out of every total.
Old rows and the assisting cap
Only the last 3 years count, and only the month and year of each row are reviewed. This site counts the 36 calendar months ending with the month of your count date, so a whole month is in or out. Assisting hours above 75 are kept but not counted.
Behavior consultant candidates have one more rule: group hours count only from specialized classes dedicated to fear, phobias, anxiety or aggression, never from basic obedience classes, according to the behavior log instructions.
Rows that count but need fixing
Some rows count toward the hours but break a rule about how the log is written. They will not cost you hours if you fix them before you copy the log into the application, so this site counts them and shows a warning instead of leaving them out.
- Acronyms anywhere in the row, such as a title, a club or a method written in capitals. Spell them out.
- More than one client or facility in one row, such as two names joined by and. Split the row.
- Two rows of the same kind for the same client in the same month. Combine them into one.
The log also cannot show two things the application asks for separately: the signed attestation statement and your age and education. Keep those in mind while you finish the hours.
Worked example: 185 hours logged, fewer counted
A trainer logs 185 hours: 40 hands-on with a client, 30 with their own dog, 25 with a client in May 2023 and 90 of shelter volunteering. Counted by this site's engine as of 27 September 2026, with the window starting in October 2023: 115 hours count.
The own dog row (30 hours) is out, the May 2023 row is outside the window, and 15 of the shelter hours are above the 75 hour cap. You can see the same breakdown for your own rows on the progress page.
Common mistakes
- Counting practice with your own dog for sports or titles.
- Keeping assisting hours past 75 in your total.
- Counting rows from more than three years before you apply.
- Counting a basic obedience class as behavior group hours.
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
What if I train my own dog in front of a class as a demo?
The time with your own dog does not count. The time you spend instructing the handlers in that class is hands-on and does count.
Can extra assisting hours replace old hands-on hours that dropped out?
No. At most 75 assisting hours count at any time, and at least 225 must be hands-on.
Does this site delete rows that do not count?
No. It keeps every row and says why a row is not counted, so your record stays complete.
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: Own dog hours, the assisting limit and the three years.
- 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: Own dogs, acronyms and only month and year reviewed.
- CBCC-KA Online Training Log Instructions, Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, 2025 edition, template upload or direct entry, read 27 September 2026. Used for: No group hours from basic obedience classes.
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.