Gold Country Dog Trainer Academy
Premier Trainers Program
Helping Aspiring Trainers Reach Their Dreams
Imagine...
Work that doesn't feel like work...
Earning an income by indulging in your passion for dogs...
Having everything you need to confidently help owners have the dog of their dreams...
Having the flexibility to learn and grow as a professional, at your own pace, and move down a new career path, even with your busy life.
Being a member of a community to get ongoing support, work through challenging cases, and be inspired by others...
Experiencing ongoing support/mentoring from an expert who does every day, what you aspire to do...
Perhaps you've always wanted a career in training dogs but never felt confident about how to get started.
What if you could enroll in a program that can take you there?
That could help you obtain the skills to train dogs AND the skills to run your own business?
That can give you significant hands-on experience to build your confidence in your own skills and abilities…
Can you imagine?
If you can, the Premier Trainer Program is for you!
Gold Country Trainer Academy has a comprehensive, hybrid (online/ in person) that will give you the knowledge, confidence, and skills to help virtually any behavioral problem that you will encounter.
You will have an amazing foundation to launch into your choice of specialty programs if you desire or focus on serving an amazing array of obedience needs for pets and their parents!
How Amanda’s tragedy came to become Gold Country K9 Trainers Academy:
Screeeeeeeech… I heard the sickening sound as I saw my best friend roll under the car’s bumper, and bounce underneath the chassis, but thankfully came running out after the car rolled over her. Her leg was obviously broken, other injuries unknown… all because she didn’t come when I called her. I failed her. I needed help.
Hi. My name is Cherie Flores. I got help. In the form of a super trainer. But it turns out Amanda was “that dog”. You know the one we (erroneously) label difficult, stubborn, independent and the yank and crank worked beautifully if we were on leash… off-leash, she was at risk. Eventually, my trainer evolved to newer methods (in the mid ’90s), and Amanda became the dog of my dreams. Through primarily positive reinforcement and focus on relationship, everything changed for us. I was hooked, and I began teaching at my trainer’s classes where I helped hundreds and hundreds of dogs and owners just like us.
I then found my way to Search and Rescue where I certified two different Search Dogs and participated in numerous searches all over California and Nevada. Working with dogs to look for people whose lives were depending on us brought a depth to my relationship with my dogs that I did not know was possible.
I began competing in the sport of Schutzhund. I loved the sport because of the details needed to get precise obedience. It required me to really learn about dogs in ways that I never understood before. To get mastery in the sport, one has to learn clear communication as well as understand innate drives. I have since titled 10 dogs, currently working my 6th young competition dog toward his IGP3. I have been fortunate enough to have competed twice at the World Universal Sieger Championships… once in Belgium and once in England. Even though I have mastered much of the intricacies, I am always the student trying to improve my skills even more. I will always be a lifelong learner.
In 2010, We opened a facility where we do all the dog sports, and we have an exceptionally busy training program. We teach dog sports (dock diving, barn hunt, scent sports, Schutzhund, and some AKC), obedience coaching, and board and train programs, ranging from the family dog to major aggression issues.
My focus on communication in sports shines through in these programs, helping to solve behavioral problems easily. We have put together comprehensive solutions for people’s problems, with a special niche in dealing with aggression issues and working dogs. We have been helping people’s companions become better behaved, compete in sports, or become competent working service dogs for many years. We also work with a non-profit creating training curriculum to train inmates at our local prison. We train the inmate trainers to train dogs for service work and solve behavioral problems to place difficult shelter dogs!
Now, it is my turn to share my knowledge from my incredibly diverse background and help the next generation of trainers become the best they can be!
Benefits you'll receive by joining us:
Create thoughtful Assessments of Teams
You will learn how to assess a team's (both dog and person) strengths and weaknesses so that you can create a comprehensive plan to help them achieve their goals.
Communication with Clarity
You will have the confidence to train a dog in a way that generates excellent results with the least amount of stress and frustration.
Confidence in Handling all types of dogs
Through our Comprehensive Hands-on Training, you will become confident about handling even difficult dogs… that is after all what we often get called for!
Intensive Knowledge
By applying the intensive knowledge that you acquire in this program, you will build solid obedience foundations and transforms and transform dog behavior for dogs of all ages and behavior challenges.
Marketing
We teach you the best strategies for marketing in order to attract your ideal clients.
Business Plan
Not only do we tackle the dogs, but we teach you all the aspects of running a business and help you create your very own customized business plan so you can hit the ground running upon graduation.
A Proven Program
Gold Country Trainer Academy is much more than an online course. It’s a comprehensive, hybrid (online and in-person) coaching and mentoring program that provides you with education and support across an entire year. Through a combination of online learning to get you started and in-person learning to get you hands-on directly with us, you will develop the necessary skills and support system to feel confident taking on clients on your own or working at a facility, depending on whatever direction you decide to take your training career.
Our Program is split into three distinct phases:
Phase 1
Online: 3-6months
Done from the comfort of your own home on your own schedule.
You will learn the following:
- Understanding Dog Behavior
- How to Communicate Clearly based on how dogs learn best
- How to use a balanced approach to training with a heavy emphasis on positive reinforcement but still ensuring reliability while maintaining a happy confident dog
Phase 2
In-person: 5 weeks Intensive in Person*
During this time, you will get a hands-on experience in all areas of our facility and all things dog:
- Boarding dogs (especially challenging ones) - you need to know how to handle dogs that are in stress due to being in an unfamiliar environment. There is no better way to hone your skills than getting your hands on all types of dogs.
- Training dogs - you will train 3 board and train dogs from start to finish during this time so that you learn how to put into practice the skills you learned in Phase 1 in a quick and efficient timeframe.
- You will bring your own dog to work on advanced skills, such as heeling and retrieving.
- You will get exposure by shadowing client interactions, sports classes, and service dog outings. You will have the opportunity to work your own dog in these venues.
- *Opportunity to do this curriculum from home and reduce the 5 weeks down to one week, but we strongly recommend coming for five weeks to immerse yourselves in the dog training business.
Phase 3
Online: Practicum
Once you have completed Phase 1 and Phase 2, you must show that you internalized the skills in training, assessments, creating curriculum, and business aspects. You will have set the stage for you to hit the ground running in your own business. You may then enroll in our Practicum.
Successful completion of the practicum is required for certification.
At the Gold Country Trainer Academy, you’ll learn how to create a powerfully effective curriculum for teaching dogs and owners.
By the end of the program, you will also be able to:
- Identify how best to assess a human/k9 teams’ strengths and weaknesses
- Identify how to create programs for human/k9 teams which emphasize teaching through positive reinforcement, but polishing with pressure as needed to secure reliable behaviors
- Identify commonly made errors in communication between handler and dog and create a plan to fill in the holes based on the team’s capabilities
- Learn to create customized approaches to multiple types of dogs and students based on their needs and abilities
- Create a clear business plan that you can put into action to get a jump start on your new career
We take a science-based, multi-pronged approach to learning that ensures you have a highly effective learning experience.
Through our proven, program, you will gain expertise in the following ways:
ONLINE MODULES & LESSONS
Using video lectures, demonstrations, downloadable templates, worksheets, action guides, and video recorded exercises, our Gold Country K9 Trainer Academy team will help you acquire the confidence and knowledge needed to safely design and implement comprehensive programs to help dogs and their humans become the best cohesive team possible.
LIVE GROUP COACHING CALLS
Live, online group calls provide guidance and support to ensure you have an exceptional course experience. You will have opportunities to engage one-on-one with your instructors, guest speakers, other students, and program alumnae to expand your knowledge. This is a truly interactive and engaging online experience that's designed to meet your individual needs.
ONLINE AND IN-PERSON COACHING & MENTORING
You will have opportunities throughout the program to work with dogs, apply what you're learning, and then receive personalized feedback. During these personalized sessions, you will receive customized feedback from one of our team members, get answers to your questions, and continue to advance your canine communication knowledge and skills. Most feedback will be done in the group format so that each student can benefit from the collective dogs in class. Because training varies from dog to dog, it is important for students to have enough exposure to different experiences, not just their own personal ones. We often benefit from watching others more than when we are working ourselves. Both are important.
EXCLUSIVE ONLINE COMMUNITIES
When you enroll in our Spring 2022 program, you will receive 12-months access to our robust Facebook group. There you will find an exclusive and supportive, online community. Here you can connect with our coaches, ask questions, gain access to additional resources, network with other canine fitness professionals, and connect with other like-minded individuals. This is a great way to stay motivated and inspired and meet other canine fitness enthusiasts during your time in the program and after you graduate.
ADDITIONAL MEMBER BENEFITS
Upon successful completion of Phase 1 & 2 of the program, you will:
- Receive Certificates of Completion from Gold Country Trainers Academy
- Be eligible to apply to the GCTA Premiere Trainers Practicum. Successful completion of the Practicum experience leads to becoming a Certified GCTA Premiere Trainer
- Receive a special invitation to join our Alumni Program for ongoing support, continuing education, and access to special guest speakers and content updates to the program
- The ability to enter any of our specialty programs, such as Service Dogs, Detection Dogs, Advanced Behavior Modification Work
Next Steps...
If what you’ve learned sparks your interest, start by taking the Dog Trainer Quiz so we can see your strengths and weaknesses. Then we can schedule an appointment!
Our admissions team will review your information and reach out with suggested next steps. This may be a 1-on-1 consultation with one of our K9 specialists or recommendations sent via email.
We're here to help you make your dream career a reality!
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