In pursuit of help training their service animals, owner trainers are frequently taken advantage of. AAAA keeps a database of trainers who we have vetted to assist these individuals on their service dog journey. 

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Trainers who achieve AAAA Vetted Trainer Status meet the following conditions:

• Demonstration of an ongoing commitment to our core values, evident in training and business practices

• At least two years of PROFESSIONAL experience with service dogs (training your personal service dog is excellent, but not professional experience) in order to ensure adequate skills to support in specific challenges associated with service dog training

OR

• Ongoing learning and mentorship with a qualified trainer with over three years of PROFESSIONAL experience with service dogs, to be provided as an additional professional reference

• AAAA does not subscribe to any particular training "camp" (ie: balanced, force free, LIMA, etc.) believing that real life has considerable amounts of nuance related to the wellbeing of disabled handlers and accessibility of quality training. However, we view service dogs as sentient partners, not tools. A trainer's philosophy and training style should uplift the wellbeing of the dog as a core tenant, never being compulsive in nature.

 

Vetted AAAA trainers receive a certificate, are added to our database, and may list the credential AAAA-VT after their name in their website, bio, and professional contacts. AAAA vetting is a voluntary service, presently free of charge to the trainer. We encourage but do not require vetted trainers to show support for our mission by contributing materials to our free training services library, creating low cost community services, or joining our vetting committee. Information on how to participate in these activities is included in notification of AAAA-VT status. 

 

Trainers may apply for AAAA-VT status once every 6 months until accepted.