Become a Certified Dog Walker

Attend the original Dog Walking Academy course live in San Francisco

Course options Course details Why attend Student reviews

You want to enjoy a stable, profitable dog walking business. We want to help you make that happen.

We’ve set the bar for professional dog walker training and certification since we created the first ever course for dog walkers—the dogtec Dog Walking Academy—in 2004, right here in the SF Bay Area.

We invite you to become a certified dog walker through the original dog walking training and certification course.

You get

Expert dog walking training
Expert dog walking business tips
Hands-on San Francisco dog walking fieldtrip
Professional dog walking certification

Your dog behavior questions answered
Your business challenges solved
Course presentation materials
The Business of Dog Walking training course book

Start a new career

Trade in your desk and boss and coworkers and say goodbye to the office or Zoom in favor of walking dogs in our beautiful SF Bay Area.

Grow your business

Take your current dog walking business to a new level with expanded business confidence and expert insights into dog behavior and training.

Get the best staff

Grow your dog training business with structured, ongoing support from dogbiz coaches and a supportive community of +R trainers as a member of our group coaching program.

The original dogtec Dog Walking Academy is the most complete dog walking training and certification course available in the SF Bay Area or anywhere. If you’re serious about professional dog walking certification, this is the only class to take.

Dog Behavior
Eye-opening lessons in canine learning theory, how to read canine body language, and canine aggression and behavior issues will put to rest all your “Why do they do that?” mysteries.

Walk Management & Training
Time spent together looking at walk management strategies, group handling, and basic dog training for dog walkers will answer all the questions you have about how to stop or change a particular behavior or solve a walking problem.

You’ll learn how to train reliable basic training cues like sit and wait, polite leash walking, and coming when called. You’ll get step-by-step instruction on handling behavior issues, too, like jumping on you or other trail users, lunging, barking, or growling at other dogs while on leash, dogs not getting along in your walking group, and dogs causing trouble in your vehicle. You’ll also master the safest and easiest way to hold and wrangle all those leashes.

Walk Safety
Feel safe, knowing you know what to do no matter what the day throws at you. You’ll earn your Canine 1^st Aid certificate, learn step-by-step emergency protocols, and learn how to predict and avoid common emergency situations and triggers.

Hands-On Fieldtrip
Enjoy a fun, supportive learning experience in a real-world San Francisco dog walking setting. Try out all you’ve learned, show off your skills or master new ones, ask your burning questions, and build your confidence walking dogs in our challenging Bay Area environment.

The Business of Dog Walking
Learn all the top dog walking business tips from the industry expert who created the first ever dog walking training and certification course right here in the SF Bay Area—and literally wrote the book on how to run a successful dog walking business.

Whether you’re starting your dog walking business or growing your existing one, you’ll get key business tips in all areas of your business, from setting (or raising) your rates and protecting your revenue with the most modern policies and practices, to marketing for the best clients and creating a smooth onboarding process for both your human and dog clients. And if you’ve got specific business questions, this will be your chance to ask them.

Staff Training
Got staff you want to confidently rely on and brag to potential clients about? Send them to the original Dog Walking Academy to become certified dog walkers! Many of our graduates send their staff walkers through our certification training course. They love knowing—and bragging—that their team has been through the best dog walking training and certification course in the SF Bay Area. (You have the option of your staff skipping the business portion of our curriculum.)

DWA Tuition

Dog Walking Course Dates
October 7-9, 2022
Class runs 9am-6pm each day

Not in the SF Bay Area? Unable to travel to join us live in San Francisco? Our on-demand online dog walker training course can be taken from anywhere, anytime. Start now and match your pace to your current schedule and responsibilities. [Link to Online DWA page.]

Dog Walking Course Tuition
SF DWA Tuition
$950

Dog Walking Package A

Dog Walking Academy tuition
Business of Dog Walking book
Business Toolkit for Walkers & Sitters

You save: $100

$950 USD

Dog Walking Package B

Dog Walking Academy tuition
Business of Dog Walking book
Business Toolkit for Walkers & Sitters
5 hours of Business Consulting

You save: $150

$1,150 USD

Dog Daycare and Boarding Package

Dog Walking Academy tuition
Business Toolkit for Daycare & Boarding

You save: $100

$2,000 USD

Quick answers to our most common questions:

The minimum age to attend the Dog Walking Academy is 18.

The course is for both experienced and new dog walkers.

Payment plans are available. Email [email protected] to set yours up.

Is the DWA Right For Me?

Our students are a diverse group of dog lovers:

20-somethings starting their first career

More SF Bay Area dog lovers these days are following their passion and choosing dog walking as their first career, becoming certified dog walkers right out of high school or college.

30-40-somethings looking for a career change

Lawyers, accountants, tech workers, ad execs, baristas, teachers, political consultants, writers, engineers, retail workers, waiters, HR directors—we’ve seen SF Bay Area dog lovers seeking dog walking certification for their second (or third or fourth) careers from virtually every industry you can think of.

60-somethings seeking a retirement career

Whether for extra income or personal satisfaction and health, CA Bay Area dog-loving retirees are choosing an active retirement as certified dog walkers.

Highly experienced dog walkers

Professional dog walkers understand that growing up with and loving dogs isn’t enough. They choose to augment their hands-on experience by becoming certified dog walkers armed with up-to-date, science-based learning about dog behavior and handling.

Dog business employees & job seekers

Many dog walking, dog daycare, pet sitting, and boarding companies send their employees to the Dog Walking Academy to become certified dog walkers and fast-track their training in dog behavior, handling, and safety. And many of our students attend to better compete for these jobs.

Our instructors are expert dog trainers with deep experience and top educational credentials.

Dog trainers teach our courses because professional dog walkers skilled in canine learning theory, body language, basic training, and walk management are better prepared to understand and address dog behavior. And that means safer, easier, more enjoyable walks for dogs and walker alike.

Veronica Boutelle

Dog Walking Academy creator, DWA Online Instructor, Business Instructor for In-Person course

The author of How to Run a Dog Business and The Business of Dog Walking, Veronica also writes business columns for multiple dog pro industry journals, including PPG’s Barks from the Guild and APDT’s Chronicle of the Dog. She is a sought-after speaker at conferences and dog training schools across the country and internationally, teaching dog pros how make a living working with dogs in countries ranging from North to South America, Europe to Down Under.

Veronica holds a masters degree in education and has made good use of her previous career as an educator, university lecturer, and curriculum developer to bring more effective education—like the Dog Walking Academy—to the dog industry.

On the dog side, Veronica got her start in the industry as a dog walker, owning and operating her own dog walking company before turning to training. She served as the Director of Behavior & Training for the San Francisco SPCA, and was an early valedictorian graduate of Jean Donaldson’s Academy for Dog Trainers, long considered the Harvard of dog training schools.

Veronica founded dogbiz (then dogtec) in 2003 in response to fellow Academy graduates’ struggles to master the business side of their important work to change dogs’ lives. She created the Dog Walking Academy with co-founder Mik Moeller in 2004 to provide top-notch professional dog behavior and business education to dog walkers. It has remained a central passion project and we are thrilled to offer it to serious dog walkers worldwide seeking professional dog walker training and certification.

DWA Tuition

Dog Walking Course Dates
October 7-9, 2022
Class runs 9am-6pm each day

Dog Walking Course Tuition
SF DWA Tuition
$950

Dog Walking Package A

Dog Walking Academy tuition
Business of Dog Walking book
Business Toolkit for Walkers & Sitters

You save: $100

$950 USD

Dog Walking Package B

Dog Walking Academy tuition
Business of Dog Walking book
Business Toolkit for Walkers & Sitters
5 hours of Business Consulting

You save: $150

$1,150 USD

Dog Daycare and Boarding Package

Dog Walking Academy tuition
Business Toolkit for Daycare & Boarding

You save: $100

$2,000 USD

Quick answers to our most common questions:

The minimum age to attend the Dog Walking Academy is 18.

The course is for both experienced and new dog walkers.

Payment plans are available. Email [email protected] to set yours up.

Is the DWA Right For Me?

Our students are a diverse group of dog lovers:

20-somethings starting their first career

More SF Bay Area dog lovers these days are following their passion and choosing dog walking as their first career, becoming certified dog walkers right out of high school or college.

30-40-somethings looking for a career change

60-somethings seeking a retirement career

Whether for extra income or personal satisfaction and health, CA Bay Area dog-loving retirees are choosing an active retirement as certified dog walkers.

Highly experienced dog walkers

Dog business employees & job seekers

Our instructors are expert dog trainers with deep experience and top educational credentials.

Veronica Boutelle

Dog Walking Academy creator, DWA Online Instructor, Business Instructor for In-Person course

“What a terrific way for people to learn to start a dog walking business or, like me, improve the one they already have. I’m proud to be a dogbiz grad!”
– Mandy Thompson, K9 Fife Dog Walking & Home Boarding, Fife, Scotland

“Such a well-rounded class, with information about the business aspect of the job as well as dog behavior and training. I now feel prepared for so many situations.”
– Suzy Arrington, Ms. Manners for Dogs, Fairfield, NJ

“I learned so much and am using that knowledge daily. I hope the DWA becomes a requirement for all dog walkers someday.”
— Matt Williams, San Francisco, CA

“Graduating from the DWA… led to improved client retention, dog safety, and ultimately enjoying my work more than I already did. Your class was brilliant… worth every penny.”
—Paige Tuhey, The Netherlands

Why attend the dogbiz Dog Walking Academy

Love what you do

Whether you’re just starting as a dog walker or have been walking dogs for a decade, we’ll help you get the most from every moment. Walk with confidence and ease, enjoy safe control of your dogs, and let go of your business worries.

Bypass business hassles & make more money

Learn how to sidestep and fix the common start-up, marketing, rate, and policy mistakes that keep dog walkers from making a strong, reliable living walking dogs. Why learn from your own mistakes if you don’t have to, or make less money than you could?

Solve perplexing dog problems

Ever wondered why dogs do what they do? Found yourself unable to get a dog to start or stop doing something? Struggled with a stressful behavior problem? You’ll leave class with answers and solutions to all your canine dilemmas.

Set yourself apart

Stand out to potential clients, referral sources, or employers by investing in the “Harvard” of dog walking schools. Your CPDW (Certificate in Professional Dog Walking) seal proclaims your professionalism and commitment to the best possible care of the dogs entrusted to you.

Maximize safety

From canine first aid/ CPR to emergency protocols and understanding how to avoid and break up dog fights, arm yourself with the understanding, skills, and confidence to handle anything that comes your way.

Be a pro

In an unregulated industry, anyone can be a dog walker. But to be a professional dog walker requires professional education and training. We’ve continued to set the bar for dog walking education since we launched the first class of its kind in 2004.

What our grads say

“This course has inspired me to breathe new life into something I’ve been doing for years, and take it to the next level. I absolutely recommend the DWA to experienced and inexperienced dog walkers.”
–Sara Munro
Santa Barbara, CA

“I was determined to follow my passion and work with dogs… but it wasn’t until the Dog Walking Academy that I felt confident to turn my passion in to a true endeavor.”
–Nick Carrel
San Francisco, CA

“The DWA was a life-altering experience for me. You provided me with more ‘ah-ha’ moments in those three days than a lifetime with dogs.”
– Glynis Dewing
Pacifica, CA

“There is so much to learn in this business, and your program covered everything! You gave me the knowledge and confidence to start my own dream business.”
–Jill Merjeski
Delray Beach, FL

Looking to start a dog walking business or elevate your current one?

Ready to take dog walking—and your confidence—to a new level?