BANGOR – Don Hanson, co-owner and director of training at Green Acres Kennel Shop in Bangor, has earned Level I certification through the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers, the first national certification for dog trainers to be offered.

Up until the creation of the council this year, there was no true certification process for dog trainers. The trainers council administered its first test on Sept. 28 at the Association of Pet Dog Trainers annual educational conference in Ellenville, N.Y.

The test site was secured and moderated by Professional Testing Corp. of New York. With the inception of certification, there are now 136 certified pet dog trainers in the United States and Canada.

This certification process was implemented by the APDT, the largest association of dog trainers in the world. Early on, the APDT recognized the need for certification for its profession.

The certification process offers a means of measuring the knowledge and skills of dog trainers.

Green Acres’ Hanson was one of 20 nationally known dog training professionals and behaviorists selected by the APDT to research and develop the comprehensive written certification examination.

In order to be certified by CCPDT, a trainer must document 300 hours of instructing people on how to train their dogs in the past five years; submit references from a client, a colleague and a veterinarian; and pass a written examination on instructional skills, animal husbandry, the study of animal behavior patterns, learning theory, and training equipment.