There is no national (or local or regional) agency that "governs" dog trainers although there are several "associations" of dog trainers.

My favorite association is the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors (NADOI). They seem to have the best common sense approach to training. They are also among the oldest, if not the oldest, having been formed in 1965. Their membership requirements are relatively strict, thus helping to ensure that its members actually know what they are doing. There are other organizations that "certify" trainers that require nothing more to join than payment of fees.

There is no universal agreement about what it should take to become a trainer. Therefore, there is no such thing as a "licensed" dog trainer. Furthermore, lots of folks can claim to be "certified", but sometimes that certification only means they have taken a few hours of training by someone who then hands them a certificate and says they are now "certified". Or worse, with some organizations all it takes to become "certified" or a "member" is to pay a fee. We are now starting to see folks claiming to be "animal behaviorists" or "animal therapists", often with little or no training to go with that claim.  If a potential trainer you are considering claims to be "certified", ask what organization "certified" them and then check out the membership requirements of the organization on the web. If all that is required to become "certified" is to pay fee or take a class, don't base your selection on that alone!

I would prefer a client base their selection more on the trainer's personal accomplishments. Let them tell you why they are a good choice for your dog and compare that with what the other schools or trainers have to say. Go watch a class or a training session and see firsthand how they handle the dogs. Talk to those students afterwards or during a break and make a decision based both on what you saw and what the students have to say. Ask others you know or meet who have well mannered dogs where they obtained their training.

Why the trainer's performance titles are important:

An excellent way to evaluate someone's personal experience is through performance event titles. Most of our students come to us for home manners and basic training with no intentions of competition and may not understand why it is important that the instructor has personal competition experience. The reasons why you should look to competition titles as a criteria for your trainer include:

(a) An instructor who has competitive performance titles has been training dogs at least several years. Quite simply, the more titles the instructor has earned, the more time he or she has spent actively training dogs, and has proven the quality of that training with a concrete measure of success: the resulting title.
(b) An instructor who has competitive performance titles has achieved a higher level of training than those who have trained only through pet levels. Training for higher levels requires a significantly higher understanding of behavior modification and motivation which, in turn, can positively affect the skills available to your trainer while working with your pet. Furthermore, some training may appear to work at the pet level, but does not establish a solid foundation. In these cases, the dog may revert back to problem behaviors. Poor quality training can actually create more problems than it solves. When your trainer consistently trains dogs to higher competitive levels, she can spot weaknesses at the foundation level faster, resulting in faster and more solid results for you, the pet owner, with your pet. 
(c) An instructor who has competitive performance titles is proud enough of what they do to show off the results by competing with other dog trainers. I have not met any great instructors who do not actively compete in the performance arena. Quite simply, an instructor who does not train for competition may very well lack the knowledge and the skills to do so.

The question of choosing someone who competes and has the titles to back up their skills is similar to choosing a karate school.
Would you rather send your child to a school where the instructors have only had the beginner level class themselves, or would you rather send your child to a school where the instructors hold higher "belts".

What the titles mean:

The base level obedience title that is offered by AKC is the "CD", or Companion Dog Title. The second is the "CDX", or Companion Dog Excellent. The third title (and highest level of training) is the "UD", or Utility Dog title. Anyone that has earned a UD is probably a pretty awesome trainer! Once a dog is trained through Utility, they can continue to compete in the top two levels for the "UDX" (Utility Dog Excellent) and the "OTCh" (Obedience Trial Champion). In agility, there is the NA NAJ NAP and NJP at the "Novice" level. The OA OAJ OAP OJP are the middle, or "Open" level titles; the AX AXJ AXP and AJP are the Excellent level titles, the MX MXJ are Master Excellent and the MACH is the Master Agility Champion. There are other performance event titles in Tracking, Agility and Hunt Tests.

Someone holding one CD title surely has more experience and knowledge than someone who has never trained a dog for competition, but someone holding a CDX or higher is, obviously, even more experienced. If you have enough choices, you would also look for "width" as well as "height". Putting a CDX on one exceptional dog might be easier than putting three CDs on different dogs (and would take less time). Look as well for experience with different breeds, as the different breeds present a wider variety of training challenges. A trainer who has only competed with Golden Retrievers, for example, may be less able to handle variations in behaviors than a trainer who has earned the same titles on several different breeds. Ask about the achievements of the trainer's students, which is a very good indication of how well that trainer imparts his or her knowledge to others. A trainer who has trained to at least a CDX is surely highly accomplished, but a trainer who has *students* who have achieved that level may be the better instructor.

Again, your warm fuzzy feeling after meeting the trainer may be your best indication of which trainer is best for you.

On average, it takes about a year or more beyond basic training to train a dog for CD, another year or more for CDX, and another one to two to train for UD. Although nearly every dog can be trained for the CD, it takes a special kind of dog to be able to compete in the higher levels. The pass rate on the CDX is about 30 percent and the UD is far less. The OTCh is a lifetime goal and it is the mark of truly excellent competition trainer, and truly exceptional dog.

Happy Heeling,
Brandy