Dog training & pro certification · From Top Dog SF, since 2004
The proven, positive way to train dogs — at home or for a living.
Whether you’re training your own dog or building a dog-care career, learn the marker method from the people who’ve done it for real — twenty years, in San Francisco.
Train my own puppy
At-home training with the marker method. Start with the free Taster — no card needed.
Start the free Taster
Get certified as a dog walker
The credential, your city’s law & permit packs, and the business playbook.
See the certificationJust browsing? Explore all courses →
The qualification
Become a dog walker the industry takes seriously.
Certified Professional Dog Walker is the standalone field qualification for working dog professionals — safe handling, multi-dog management, reading body language, and knowing exactly what to do when something goes wrong. Five assessed courses. One certificate. Earned, not bought.
- ◆Five complete courses — learning theory, body language, fear & aggression, local law & park etiquette, and dog safety.
- ◆Assessed and certified — pass each course at 80% to earn your certificate.
- ◆Self-paced, lifetime access — start today, finish at your speed, keep it forever.
- ◆Built from two decades in the field — the methods we actually use, not theory.
$199 · one-time · lifetime access
or 4 interest-free payments of $49.75 — Klarna & Affirm options at checkout.
Start the certificateOne payment, no subscription — yours for life. Backed by a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Why it’s worth it
One certificate. It pays for itself fast.
Certified walkers command higher rates and win the clients who care who’s holding the leash. At typical professional walk rates, a single new client covers the $199 many times over — and the credential is yours for life.
Five courses. Everything a professional needs to walk dogs safely.
32 lessons · knowledge checks throughout · a final assessment for each course
Learning Theory & Reward
How dogs actually learn — and why the alpha myth gets walkers bitten.
8 lessons
Canine Body Language
Read the whole dog, in context. The best way to break up a fight is to prevent it.
6 lessons
Fear & Aggression
Most bites are avoidable. Learn to assess risk, keep distance, and know when to refer out.
5 lessons
Local Laws & Park Etiquette
The legal and operational backbone of walking dogs professionally — local rules and the final exam localized to your city.
6 lessons
Dog Safety
The rules and reflexes that keep every dog, client and walker safe — prevention beats reaction every time.
7 lessons
Pet parent track
Not a pro — just want a well-behaved dog?
The same marker method, at home, in a few friendly minutes a day — one path, three steps.
- 1
Puppy Taster · Free
Four short exercises to build the basics — no card needed.
- 2
Puppy Foundations · $39
The full at-home course — first puppy steps to confident manners.
- 3
Good Dog Club · from $24/mo
For after the course — a real trainer to ask, live Q&As, new lessons monthly.
Beyond the certificate
Certified? Grow the business.
Business programs for dog professionals ready to build something bigger — from your first pricing decision to a full operating system.
Business Pillars Workshop
Define your dog-walking business in four decisions and see your price-per-walk calculated live. No card, no login.
The Dog Business MBA
A complete operating system for a small dog-care company — six modules, each ending with a real deliverable you keep.
Growth & Marketing Bundle
The six-tool Growth System plus the Borrow My Audience method and the Fetch Clients plugin — the growth engine that fills your calendar.
Simple, and built for busy people.
Enroll
One payment, instant access, no subscription.
Learn at your pace
Short lessons with knowledge checks as you go.
Pass the assessments
Score 80% or higher; retake as many times as you need.
Get certified
Your certificate is issued automatically and emailed to you.
Made for the people behind the leash.
New walkers
Building the skills and the credential to get hired or take clients.
Working professionals
Who want a qualification that proves they know their craft.
The dogs we look after
Real dogs, real days.
Shot by our team on an ordinary week — at the adventure ranch and the puppy school. Every one of these good dogs is trained, walked or minded by Top Dog SF.
What people say about Top Dog SF
The academy is the training Top Dog SF uses itself — a dog-care business rated 4.9★ across 200+ reviews.
“Top Dog SF has been absolutely amazing! The staff is professional, caring, and always keeps me updated.”
“Best decision we made! He gets exercise, training, and socialization all in one.”
The professional standard Top Dog SF has taught for two decades — now earnable online, wherever you walk.
Built by the team that does this for a living.
Every course here is the system Top Dog SF runs on — the same San Francisco puppy school we've operated since 2004 (4.9★, 200+ reviews), written by the founders and trainers who use it every day. The client-retention module is the exact training we give our own walkers. Nothing here is theory.
Every trainer who built this curriculum holds these credentials — and we work alongside SF Animal Care & Control.
Common questions
Is the certificate recognized?
It's issued by Top Dog SF Academy, operating since 2004, with curriculum from SPCA-certified trainers. It demonstrates you've been assessed against a professional standard of safe, humane dog handling.
How long does it take?
It's self-paced. Most people complete the five courses comfortably over a few weeks of short sessions, but you can go faster or slower — access doesn't expire.
What if I don't pass?
You retake the assessment as many times as you need, free. The goal is competence, not gatekeeping. You need 80% to pass.
Do you use shock collars or dominance methods?
No. Everything we teach is positive reinforcement. We'll explain why — and why the old "alpha" model gets people bitten.
Is this only for San Francisco walkers?
No — the handling, behavior and safety courses apply anywhere, and the local-laws course adapts to you: city and state law packs plus exam questions localized to where you walk.
Can I train my own dog here too?
Yes — our Pet Parent track brings the same marker method home. Start with Puppy Foundations: short, friendly daily exercises from first puppy steps to confident manners.
Good dogs deserve well-trained people.
Become a Certified Professional Dog Walker and walk into the work knowing exactly what you’re doing.
Get certified — $19914-day money-back guarantee · one payment, yours for life
or 4 interest-free payments of $49.75 — Klarna & Affirm options at checkout.
Training your own dog instead? Start free with the Pet Parent track →