I’ve had the opportunity to review Jean Donaldson’s new Academy For Dog Trainers and was very impressed with its quality, breadth, detail, and organization, but mostly with Jean’s fierce commitment to sound science. This is particularly needed in the field of dog training and behavior, where fads abound, sometimes with dangerous results. Thank you, Jean, and I highly recommend your new Academy.

Educational opportunities for dog trainers abound. Few, though, are on par with Jean Donaldson’s Academy. Jean is an undisputed leader in our profession, and has a rare combination of academic smarts, hands-on training “chops,” eloquence and incisive wit. I’m certainly indebted to Jean for the heaps of dog-training know-how I’ve learned from her. Students of her Academy are lucky indeed.

The Academy for Dog Trainers was perhaps the single best educational experience I have had, that perfect mix of interesting and entertaining material, lecture and hands-on assignments, and a challenging yet supportive learning environment. Even now, 9 years later, I can say with certainty that the Academy did more to make me into a successful dog trainer and teacher-of-dog-trainers than anything else I did before or have done since. Jean is brilliant and funny and I could listen to her endlessly. What impressed me the most though was the extent to which she stopped talking and got us (the students) to start doing so. I found my teaching voice and my timing and my training chops at The Academy and for that I will be forever grateful.