Bernburg/SLK. It is ready for use – at the forthcoming examination in November, the Salzlandkreis will, for the first time, be using a newly structured procedure which it has developed over the past few months of intensive work, with additional expert support. This concerns the compulsory proof of competence required of candidates seeking official authorisation to practise as dog trainers, a process which falls under the remit of the district veterinary offices. The Salzlandkreis has developed the new procedure in collaboration with a renowned veterinary behaviourist and owner of a specialist veterinary practice. She has also been appointed as chair of the examination board.
The Salzlandkreis, together with the official veterinary officer Dr Christian Lutter and the specialist, Dr Stephanie Jette Uhde, are now set to hold a public event in Bernburg to provide information about their collaboration and, above all, to explain how prospective candidates can prepare for the profession – and consequently the examination – through the right training, what the requirements are, and what knowledge and skills are necessary.
Interested members of the public, and in particular trainee dog trainers, are invited to attend the two-hour information session on 5 November. The event is free of charge for participants.
The profession of dog trainer is becoming increasingly popular, as the official veterinary officer is well aware. Throughout Germany, there are numerous providers of training courses, but no binding framework of competence, nor any standardised professional or examination criteria. Examination procedures and assessment criteria may also vary between the relevant authorities.
The local veterinary authority’s current push for a new, binding quality standard is of social relevance, given the recent incidents with dramatic consequences. Just a few weeks ago, a dog in Saxony-Anhalt had to be temporarily housed and assessed following a fatal biting incident, and was initially taken to a boarding kennel in the Salzlandkreis district.
The district had already been working hard through its Veterinary Affairs Department for Saxony-Anhalt to establish an examination procedure that meets the high standards required of the profession of dog trainer. “We see our procedure as a pilot project,” says Dr Lutter, the official veterinary officer, under whose leadership it is being developed. “We want to ensure that the proficiency test is professionally sound, transparent and verifiable. We want to gain experience and, in doing so, provide impetus for more comparable quality standards.”
Twice a year – in spring and autumn – candidates in the Salzlandkreis are assessed over one or two days on their theoretical and practical knowledge.
Before that, there will be a public information session: on Thursday 5 November, from 4 pm to 6 pm at the District Administration Building in Bernburg: