The California Assembly is expected to soon vote on a bill for dog trainers that has been significantly amended to address AKC’s primary concerns.
Those who wish to contact their Assemblyperson regarding Assembly Bill 1901 may do so by typing your address on the State Assembly’s “Find Your California Representative” page.
Summary:
Originally, Assembly Bill 1901 sought to regulate every dog training class and facility as a boarding kennel. AKC thanks the many trainers, dog clubs, dog owners, and animal control officers who joined us in reaching out to the author’s office and the Business and Professions Committee to express the many concerns with this bill as introduced.
As a result, the author agreed and the committee approved amendments to remove the many pages of new standards.
Now, as AKC reported in a previous alert, AB 1901 simply requires trainers to disclose certain information to new clients:
- The trainer’s name and address (this could include a P.O. Box)
- Whether the trainer is licensed or certified (Note: This does not stop those who are not certified from holding classes, they simply must state whether they are licensed or certified by any particular organization. Many trainers who are not certified may opt to provide a list of qualifications instead)
- The trainer’s training techniques and philosophy (AKC appreciates that the author removed the portion requiring trainers to state whether they use “negative reinforcement”, which could have been broadly interpreted)
- A written training plan describing the nature and goals of the training
- A statement whether there have been any civil judgements related to the dog trainer’s services (This replaces the portion in the original bill requiring record keeping of all injuries that have occurred. AKC and many trainers requested this provision regarding injury reporting be removed, as accidents can happen and in no way reflect a trainer’s ability or the safety of the class)
A written copy of this disclosure must be signed by both the trainer (to certify accuracy) and the client (to verify receipt of the disclosure).
In addition, all language regarding enforcement of this bill has been removed.
AKC Government Relations will provide updates as they are available. For questions, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.