A California Senate committee has scheduled a June 13 hearing on a bill regarding disclosures for dog trainers. Assembly Bill 1901 contains numerous amendments requested by the AKC and California clubs.
Those who wish to reach out to the Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development Committee regarding AB 1901 may do so by submitting a letter via the legislature’s online portal. Click the link and follow the instructions to create an online account (if you have not previously done so) and upload your letter to the committee. Letters must be submitted by Monday, June 6, at 5pm to be included as part of the committee hearing record.
Summary:
As AKC reported in a previous alert, AB 1901 originally contained pages of new, unreasonable requirements for trainers, but now only requires a disclosure statement containing certain information about the trainer and class be provided when trainers are meeting new clients. AKC worked to ensure that no additional restrictions, licensure, or other requirements are included.
AB 1901 as amended 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 prevent those who are not certified from holding classes, or require certification in order to be a trainer in California. Trainers must simply state whether or not 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 local 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 continue to provide updates as they are available. For questions, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.