CPS-DW Certification for Professional Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers
The CPS-DW certification was developed by the Professional Pet Care Association (PPCA) to set the standard for safety, consistency, professionalism, and quality for in-the-clients-home pet sitting and daily dog walking services.
CPS-DW stands for Certified Pet Sitter and Dog Walker. This online course and certification provides a comprehensive guide to the essential knowledge, best practices, and policies every professional pet sitter and dog walker must know and follow to deliver safe, reliable, and professional care.
The PPCA is committed to developing the most trusted and widely recognized certification for professional pet sitters and dog walkers. The CPS-DW certification is rigorous and establishes a standard for excellence in professional pet care.
When you enroll in the CPS-DW certification, you receive:
- A 49-lesson training program designed for professional pet sitters and dog walkers
- A complete set of proven emergency procedures
- A comprehensive library of established policies
- A 40-point visit checklist for consistent, high-quality pet sitting visits
- A bonus client onboarding and sales course
- An editable document pack including 16 professional leave behinds and business forms
You will learn how to:
- Conduct successful, efficient Meet & Greets using a proven process
- Screen for aggression issues during initial sales calls and in-person Meet & Greets
- Administer medication correctly and consistently—every time
- Complete pet sitting visits like a professional using an 8-step visit framework
- Follow the 8 core principles of professional dog walking safety
- Safely work with, manage, and calm reactive dogs
- Respond appropriately if an off-leash dog approaches
- Stop a dog fight and minimize injury
- Apply hot and cold weather safety protocols for dog walking
- Identify and help prevent bloat and intestinal blockages
- Understand the fundamentals of animal behavior
- Use positive reinforcement training methods effectively
- Recognize why fear- or pain-based training methods should never be used
- Communicate clearly and professionally with clients
- Use mental models to recognize potential medical issues
- Respond confidently during a pet medical emergency
- Use simple systems to ensure no detail of a visit is missed
- Manage client keys and lockboxes securely and professionally
- Bring the recommended equipment to every visit
- Stock and maintain a complete pet first aid kit
- Master the practical, day-to-day details required to deliver professional pet care
The Bonus Client Onboarding and Sales Course Includes:
- Practical strategies for selling your services confidently—without being salesy
- Example client onboarding policies you can adapt to your business
- Four real-world sales call recordings with actual clients
The Editable Document Pack Includes:
- An editable medical emergency procedure flowchart
- Two Meet & Greet checklists—one for pet sitting and one for dog walking
- An editable medication administration chart
- A plant care chart
- A pet sitting visit care sheet, thank-you card, and client satisfaction survey
- An example client onboarding packet for Meet & Greets
- A policy highlights sheet, trash day reminder, and referral sheet
- Example office and administrative documents
Team Training Is Also Available
- Receive a custom team training portal to certify your entire staff
- Ideal for onboarding new team members and setting consistent expectations across your team
- Invite staff via email—each team member receives individual access to the CPS-DW course
- Monitor performance with detailed reporting on progress and quiz scores
- For more details, visit the Team Training page
Get Instant Access
The CPS-DW course is built to pair with the PPCA Hiring Course
The PPCA Hiring Course is the ideal companion to the CPS-DW certification. Together, these programs help you find and hire high-quality staff, train them to a consistent professional standard, and confidently scale your pet sitting and dog walking business.
The CPS-DW: Body of Knowledge (BOK)
Fundamental Pet Sitter Knowledge
This lesson goes over the difference between aggression and reactivity. You will learn about environmental triggers, coping threshold, and tips to keep you safe. To watch this free video lesson now, click here.
This lesson teaches you how to identify and prevent bloat, and what to do if you notice the symptoms. To watch this Free Video Lesson now.
03
Blockages: Symptoms and Prevention
This lesson teaches you how to identify and prevent blockages, and what to do if you notice symptoms.
04
Litter Box Problems: Causes and Management
In this lesson you will learn how declawing cats causes litterbox (and often behavioral) problems, and how to help declawed cats in your care.
05
Understanding the World from a Cat's Point of View
Here you will learn the fundamentals of cat care and how to work with shy, nervous, fearful, or stressed cats.
06
The PPCA Code of Ethics
Pet sitting and dog walking professionally requires responsibility and reliability. Missing. a visit can mean life or death for a pet. Following this code of ethics is essential to certification through the PPCA.
How to Conduct Successful and Efficient Meet & Greets
01
An Introduction to Meet & Greets
In this lesson you will learn: What a meet & greet is, tips for making a great first impression, and parking guidelines for the client’s security.
02
How to Avoid 7 Common M&G Pitfalls
Meet & greets tend to go smoothly if you know how to avoid a couple of common issues. This lesson covers 7 common pitfalls.
03
Preparing for the Meet & Greet
In this lesson you will learn how to use the example meet & greet checklists, and some easy steps to take to ensure you are prepared for your meet & greet.
04
Meet & Greet Script - Part I
In this lesson you will learn tips for introducing yourself to new pets, and how to start building a mental model for what “normal” looks like for each pet that will be in your care.
05
Meet & Greet Script - Part II
This lesson covers asking about treats and food allergies, asking about the pet’s routine at visits, and assessing and negotiating safety concerns.
06
Meet & Greet Script - Part III
This lesson covers many questions you should ask at each m&g: if anyone else will be in the house during visits, where to dispose of poop bags or used litter, and more.
07
Asking About a Pet's Medical Issues
This lesson includes example questions you can ask when a client has a pet with a medical issue, how to build a mental model for pets with medical issues, and how to “get curious” to clarify a pet’s medical issues.
08
Asking About a Pet's Medications
In this lesson you will learn what questions to ask if a pet needs medications, why it is important to ask clients if they will be giving the medication before your first visit, and more.
09
Asking About Aggression and Reactivity Issues
Learn how to get a full picture of any potential aggression and reactivity issues by asking the right questions. Keep you and your team safe by screening out aggressive pets.
10
Leashes, Harnesses, and the Practice Walk
In this lesson you will learn how to work with harnesses you have never seen before, subtle signs of reactivity in dogs, going for a practice walk, and how to turn down clients that are not a good fit.
In this lesson you will learn how to set up the door to screen for aggression issues, Jekyll and Hyde behavior, and what to look for when screening for aggression. Watch this Free Lesson now.
12
Keys and Home Security
This lesson covers alarm systems, and agreeing with the client about how you will access their home during your visits.
13
Closing the Meet & Greet
When you end your meet & greet in the right way, your clients tend to have more trust in you and communicate with you better. You will learn a few tricks for a successful close to your meet & greets.
How to Make Sure You Administer Medication Correctly - Every Time
01
Gathering Medical Information at The Visit
In this lesson you will learn where to find important information on medications, how to handle discrepancies in medication notes, and what to do if you can’t contact a client about medications.
02
What to Do If You Make a Mistake When Administering Medications
This lesson covers the immediate actions to take if you make a mistake administering a medication, and why total transparency with your client is crucial.
This lesson teaches you how to administer medications confidently by filling out a medication chart. Watch this Free Lesson now.
An Easy Method for Preventing Mistakes at Visits
In this lesson you will learn the “point and call” technique, which will ensure you don’t make any mistakes at visits and you administer medications correctly every time. Watch this Free Lesson now.
How To Complete Pet Sitting Visits
01
Starting Your Visit and Reviewing Client Notes
This lesson will teach you how best to manage your time during visits, as well as the first basic steps to access a client’s home and begin your visit tasks.
02
Safe Dog Walks and Backyard Playtime
This lesson covers when to do a walk, and how to determine if a backyard is safe for playtime.
03
Giving Medication With Meals
In this lesson you will learn how and when to prepare meals, some quirks pets might have around eating, and good practices to ensure pets always have fresh, clean water.
04
Proper Litter Box Cleaning
This lesson covers the most effective ways to clean and maintain litter boxes and prevent marking in cats.
05
House Sitting Duties
Taking care of the clients home is a big part of the job. In this lesson we cover the house sitting duties pet sitters are responsible for.
06
Reward Based Games
In this lesson you will learn how to play some basic clicker games with dogs. A playing clicker games can de-stress a dog and wear them out even more than a vigorous walk.
07
How To Write a Great Client Update
Sometimes it is difficult to know what to say in your client updates. This lesson covers a few simple guidelines you can follow to make sure you are keeping your client in the loop without annoying them while they enjoy their vacation.
08
Wrapping Up the Visit Like a Pro
Leaving pets alone after their visits can be nerve wracking. But, if you follow a few simple steps for making sure the pets are safe, you will have nothing to worry about.
Dog Walking Safety
01
General Dog Walking Safety
This lesson covers safety parameters for dog walks, like keeping all dogs on leash, avoiding high-traffic roads, and more.
02
Harness Safety
This lesson will teach you how to ensure a dog can’t escape their harness, the best way to hold a leash, and how to handle dogs who pull.
03
Why Leash Corrections Can Be Harmful
Leash corrections often cause more harm than good. This lesson teaches you why, and what you can do instead to get a dog’s attention or steer them away from trouble.
04
Avoiding Problems While Out for a Walk
This lesson includes tips for avoiding problems on walks, how to distract reactive dogs from triggers, and what to do if you encounter off leash dogs.
05
How to Stop a Dog Fight
Dog fights are intense and can be dangerous. This lesson provides methods to safely interrupt a dog fight in progress.
Hot Weather Safety
This lesson covers signs of overheating in dogs, which breeds require more caution in hot weather, and how temperature can vary between different surfaces. Watch this Free Lesson now.
07
Cold Weather Safety
In this lesson you will learn the potential dangers of walking dogs in freezing weather, signs that a dog is too cold, and why you should avoid salted sidewalks or roads.
08
Why It Is Important To Let Dogs Sniff
This lesson will teach you why allowing dogs to sniff on walks can make it a more rewarding experience for everyone involved. We cover how dogs interact with one another through sent.
All You Need To Know About Keys
01
Coding and Tracking Keys
We teach you a simple key coding system you can use to manage any keys you have on file.
02
Keeping Keys Organized and Secure
In this lesson you will learn how to keep your keys organized and secure with a carabiner and heavy duty key tags. We also cover how to label your keys at a meet & greet.
Equipment 101
01
A Complete List of Supplies for Pet Sitters
We developed a simple and inexpensive list of supplies every pet sitter should bring to their visits.
02
Optional Dog Treats
I recommend using the client’s treats whenever possible, but when the client is OK with you using your own dog treats, having a few healthy dog treats can make your visits go much more smoothly.
03
What Should Be In Your First Aid Kit
We cover everything that should be in a pet sitter’s first aid kit.
04
Laser Pointers, Feather Toys, and OCD in Cats
This lesson includes the pros and cons of laser pointers, and how to finish play sessions to prevent OCD behaviors in cats.
05
Why Enzymatic Cleaners are Essential
Learn why enzymatic cleaners prevent a pet from marking.
ENROLL TODAY
Get Instant Access
5-6 Hours to complete
49 Video, audio and text lessons
Watch lessons on desktop, tablet, or mobile from anywhere
Pass quizzes to get certified
Once certified, use CPS-DW logos on your website
Certified sitters qualify to be featured in our online directory
Enroll Today
Get instant access
5-6 Hours to complete
49 Video, audio and text lessons
Train your entire team with a single subscription
Watch lessons on desktop, tablet, or mobile from anywhere
Pass quizzes to get certified
Once certified, use our logos on your website
Certified sitters are featured in our directory with a link to your website
Have Questions?
Please reach out here. We will get back to you shortly.
