NOW ENROLLING FOR JANUARY 2025
TWC Professional Certification
You’re invited to expand your knowledge, enhance your dog training skills, and exponentially grow your business by becoming a Certified TWC Trainer
apply now
01
Grow Your Business
Ivan and the Training Without Conflict® support team are committed to helping you expand your business by adding this highly acclaimed methodology to your client offerings. It's the same approach that has led the creator, Ivan Balabanov, to win 15 National Championships and 2 World Championships.
02
Enhance Your Training Skills
No other trainer in the dog training world has achieved the level of success that Ivan has achieved. As a Certified Trainer of the Training Without Conflict® methodology, you have access to the philosophy and approach that has made him an international champion and universally respected pioneer of dog training!
03
Join The Community
Be part of the global movement that will lead the next evolution in dog training!
the curriculum
01
Psychology: A Foundation for Modern Training
02
Learning: The Acquisition of Knowledge
03
Dog Training: An Evolving Art
04
The Environment and Learning Dynamics
05
Two Main Approaches to Training
06
Play: An Innate Brain System as a Motivator
07
Clear Communication, Signals and Markers
08
Expanding the Potential of Positive Reinforcement
09
The Science of Escape and Avoidance Learning
10
The Advantages of Using Aversives in Punishment
11
Negative Punishment Demystified
12
Dog Welfare and Training Choices
13
Electric Impulse: Pros, Cons and Proper Use
14
Training Tools and Equipment: Smart Choices
15
Defining a Behavior as Problematic
16
Dog Sports – An Overview
17
Working and Service Dogs – An Overview
18
A Practical Look at the TWC Training System
MEET YOUR TRAINER
After 40 years of development, raising and training over 1,000 puppies, winning 15 National and 2 World Championships, and helping thousands of trainers around the world, Ivan's TWC Certification Course will teach you the methods necessary to achieve all your goals!
LEARN MORE ABOUT IVAN
OUR COMMITMENT
Ivan and the Training Without Conflict® support team are on a mission to change the way dog owners view dog training and the way they interact with their dogs. Training Without Conflict® is a dog friendly system that thrives on social interaction instead of escape/avoidance responses.
Ivan Balabanov is, in my opinion, the most gifted competitive sport trainer in this country. I have learned more from my time training with, and from watching Ivan, than from any other single trainer in my career. He is thoughtful, innovative, and insightful. If you are interested in dog training, you should expose yourself to Ivan Balabanov.
Something that I have SO appreciated, and have reflected on recently, is that when you pay to learn from Ivan... you learn from IVAN. Straight from the source. This is not always the case elsewhere! The continued education and investment in the TWC community is definitely not something you get from other "courses."
I feel like a lot of what you see and hear from other dog trainers sounds like magic. When you learn from Ivan, you learn it’s not. You learn concepts that carry over to all aspects of dog training. No secrets, no shortcuts, no magic, but CONCEPTS that work! However, just like with magic you will shock and awe people with what you learned from Ivan.
What stood out for me about learning from Ivan is how thorough he is. Ivan's training is very detailed and not just a few techniques to add to our arsenal. Ivan provides high-level concepts on how to understand dogs, combined with modern psychology. It is not another seminar with somebody else's variation on how to train a dog.
TWC equips trainers to successfully work with severe behavioral cases and stand out from the crowd. The way you evaluate, work with, and talk about dogs with clients will change. This is NOT 'another tool in the toolbox.' This fundamentally different way of interacting with dogs leads to superior results.
TWC is a study in real behavioral science and history of dog training. This is not a new gimmick "reinvention" where a trainer puts new name on established methods and calls it "new" or their own. Ivan teaches you everything, up to the most modern discoveries, so your training is founded in reality and facts.
certification faq
Who can become a Certified Professional TWC Dog Trainer?
For professional dog trainers, we're currently accepting individuals with an existing dog training business. By enhancing your existing skills, you will be able to accelerate the speed at which you generate results for your clients using the TWC methodology. If you do not have an existing dog training business, we invite you to apply for the Practitioner Certification, which enables you to use the TWC approach to train with your own dog, though we do not permit the methodology to be taught to others or be used for training other peoples' dogs.
What is the cost for the TWC Professional Dog Trainer Certification Program?
The cost for the program is $10,000 USD.
Do you offer payment plans?
We no longer offer payment plans for the Professional and/or Practitioner Certification Programs.
How do I apply for the next virtual Professional Certification group?
The steps are listed below.
- Step 1 – Apply and pay the $97 application fee.
- Step 2 – After submitting your application, you will be contacted by Erick Aguirre, the TWC Director of Education, to discuss any questions you may have about the program.
- Step 3 – Ivan and Erick will evaluate your application and come to a decision on your acceptance into the program.
- Step 4 – If you are approved, you will be given the registration link to secure your spot in this elite group of participants.
How long is the TWC Certification Program?
The course is 18 modules that are released every Monday and Thursday until all 18 modules are available. The course is released over a period of 9 weeks, but trainers have access to the course materials for one year from the beginning date of their class.Professional trainers that complete the exam process and become TWC Certified Trainers are provided the opportunity to renew their access for an additional year for $297.Practitioners are able to renew their access for an additional year for $197
What does the final exam entail?
The final exam includes a written test of your understanding of Ivan’s Training Without Conflict® training methodology. The final written exam takes place during a TWC Trainer's Weekend at the end of of the program. Trainers are provided 3 opportunities within one year to complete the final written exam. If unsuccessful after 3 attempts, they will not be able to complete the TWC Certification and alternative options will be provided.Trainers that successfully pass the final written exam will be notified and provided criteria to demonstrate their skills training a dog or multiple dogs for the practical portion of the final exam. The practical exam takes place once you return home after the trainer's weekend and you are expected to use client dogs to demonstrate your skills.Trainers that successfully pass the written and practical exams will be awarded the title of Training Without Conflict® Certified Professional Dog Trainer and be listed in the TWC Trainer's Directory along with many other perks.
What if I cannot travel to the facility for the final exam and graduation?
Trainers are provided one full year (4 opportunities) to attend a trainer's weekend and complete the exam process. Trainers outside of North America also have one full year and are provided 4 opportunities to take the final written exam remotely within that year, on the same dates as the in-person trainer's weekends if they cannot attend a TWC Trainer's Weekend in person.
As a certified trainer, what tools/benefits are provided upon certification?
A summary of benefits and tools are listed below.
- Approved use of the TWC methodology in your business
- Attend the private monthly Q&A with Ivan
- Early access to Ivan’s Training Without Conflict™ Podcast
- Early access to sign up for Ivan’s workshops and seminars
- Approved use of the official TWC trademarked logo and certification seal in your marketing
- Approved use of TWC marketing collateral (flyers, ads, digital promotion samples)
- A listing on the TWC certified trainer page on Ivan’s website
- Ability to sell approved TWC branded products (shirts, eCollars, etc)
- Access to the private TWC Professional Facebook community
- Access to the TWC online Certification Resource Center
- Invitation to the annual Certified Trainer Retreat (additional fees required; date TBD)
