Dog training statistics

Dog ownership and spending in the United States

AVMA and APPA run separate household surveys with different methodologies, which is why their ownership shares differ. Both are cited with attribution; they should never be averaged.

• 45.5% of all U.S. households own dogs, up from 31.6% in 1996.

  Source: American Veterinary Medical Association, 2024 Pet Ownership and Demographic Sourcebook

• The U.S. dog population reached 89.7 million in 2024, up from 80.1 million in 2023.

  Source: American Veterinary Medical Association, 2024 Pet Ownership and Demographic Sourcebook

• APPA's separate survey counts 71 million U.S. dog-owning households in 2025 - 53% of households, up from 51% in 2024.

  Source: American Pet Products Association, State of the Industry (March 2026)

• U.S. pet industry spending reached $158 billion in 2025 and is projected at $165 billion for 2026.

  Source: American Pet Products Association, State of the Industry (March 2026)

• Bringing a new dog home costs $1,150 to $4,420 upfront, and lifetime care for a dog runs approximately $34,550 over a 10-year lifespan.

  Source: Rover, True Cost of Pet Parenthood Report 2025 (survey of 1,000 US pet parents plus platform data)

• Mean annual veterinary spending per dog-owning household rose from $224 in 2020 to $362 in 2022.

  Source: American Veterinary Medical Association, 2022 Sourcebook

The dog training industry and trainer certification

• Standalone dog training services in the US are a $294.0 million market in 2025, up 2.3% year over year.

  Source: IBISWorld, Dog Training Services in the US - Market Size

• As of December 31, 2024 there were 5,383 CPDT-KA, 154 CPDT-KSA and 560 CBCC-KA certificants - roughly 6,100 active CCPDT credentials, against a US population of about 90 million dogs.

  Source: Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, 2024 Certificant Counts (official PDF)

• Established in 2001, the CCPDT is the leading independent certifying organization for the dog training profession; certification is voluntary and run by a nonprofit, not a government body.

  Source: Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers

• No US state or municipal licensure requirements exist for dog trainers - anyone can legally use the title.

  Source: Foubert, 'Occupational Licensure for Pet Dog Trainers', Animal Law Conference paper

• The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior states that evidence supports reward-based methods for all canine training, and recommends trainers certified by bodies such as CCPDT, IAABC and KPA.

  Source: AVSAB, Position Statement on Humane Dog Training (2021)

• In a North American owner survey, 49% of 296 respondents took their puppy to structured classes.

  Source: Cutler, Coe and Niel, JAVMA 2017, as quoted in Animals (2025)

• One million dogs have passed the AKC Canine Good Citizen test, a 10-step manners evaluation started in 1989.

  Source: American Kennel Club press release (2019)

Behavior, shelters and why training keeps dogs in homes

• Behavioral issues were the primary reason in 28% of shelter relinquishments - the top reason overall - and aggression accounted for 32% of behavioral surrenders in a 2,836-record shelter study.

  Source: Animals (Basel), systematic content analysis of shelter records 2018-2023 (published 2024)

• More than 1 million US households re-home their pets each year; the most common primary reasons (46%) relate to the pets themselves, largely behavior and health.

  Source: ASPCA press release (2015, study in Open Journal of Animal Sciences)

• 2.8 million dogs entered U.S. shelters and rescues in 2025; approximately 2 million were adopted. Strays made up 59% of intakes and owner surrenders 30%.

  Source: ASPCA, U.S. Animal Shelter Statistics (2025 data)

• Approximately 23 million American households acquired a cat or dog during the COVID-19 pandemic, and retention was 90% for dogs.

  Source: ASPCA national survey press release (2021)

Dog bites and liability

• More than 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year in the United States, and children account for at least half of those injuries.

  Source: AVMA, National Dog Bite Prevention Week release (April 2026)

• US homeowners insurers paid 19,062 dog bite and dog-related injury claims in 2023, totaling $1.116 billion - an average of $58,545 per claim.

  Source: Insurance Information Institute / State Farm, Spotlight on Dog Bite Liability

Service dogs

• An estimated 500,000 service dogs assist people in the United States (a dated government estimate from 2016 - no official registry exists).

  Source: ShareAmerica, U.S. Department of State (2016)