NEW JERSEY · S4576 / A4206 + A4207
Take action on dog training bills
Two New Jersey proposals would license dog trainers without requiring humane, reward-based training. Here’s how to help stop them from advancing as written.
Read the letter below, add your name and location, then send it to both bill sponsors.
You do not need to live in either sponsor’s district to write about these bills.
The letter
Subject: Please do not advance S4576/A4206 and A4207 as written
Read the message, replace the two bracketed lines with your details, and make any personal additions you want before sending.
Dear Senator Cruz-Perez and Assemblywoman Murphy,
I’m asking you not to advance New Jersey’s proposed dog trainer licensing bills, S4576/A4206 and A4207, in their current forms.
The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends reward-based training and rejects aversive methods. Legislation regulating this profession should not leave room for practices that conflict with that guidance or give private credentialing organizations influence without meaningful accountability to animal welfare.
S4576 and its identical Assembly counterpart, A4206, specifically give CCPDT a role in examinations and continuing education, yet do not guarantee representation by a board-certified veterinary behaviorist. General veterinary representation is valuable, but it is not a substitute for specialized expertise in behavior.
I also oppose A4207’s exclusion of law-enforcement K-9 and military training. Dogs’ welfare should not depend on who employs their handler. These dogs deserve protection, and the people they encounter deserve safety and accountability.
Please reject proposals that leave these gaps. Any legislation you consider should guarantee veterinary-behavior expertise, explicitly prohibit aversive training practices, and apply meaningful welfare protections without law-enforcement exceptions.
Please explain how you intend to address these concerns before advancing either proposal.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[City, state/province, country]
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Use Copy letter, open your usual email app, and paste it into a new message. Send it to both sencruzperez@njleg.org and aswmurphy@njleg.org. The subject line is shown above.
If you prefer contact forms, paste the letter into each office’s form separately: Senator Cruz-Perez’s form and Assemblywoman Murphy’s form. Each form sends only to the named office.
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Recipients:
Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez · sencruzperez@njleg.org · Official contact details
Assemblywoman Carol Murphy · aswmurphy@njleg.org · Official contact details
Read the background
My explanation of the bills, CCPDT, and police exemptions covers the differences between the proposals and why I oppose them.
Sources: S4576: bill and status · A4206: bill text · A4207: bill text · AVSAB’s training guidance