Dog training client intake form template
Below is a complete client intake form for professional dog trainers: eight sections, from household basics to the bite-history question most forms are afraid to ask. Copy it with one click, put your business name on it, delete anything that doesn't fit your practice.
It ships as a founding bonus with Homework Hound, and we publish it here in full because an intake form that catches a medical issue before session one protects the dog, the client, and you, whether or not you ever use our tool.
Three questions on this form that earn their keep
- The sudden-change and soreness questions. Pain and illness change behavior. If either answer is yes, the first referral is the vet, not a training plan. Most intake forms skip this; this one leads with it.
- The teeth-on-skin question, in writing. Clients won't volunteer it, and you must know before the first session. Asking matter-of-factly on paper normalizes a truthful answer and shapes your safety setup.
- The realistic-minutes question. Ten minutes done daily beats sixty minutes planned and skipped. Knowing the real number before you write the plan means you write a plan that survives contact with the household.
Throughout the template, the shaded why ask notes explain the reasoning behind each section. They're for you; the copy button below grabs the client-facing version without them, ready to paste into a document or form builder.
The template
[Your Business Name]
New Client Questionnaire
Welcome! The more complete this is, the better our first session will be. Short answers are fine; specific answers are gold. If a question doesn't apply, skip it.
1. You and your household
- Your name:
- Best phone number and email:
- Address (where training will happen, if at home):
- Who lives in the home? (adults, kids and their ages)
- Does everyone in the home agree this training should happen? Anyone hesitant?
- Other pets in the home (species, age, how they get along with this dog):
2. Your dog
- Name:
- Breed or best guess at the mix:
- Age:
- Sex, and spayed/neutered?
- Approximate weight:
- Where did your dog come from? (breeder, shelter, rescue, rehomed from a friend, found)
- How old was your dog when they joined you, and how long have they been with you?
3. Health first
- Your veterinarian's name and clinic:
- Date of the last vet exam:
- Any current medications or supplements:
- Any past or current medical issues (allergies, injuries, seizures, GI problems, etc.):
- Has the behavior you're calling about appeared suddenly, or changed sharply in recent weeks?
- Any signs of soreness: limping, stiffness, flinching when touched, reluctance on stairs or jumping into the car?
- What does your dog eat, and how is their appetite?
4. Daily life
- Walk me through a normal weekday for your dog, wake-up to bedtime:
- How many hours is your dog alone on a typical day, and where do they stay?
- Where does your dog sleep at night?
- Exercise: what kind, how often, how long?
- Favorite games, toys, and treats (be specific; this is the pay we'll train with):
- What equipment do you currently walk your dog on? (flat collar, harness and which kind, head halter, retractable leash, other)
- Fenced yard? Apartment? Shared spaces like elevators or stairwells?
5. History and previous training
- Any previous classes, board-and-trains, or trainers? Who, when, and for what?
- What methods or tools were used before? (treats, clicker, prong collar, e-collar, spray bottle, anything else; no judgment, this just tells me where your dog is starting from)
- What worked, even a little?
- What didn't work, or made things worse?
- What cues does your dog know now, and how reliably (kitchen-only or anywhere)?
6. The reason you're reaching out
- Describe what's happening, in your own words:
- When did it start?
- How often does it happen? (daily, weekly, only in certain situations)
- Where does it happen? (home, walks, the car, at the vet, around guests)
- What usually happens right before? (doorbell, another dog appears, food on the counter, you pick up keys)
- What do you currently do when it happens?
- Has your dog ever put teeth on a person or another animal? If yes, describe what happened, and whether there was a mark, a bruise, or broken skin:
- Is anyone in the household uneasy or afraid around the dog right now?
7. Goals
- If training goes perfectly, what does life with your dog look like three months from now?
- Your top three priorities, in order:
- Anything that would make you say "this was worth every penny"?
- Anything off the table for you? (tools, methods, time commitments)
- Be honest: how many minutes per day can your household realistically practice? (Ten minutes done daily beats sixty minutes planned and skipped.)
8. Agreements
Please read and initial each line:
- ____ The information above is accurate to the best of my knowledge.
- ____ I understand that [Your Business Name] trains using reward-based, LIMA-aligned methods (least intrusive, minimally aversive). Training will not involve pain, fear, or intimidation.
- ____ I understand training results depend on practice between sessions, and I commit to working the homework with my dog.
- ____ I understand that if my dog shows signs of a possible medical issue, I'll be asked to see my veterinarian before training continues in that area.
- ____ I have read and accept the cancellation policy: [your policy here].
- ____ (Optional) Photos or short videos of my dog's training may be used on [Your Business Name]'s website or social media. Yes / No
Signature: ______________________ Date: ____________
Trainer's note: this questionnaire is a working template for your business, not legal advice. Pair it with your own liability waiver and service agreement; your insurer or attorney can review both in one sitting.
How to make it yours in ten minutes
- Copy the form with the button above and paste it into your document tool or form builder (Google Forms, Jotform, your CRM's intake feature, or plain paper).
- Replace every [bracket] with your business name and your cancellation policy, then cut any question that doesn't fit how you work. An intake form you'd never send is worse than a shorter one you would.
- Send it before the first session, ideally with the booking confirmation, so a vet red flag surfaces while there's still time to act on it.
Common questions
When should a client fill out the intake form?
Before the first session, with enough lead time for you to actually read it; attached to the booking confirmation works well. If the health answers raise a flag, a sudden behavior change or signs of pain, you can recommend a vet visit before charging for a session that training alone can't fix. Clients remember that kind of referral for years.
Why ask about bite history in writing?
Because almost nobody volunteers it out loud. A written, matter-of-fact question ("Has your dog ever put teeth on a person or another animal?") normalizes a truthful answer, and that answer changes your equipment, your setup, and your plan for session one. It protects the dog, the client, and you.
Can I rebrand and edit this template?
Yes; that's the design. Replace the brackets, drop in your logo, cut and reword freely. Two cautions: it's a working template, not legal advice, so pair it with your own liability waiver and service agreement; and keep the health-screen section even if you trim elsewhere. It's the part that earns its place most often.
The intake is the document you write once. The rest repeat every week.
After this form comes the training plan, the weekly homework sheets, and the progress reports, for every client, every week. Homework Hound drafts all of it from your session notes, in your voice, under your logo, in about 90 seconds.
Want the whole package generated from your session notes? The first one's free.
Generate a free packageNo card. The templates on this site stay free either way.