The future of our canine friends, dog sports and activities, and the Dog Scouts of America organization truly lies with today’s youth! To encourage our younger generation in becoming responsible dog parents and participants in a wide variety of activities with their dogs, DSA now offers a Junior Scout badge to young dog handlers, ages 6 to 18. The Junior Scout program offers youngsters an opportunity to earn a Jr. Scout badge through local Dog Scout troops or at summer DSA camps. It should be noted that children 6 years of age or younger will receive a Certificate of Achievement and will be observed – but not actually tested – in the Jr. Dog program; this youngest group will not be eligible for merit badges until they reach the age of seven.

Dog Scouts of America initiated the Junior Scout Certification program in the summer of 2005, testing this new curriculum with 8-year-old Richelle Meyers, who worked very hard with her rather difficult miniature Schnauzer, Oreo, in earning the first ever Junior Scout badge in this new program. They proved that the Jr. Scout curriculum is an effective new DSA program in which our young people and their dogs can be most successful.

All the details of the program can be found on the Dog Scout badges page, in the "Dog Scout section" where the Jr. Scout badge is pictured