Have you ever thought about training dogs for a living, but didn't know where to begin? Get the inside scoop from a successful professional trainer.
Steps
- Consider whether you enjoy working with people as well as dogs. Many people get into the profession of dog training without realizing that what dog trainers do is really to train people to train dogs. You must have patience and empathy, and be as good a coach to your human clients (lots of positive reinforcement!) as you are to your dogs.
- Get an education. There is no degree required to become a dog trainer, but you should attain both "book knowledge" and hands-on experience before offering your services to the public. Read books, attend seminars, watch DVDs. Get hands-on experience by mentoring under another trainer if possible, and volunteer to work at your local shelter or with rescue groups. Shelter/rescue work is a great way to get hands-on experience with dogs of various breeds and temperament.
- Consider whether you want to teach group classes, do private lessons, or both. You will probably start out by training part-time while working another job. Whether you can make a living as a full-time trainer depends on how many classes/sessions you are willing to do per week, how much demand there is for trainers in your geographic area, and whether you offer other additional services such as board-and-train.
- You need to consider whether you want to be a dog trainer, a behavior counselor, a pet care provider or a pet care expert who can offer a wide number of services across all three disciplines. Dog Trainers focus on helping their clients build dog obedience behavior repertoires. The training involves teaching a dog new skills such as ‘sit/stay’ to prevent the dog from begging at the table or teaching the dog to ‘come’ when the owner wants the dog to return to them. On the other hand behavior counseling involves working with a client to change an existing problematic behavior often requiring that you teach the dog an alternative response to a set of circumstances. The results of a survey conducted by Goodloe and Borchelt showed that from a pool of 2018 dogs,: 38% said their dogs showed some fear toward loud noises, 22% reported fear toward unfamiliar adults, 33% were fearful toward unfamiliar children and 14% exhibited fear toward unfamiliar and non threatening dog. Because of this if you are considering a career in dog training you need to look at options that educate you and support your growth as a dog trainer and a behavior counselor. Your clients will appreciate it and your bottom line will benefit.
Tips
- Join the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors (www.nadoi.org), the International Association of Canine Professionals (www.canineprofessionals.com) and/or the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (www.apdt.com) where you can network with other trainers online, attend conferences, and continue your education even if you are not a professional trainer just yet.
- Apply for a full-tuition scholarship at the Canine Club Academy (http://canineclubacademy.com) for a certification course in dog handling, including one-on-one tutoring in how to set up and market your own dog business.
- There is now a certification offered by the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers (www.ccpdt.org). Once you have enough experience, consider becoming certified.
- Certification as a Dog trainer and as a Dog Training Instructor also available through IACP (www.canineprofessionals.com)
- Animal lovers looking to become Certified Dog Trainers can enroll at Animal Behavior College for their in-home study program with hands-on training
- Join a Dog Training Franchise that offers both academic learning and hours of hands on training. A franchise like The DogSmith will then mentor you as you career grows so you continually improve your skills and be a dog trainer and a dog behavior counselor http://www.DogSmithFranchise.com
- Download a FREE report that will help you determine the best way to open a dog training business. http://wwww.PetIndustryFranchise.com
Warnings
- Do not feel that you have to take every case that comes your way. If you receive a request to handle an issue such as aggression, which you are not yet comfortable with or experienced in handling, refer the caller to another trainer. Then ask whether you can come along to watch and learn.
- If you are ever on a private session and you feel that you are in over your head behavior-wise, again, let the client know and refer to another trainer.
Related Contents
- How to Become an Animal Behaviorist
- How to Train Your Dog
- How to House Train an Older Dog
- How to Find and Choose a Dog Trainer
No comments:
Post a Comment