Daisy Sawtelle
Canine Reporter

As a dog, I have done a lot of training: mainly of my owner. I tell him when I want to eat, go out, and rub my belly and he does. In return, I give him love, affection, and protection. What a good deal. Now if you want to train dogs for others, become a trainer like me. There is no higher calling.

So, if you want to become a dog trainer, hear this: there is not one “right” way to become a dog trainer. Nothing will prepare you more to become a dog trainer than working with a variety of animals under a myriad of circumstances. Unfortunately, there are no licensing or professional requirements to become a dog trainer. I wanted to put together an informational article to help you become a dog trainer.

Training

Training dogs is not easy work, so getting the right training yourself can sometimes be crucial. Training a dog has become a specialist’s job. Training dogs is both fun and hard at the same time. Training is the most important aspect of raising a dog and training serves to strengthen the bond between you and your dog. Training is vital to a long & happy association with your dog.

The usual requirements and conditions for this job are:

• A profound love for dogs

• Being physically fit and active

• Working evenings and weekends,

• Working outdoors

• Strong communication skills

• Good powers of observation and critical thinking ability

• Driving to meet with clients

• Marketing skills.

Aside from the basics, to become a professional and successful trainer, you will also need to know:

• The background and history of every dog breed

• How to read dog body language and communicate effectively with different breeds,

• How to treat more complex problems such as phobias and aggression, basic to advanced dog tricks and commands,

• How to prepare and train dogs for different competitions, as well as, proper canine hygiene, nutrition and grooming so that you can counsel and offer treatment advice to your clients to bring up healthy, well groomed and well behaved dogs.

Trainer Options

There are many different ways in which people become a dog trainer. If you need more hands on, try working with an existing trainer as an apprentice, or even just volunteering with rescue groups and shelters. To become a skilled professional dog trainer you should expect that it will take a number of years as it would if you were studying to become a teacher or counselor. There is nothing like experience with dogs you don’t know to teach you to be a great trainer.

The most common way trainers start is to do in home private lessons, or arrange to meet clients in public areas such as parks or town squares. On the other hand, many trainers make themselves a handsome living. Surprisingly, plenty of new trainers have left white-collar jobs to teach dogs and their masters, those in the industry said.

Most trainers attend several educational seminars to keep current on trends and information about canine health and behavior. These seminars are helpful to both new and experienced trainers.

Getting Experience

This is a great way to go for plenty of hands on experience with dogs. 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. 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. Once you have enough experience, consider yourself certified. It takes years of hands-on experience to become a good dog trainer. The two most common ways to get into the business are to apprentice with an experienced trainer or to attend a dog-training academy.

Clients

You must have patience and empathy, and be as good a coach to your human clients (lots of positive reinforcement. Both dogs and clients should enjoy themselves and a quality trainer will be courteous and polite to both human and canine students.

For that reason, always offer a free evaluation session to give potential clients the opportunity to meet you, see how you interact with their dogs and to ask questions. Sometimes, your clients are uncooperative, and the pay will not make you wealthy either. You will have to adapt your calendar to fit the needs of your clients.

There are no certifications or standards required to become a dog trainer. There are actual dog training schools that you can attend to learn how to become a dog trainer. Perhaps you would be more interested in taking online courses to become a dog trainer.

http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/puppy/

As you can see, there are several ways to actually become a dog trainer.

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