From Dog Lover to Professional Trainer: Steps to Begin Your Journey

Happiness is Finding a Job You Love

President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Professional dog trainers enjoy the satisfaction of transforming lives–both canine and human. For a true dog lover, teaching dogs the obedience skills they need to live a happy life as well-trained, beloved companions could be considered their higher calling! Roosevelt was only half right in valuing a job worth doing. Finding a job you love doing is important too, one that lets you follow your passion. For a dog lover who wants to give them their best chance at a good life, dog training is both fulfilling and fun.

What Makes Dog Training a Worthy Profession?

Dog trainers give dogs a good shot at a happy life by teaching them behaviors that help them exist in a human environment. Obedience trainers work with owners and their dogs to instill basic commands.

Ideally, training begins during puppyhood, when dogs are most impressionable and before bad habits have had a chance to take deep roots. Everyone has heard the saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” You actually can, but it could be a bit harder!

Obedience training ingrains the commands “sit,” “stay,” “down,” “come,” “leave it,” and others. Dogs being able to immediately respond to these simple words–or hand signals–means that owners have a good chance of controlling them in any situation. This makes life easier and more peaceful. Who hasn’t had the unpleasant experience of being around a dog who barks constantly, jumps on people, or is underfoot begging whenever food is present? Obedience training gives you the tools to shape a dog’s behavior.

A happy household is important, but obedience training can be life-saving, too. Being able to recall a dog from a potentially dangerous situation or to command her to leave something hazardous alone can avert tragedy.

Steps to Becoming a Dog Trainer

• Understand a trainer’s role. Obedience trainers don’t just train dogs; they educate humans, too. Without the participation and collaboration of owners and other members of the household, it’s almost impossible to achieve the best results. Don’t go into dog training thinking people skills are unnecessary.
• Assess your skills and commitment level. Dog training isn’t a cookie cutter job. Every dog has its own personality and ingrained behaviors that need to be reshaped. You have to have a deep bag of tricks to meet the challenges of different dogs, especially older dogs.
• Do a little homework on training philosophies. Most modern trainers have disavowed punishment as a means of training. LIMA (least invasive, minimally aversive) techniques have replaced them. Positive reinforcement training employs rewards, such as treats or play. Fear-free training assures stress and anxiety have no part in teaching a dog good behavior.
• Compare schools to make sure you find a good fit for your schedule and budget while also getting a great foundation in training. Brick and mortar schools are few and far between, but there are some excellent schools offering programs online, such as Animal Behavior College (ABC). ABC offers a hybrid solution that gives you the convenience and affordability of online learning with in-person experience; anyone hoping to become a dog trainer can learn the career while retaining a full time job and managing other life commitments.
• Get hands-on training. In addition to a solid, interesting curriculum created by professional dog trainers, ABC offers students invaluable real-world experience. Through the externship, students get expert in-person instruction. They also have the opportunity to train shelter dogs through the school’s Students Saving Lives (A trained shelter dog has a much better chance of being adopted.)
• Having certification helps. ABC’s certification is well-regarded in the dog training profession and is recognized by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, the International Association of Canine Professionals, and the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors.
• Launch your career! Whether you are looking for a great side gig or full time employment, dog obedience trainers can pursue several different avenues. You could apply to work for an established company that offers dog training or obedience classes. Some pet store chains, such as Petco and PetSmart, offer dog training classes. Dog training also lends itself well to starting your own business. The ABC course includes information on job hunting and starting your own business.
• Continue learning! Obedience training isn’t the only option out there. Dog trainers can specialize in different areas to offer more services to their clients, such as pet sitting, pet massage, daycare, or nutrition consulting. Trainers can also specialize in areas such as behavior modification, agility training, or military and police dog rehabilitation. Service dog training is also an amazing experience. To be able to work with service dogs to ultimately help people with disabilities is a rewarding career path.

Follow Your Heart

Your dog training career can take you wherever your passion leads you, but it all starts with getting a grasp of the basic fundamentals of training. Animal Behavior College has been helping trainers launch rewarding careers since 1998. Give us a call at 800-795-3294; an admissions counselor will be happy to help you get started.