Have you ever thought about working with dogs? Would you like to become a dog trainer? In this article on our site you will learn the requirements to be a dog trainer, the time needed to achieve it, the steps you can take and some additional tips.
Before looking at the alternatives for learning to train dogs professionally, you need to know what the requirements are to be a good trainer. It's not just about having knowledge about dogs, but you also have to know something about human relations, sales and marketing.
Requirements to be a good trainer
If you want to become a professional trainer it would be recommended:
- Love dogs. If you don't love dogs, better find another way to make a living.
- Feel a passion for working and living with dogs. Indispensable to feel happy working as a trainer.
- Relate well to people and feel comfortable working with them. As a trainer you will have to work with people as much or more than with dogs. Also, owners are often more troublesome than their dogs. This is one of the requirements that few trainers meet.
- Treat people and animals with respect, kindness and trust. Never be arrogant around people who don't know much about dogs (this is a common occurrence in the world of dog training).
- Have excellent skills in teaching people. One of the main problems for many trainers is that they are not able to pass on their knowledge to the people who hire them. As a consequence, they end up training dogs that only respond to the trainer and not to their owners.
- Be very patient and understand that violence and abuse have no place in animal training.
- Have a great sense of humor.
- Have a strong sense of ethics.
- Be calm and positive. That is to say that it is not easy to get out of your boxes and that you take negative things simply as something temporary. You have to be able to easily remember the good things and let the bad ones go by.
- Never underestimate the skills and knowledge of other trainers, even if they use techniques you consider inappropriate or cruel.
In addition to these characteristics (which you may already have, or gradually acquire), you will need to develop other knowledge and skills as you That you learn:
- Know many dog training techniques, even if you don't use them all. This will help you recognize the advantages and disadvantages of each technique, and consciously select the ones you use.
- Maintain the desire to learn new techniques and skills, even after you have become an expert trainer.
- Acquire a solid understanding of learning theories. In particular, everything related to animal learning.
- Acquiring a solid understanding of animal behavior. Not just dogs, but as many animals as you can (especially mammals).
- Develop critical thinking. This will help you more easily recognize what things are useful to you and what things are not. This is especially important when learning about a new technique. Read a lot, but don't believe everything you read.
- Develop creative thinking. One of the most important characteristics of the best trainers is that they are capable of solving new problems with actions never tried before.
- Learn about marketing, advertising and finance. You don't need to do an MBA, but you do need to have basic knowledge of running a business.
- Learn to plan and follow a plan. This will help you plan your training sessions, the courses you are going to give, payment dates, etc. It is very important that you do this.
- Learn about dog nutrition and he alth. Pay close attention when it comes to canine first aid.
Time needed to become a trainer
If you think you meet some of the above requirements and can acquire the others, you need to think about whether you are willing to persevere during the long as it takes to become a dog trainer.
On average you will need between 3 and 5 years of experience before you become a good beginning trainer. After you are 10 years old you can already consider yourself an expert, as happens with almost any activity. However, dog training "grandmasters" often have 20 or more years of experience. Obviously, these times are relative and can vary greatly depending on how much relationship you have had with dogs before.
Steps to become a trainer
First it is advisable to get some dog training books, videos and magazines to learn more about the subject. It is important that you inform yourself well, even if you plan to enroll in a training school. After you know the theory, you should decide the best way to learn the practical skills. A good first step is to attend seminars, workshops and conferences on the subject. Although you won't get much practice, you will at least be able to ask and discuss. Keep in mind that these are just the first steps.
After learning about it, you can attend a full course at a trainer school This is the best option if there is any of these school in your city. Be careful to choose the correct training school. Not all of them are good.
If you are a professional in a related area (veterinary, biology, psychology, zootechnics, etc.) you can do a postgraduate course in animal behavior or related disciplines. Ideally, you should look for a hands-on program that isn't just research-oriented (unless you want to become an academic, of course). Some of these programs offer scholarships, so don't rule this out just because it's not available in your city. And what if in your city there are no seminars or conferences, and there are no schools for trainers? Find a kennel club and start practicing a sport like Agility or Freestyle.
What if there are no kennel clubs either? Well, in this case the options are as follows:
- Work as a volunteer in a dog shelter and learn by yourself. The experience you gain there, along with the advice you get from other volunteers, will help you better understand the dog's behavior. Of course, you will have to read many books and get more than one video.
- Become an apprentice to a professional dog trainer. This is the best way to learn if you choose the trainer well. It may even be better than going to trainer school.
- Hire a professional trainer to teach you. This is very useful if you can't find a trainer to apprentice you or if you don't have enough time to work as an apprentice.
- Take a distance dog training course. There are many distance courses that teach how to train dogs. Of course, with such a course you will not be able to learn the practical skills, but you will be able to make inquiries. If you choose this option, you will have to gain experience on your own, perhaps by volunteering or participating in dog sports. This is not the best option, so just consider it as a complement to other alternatives.
Regardless of the alternative you choose to become a dog trainer, update your knowledge frequentlyRead lots of books, watch lots of videos, and subscribe to more than one dog magazine. Also, it would be ideal if you studied animal behavior in general, not just dogs.
Additional tip for becoming a trainer
A very useful tip for becoming a dog trainer is to associate with people involved in canine activities. Get in touch with breeders, trainers, handlers, veterinarians, etc. You will see that you will learn many tricks during the conversations you have with these people and the activities you do.
