Prospective Students

So you want to be a dog trainer? Here are some things you might consider…

Prerequisites:

You must love working with and being around dogs. This seems obvious, but some people get into it for the wrong reasons.  While it’s true that dog training can be a lucrative profession, money should not be the main motive for becoming a trainer.

You must be able to look at dogs objectively. If you just want to love on dogs and spoil them, you won’t be able to effectively deal with many behavioral issues presented to you by your clients. It is important to never lose your temper or allow dogs to control your mood. By looking at dogs objectively, you are much more capable of achieving this.

You cannot be afraid of hard work! Much of dog training is persistence and consistency. If you work diligently you will make a difference in every dog you train.

You should enjoy working with people. Too many people enter the dog training field with thoughts of leaving human communication behind, Although there are a few jobs in the profession with limited human interaction the top trainers train humans as much, or more, than dogs.

A Dog Trainers Income:

So can you make money training dogs? While this should not be why you want to train dogs, the answer is yes. A good trainer can expect to make a very comfortable living training dogs. Many full time trainers come out of school with jobs making over $40,000 a year. A good starting range would be from $30,000 – $45,000 a year working for someone else. For those starting their own businesses, the sky is the limit! There are many different ways to generate income in dog training including pet training, protection dogs, Police K-9, etc.