Things to Know Before Considering a Career in Dog Training

Things to Know Before Considering a Career in Dog Training

Some people choose a career in dog training simply because it is a popular choice, however, there are those who are really passionate about canines in a way that their life’s direction has led them towards loving dogs even more.

Do you fall in the category of people who pursue their career in dog training just because someone said it is a good thing to do, or, because you have fallen so in love with dogs and want to fall even deeper?

Back to Basic Principles

Before choosing a career in dog training you should know it not only requires a love for dogs, you also need knowledge about their basic behaviors, and you will need the skills on how to handle and discipline them properly. Experienced dog trainers have a good working relationship with many dog owners, dog handlers and of course their pets.

What is your "Dog Division"?

There are two types of careers in the dog world: the pet service training and the dog training. Both have relatively high demands in the market but there are a lot more opportunities in pet dog training than in service training.

Pet dog training usually involves dogs that function merely as pets and as companions therefore, most commonly they are taught obedience training, agility training, potty training and training to eliminate unwanted behaviors like barking and biting.

Dog Service Training is geared towards helping people with certain disabilities or working with people undergoing therapy. Some service dog trainers teach dogs to be search and rescue dogs such as the ever important police dogs or even hunting dogs.

Each of these take a large amount of dedication and patience on the trainers part as they are very intense fields of specialize divisions.

Understanding of Canine Psychology

Learn all about dog behavior - their thinking, their behaviors and their reaction to stimulus. Training adheres to conditioning the thinking of the dog to make specific responses. Trainer should understand the basics of associative conditioning.

What about Dog Training Education?

Careers in dog training require you have the skills to train and handle dogs. Currently today, there are no colleges or universities that offer the ability for people to get degrees in dog training. The good news is that there are dog ’academies’ or ’schools’ that provide the basic training you will need. Often, the best dog trainers are often self taught and have natural inclination to dog handling.

Some people learn by practical experience while others just have a certain natural talent with dogs. You can also find a number of dog training organizations or books with great techniques on training dogs.

A good dog trainer works with both the attitudes of people and dogs

Dog training involves training the handlers of the dog as well Therefore if you are pursuing a career in this field, it is very important that you have good people skills and that you can tolerate all types of people.

There are impatient owners who expect fast learning from their dogs, and they are reluctant to taking advice openly, however, others are relatively open to suggestions. During your career in dog training you will be working with both types of dog handlers and many other personality types too. So as you can see, a good dog trainer will not only be working with dogs but with their owners and handlers too.

Dog training is not limited to "training" alone; there are also certain aspects that you should be knowledgeable of, like the maintenance of proper dog hygiene, nutrition and grooming.

Having a vast knowledge of what accessories to use and training aids that are available will help during dog competitions. You will also need the ability to distinguish different types of dog breeds and know what the fundamental differences are.

You don’t have to be a master in dog training to be an excellent trainer; you only have to develop certain skills necessary in working with dogs and their handlers, by using sufficient knowledge on theories, then have the capacity to use them in a practical way.