DOGGIE DOG BLOG

Written and Posted by: David Harris

This is a response to a very common question I get about becoming a professional dog trainer.  There is much more to the issue than is written here, but this post will give you some insight into my thoughts on the subject and I hope other will chime in with their take on this subject.

Kevin,

Tammy from Swift Run Dobermans forwarded your e-mail to me and asked if I could answer your questions and I am happy to do so.

I have been training dogs professionally for twenty five years and by that I mean it is my only source of income.  Many people train as a hobby or to supplement their full time job.  I have made my living solely from dogs and started into the industry by attending a training college and later becoming an instructor for that college for two years.  Point being I know what I am talking about.

You ask this question:  I was wondering how important, how much of a difference does it really make if a trainer has spent 4 years going to some school, to be certified in dog training, as opposed to someone who has attended seminars and workshops….

The answer is that it makes no difference what route you take to acquiring your dog training skills and knowledge.  What matters is CAN you apply that knowledge to help other people with their dogs.  I know many trainers that are excellent with their own dogs, but cannot apply that knowledge to help other people with their dogs.  I also know more than a few dog trainers that are not very good with their own dogs, haven’t accomplished much in the training world, but are excellent when it comes to helping other people fix problems and make progress with their own dogs.

To be successful as a professional dog trainer it is important to understand we are in the SERVICE INDUSTRY.  We provide a service to people and for any service professional RESULTS is what is important.  When the repairman comes to fix my air conditioning I don’t care what school he went to or even if he went to school.  What I care about is does he fix my air conditioner in a reasonable time for a reasonable price.

In the Dog Service Industry that axiom holds true as well.  It is helpful that you’re friendly and get along well with people, but many successful dog trainers are total A-Holes and people still go to them for training simply because they are the best at what they do and they get results.

So, if you want to become a professional dog trainer you need to get busy and acquire knowledge that you can apply to solving problems that people have with their dogs.  The market is very strong if you have the knowledge and skill to assist people with their pets.

It is my opinion that book knowledge is a very good start, but you need practical knowledge as well.  One way to gain some practical knowledge is to volunteer for free at the local dog shelter.  Then you can work with many types of dogs with many different types of issues.  Work on simple stuff like getting them to stop pulling on the lead and to stop jumping on people.  That will increase their adoptability and give you much needed practice in seeing first hand what type of methods work with different types of breeds and which do not.  Then you can go back to the books and actually understand what was written about temperaments and nervous structures and varieties of methods to numerous to mention.

But, that absolute best method of learning the training industry is to attach yourself to someone that is successful and is willing to take you on as an apprentice.  Apprenticing is a time honored method of learning a trade and is by far superior to any other option available when it come to learning the dog trade.

To get someone to apprentice you, you will either have to be able to pay them for their time or trade your time in labor to compensate them for their time in educating them.  Do not expect them to give you knowledge they have earned without compensation.  But, there are trainers out there that need assistance and will trade their time for your labor.

You ask about Schutzhund and police dogs.  In my opinion there is a market for this type of training, but it is a very small percentage of the market compared to training pet dogs for regular people    .  Schutzhund and Police dogs require a lot of physical labor to train and many years of specialized knowledge that is much more difficult to acquire.  I would not concern myself with that aspect of the industry for now unless you have some unique skills and assets that I am not aware of.

You asked about income.  I personally charge $50/hour and train as much as I want with little to no promotion.  I know trainers that charge more, but work less hours than I do.  But, the market can easily bear this price range if you have the knowledge and skills to assist people with their animals.

I hope you find this information helpful.  I very much enjoy my job and have made a very good living from it for many years.David Harris
www.doggiedogblog.com
502-542-9747
Midway, Kentucky