5 Basic Dog Training Mistakes
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I trained dogs as a pro for about 30 years. I found it to be a great "avocation", but it worked out best if I kept my day job.
Those that do make a good living as a dog trainer do so as much from their handling skills as they do from their training skills. The one problem with relying on handling dogs for a living is that your kids will even forget what your name is. Just to much time away from home for most people.
The Praise and Reward Dog Training Method
- You can make money with this. I would recommend dog grooming. There is big money and you don't have to deal with owners. This has always been an issue, the dogs are fine, but try to train the owners.
- I say it has to be something you enjoy doing. If you go into a career for the money, it will likely make you unhappy, but it looks like you already agree with that, so I say go for it.
In my opinion,
Pros-you get to work with dogs & will always have a challenge.
Cons-you have to deal with their idiotic owners. - The only places where you are likely to make money as a dog trainer is in large cities. I live in a smaller city and all of our dog trainers only work part time because there is little demand for them. If you want job security and a good income, you need to be in an area where the demand is high.
- Generally speaking there are few careers in dog training as an employee. I would expect dog training jobs to be a dead end. It's honest work though and you will gain experience and if you are exposed to the right methods, expertise. Rather, you should expect to start your own business at some point in your developing expertise. Because of that, it's really an entrepreneurial field. You have to figure out how to add accounts, and eventually you'll overreach your limit as an individual and you'll need to deal with employees. You can also generate revenue some other way with a book, video, equipment sales or franchises. Other ways to expand business would be to add boarding, but that generally involves a substantial real estate investment.
- It takes TIME to get to a point where you're able to go out on your own and train at a level where you have a steady clientele and enough money coming in to support your own business.
The kind of trainer that is SUCCESSFUL is one who spent ten plus years gaining experience: seminars, mentoring under other trainers, titling their own dogs, working in real life situations, volunteering at shelters/vets/kennels, etc. That's ten plus years generally working minimum wage or slightly above it, most likely with another job on the sidelines.
If you think you want to do it, then go for it. Do some research into local trainers if you plan to stay where you're at now. See what is being offered, and what your competition is likely to be. See if anyone is willing to TALK to you about mentorship. Find seminars. Volunteer places.
There are no college degrees for training. Yes, there are programs out there that offer six to eight weeks of "certification training" but nine out of ten of these are SHAMS where you work ONE dog and don't get any practical experience with multiple training types. Be very careful about these programs and if you find one that seems decent (IE you work under an actual trainer who has titles and awards, you work in real life situations, you get hands on work with MULTIPLE dogs and with MULTIPLE training methods, etc) then think of it as a starting point and not a "get accomplished quick" thing.
http://www.inch.com/~dogs/protrainer.htm… - heres a good blog for dog training :
www.free-dog-training-tips.com
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