Dog Obedience Training Guide!
Before considering a dog training career, ask yourself if you fulfill the basic requirements to become a dog trainer. Hey, it's not all about loving dogs. You should have some skills on teaching (people), marketing, sales, behavioral science, etc.
Requirements to become a dog trainer
If you want to become a dog trainer, you must:
* Love dogs. Otherwise, why are you looking for a career in dog training?
* Be passionate about living and working with dogs. This is a must if you want to be happy as a dog trainer.
* Feel comfortable working with people. Once you become a dog trainer, you have to work with people as much as with dogs.
* Be respectful and kind with both people and animals. Never act in an arrogant manner towards other people who are not as skillful as you are.
* Have excellent teaching skills... to teach people. Perhaps, the most frequent problem in dog training is that trainers train dogs, but not the dogs' owners. That's why a lot of "trained" dogs only respond to the trainer, and not to their owners.
* Have a lot of patience and good sense of humor. Moreover, you must understand and truly believe that anger, violence and abuse are not useful in dog training.
* Have a strong sense of ethics.
* Tend to ignore bad things and remember good ones. This is important because there will be times when you should overcome big issues like owners that mistreat dogs, dogs that must be put to sleep, etc.
* Never underestimate the skills of other dog trainers, even if they use old techniques that you don't recommend.
Besides those requirements, that you may already have or you can acquire, you should develop new skills. Therefore:
* Learn about several training techniques, even the old fashioned ones. Knowing the pros and cons of each technique will allow you to choose the right ones.
* Keep alive the desire to learn new techniques, even if you are an experienced trainer.
* Acquire a strong knowledge of animal behavior and learning theories. Try to focus on animal learning and conditioning theories. This is a must if you really want to become a dog trainer.
* Develop critical thinking. This will help you to avoid the hype and myths about animal training.
* Read a lot about dog training, but don't believe all you read.
* Learn about marketing, publicity, business plans and finances. As a dog trainer you have to manage a business. Never forget to be up to date on marketing and publicity.
* Learn about dog nutrition, health and care. Canine first aids are a must-learn to become a dog trainer. In addition, learn about management of kennels, doggy daycare, etc.
The time it takes to become a dog trainer
Ok, now you know you fulfill the requirements to become a dog trainer, let's think about the time it takes to become a dog trainer.
In average, you will need from three to five years to become a good novice trainer. Of course, this time depends on how much daily experience you can gain. If you are the apprentice of a professional dog trainer, it is likely that you work with lots of dogs each day. On the other hand, if you are just training your dogs at a dog club, then you are not gaining so much daily experience.
Once you are a good novice dog trainer, it may take from five to 10 additional years to become a dog trainer who can be regarded as an expert one.
Of course, these times are relative. If you have a lot of experience right now, then you won't need so much time. Perhaps, you are an expert dog trainer and the only things you need to learn are business management and marketing.
Steps to become a dog trainer
First, get some dog training books, videos and magazines to deepen your knowledge. Reading some books and watching some videos is a must, even if you are thinking to enroll in a training school. But be careful with what you read and watch. There are many bad books and videos on dog training.
After reading at least two or three books, and watching at least one video, decide on the best way to get practical skills to become a dog trainer. A good first step is to attend to dog training seminars and conferences. You are not going to get any handling skill in a dog training seminar, but you will be able to watch, ask and discuss some issues.
Since it is very unlikely that you become a dog trainer just by attending seminars and conferences, you also need to get hands-on experience.
To get hands-on experience, you may assist to a school for dog trainers in order to take a complete course. Of course, this option is only available if there's at least one dog trainer's school in your area. But be careful to choose a good school... not every training school is good.
On the other hand, if you have a degree on a related area (veterinary, biology, psychology, zoology, etc.) you could think to attend to a graduate program in animal behavior or experimental psychology. Just look for a program that provides hands-on experience, not only research experience (unless you're looking for a scientist career, of course).
There are also some college programs that offer undergraduate studies on animal behavior. These college programs may be a good choice if they offer hands-on experience.
What if you can't find a dog trainers' school or college/university program in your area? How can you become a dog trainer? Well, look for a canine club and enroll to practice any dog sport (schutzhund, agility, freestyle, etc.). This is a great way to get hands-on experience while you learn from more experienced trainers. Of course, you are only going to train your dog, but you will learn a lot from other trainers.
And what if you can't find a canine club in your area? Ok, there are some options to become a dog trainer under such circumstances:
* Volunteer at an animal shelter and go through the self-learning way. Volunteering is not going to provide you training skills, but it will help you to understand dog behavior and to gain experience with dogs. Moreover, you will be in contact with more experienced volunteers (not trainers) and handling dogs with several personalities (including many aggressive non-socialized dogs).
* Become the apprentice of an experienced dog trainer. This might be the best way to gain hands-on experience and become a dog trainer... if you are lucky to find a good professional trainer. This could be even better than attending schools for dog trainers.
* Hire a certified dog trainer to teach you. Hiring a professional dog trainer is a good option if you can't find a good trainer who gives you the chance to be his apprentice. It is also a good option if you don't have enough time to work as an apprentice or a volunteer. While this is not the best way to become a dog trainer, it is better than nothing.
* Take some distance courses on dog training and animal behavior. This should be your last choice because it is not a good one. You are not going to gain any hands-on skill through a distance course. Therefore, a distance course is not useful if you can't find the way to gain hands-on experience. However, a distance course can be a useful guide while you are volunteering at animal shelters or learning a dog sport (schutzhund, agility, etc.).
Besides the learning way you choose, keep updated in dog training techniques. Read a lot of books (not only the first three you bought), watch several videos and subscribe to dog training magazines. Moreover, study about animal training and behavior.
Extra tip on how to become a dog trainer
Get involved in canine activities and talk with vets, breeders, handlers, certified dog trainers, behaviorists, etc. You will learn a lot from these people.
Dog Training Information!
Before considering a dog training career, ask yourself if you fulfill the basic requirements to become a dog trainer. Hey, it's not all about loving dogs. You should have some skills on teaching (people), marketing, sales, behavioral science, etc.
Requirements to become a dog trainer
If you want to become a dog trainer, you must:
* Love dogs. Otherwise, why are you looking for a career in dog training?
* Be passionate about living and working with dogs. This is a must if you want to be happy as a dog trainer.
* Feel comfortable working with people. Once you become a dog trainer, you have to work with people as much as with dogs.
* Be respectful and kind with both people and animals. Never act in an arrogant manner towards other people who are not as skillful as you are.
* Have excellent teaching skills... to teach people. Perhaps, the most frequent problem in dog training is that trainers train dogs, but not the dogs' owners. That's why a lot of "trained" dogs only respond to the trainer, and not to their owners.
* Have a lot of patience and good sense of humor. Moreover, you must understand and truly believe that anger, violence and abuse are not useful in dog training.
* Have a strong sense of ethics.
* Tend to ignore bad things and remember good ones. This is important because there will be times when you should overcome big issues like owners that mistreat dogs, dogs that must be put to sleep, etc.
* Never underestimate the skills of other dog trainers, even if they use old techniques that you don't recommend.
Besides those requirements, that you may already have or you can acquire, you should develop new skills. Therefore:
* Learn about several training techniques, even the old fashioned ones. Knowing the pros and cons of each technique will allow you to choose the right ones.
* Keep alive the desire to learn new techniques, even if you are an experienced trainer.
* Acquire a strong knowledge of animal behavior and learning theories. Try to focus on animal learning and conditioning theories. This is a must if you really want to become a dog trainer.
* Develop critical thinking. This will help you to avoid the hype and myths about animal training.
* Read a lot about dog training, but don't believe all you read.
* Learn about marketing, publicity, business plans and finances. As a dog trainer you have to manage a business. Never forget to be up to date on marketing and publicity.
* Learn about dog nutrition, health and care. Canine first aids are a must-learn to become a dog trainer. In addition, learn about management of kennels, doggy daycare, etc.
The time it takes to become a dog trainer
Ok, now you know you fulfill the requirements to become a dog trainer, let's think about the time it takes to become a dog trainer.
In average, you will need from three to five years to become a good novice trainer. Of course, this time depends on how much daily experience you can gain. If you are the apprentice of a professional dog trainer, it is likely that you work with lots of dogs each day. On the other hand, if you are just training your dogs at a dog club, then you are not gaining so much daily experience.
Once you are a good novice dog trainer, it may take from five to 10 additional years to become a dog trainer who can be regarded as an expert one.
Of course, these times are relative. If you have a lot of experience right now, then you won't need so much time. Perhaps, you are an expert dog trainer and the only things you need to learn are business management and marketing.
Steps to become a dog trainer
First, get some dog training books, videos and magazines to deepen your knowledge. Reading some books and watching some videos is a must, even if you are thinking to enroll in a training school. But be careful with what you read and watch. There are many bad books and videos on dog training.
After reading at least two or three books, and watching at least one video, decide on the best way to get practical skills to become a dog trainer. A good first step is to attend to dog training seminars and conferences. You are not going to get any handling skill in a dog training seminar, but you will be able to watch, ask and discuss some issues.
Since it is very unlikely that you become a dog trainer just by attending seminars and conferences, you also need to get hands-on experience.
To get hands-on experience, you may assist to a school for dog trainers in order to take a complete course. Of course, this option is only available if there's at least one dog trainer's school in your area. But be careful to choose a good school... not every training school is good.
On the other hand, if you have a degree on a related area (veterinary, biology, psychology, zoology, etc.) you could think to attend to a graduate program in animal behavior or experimental psychology. Just look for a program that provides hands-on experience, not only research experience (unless you're looking for a scientist career, of course).
There are also some college programs that offer undergraduate studies on animal behavior. These college programs may be a good choice if they offer hands-on experience.
What if you can't find a dog trainers' school or college/university program in your area? How can you become a dog trainer? Well, look for a canine club and enroll to practice any dog sport (schutzhund, agility, freestyle, etc.). This is a great way to get hands-on experience while you learn from more experienced trainers. Of course, you are only going to train your dog, but you will learn a lot from other trainers.
And what if you can't find a canine club in your area? Ok, there are some options to become a dog trainer under such circumstances:
* Volunteer at an animal shelter and go through the self-learning way. Volunteering is not going to provide you training skills, but it will help you to understand dog behavior and to gain experience with dogs. Moreover, you will be in contact with more experienced volunteers (not trainers) and handling dogs with several personalities (including many aggressive non-socialized dogs).
* Become the apprentice of an experienced dog trainer. This might be the best way to gain hands-on experience and become a dog trainer... if you are lucky to find a good professional trainer. This could be even better than attending schools for dog trainers.
* Hire a certified dog trainer to teach you. Hiring a professional dog trainer is a good option if you can't find a good trainer who gives you the chance to be his apprentice. It is also a good option if you don't have enough time to work as an apprentice or a volunteer. While this is not the best way to become a dog trainer, it is better than nothing.
* Take some distance courses on dog training and animal behavior. This should be your last choice because it is not a good one. You are not going to gain any hands-on skill through a distance course. Therefore, a distance course is not useful if you can't find the way to gain hands-on experience. However, a distance course can be a useful guide while you are volunteering at animal shelters or learning a dog sport (schutzhund, agility, etc.).
Besides the learning way you choose, keep updated in dog training techniques. Read a lot of books (not only the first three you bought), watch several videos and subscribe to dog training magazines. Moreover, study about animal training and behavior.
Extra tip on how to become a dog trainer
Get involved in canine activities and talk with vets, breeders, handlers, certified dog trainers, behaviorists, etc. You will learn a lot from these people.
Dog Training Information!
posted by MervT at
1:52 AM
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