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How can I learn more about becoming a dog trainer? If you want to work independently, you will need to advertise your services and network with the animal care community in your area, including shelters and veterinarians.
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If you volunteer at an animal shelter or apprentice with an experienced trainer, you may be able to find job leads through the contacts you make in these positions. With experience, trainers with strong business skills may open their own training schools for dogs or even teach courses for prospective dog trainers.ĭog trainers may be employed by large pet stores or dog training academies, or they may work independently. What are the long term career prospects for dog trainers?Īt the beginning of their careers, dog trainers may work for established trainers who own their own businesses. The BLS expects that demand for animal care services will grow over the next several years, and that job prospects will be good for animal care workers such as dog trainers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment of animal trainers in the United States will grow by 15 percent between 20, faster than the average growth for all occupations. The lowest ten percent of earners in this field made less than $17,580 and the top ten percent made more than $49,840 that year. The median yearly pay for animal trainers in the United States was $25,270 in 2012.
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It can take several weeks or several months to complete a training program or six months to a year to complete an apprenticeship. The time it takes to become a dog trainer depends on the path one takes in their training. How long does it take to become a dog trainer? Trainers are eligible for the CCPDT’s dog trainer “knowledge and skills assessed” certification once they have at least 500 hours of experience as a head trainer and pass another exam. Once a trainer meets eligibility requirements, he or she can take a certification exam. Trainers are eligible for the CCPDT’s dog trainer “knowledge assessed” certification if they can show that they have at least 300 hours of experience as a dog trainer, and that 75 percent of those hours were spent leading classes as a head trainer.
Dog trainer certification professional#
The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) is one such certifying organization, and it is generally considered the authority in the field. There are no licensure requirements, but dog trainers can pursue voluntary certifications to show potential clients and employers that they have reached a certain level of knowledge and training. The APDT also recommends volunteering at animal shelters to gain experience handling and working with a wide variety of unfamiliar dogs of different breeds, backgrounds, and temperaments.Īre there any certification or licensure requirements?
Dog trainer certification how to#
Programs that teach trainers how to design classes, create instructional materials, and work with clients can be beneficial as well. The Association of Professional Dog Trainers(APDT) does not endorse any specific schools, but recommends finding a training program that thoroughly explores the history of dog training as well as principles of animal learning and dog behavior. It does not store any personal data.Beyond independent study, dog trainers can further their training by completing a course with a school that educates trainers, or by taking on an apprenticeship with an experienced trainer. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
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