If you could make a living wage as dog trainer would you do it?
Dog training involves being around animals, but sometimes it involves it involves animals with unpleasant behavioral problems. You get to pet the soft fur but sometimes you have to pick up the poop. Most of all you're really teaching the owners how to teach their own dogs in most cases.
If you knew you could make a living doing this kind of work, would you want to do it?
Why or why not?
2007-06-08T16:17:25Z
I'm *not* asking if you can make a living training animals. :-)
I'm asking if animal training (primarily dog training) is a career path that interests you. Working with animals via their humans- teaching humans how to perform behavior change techniques to their pets' behavior.
I'd also like to add that I'm not talking about working in zoos or aquaria- I'm talking primarily about companion animals, especially dogs.
Moosey2007-06-08T12:39:01Z
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I have a Masters Degree and recently decided to stop the "formal education" and start Animal Behavior College Dog Training classes. I love it, and if I could do it full time I WOULD..but until it can pay me more than minimum wage, I can't. But part time for sure, it's not even a job to me...the poop doesn't bug me.
That would be a really nice job, cuz' sometimes animals are easier to deal with than humans and like the dog whisperer claims, they love no matter what, more than humans. So a troubled dog is worth the time and effort, and it would be a really nice feeling to help out the human owners and teach them how to properly train a dog, why do you ask, I'll work for you ;)
I am seriously considering going into that field myself. I truly love animals ans believe that if humans were better able to understand their and control their companions then we wouldn't end up with so many pets in shelters or living on The street just because the person who saw the little cutie didn't realize that they are a lot like children and have to be taught what it and is not acceptable. I am also interested in vet tech field also and may consider both as I believe that they will work well together.
I've trained professionally off and on since I was a teenager, and I've found that (as you say) it's really about teaching people how to train their dogs -- you don't live with the dog, you don't do more than 10% of the training.
And training people to understand how dogs think and why they should pay attention to that is too damned hard.
I train my own dogs as a pastime. *That* I would do full time, if I thought I could make the same amount of money. Because then the only dorky human I'd be dealing with is *me*. ;)
I have no problem picking up dog poop -- but trying to teach someone how to master timing for "Off!" is a pain in the butt.
Training the owners is what it's all about. I started out doing that with dogs and their owners. I still help out when I can,but I train other animals as well and love it. The type of training I do goes beyond the basics. I love what I do and if your question is can you make a living doing it, yes one can. It takes work and if you're willing to do it, it's all worth it. Best of luck;^)