As more people realize the importance of dog training, more dog training jobs are opening up. For a dog enthusiast, what better job could there be than working with dogs all day? However, just because you are a dog lover does not necessarily make you a dog trainer so how do you if a dog training job is right for you?
How do I Become a Dog Trainer?
Most professional dog trainers grew up around dogs either in the show ring or in a family of dog trainers. Some become trainers by taking an apprenticeship to learn techniques from a professional trainer using coaching and hands-on experience. There are dog training courses that offer certificates for successful completion. The general consensus of what makes a good dog trainer is both practical and academic education. Whether a trainer starts out with only hands on experience or a dog trainer course certificate, a truly good dog trainer continually reads magazines, books and online articles as well as attending educational seminars when ever they become available.
It is also important for dog trainers to constantly add to their base of knowledge by attending animal behavior classes. Dog trainers must keep up with advancements and changes in the dog training profession.
What Sorts of Dog Training Jobs are Available?
Dog training jobs run the whole gamut from trainers who are experts at correcting behavior issues such as excessive barking, digging, separation anxiety, chewing and aggression to trainers that are teaching dogs to perform a specific function such as retrieving, pointing, tracking, sniffing, service, working/driving, guarding, obedience and agility. In order to decide what sort of training job you may be interested in you need to understand what the various types of training entail.
Retrievers: Retrievers are breeds such as Golden Retrievers bred to assist hunters by retrieving the quarry after it has been dispatched. They may be land lubbers like Cocker Spaniels, a hunting breed used for retrieving downed game birds on land or they may be water dogs such as Labrador Retrievers that love to jump in the water to retrieve ducks and other waterfowl for their masters. Retrievers are considered hunting dogs bred to retrieve for their masters.
Pointers: Pointing dogs are hunters that have been bred to ‘set and point’ to alert hunters to the presence of game birds. Pointers include such breeds as English Pointer and German Shorthair Pointer.
Trackers: Tracking dogs are breeds amenable to being trained to locate specific objects including people or other animals. Sniffers are trackers that have been trained to ‘sniff out’ drugs or other contraband. The first dog that comes to mind when thinking of trackers is the Bloodhound, the very best tracking dog on the planet. Tracking/sniffing dogs also include the loveable Beagle and the beautiful Coonhound to no name only a couple.
Service: Dogs that become service dogs can be any breed but among the most easily trained service dogs is the affable, intelligent Golden Retriever. Goldendoodles are finding success as service dogs since they are not only intelligent but they are people oriented and want to please. Service dogs do everything from guiding the blind to alerting deaf persons when someone is at the door. Patients in hospitals and nursing homes love it when the service dogs come to visit them and provide the type of love only a canine can offer a human. Service dogs help wheelchair bound persons by retrieving items that fall to the floor, reaching for things the person may be unable to reach; they can be trained to turn light switches on and off, open doors, open refrigerators and so much more.
Working dogs: Sled dogs, guard dogs, police dogs, herding dogs- all these are working dogs. Think about Alaskan Huskies, Rottweilers, German Shepherds and Border Collies and you will realize that working dogs are among the most intelligent dog breeds. They instinctively want to protect, guide, drive and organize whatever is around them. They are the Class A personalities of the canine world. These dogs are quite adept at agility and obedience; both body and mind are bred for action. Portuguese Water Dogs pull drowning people to safety and Great Pyrenees dogs protect herds of sheep from wolves and predators; working dogs are amazing to work with.
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