Let me start by saying that I love dogs and enjoy training them very much. I hope you enjoy the article and that it inspires you to take action. I have added a special paragraph at the bottom that I hope you share with your friends and loved ones.
Would you like to train dogs for a living? Does training dogs to make a part-time or full-time income ever cross your mind? Would you like to become a dog trainer but need more input? Please read on if you have answered yes to any of these questions.
A career in dog training will likely be one of the most rewarding jobs you will ever find if dogs are your passion. So let’s talk about some things you will need to understand before you train dogs for a living and become a dog trainer.
First, patience (and a great deal of it) will be needed for a career in dog training. You see, working with dogs isn’t the only time required (yes, you will have to deal with people too).
To some, hiring a dog trainer will be considered a ‘luxury.’ As a result, the potential marketplace for your services will not be as large as if you were to sell pet supplies or dog food (although established dog trainers usually end up offering these items as well).
How To Become A Dog Trainer
Not every person who owns a dog will need a professional dog trainer. Therefore, you may have to spend quite a bit of your time, in the beginning, building up a name for yourself in dog training (unless you can get hooked up with someone who already has an established business).
Secondly, you should seek out a dog trainer certification program. Having a certificate will give you some credibility. In addition, it will allow you to ask for the “big bucks.” Remember that the people willing to pay a lot of money will probably want proof that you have had some recognized schooling.
Should you not have “the proper training,” most people may think, “If this guy is teaching me what he learned from a book or off of a DVD, then I can just do it myself.”
How To Become A Dog Trainer
So, go ahead and get the certification you need and get yourself a business license while you’re at it. Your future customers or clients must have confidence in your abilities and skills.
Once you get your certificate and license, hang them on your office wall. Even though most people will only look at them closely, it will leave a very good impression on the ones that do.
Thirdly, and what may be the most difficult part if you decide to become a dog trainer and train dogs for a living, is marketing. Research has shown that people looking to hire a dog trainer to fall into a certain type of group, and those are the people you will need to attract.
How To Become A Dog Trainer
This “market,” as we will call them, consists of the middle and upper middle classes. The neighborhoods they live in are made up of homes valued a little above avg. for the area.
As a rule, they are more than likely to purchase their pet from a reputable breeder and will probably make regular veterinary trips. In addition, your future clients will likely carry pet health insurance (after all, the dog is part of the family). Finally, they may even get their dogs regularly groomed and occasionally take in a few dog shows.
Once you understand who your clients are or will be, you can begin to “network” with some of the other complementing businesses (groomers-vets-breeders-dog shows). Try to get your dog training services offered to some of their customers.
A career in dog training can be very rewarding, not to mention that it can also be quite lucrative. Isn’t it everybody’s dream to do what they love and make an income while doing it?
In closing, if you want to train dogs for a living and have that burning desire to learn how to become a dog trainer, go ahead and do it. Worst case scenario, it doesn’t work out for you but thinks of all of the knowledge that you will have acquired.
I would like you to read the paragraph above one more time and then go to the top of this page and click the banner.
One last thing that I want to mention is this, if you have a dream or a passion, no matter what it is, please follow it. Do not let anybody discourage you. I read somewhere that if you do not make your own decisions, somebody else will make them for you. How true.
Once again, this article about how to become a dog trainer has helped you make a decision. But if you ask me, and I know you didn’t, you should give it a go.