For a very good guide to all sorts of dog training processes and dog behavior challenges, I use and recommend Clickertraining ...that link goes to the description of this terrific ebook you download immediately, wherever you are! -- Rosana

What is dog trainer training like?

It comes in many forms. Some dog trainers just naturally start training their own dogs, maybe as children or maybe later in life. From there, they might begin training dogs belonging to neighbors, family members, and friends. At some point, they begin learning from other dog trainers. Maybe they simply take their dog to a group class. Maybe they read books, watch DVDs or online videos.

But if you are considering becoming a professional dog trainer, there are some even better choices for you. First, think about what kind of training philosophy you have. In the past twenty years or so, there has been a dramatic evolution in what is scientifically known about the best ways to train dogs.

It turns out that positive, pain-free training methods evoke a willingness to learn in dogs and other mammals that just isn’t there if they are trained with repeated punishments. Older dog training methods drew more on yanking choke chains and doing other things to make the dog do what you want. Now we are learning that we can get away from the old dominance theories and methods. Dogs will often happily do what we ask of them because we give them a food treat at first, or reward them with some time playing ball. Read the rest of this entry

Have you considered a dog training career? Sometimes people ask my suggestions for how to become a dog trainer. Now I have a recommendation for an up-to-date resource that really spells out the whole picture: The Dog Trainer Handbook, by Shelly Brouwer, who is herself a professional dog trainer.

She starts out with a bit about her own career, and then she asks, “Why Do You Want to Be a Dog Trainer?” That’s the first chapter. It is followed by other chapters about your education: the types of training that will help you in a dog training career, the top three places in the US to get an education in the best methods of dog training, and what topics you will need to learn. She also covers continuing your education once you are a professsional.

The rest of the book is about how to start and run your dog training business. It covers the various kinds of training services that you could offer (group classes, puppy training, agility, and more), what equipment you will need for your business, what kinds of places you can work out of, and the like. There is a chapter on class types, sizes, and fees. She also offers advice on how deal with your clients, how to make appointments, and so on. It’s good to remember that a big part of a dog training business is about people! (Yes, training them at times!)

In today’s economy, is a dog training career a feasible choice? I would think so, since training dogs is something that is always needed. It is something that can be done part-time, and it usually requires some evening and weekend work.

Consider your own personality a bit.

• Are you patient and enthusiastic both?
• Are you confident with dogs? This is not the same thing as being fearless… professional dog trainers have a healthy regard for the damage a dog’s jaws can do, and they tend to become adept quite quickly at reading the body language of the dogs they work with!
• Would you like to run your own business or work for an existing one?

Want to find out more? Do take a look at the website for The Dog Trainer Handbook!

If you love dogs and have a flair for working with them, you may have wondered how to become a dog trainer. I’ve just read a very informative ebook that might interest you: The Dog Trainer Handbook, by Shelly Brouwer. (If you aren’t familiar with ebooks, they are books sold online that you can download and read immediately.)

Shelly Brouwer is herself a professional dog trainer, and she covers her own journey from volunteering at a dolphin training facility in Florida to taking part in the intensive six-week program at the Dog Trainer’s Academy at the San Francisco SPCA, and on.

She answered a lot of the questions I have had about how people learn to be dog trainers, specially with an emphasis on positive methods such as clicker training. Here are the chapter titles: Read the rest of this entry

I just read a really outstanding article on Cesar Millan and his methods, in the blog of Patricia McConnell, which I follow regularly… it’s the one dog blog I always keep up with!

The link takes you to it. The comments are very interesting too!