Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Career Dog Training

Things to Know Before Considering a Career in Dog Training

People who are really passionate about dogs will sometime choose a life’s career in this field so they can use their love for dogs everyday to help them, making it their goal to become a professional dog trainer. Do you fall in the category of people who pursue their career in dog training just because someone said it is a good thing to do, or, because you have fallen so in love with dogs and want to fall even deeper?

Back to Basic Principles

Before choosing a career in dog training you should know it not only requires a love for dogs, you also need knowledge about their basic behaviors, and you will need the skills on how to handle and discipline them properly. Experienced dog trainers have a good working relationship with many dog owners, dog handlers and of course their pets.

What is your "Dog Division"?

There are two types of careers in the dog world: the pet service training and the dog training. Both have relatively high demands in the market but there are a lot more opportunities in pet dog training than in service training. Pet dog training involves teaching the dog how to live as a companion with his master and learning the basics such as obedience, being potty trained and learning acceptable behaviors which may include eliminating bad behaviors such as biting and barking.

Dog Service Training is geared towards helping people with certain disabilities or working with people undergoing therapy. Another division of service dogs may include the following: chasing criminals, drug and bomb sniffing, search and rescue dogs and hunting dogs. These are highly intensive trainings and require the handler to get sufficient preparation to lead the dog in employing its specialized functions.

Canine Psychology - What is It?

Learn all about dog behavior - their thinking, their behaviors and their reaction to stimulus. Trainers will need to constantly work with a dog to teach them to react in a desired way to any given command. Trainer should understand the basics of associative conditioning.

What about Dog Training Education?

A dog training career requires that you have basic skills in dog training and handling. Currently today, there are no colleges or universities that offer the ability for people to get degrees in dog training. The good news is that there are dog ’academies’ or ’schools’ that provide the basic training you will need. Often, the best dog trainers are often self taught and have natural inclination to dog handling. Some have apprenticed with excellent dog trainers while others simply have a natural talent for training dogs. There are also a number of dog training organizations that could provide the latest information on dog training.
A good dog trainer works with both the attitudes of people and dogs

Dog training involves training the handlers of the dog as well Therefore if you are pursuing a career in this field, it is very important that you have good people skills and that you can tolerate all types of people.

Some owners are impatient and want their dogs to learn everything fast, so they may disregard advice from the trainer, however, there are others that are more patient and open to the suggestions given by the trainer. You need to work with both types of dog handlers and everyone in between. So as you can see, a good dog trainer will not only be working with dogs but with their owners and handlers too. Dog training is not limited to "training" alone; there are also certain aspects that you should be knowledgeable of, like the maintenance of proper dog hygiene, nutrition and grooming.

Having a vast knowledge of what accessories to use and training aids that are available will help during dog competitions. You will also need the ability to distinguish different types of dog breeds and know what the fundamental differences are. You don’t have to be a master in dog training to be an excellent trainer; you only have to develop certain skills necessary in working with dogs and their handlers, by using sufficient knowledge on theories, then have the capacity to use them in a practical way.

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