Training dogs can be your full-time job

If you love dogs and enjoy being with them, you can pursue a rewarding career as a dog trainer today. The pet industry is growing in India. Paw parenting is on the rise, and people prefer to train their dogs to adjust better to their indoor urban homes and society complexes. This has naturally given rise to the need for professional dog trainers.

Dog training is about teaching a dog certain behaviours or commands to control them better. Training a pet using positive reinforcement to encourage or discourage particular behaviour and help the dog develop desirable habits is the trainer’s job. It also involves making the pet owners responsible for raising a well-adjusted pet dog and helping them understand the pet’s body language, communicate, and bond well.

A trainer has to guide new pet parents in dealing with their four-legged baby calmly and enjoying the pet at home. Correct pet training with the right trainer helps avoid injuries, damage to furniture, and biting and barking issues. A well-trained pet is polite to guests and other dogs and can be easily handled outdoors in a society lift, garden, car, restaurant, etc.

Skills needed

To be a dog trainer, besides having a love for dogs, compassion, and sensitivity for animals, you need to be very patient and have good stamina as it’s a physical job. A trainer has to train puppies and adult dogs to be good companions, train dogs to play games and work with families facing behavioural issues with their dogs.

Trainers must guide the pet owners about interacting with the dog in various situations like feeding, grooming, toilet training, etc. A trainer must have good observation and communication skills and has to train the pet and make the pet owners deal calmly and in an appropriate manner with the problems of the pets, which can be dominance, destruction and chewing, separation anxiety and aggression issues, attention-seeking behaviour, and socialisation.

There are diploma and certificate courses that help to become a dog trainer. Pursue a course from a reputed institute or a well-known trainer. A professional course equips one with proper academic knowledge, pet psychology, theory of behaviour and solutions to problems, practical handling skills and experience, empathy and an ability to communicate effectively with dogs and their owners.

Find a good trainer to apprentice under and gain experience training different dog breeds, puppy and adult dogs. Practical experience is necessary to be successful as a dog trainer; one can also volunteer at an animal shelter, pet daycare, pet grooming service centre, or veterinary clinic.

One should regularly attend seminars and workshops, take advanced courses to keep their skills updated, and keep networking with the seniors in the field. Today, dog training has evolved much more besides pet training dogs for obedience and as guard dogs. Depending on your interest, you can train the dogs to face the camera, do tricks such as show dogs, provide special assistance for helping the physically challenged, and train bomb or drug-sniffing dogs.

Once you have gained some experience and knowledge as a dog trainer, you can start a dog training business or set up a dog boarding centre.