SO, YOU WANT TO BE A DOG TRAINER?

Call Sam Today
PHOENIX, AZ AREA: (602) 708-4531
OR, if you are out of this area, inquire about a telephone or e-Lesson
Email: Sam@SamTheDogTrainer.com

I receive calls, from time to time, from people wanting to become a dog trainer. I am always happy to receive these calls and to give people advice on how to do it.

What does it take?

The first thing I ask people who call me about becoming a dog trainer is “Do you own a dog?” The surprising answer is usually “No”. Either they have owned dogs in the past, or they have never owned a dog before, but they don’t currently have a dog.

This has to be the starting point for every aspiring dog trainer. Get a dog, a really good dog, and train the living daylights out of it. Take the dog as far as you can. This will set you on the journey to learn what it takes to be a dog trainer. You will go places, spend massive amounts of money, and do things that will eventually turn you into the trainer you want to be. So, start things out as a hobby and then turn it later into a career. But, do it with your own dog. Don’t experiment on other people’s dogs without knowing what you are doing.

I am surprised how many dog trainers won’t have a dog of their own. Or, they own a dog that was trained and raised by someone else. I know of one trainer that has been training dogs for over 10 years, AND HE HAS NEVER OWNED OR TRAINED A DOG OF HIS OWN! He lacks a great deal of compassion for dogs and his customers. He will do things to other people’s dogs, and take liberties with them, that he shouldn’t do. There is a big hole in his understanding of dogs and dog owners, and it is reflected in his training. Others don’t really know how to train a dog from scratch. They buy a dog for many thousands of dollars, that is already titled, and they walk around like the dog they now own was a product of their training. I have seen this many times. I have also seen trainers that have become burned out with the training, and now it is just a business. In all of these instances, you don’t want to train with these people as mentors, and you don’t want to get in the business if you just do it for the business. You will wreck a lot of dogs along the way if you don’t love dogs enough to own and train a dog for performance, and for your own pleasure.

Pick the right dog

In order to be a good dog trainer, you need to know a wide range of things about behavior and training. My recommendation is that you carefully think about the type of trainer you want to be. Start from the end point, and work your way backwards. If you want to be a hunting dog trainer, then start with a top quality hunting dog breed. If you want to work companion dogs or police dogs, then get one of the man working breeds (so you learn about aggression). Get a dog that is so good, that if you can’t make it to the top levels, it is your fault, not the fault of the dog’s breeding/ genetics. You will learn through your personal successes and failures.

For ideas on how to select a dog, click here

Read Everything

Within the first year that I decided that I wanted to be a professional dog trainer, I read over 100,000 pages of materials. I read another 100,000 pages the next year, and so on, year after year. I also purchased training videos and audio tapes.

A good place to start is the public library. Read every book they have on dogs: breeding, history, genetics, first aid, breeds, behavior, training, funny stories, grooming… everything.

Next, start reading books on psychology. Basic college textbooks are a good starting point. Get an overview of psychology and the different perspectives on learning and behavior. Then, dig into the more scientific stuff. Start by reading anything you can find by Darwin, Lorenz, Pavlov, and Skinner.

From there, start comparing the textbook theories to real world studies about canine (jackals, wolves, coyotes, domestic dogs, African wild dogs, foxes, etc.) behavior. It is also good to read books on the behavior of other species, such as birds, cats, fish, herding animals, etc. You need a good understanding of animal behavior.

Find a Mentor

At a certain point, you will need to work with a mentor. You need to find yourself people that know how to apply all of this to training dogs. Find yourself someone that is very knowledgeable. Befriend them and pay them for what they know. I did this, and it changed everything I knew, or thought I knew!

If you don’t know of someone to ask to be your mentor, I would be happy to work with dedicated people that are interested in hiring me to show them how to become very good dog trainers/ behaviorists. For the right person, I will refer you to others that you should get to know and work with, help you find a dog, show you how to train dogs, assign you reading materials, and provide other advice that will turn you into a professional dog trainer and behaviorist. I won’t do this for everyone that asks or offers to pay. I won’t do this for people that are just looking for another job. You have to want this as a career. I will only do this on a case-by-case basis.

Make it a hobby first

It takes many years to become good at anything. You have to have a passion for what you are doing. You shouldn’t do it for the money, because at first, you won’t make much. In fact, you will probably lose money for the first few years. You have to do it because you love dogs and people, not just because you want a job.

I love what I do, but I have paid my dues. I also would do what I do with my dogs even if I wasn’t paid a dime for it. I just love working with dogs