How Do I Become a Dog Trainer and Obedience Instructor?
by Peggy Prudden
It takes years of hands-on experience to become a good dog trainer.
Most of us began by training our own dog(s) at a local breed
or obedience club that offered obedience classes, or with independent
instructors.
As we became more experienced, we earned AKC (or UKC) titles
on our dogs. Often we began acting as assistants to beginner,
or basic, classes and then moved up to become full-charge instructors.
As our experience broadened, we progressed to instructing Novice,
Open, Utility, Puppy, and Tracking classes. (In clubs, these
are not necessarily paid positions.)
We read as many books about dog training and behavior as possible
and attend as many seminars on these subjects as we can afford
in time and funds. We never stop learning!
It is important to gain as much experience with as many breeds
as one can. This exposure gives insight into many breeds and
temperaments.
Training methods used to be very harsh and there were not many
books on the subject. Now, there are studies about the nature
of dogs, their behavior, and many theories on how to train them.
Some recent books are about training for achieving high scores
in obedience trials, so an instructor should know about them.
But 96% of people who bring dogs to an obedience class only want
a wonderfully obedient companion dog, which means we must be
knowledgeable about solving dog/owner problems.
People write us about commercial dog training schools, asking
how much they cost, how long the courses are and about tuition
and housing. We do not endorse schools, partly because we do
not have staff to investigate them, and partly because many do
not stay in existence very long.
You will note in our brochure, we endorse individual dog obedience
instructors. We have definite criteria. Anyone can call himself/herself
a dog trainer, but not all dog trainers meet our instructor criteria.
To
be a good dog trainer one must be physically fit, goal oriented,
self-starting,
and love dogs. It takes a lot of stamina, patience,
understanding, insight, common sense, and fortitude to dedicate
one’s life to training dogs.
It takes even more to become a good dog obedience instructor.
An instructor must like and get along well with people, be a
good listener, and know how to teach and motivate people of all
ages and abilities.
Unless one is wealthy, independent dog obedience instructing
can be a financially draining profession. Most dog-owners work
during the day; therefore, classes take place on weekday evenings
and on weekends (usually Saturdays). Training space is hard to
find; not many landlords consider dogs attractive tenants. (Free
space is rare.) Besides rent, there are insurance, advertising,
and utility bills to pay. Teaching three hours each weeknight
does not always put food on the table. Also, the work is seasonal.
DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB!
Dog Training Book/Video Sources:
The Public library; training equipment catalogs; pet supply catalogs;
Dogwise (a Direct
Book Service Inc. Company)
1-800-776-2665.
Monthly Obedience Publications
FRONT AND FINISH, PO Box 333, Galesburg,
IL 61402-0333. Contains regional columns, seminar
and event ads, and major competition results.
OFF-LEAD Magazine, 204 Lewis Street, Canastota, NY 13032. Contains dog training articles, upcoming obedience,
agility, and other events; ads and most major competition results.
Other Publications
and Associations of Interest
FORWARD - An
Obedience Instructors Forum, PMB 369, 729 Grapevine
Hwy, Hurst, TX 76054.
The
Clicker Journal 20146 Gleedsville Rd., Leesburg, VA 20175
Animal
Trainers Forum, PO Box 364, West Sand Lake, NY 12196
APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), PO Box 385, Davis, CA
95617
Clean
Run (Agility magazine), 35 Walnut St, Turner Falls, MA
01376
IACP (International
Association of Canine Professionals),
P.O.Box 560156, Montverde, FL 34756-0156
No
one can teach you how to train a dog; they can only teach you
how they
train a dog. Not all methods will be compatible
with your aptitudes, attitudes, or sensibilities. Not all dogs
learn by the same method. We pick up many ideas from people,
books, tapes, and experience. We develop our ‘own’ methods – the
ones that work best for us. But we need to know backup methods
for the dog that doesn’t learn by "our" method.
Keep an open mind, and never stop LEARNING!
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