Learning dog training can be a rewarding career if you love dogs and enjoy teaching.
It's is also the perfect work from home business.
Becoming a dog trainer takes time, though, so the lead time is a bit longer than becoming a pet sitter, for example, or selling pet products. After all, a dog trainer is an "expert". People are paying you for solutions to problems. Learning to train dogs is a life-long pursuit that requires constant education to keep up with the newest trends and methods of animal behavior and communication.
To be successful it's probably best to apprentice for someone else in order to learn your craft and hone your skills. Only after a 3 -5 years of studying and working/apprenticing for someone else should you really consider starting your own dog training business.
DOG TRAINING RESOURCES
A must-see resource is The American Dog Trainer's Network. Here you'll find lot's of educational resorces and programs to consider should you want to pursue this profession --- which is what it is, a profession, not a hobby.
Also lists seminars, training schools, organizations that teach animal behavior and lot's more. Be sure to read their assessment of "mail order" training courses and why they're probably NOT a good idea.
DOG TRAINER'S NETWORK
SO YOU WANT TO BE A DOG TRAINER?
I like this book mainly because it approaches dog training from the business aspect. Covers aspects such as advertising your business, marketing, etc. This is not an instructional book on how to learn dog training! There are a million of those books out there (find recommended books at the DOG TRAINER'S NETWORK link above). Probably best if you've already got some dog training under your belt and want to strike out on your own.
CHECK OUT THE DOG TRAINER BOOK HERE
BARK BUSTERS DOG TRAINING FRANCHISE
For about $30,000 Bark Busters Bark Busters will put you in business as a dog trainer with a protected area of potential customers.
According to their website: "Bark Busters home dog obedience training was founded in 1989 and quickly spread worldwide. It has been operating in the US since June 2000 and now has offices in 37 US states and 7 countries with over 270 franchise locations worldwide."
As I've said before, franchising can be perfect for some people because it shortens the learning curve. The marketing materials are professionally done, not to mention the extensive training you receive in the methods of dog training that stress the newer school thinking of positive reinforcement methods, rather than using averse training or other types of dominance training methods.
Worth a look.
Bark Busters Franchise Information
GROW YOUR DOG TRAINING BUSINESS
edogtrainer.com is an interesting site if you're already a dog trainer and you're looking to grow your business.
The site offers a software program to help you schedule and track clients but even more importantly it provides a service for promoting your business on the Internet whether you have your own website or not.
With an annual fee of only $19.95, the site will list your dog training business by zip code and allows customers to post reviews.
Check Out eDogTrainer.com
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