Becoming a dog trainer

I'm diving straight in – what is the secret to being a good dog trainer?

I think the secret is to share empathy and a form of communication with dogs. If you can read a dog, then you can understand a dog, and then you can inform a dog of the best ways to behave in our social environment.

That's the first part – having an understanding of dogs. Then you've also got to be able to put it across to our fellow species, the humans.

With that in mind across the whole of our chat, I want to take you back and ask why did you first decide that you wanted to become a qualified dog trainer?

I've always had dogs since I was probably two years old. We had a German Shepherd and I think growing up with dogs, it gave me that understanding of their body language and their communication. I've always found joy with dogs and enjoyed their company.

What I started thinking was what makes a dog want to stay with a human being? What makes a dog go back to the human being in the park when there's a hundred other distractions? What makes a dog sit when a human says it sit? So, not only was the fact that I love dogs, but it was also the science behind it. It’s a social science. As a dog trainer and a person who deals in behaviour, you've got to understand what can change behaviour and what motivates a certain species.

A lot of canine behaviour is very similar to human behaviour. It's frighteningly similar, actually. It was both things put together, the love of dogs and the why, that made me think this would be a very exciting career.

I became a dog trainer 16 years ago and I'm living the dream. I couldn't have been happier in my career.

 

How did you go about becoming a dog trainer?

You don't just think ‘well, I'm good with dogs,’ and print a load of business cards. Some people might do that but I wouldn't recommend it.

You've got to study to understand canine behaviour.  There are lots of courses available that teach the science.

Then you need to gain practical experience. There's plenty of rescue centres all around the country that could do with a volunteer. The best advice I was ever given is to volunteer at a rescue centre. I got to handle all kinds of dogs; small dogs, large dogs, powerful dogs, scared dogs, and over enthusiastic dogs, all dogs perhaps with problems, and all they really wanted was a walk. I just simply volunteered as a dog walker. I walked dogs up the hill and back to the rescue centre. The dogs had a great time, but I also learned so much about motivation.

The rescue centre often said things like ‘he doesn't like men,’ or ‘he wouldn't leave his pen when somebody else tried it.’ So, I was thinking I must be doing something right.

First of all, you've got to fill your head full of knowledge. Practical experience goes hand in hand with that and with those two things, after six months to a year, you can start becoming a professional.

What organisations would you recommend for gaining qualifications and registering with?

The Institute of Modern Dog Trainers (IMDT) is a very good organisation regarding the study side of things. Not only are they online, but it sets up live training courses where you actually go sit in a classroom, learn the science, and handle dogs, as well. It has got everything from a two-day course, which is the science, and then the four-day course, which is the practical skills, then all kinds of courses in between, such as body language and specific behavioural issues that we come across.

The Institute of Modern Dog Trainers also come at training from the right angle. Unfortunately, there are some very harsh handlers out there. They're actually causing the dog a lot more issues. The IMDT uses a very ethical approach. People call “force free.” We don't want to force a dog to do anything and you don't have to force a dog to do anything. In fact, it's easier not to have to force a dog to do anything.

 

Once you’re qualified, how do you go about building a business?

A good place to start is to get some sort of a location for dog training classes. It could be a village hall, a scout hut, or if you want to go outdoors, it could be a football ground, sports ground, or even an old car park. The location and time of your classes, that's the first place to start.

Secondly, and this is overlooked by many, and that's marketing. When you start as a dog trainer, I would suggest that 60 percent of your resources should be put into marketing and getting your name out there.

Keep your marketing colourful, brief, and to the point. And think about if you can provide articles for local newspaper or magazine.

How quickly did it take for things to take off for you?

It probably took about six months to a year before I started getting comfortable. After two or three years, once you've got things rolling smoothly, you can start lowering your marketing budget.

If you're good at your job and you've got a nice business rolling over, even if it's part time, word of mouth will build your business. Word of mouth is crucial.

 

What dog training services do you offer?

There are two avenues as a dog trainer. One is dog training classes where you're addressing a group of owners and their dogs. The other one is what we call one-to-one behavioural work, and that can be everything from visiting a new puppy to very heavy behaviour, such as biting and aggression. (I would be very careful about taking aggression cases when you're new to the industry, because aggression takes a little bit of experience.)

Both have avenues have very different dynamics. With a group class, you've got to be able to pitch exercises to more than one person. When it's a one-to-one, it's a lot more specific. There's a little bit more paperwork, when you're doing one-to-ones because after a behavioural visit you should provide a summary of what you've recommended.

 

What would a typical working week look like?

I've eased down a little bit now, so I don't do one-to-one behavioural visits anymore. But what it used to look like is I'd have two classes a week, which I still run. Then for the rest of the week, it will be one-to-ones.

So, someone will call me or email me and say, ‘Help! My dog’s not responding to me in the park.’ In that instance, I would meet that person in their local park, and we will go through some routines to help. I’d help teach a recall so that the dog wants to come back to the owner. So that's an example of a behavioural consultation.

With one-to-one behavioural consults, you don't quite know where you're going to be within your certain local area. It could be somebody's home. It could be the park. So that's out and about and putting the mileage in here.

Then as I said earlier, you've got to be able to back up your consultations in writing. Believe me, it's a little bit more time consuming to actually write down what you've covered because it's got to be written down in English that people can understand and so they can follow the instructions. It’s what I call the desk work.

The classes do take planning, too. You don't just turn up, it's all planned structurally. I’’ have people book onto a 10-week course. Over the course, we build up and work to teach a range of exercises such as recall, loose lead walking, sits and stays etc. So, lesson planning is another key element – it’s not all practical stuff.

 

Was there anything about becoming a dog trainer that you didn't expect?

Yes, and that's you're going to other people's homes. You don't know a great deal about the other person. You don't know how they're set up in the house. You don't know what their motivation is. You've got to have some social skills and you should always tell somebody else where you're going and give them the address.

It's all very well dealing with the dog, but you've got to walk into someone's strange house and feel relatively comfortable. It's not always the dogs. The sort of situations that you will find yourself in is there'll be a couple sitting opposite you, husband and wife often, and they'll be on completely different planes on how to train the dog. Tension could be quite high. We're not marriage counsellors, but it often feels like that. You've got to be able to deal with humans, so you can help the dogs.

 

Institute of Modern Dog Trainers

The Institute of Modern Dog Trainers is a leading education provider for dog trainers and behaviourists, and is a registered learning centre for the Open College Network. IMDT courses are open for all to attend and offer a wide range of education and support, from beginner to advanced. The IMDT is the only education provider to offer the externally accredited OCN 'Principles of Dog Training and Behaviour' qualification.

To find out more, visit imdt.uk.com

 

Next month, Tony tells of the more about the cases he has dealt with and the key thing he teaches all clients. He also answers whether you need to own a dog to be a trainer…