So you want to be a dog trainer? Employment outlook

 

The  job of animal trainer and/or kennel manager is one of the fastest growing occupations in the country. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of labor Statistics, predicts a 28% growth rate through 2012.

The Career

 The canine trainer and/or kennel manager are all terms that come to describe an individual who is prepared to step into a position of substantial responsibility within the canine field. It is a challenging career for persons who are interested in animals and dedicated to their care and well being.

Job Opportunities

 The demand for canine trainers and/or kennel managers is on the increase. Almost every household in the United States owns a pet and the need for proper care, assistance, training and guidance for these companions is a daily necessity.  Many of these work in their own neighborhood or community. Some of these opportunities can be found in the following areas:

• Pet stores
• Boarding kennels
• Training facilities                   
• Veterinary offices
• Grooming shops         
• Pet sitters
• Breeding facilities
• Therapy dog associations
• Conformation (dog shows) handler or assistant
• Obedience trial handler or assistant
• Disaster relief handler
• Training and research centers
• Animal nutrition centers
• Sled dog kennels
• Self employment

So, you want to be a dog trainer? In-home training

In-Home Training

Training at your clients’ home is a wonderful way to begin your career as a dog trainer. It allows you to keep your present job and offer dog training to your clients in the evenings and on weekends. Most people prefer weekends, as their own employment makes it difficult to schedule a full hour during the weekdays. If you also maintain at least a part time job, You will have a steady income to supplement you while you build your dog training business.

You will need various types of equipment. We will discuss that in depth later in this course. Most people find something that works well for them and they develop a training style around the equipment that is used. Just remember that all dogs are unique and what works for some may not work for others.

In-home, or private, training is unique in that it allows you to see the real-life experience of your clients and their dog. This gives you a tremendous advantage in terms of problem solving. Some trainers insist that only one member of the family actually train the dog, at least in the beginning. Other trainers allow more than one member of the family to work with the dog. If more than one family member participates in the initial training, it is extremely important that they all use the same commands, and handle the dog in the same manner.

Whatever you do, do not allow adults to place responsibility for training in the hands of a child. It rarely works, and can create a great deal of frustration for you, the child, and most importantly, the dog.

For your initial consultation, you will want to meet the entire family so you can see the dynamics in the household. It is not necessary for children of any age to be present during the training itself. In fact, their presence can distract the dog.

Each dog has a unique living situation. Whether the dog is in a family of eight or is an “only child,” its owner will have certain expectation of your training arrangement.

Never take the dog out and work with it alone. Your clients will not be learning anything that way, and they are the ones that need to understand what to do between visits. Demonstrate your technique, introduce commands to the dog, and then allow the owner to attempt to duplicate it while you are present to encourage and correct them.

Many trainers bring their own, fully trained dog along to demonstrate what their dog can learn to do. If you are a competent trainer, this will work well for you.  A calm, confident, obedient dog is the best demonstration to can use.

Be prepared for the fact that not every client is going to be friendly. Some might argue with your techniques. It is your job to pleasantly explain your methods and how they work. Also, you need to be prepared to offer a different method that is acceptable to both you and your client.

There are clients who simply do not work with their dogs between lessons.  Pleasantly explain to them that they are actually wasting their money by not working with their dog, and that everyone will be much happier if they stick with the program for a few weeks it will take to accomplish the job. If you find that every single lesson ends up with the dog still at square one, you’re better offer referring the client to another trainer.

So you want to be a dog trainer? Employment at other facilities

Employment by Other Training Facilities

 You might choose to begin your career by working for another training facility.  This would give you the benefit of sharpening your skills under the supervision of more experienced trainers.  The experience that you gain from handling a myriad of dog breeds at various levels in their training is invaluable.  Remember every dog is unique, by handling as many dogs as possible you increase your readiness to handle a multitude of situations.

 NOTE: Be aware that many boarding, grooming, and training facilities want a handler in their employ to sign a contract that limits their ability to work independently in the geographic area that their facility is located in.

So you want to be a dog trainer? Teaching a Puppy Class

Puppy Kindergarten

Puppy kindergarten is a marvelous way for people to socialize their pups with other dogs and other people, as well as large groups, if done correctly. To run a successful puppy kindergarten you must adhere to the following points.

Do not mix ten-week-old pups with sixteen-week-old pups without close supervision and restraint. Each week as pups grow, they move through various developmental stages that affect them psychologically, physically and emotionally. An older pup can unwittingly harm a younger one or even cause a lifelong fear problem.

Be absolutely certain that each pup’s vaccinations are up to date. There are some trainers and veterinarians who will advise owners not to take a pup into a kindergarten until twelve weeks of age. You should confer with the vet you have chose for your facility regarding the risk of certain diseases in area. Assuming you have retained a vet whose opinion you respect, defer to his advice on this issue.  Require the owner to provide proof from their vet that the puppy has a clean fecal sample.

Puppy kindergarten is not a basic obedience training class. You can encourage actions such as following behind, coming, sitting, and lying down for brief periods of time just as an introduction. This will encourage both puppies and owners to enjoy obedience work and will give the pups a good foundation for future learning. Though strict, regimented obedience is not appropriate in puppy kindergarten, your clients will appreciate some guidance for working on basic manners with their puppies.

Pups that are roughly the same size and at the same developmental stage can be allowed to play together under close supervision. They may chase one another, play tug of war with pull toys, tumble through inner tubes, and do all sorts of fun things. You would not see any real aggression in very young pups (under the age of five months) unless There is a serious problem. If you come upon a pup that has such a problem, discuss it with the owner privately.

Free playtime should be mixed with some structure. Classes must be kept relatively short—no more than forty minutes. Offer water, especially if the weather is warm, at least fifteen-minute intervals, and observe all the pups in the class for signs of stress or dehydration.

Do not forget to share stories about housebreaking woes! You may spend the last fifteen minutes of the hour long class sitting in a circle, passing the pups from one person to the other for hugs and kisses, while discussing typical puppy problems and getting answers.

Puppy kindergarten is a very laid back class. While there is some structure, the class is mainly a tool to socialize the pups to different surroundings. Most owners who take part in a puppy kindergarten class will continue on through the higher levels of training. This builds a good client base.

As you take this course you will become familiar with many aspects of canine care. This will build a firm foundation for your career as a dog trainer. You will be surprised what questions your clients will ask you and you should be well informed in a variety of subjects.

So you want to be a dog trainer? Teaching an advanced class

Teaching an Advanced Class

Only after you have titled a dog of your own in at least the Companion Dog level of obedience, should you consider teaching an advanced obedience class. Even if you have observed American Kennel Club competitions, you can not be a credible instructor if you have not accomplished it yourself. You must be well versed in many rules and regulations governing these events so that you can give your clients correct instruction.

If you are interested in training beyond basic obedience, such as conformation, agility, freestyle, flyball, herding and so on, it is of utmost importance that you have hands-on experience participating in the chosen area. Although all of these can and should be fun, the instructor absolutely must know what he or she is doing.  Attending a few classes held elsewhere, while helpful, just is not sufficient experience. If you want to include a class in a specialty you’re not qualified to teach, hire a qualified instructor to teach a particular class.

So, You want to be a dog trainer? Running a group class

Running a Group Class

One way to hold a group class without having to sign a long-term lease for your own training facility is to locate a neighborhood interior space that is well lit and warm (such as might be available from a locals social club or religious organization) or an outdoor space (in warm weather) that might be available from your local township. You might even be able to locate a pet store owner or veterinarian who will rent you space to hold a group class. Just be sure to check all local ordinances that might be applicable.

Keep the number of attendees within a reasonable limit. Twenty-five in a class is reasonable if you have a very large space and staff to help you, but if you are in a small basement area, you will have to be realistic about how many dogs will be comfortable and not feel intimidated by too close proximity to one another. If you are teaching by yourself, limit the class size to ten or less.

As your classes proceed week-to-week, closely observe the skill of the handlers. If you notice any particular dog becoming defensive or visibly stressed, take the handler aside after class and discuss the possibility of private lessons. The team can still be a part of the group, but a few private lessons might improve the performances of both the handler and the dog.

Always remember to keep classes enjoyable. You want to teach with a lighthearted attitude rather than bark out orders like a drill instructor.

Do not allow yourself to be constantly held overtime by people asking all sorts of questions. While you want to develop a working relationship with clients and an ongoing client base, you have to set reasonable limits. If you are spending two or three hours with clients instead of one, it is simply not worth the money you are getting for teaching class. If people have questions, offer to make  separate appointment with them.

Culture of Denver Dog Works: Professionalism

Culture of Denver Dog Works: Professionalism

By Robert Forto, PhD

A couple weeks ago I introduced a series of articles that I am going to post each week about the culture of Denver Dog Works. I am only only doing this to give our readers an idea of what we are about at Denver Dog Works but also as an exercise for us here at the training center to make sure we are all on the same page and delivering exceptional customer service and training a client’s dog to be one of the best trained dogs in the world.

The 10 Elements of Culture as defined by Denver Dog Works are:

Integrity

Professionalism

Development

Service Availability and Belief

Character

Self Development

A Event Culture

Structured Activity

Leadership

Fun

Professionalism at Denver Dog Works and our Culture

We’re Professional. At Denver Dog Works we take pride in training you and your dog.  It is important to us that every client and every dog receive the best training.  Our motto is “We have the best and train the rest” this means that we expect each of our instructors to present themselves in the best way possible and to provide the best training possible.  We listen to your goals and to your concerns and then we design a training package specifically for you and your dog.  There is no cookie-cutter dog training going on at Denver Dog Works. Group class is not for everyone therefore we do not offer a signup sheet for our group class.  Private lessons done in-home also may not work for you that is why we have our state of the art training center with over 700 square feet of training space on a ¾” rubber mat.

With over 200 dog trainers to choose from in the Denver area we believe our professionalism separates us from the pack.  Our instructors are attentive to your needs as they change throughout your training.  The most important aspect regarding dog training is not in training the dog but training you what your dog’s potential may be and then harnessing that potential and creating a harmonious relationship between you and your dog.

We have knowledgeable, skilled and friendly instructors. Our large training center provides you with a large area to work with your dog no matter what class you are taking. At Denver Dog Works we offer a variety of classes to help you and your dog reach your greatest potential.  We specialize in sport training but do not let this stop you if you have a puppy.  Building you a proper training regimen when your dog is a puppy is vital to his training and ability to perform at the level you expect once he is old enough to perform.  Whether your goal is in competition obedience or working as a service dog developing a proper training foundation helps you obtain your goals faster and easier. Let our professional certified canine instructors design a training package for you and your puppy and let’s build a relationship together.  Training is not just about getting your dog to learn how to do a few basic commands in a few short weeks.

We’re Convenient- Our training classes are available Monday through Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons. Private lessons can be scheduled to fit your timetable. During your evaluation our evaluator will design your training package and work with your schedule to provide you the best opportunity to train your dog and to reach your goals.  Adjustments can be made in the schedule but we strive to meet with you on a weekly basis.

We know our stuff- Our instructors are all extremely knowledgeable in the science of behavior and learning theory. In fact, we are the only training center in the area that has a PhD on staff and require all of our instructors to be certified. Our instructors are not just certified as obedience instructors.  Our instructors have been certified in canine behavior and sciences.  Each of our instructors are certified in various specialties such as Canine Good Citizen, Service Dog Instructor, Conformation, Competition Obedience, Rally, and even Canine CPR and First Aid.

Our training classes give you great results using the easiest, most up to date methods. We have developed training programs in a variety of disciplines to allow your dog to reach his fullest potential. One of our most popular training packages is called Peak Performance.  This package offers you two different training goals.  For example, basic obedience and foundation agility, or obedience and level one protection.  Each class is designed to prepare for your end goal giving you the best results you could ask for.

We are professional – I encourage you to review our website. See what we offer, see what sets us aside from the other trainers out there and then give us a call.  You will be greeted by a person ready to listen to your needs.  If you receive our voice message your call will be returned to you within two hours.  If you email you will receive a response no later than 24 hours later and if you provide your phone number you will receive a call within 24 hours with an email follow up.

I encourage any feedback you may have and of course share the culture of your business as well. I can be reached anytime by email at train@denverdogworks.com

__________________

Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Dog Works Training Centers and the host of a weekly radio program, The Dog Doctor Radio Show which can be heard every Saturday at 9:30 am in the Rocky Mountain West or download it anytime. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

The iPad and How Denver Dog Works will Utilize It

The iPad and How Denver Dog Works will Utilize It

By Robert Forto

As many of you know we offer a course at Dog Works Training Centers to teach people how to become the best dog trainers in the world. In our course we provide an interactive learning environment that is partnered with cutting edge technology and over nineteen years of living with dogs.

With the recent release of the iPad, Denver Dog Works and Dog Works Training Centers plans to include an iPad with every course and include it in the student’s enrollment package.

Our next canine trainer career course starts the week of September 5th, 2010 and is a 24 week course that consists of three days of training every two weeks on Friday-Sundays. You can find out more information on our canine career courses by visiting our website athttp://www.denverdogworks.com and http://www.dogworkstrainingcenter.com

Over the next couple months I will be re-writing our companion course book to include video links, .pdf exams and projects, interactive lessons and more. A perfect partnership of class lectures, our video library, and the iPad technology.

You may think I am crazy to jump on the iPad bandwagon. To the contrary. We have always offered a low-end net-book computer to our canine trainer students but with the release of the iPad it will take our training school to new heights.

Use of the iPad in our every day business operations at Denver Dog Works

We at Denver Dog Works also plan to utilize the iPad in our every day business tasks such as credit card processing through Cynergy Data’s Lucy Gateway and Paypal as well as training contract review with clients, training plan utilization and more.

If you would like to have a career that you love and want to become one of the best canine obedience instructors in the world, give us a call at 303-578-9881 and speak to Robert Forto or Michele Forto anytime.

________________________

Dr. Robert Forto, PhD is the training director of Denver Dog Works and the host of a weekly radio program The DogDoctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

New Successes, Creative Ideas and our Culture

New Successes, Creative Ideas, and our Culture

By Robert Forto, PhD

Originally posted on January 1, 2010 on our old blog site

This is a new day of a new week of a new month of a new decade in a new century. It is special isn’t it? Last year was a tough year for all of us in this recessed economy where everybody was worried about the future of the world as we knew it. At Denver Dog Works, it was tough on us too. We are thankful for all of our clients, new and old, that helped make our business special. We also took advantage of the down time to receive training for our business, our leaders, our trainers and our staff. This training was expensive, but worth every penny. We learned so many new things about our business, our goals, our values, and our desires. We learned what we need to do to set us apart from the crowd. We learned that we are not just a small fish in a big pond, but a fish that has a considerable influence over the pond that we swim.

In January 2009, we started our Internet radio program, The Dog Doctor Radio Show,  that has gotten great reviews and has had on some tremendous guests. We spoke about everything dogs and everything that we love about our furry friends and what makes that relationship special to so many people. We spoke about the Michael Vick controversy, many authors including the most heart-warming story I have every heart about Baxter, the therapy dog that touched so many lives until he last days, and so much more.

We trained several students to become exceptional canine obedience trainers in 2009 and have done so against the wishes of our most vocal competition in our industry. I can not count how many times I have heard from my peers that own dog training schools here in Denver say, “Why are you teaching people how to become dog trainers? Don’t you think the business is saturated?” My response is, “It do it because I can, and no, I don’t think it is saturated.” We change people’s lives at Denver Dog Works. Whether it be by training people for a new career or providing a service dog for a young child in need. That’s what we do.

In March 2009, I announced my intentions on running the Iditarod in 2013. This is a promise I must keep. My family and I thought about this for a long while and realized that the time is now to begin training for the last great race, as they call it. I am taking this year to get into shape and next year I will run my first qualifying races in Minnesota and Oregon. The monumental feat of running the race is not the race itself but the raising of ten’s of thousands of dollars to train and run the race. We are starting our quest to find corporate sponsors during the second quarter of 2010.

We met many new friends in 2009 that taught us so much. The members of the Aurora and Greenwood Village Chamber of Commerce (Colorado) have been great and I want to personally thank Mark Crowley for all that he does. When I attended a seminar put on by Mark and the Greenwood Village Chamber in late 2008 it changed how we do business forever. It introduced me to social media and what an impact it has had! As many of you know I routinely update twitter and Facebook with news, notes, nuggets of information, and stories that have absolutely nothing to do about dogs, but do you know what? Social media works! I have received so many business leads, new contacts and friends, often while I update driving down the highway at 70 miles per hour going from class to class.

In May 2009, I attended a training program in Neuro-Linguistics from my good friend and “personal trainer for the mind”, Traci Brown. This revolutionary training taught me to think outside the box and harness the potential of my unconscious mind. While many may think this is some New-Age quackery I will be the first to tell you that you are furthest from the truth. This innate communication will change your life!

In July, we moved to our new location and we regret that we haven’t had the time to have a grand opening celebration yet. Our new place is only about 70% remodeled due to the fact that through blood, sweat and tears we are doing the re-model ourselves and it is typically only on our days off. In the coming months we will have a grand opening and a ribbon cutting and we will have that bar-b-que that we have been talking about.

In 2010 we are stepping outside the box completely and offering Dog Works Training Centers in select cities throughout the country. While there are many dog training franchises out there, ours is different. We teach new business owners how not only to be great dog trainers but effective and successful business owners as well. Our Dog Works Training Centers business opportunity will change the dog training industry forever.

The 10 Elements of Culture as defined by Denver Dog Works

Much can be said about what makes us the best dog training school in the country. A lot of that lies on our core values and principles of doing business. A lot lies in the education and training we received over the years, moreover, this past year with our branding program that we took with the branding guru of all guru’s David Sandusky and his company, Your Brand Plan. Our work with David changed how we thought about our business and saved our marriage ( as you know, I work with my wife, Michele), but more importantly our work with David allowed us to develop a culture at Denver Dog Works.  Over the coming weeks, every Monday, I will post an article about our culture and what sets us apart in a very competitive industry.

The 10 Elements of Culture as defined by Denver Dog Works are:

Integrity

Professionalism

Development

Service Availability and Belief

Character

Self Development

A Event Culture

Structured Activity

Leadership

Fun

I ask that you follow us along in the coming year. As one fast food restaurant chain’s tagline says: We’re going to be big. At Denver Dog Works, we don’t just train dogs, we changes lives and I can bet you that we do have the best and train the rest!

I encourage any comments or questions you have about anything at all.

Next Week: Element of Our Culture: Integrity

________________________

Dr. Robert Forto is the training director for Dog Works Training Centers and the host of a weekly radio program, The Dog Doctor Radio Show, that can be heard every Saturday at 9:30 am in the Rocky Mountain West or anytime by download. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

Canine Career Courses at Dog Works Training Centers

Canine Career Courses at Dog Works Training Centers

Dog Works Training Centers offers canine career courses at our training center in Denver, Colorado.

Contact Us for more information

Our Canine Career Courses are designed for the student that just doesn’t want to be an excellent dog trainer and instructor but a savvy business person as well.

Dog Works Training Center’s canine career courses have been developed by real-world trainers with years of experience working in this field every day. There are a lot of canine career courses out there; on-site, correspondence and apprenticeship, but if you want to be one of the best canine trainers in the world give us a call!

Dog Works Training Center is also offering business opportunities. Yes you can own your own Dog Works Training Center. Just think about it, you have always wanted to work with dogs and have a rewarding career in the canine industry. Now You Can! Take a look around our website and our accompanying training site, Denver Dog Works and get started on your new career today!

For more information about our Dog Works Training Centers business opportunity click here or fill out our webform or give us a call at 303-578-9881