Becoming a Professional Dog Trainer – 3 – Professional Organizations – Get hands-on experience
Becoming a Professional Dog Trainer – 3 – Professional Organizations – Get hands-on experience
Join a professional organization
As with all professions, dog trainers have professional organizations. These organizations are great resources and being associated with such an organization can give you instant credibility.
I recommend the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) because they are the largest dog training organization. They believe in and encourage the use of science-based methods. They also offer many benefits to their members. One of the most important benefits is the newsgroup. As a new trainer, you can get help from experienced professionals – these old people are very generous with their knowledge and experience.
To learn more about APDT, visit them at http://www.apdt.com.
Get your hands-on training
Just as important as academic education is practical training. We are dog trainers after all! As Bob Bailey (the world’s most famous animal trainer) says, “training is a mechanical skill.” And he is right. He also says that “training is simple, but not easy!” And he’s right again.
Mastering the skills necessary to become a good coach can only be learned through practice, practice and more practice. Academic education will improve your practical training, but you still need to get a lot of dogs and do a lot of training.
There are different ways to get this hands-on training. You can mentor another trainer, volunteer at a shelter, work with friends and family’s dogs, get a job at a vet clinic or kennel, etc. Start thinking now about your schedule and how you can get lots of different dogs.
#Professional #Dog #Trainer #Professional #Organizations #handson #experience
