Читать книгу Careers with Dogs - Kim Campbell Thornton - Страница 42

Training dogs isn’t a career for the person who wants the security, predictable hours, and benefits of a 9-to-5 job. Dog trainers often work nights and weekends, because that’s when dog owners have time to attend classes. Unless a trainer has a steady job with, say, a service-dog organization, a police department, or a government agency, he or she must work hard to build and keep a steady clientele.

Dog training is not limited to teaching manners to companion dogs. Training is one of those careers that offers many different paths, depending on an individual’s interests and abilities. In addition to showing owners how to teach their dogs to sit, stay, and come, people with training skills may find careers teaching service dogs to help people with disabilities; teaching detection dogs to sniff out drugs, explosives, or evidence of arson; or working with search dogs as they learn to rescue people who are missing or trapped in the aftermath of a disaster, such as an earthquake, avalanche, or building collapse (see chapters 28 and 29 on working-dog handlers). A rare few train dogs to star on stage and screen or to perform amazing feats at theme parks or other performance venues.

For the most part, dog trainers are self-employed. Some work for dog-training businesses, teaching puppy kindergarten, basic obedience, therapy-dog skills, and dog sports such as agility and flyball. Others are employed by or contracted with veterinarians, animal shelters, pet-supply stores, or township recreation departments.