A career in assistance dog training.

[mbk9]

Hey all, I have just signed up here since I had some questions that I am hoping can be answered.

I have been looking (for a few months now) into a career with animals, dogs specifically. I really like the idea of training dogs and also training other people how to train their dogs.

So, I was wondering if a good option would be to look for a career in training assistance dogs, be it guide dogs, seizure alert dogs etc.
If so, then what are the best routes into this type of career ?
Some webpages I visit state that I would need experience working with the people who need these dogs, others don't. What is the case here ? Would I need to go to university to achieve certain qualifications first ?

The end goal is to become a self-employed dog trainer, with my own business. I was just thinking that It would be good to get some experience working for an organization first.

Another little query I have is what qualifications do I need in general to become a successful dog trainer ? I know that technically speaking you do not have to have ANY qualifications, but I was wondering if gaining any would give you the upper hand, or if marketing and word of mouth plays a bigger part in the success ?
Are there any qualifications in particular that people look for ?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

[gypsysmum]

Well done for seeking advice on getting properly qualified as a dog trainer.

COAPE run courses in dog behaviour. It is not cheap. They do require that you have some previous experience though. I would, therefore, consider volunteering at the very least in a rescue kennels or similar. You may like to get a job in one first. It is not for the faint hearted. Every dog is different and you need to get hands on experience of lots and lots before you even begin to understand what makes them tick.

I think the University of Southampton (possibly Lincoln?), among others, also run courses.

Good Luck!