Animal trainer (Dierentrainer)
Information on this skill...
An animal trainer is someone who specializes in training animals. In most cases, an animal trainer will specialize in a particular animal species, such as dogs or horses. Other forms of animal training are also conceivable, such as the possible training of circus animals and the training of marine mammals, such as those that occur at the delphinium. It is the animal trainer who can help people in a professional way to raise their pet, which in many cases will relate to dogs. In addition to companion animals, it can also be dogs that are professionally deployed by government services or companies, such as police dogs, army dogs, guide dogs for the blind or detection dogs. The profession of animal trainer has no official status, but there are sufficient courses aimed at animal training. As described earlier, the profession of animal trainer should be seen as fairly general because an animal trainer can specialize in training different animal species. In addition, there is an important difference between training companion animals and training animals that are kept professionally. In short, we can best describe the work of an animal trainer as training animals to act, to obey, to guide people or to carry out guard services or investigative work. Obviously, the training of animals involves specialist work that should be left to the right craftsmen. Training animals is important in many cases because animals can only be handled in the right way if they have completed a good training. Training animals is in most cases an interplay between the animal, the animal owner and the animal trainer. It is important to train puppies and other animals at an early age for the best results.
Animal trainer is therefore a general name for craftsmen, who are responsible for training animals. There may also be more specific names, such as the name dog trainer or dolphin trainer. Most animal trainers are specialized within a certain animal group. For example, training horses cannot simply be compared to training dogs or dolphins. The training of birds of prey also concerns completely different activities that require specialist knowledge. In all cases, it is important that an animal trainer has the right knowledge of animal behavior to be able to train animals. Most animal trainers who follow a recognized training to become an animal trainer start the training by training other animals. Think, for example, of training chickens, rabbits or sheep. This concerns training activities, which should be seen as education. This is important to be able to master the basic skills.
DOG TRAINER
A dog trainer helps new puppy owners raise them by teaching courses and classes. In most cases, these types of courses are called puppy courses. But a dog trainer can also give courses to the older dogs such as behavioral training. For puppies and their owners it is very important to start training early because the puppies learn the most in their first months and this will become a lot more difficult at a later age. It is therefore important to start training quickly. The dog trainer will organize the lessons and use a clear structure during the lessons. However, it is the intention that the owner actively participates in the lessons together with the puppy. In most cases, the owner will have to try to get the puppy to carry out assignments. When the puppy has listened carefully, it will usually receive a reward. The dog training courses are generally arranged in such a way that after the training a dog listens carefully to his owner so that an easy-to-handle dog can be handled. Giving commands will therefore be discussed extensively during the lessons. After the puppy course, there are usually sufficient further training courses possible, such as hunting training. Obviously, a dog must be suitable for hunting training. But of course, everyone can go as far with the dog training as is desirable. Often it is a hobby.
SPECIAL DOG TRAINERS
The special dog trainers are usually more focused on the dogs that in the future have to perform a focused task such as detecting people, explosives and drugs. In addition, we also know the so-called police dogs or army dogs that serve as guard dogs and / or law enforcement officers. These types of dogs receive a very targeted training that can sometimes take years before the service dogs can be used. These types of dog trainers can work independently and, if there is sufficient training, give the dogs to the desired organization or are employed by, for example, the police or the army. But in general, dog trainers will not be employed by certain organizations, but rather work as an independent entrepreneur and work together with different organizations.
POLICE DOGS
The Dutch police generally use the Malinois because in practice it has been proven that these dogs have great perseverance and also listen well. But of course, the size and strength of the dog also plays an important role when we talk about a police dog. Police dogs are generally purchased at the age of three, when the dogs are sufficiently trained and eligible for the basic police dog diploma of the KPNV. Police dogs generally remain active until the age of ten if they are still healthy and certified for the work. After their retirement, the police dogs are of course well taken care of. At the Royal Dutch Police Dogs Association (KNPV) you can find more information about police dogs and their activities.
TASKS FOR WHICH POLICE DOGS CAN BE USED:
- Assistance with arrests
- When shooting dangerous animals
- Pets confiscated
- Detection in case of burglary in buildings
- Support ME action
- Law enforcement
- Shows and demonstrations
- Football matches
WHAT DOES AN ANIMAL TRAINER DO:
TRAINING TO BECOME AN ANIMAL TRAINER
There are various training opportunities to be found as an animal trainer that can differ in level. The board of directors can find more information about training to become an animal trainer. In addition, there are also plenty of other websites that focus on animal training. During the training, there will generally be a lot of attention for the learning behavior of animals and the training of animals. For more information, you can also look at the profession of animal caretaker. In addition, there are also plenty of external training institutes where you can follow a course. Accounting is also important as an independent entrepreneur.
COMPANIES WHERE AN ANIMAL TRAINER CAN BE EMPLOYED
In general, most animal trainers will have to be regarded as entrepreneurs. This does not always have to be the case because the profession of animal trainer occurs in many ways. Think, for example, of an animal trainer who works within a circus. In addition, an animal trainer can work for the police, customs or the army. It is also conceivable that a kennel owner, animal pensioner or dog walker can be regarded as an animal trainer. A course or training to become an animal trainer can also be useful for veterinarians. The profession of animal trainer can therefore relate to different craftsmen. In a general sense, animal trainers are relatively often employed as entrepreneurs.
COMPETENCES ANIMAL TRAINER
The most important competence of an animal trainer is the love for animals. In addition, an animal trainer must be able to assess animal behavior in the right way. Patience and stress resistance are also two important words for an animal trainer. Because an animal trainer teaches, he or she must also have didactic skills. Another important competence is communication. This is important because you have to deal with many different people. If you work as an entrepreneur, you will also have to have a commercial institution and be able to network. Generally important words are motivation, passion, perseverance, planning, organizing, inspiring and creativity. It is conceivable that a professional animal trainer also has to deal with fixed professional competencies.
LABOUR MARKET PERSPECTIVE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AS AN ANIMAL TRAINER
There is no real labour market perspective for the profession of animal trainer because most animal trainers work as independent entrepreneurs. There are therefore not many vacancies to be found for the profession of animal trainer. In other words, in most cases, an animal trainer will have to determine his own labour market perspective by winning enough assignments. It is also conceivable that an animal trainer performs other work with regard to animals. In that case, the training of animals may be an addition to another profession. The career opportunities of an animal trainer should be seen in starting your own business. Further career opportunities are not known to us.
WORKING CONDITIONS AND SALARY ANIMAL TRAINER
Because we assume that you will work as an animal trainer as an independent entrepreneur, you have nothing to do with employment conditions because you will usually determine these yourself. An animal trainer will generally work a lot on Saturdays when people are free from work. What exactly an animal trainer will earn is also not to indicate because this will depend entirely on the number of students. An animal trainer usually works for a fixed fee and not per hour.
The content on this page has been automatically translated from the Dutch language. For this reason, texts and videos on this page may contain small errors.
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