So you think you want to work with dogs?
Have you got what it takes? According to the BBC news today “Every year, hundreds of thousands of people in the UK go self-employed by setting themselves up as sole traders. But one in five of them will go bust in the first year. Why? Well, according to one man who made a success of it and is now trying to help others follow in his footsteps, they haven't thought it through properly”. Many more people are becoming self employed and having great ideas of starting businesses but have little or no knowledge of the industry they are entering ie someone starting a restaurant cos they like eating but cannot cook, never worked in a kitchen etc. So they will be reliant on the chef and have no control over what is really happening. But this is different I hear you saying. I have a dog, always loved dogs, grew up with them. Okay but what about the other side of the relationship? What do you know about people? So often I hear that they love dogs but can’t stand people. So how’s that going to work then? The dog you train lives with a family with all that entails. Or maybe a single person and this dog is their world. I honestly feel that if you don’t like people you can’t be a dog trainer. Here’s our ten top requirements for becoming a successful dog trainer 10. Like and respect dogs - if you need more knowledge then why not go and volunteer at a rescue kennels 9. Like people - Can you talk to people. Why not work in a shop/on an exhibition stand etc and build your confidence 8. Be able to listen - try listening to some podcasts or learning something completely new. 7. Be able to communicate - need some teaching skills so try teaching that new thing you have learnt to someone else. 6. Have some life experience - you need to have empathy with your client and will be probably involved in a lot of counselling 5. Probably be able to drive - it’s going to get expensive getting to venues otherwise 4. Have knowledge of first aid - take a course and keep up to date 3. Basic business knowledge - join business groups and learn how to support each other 2. Be open minded - listen and learn other people’s methods but of course don’t just accept them as gospel 1. Be prepared to improve your own knowledge - sign up for courses and keep up to date Still want to be a dog trainer? Great we would love to hear from you. We have several courses which offer you including: A Training and instructors course which offers both practical and theory modules over 12 months course Scentwork instructors course - Giving you lesson plans and practical help to teach classes over a 2 day course More details here https://www.thewalkaboutway.co.uk/training-academy Academy membership is available to all candidates offering business support and mentoring. Contact us now for September start https://www.thewalkaboutway.co.uk/contact-us
