Assistance dog trainer
Assistance dog trainers and instructors train dogs that help people to maintain their independence, like guide dogs.
Typical Salary
£20,000 – £28,000
per year
Working Hours
35–40
hours per week
Day-to-day tasks
In this job, you'll:
- work with volunteers who foster puppies and young dogs
- assess dogs to go forward for training
- train dogs to the standards required
- match dogs to new owners
- train dogs and owners together
- provide aftercare and support for owners and their dogs
- keep accurate records
Skills needed
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to work on your own
- customer service skills
- the ability to work well with others
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
- thinking and reasoning skills
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
How to get into this role
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- applying directly
Career progression
With experience you could become an area team supervisor, training manager or regional manager.
You could move into related jobs like veterinary nurse or RSPCA inspector.
You could also set up your own business and provide services like dog behaviour classes or private dog training.