Becoming A Service Dog Trainer: What to know

A service dog trainer teaches dogs how to care for people with disabilities. It’s an extremely rewarding career. You get to work with animals, teaching them to help people achieve a higher quality of life.

To put it in perspective, over half a million disabled Americans rely on service dogs. Think about how you can change their lives. It’s also a financially lucrative career.

Ready to get started? Here are some things you’ll need to know about how to become a trainer of service dogs.

Understanding Service Dogs

Service dogs perform tasks that can vary according to handlers’ needs. Here are some examples.

Allergy Detection Dogs: Allergy detection dogs are trained to detect foods their handlers are allergic to, ensuring they are not touched or consumed. They may also wear a vest with medications, medical devices, and medical instructions to ensure their handler is cared for if an attack occurs.
Autism Service Dogs: These dogs help their handlers navigate social settings by offering comfort. They can also prevent autistic people from running off.
Diabetic Alert Dogs: Diabetic alert dogs detect when their handler’s blood sugar is too high or too low so they can take the appropriate action. They can also alert others if a diabetic attack occurs.
Guide Dogs: Guide dogs help blind owners navigate private and public settings.
Hearing Dogs: Hearing dogs alert their owners when they hear certain noises like fire alarms, a knock on the door, alarm clocks, and even their owner’s name.
Mobility Assistance Dogs: Mobility dogs assist handlers with limited mobility due to brain injuries, cerebral palsy, arthritis, and other conditions that limit movement. Some service dogs are bracing dogs, which means they brace people with balance issues. These dogs are typically 55 lbs or more. Other mobility dogs help open doors, move wheelchairs, and assist their owners in transferring to beds, bathrooms, chairs, and bathtubs.
Psychiatric Service Dogs: These dogs help handlers who are dealing with mental health conditions like PTSD and anxiety. They provide a soothing presence and ensure handlers have space so they don’t feel confined and stressed.
Seizure Alert Dogs: Seizure alert dogs help handlers before, during, and after seizures. They can call for help if a seizure occurs. Service dogs can also move their handler to a safe place, provide deep pressure stimulation to end the seizure early, and bring their handler medication to treat it.

Unlike other dogs, service dogs are permitted in most locations. They do not need to wear or carry special identification. However, many handlers use tags or documentation to prevent confusion.

Required Skills and Qualities

There are no legally mandated standards for becoming a service dog trainer. However, there are certain hard and soft skills you should develop that will ensure success. They include:

Dog Handling and Training Expertise: It’s helpful if you have experience training working with dogs.
Patience and Empathy: Dogs may not learn skills right away. You must be patient to ensure they understand you and to avoid losing your temper. Trainers should also be empathetic. Understand that a dog may be stressed, tired, or distracted. If you notice the dog is not in an optimal state for training, consider stopping for the day or moving on to something else.
Communication Skills: Communication is important in any profession, but service dog trainers must understand how to communicate with dogs. Choose commands you know they will respond to. Your tone of voice and body language may help get your message across.
Physical Fitness: Dog training requires a lot of running around. You may also need to move the dog and various props to recreate emergencies. Physical fitness is a must.

Educational Requirements

Although there are no mandated requirements for becoming a service dog trainer, you will be asked several questions by anyone looking to hire you- whether it be a service dog school or an individual. For example, they may ask about your educational background as follows:

High School Diploma or Equivalent: Employers typically prefer to hire someone who holds a high school diploma or GED.
Relevant College Degrees: You may be more likely to get hired if you have a degree in animal behavior or psychology. People who take these courses learn how animals interact with each other and their environments. They understand how to use conditioning to train animals. Courses also teach how animals communicate and the significance of body language in training.
Specialized Certifications: You may choose to become certified by taking a course at Animal Behavior College, Dogs for Better Lives which offers dog training apprentices, or Cooperative Paws which provides resources and scientific research on service dog training.

Gaining Experience

Potential employers may also inquire about your hands-on experience. Here are some examples of experience that will look good on a resume.

Volunteering at animal shelters or rescue organizations: Volunteering at these organizations demonstrates you love animals and know how to interact with them.
Apprenticeships with experienced trainers: An apprenticeship with an experienced trainer is possibly the best type of preparation you can get.
Internships at service dog organizations: Ideally, an internship at a service dog organization will involve hands-on training. However, any relevant internship experience shows you are knowledgeable and passionate about the industry.

Professional Certifications

Several certifications will help you in your dog trainer career. They include:

Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CCPDT): Provided by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, the CCPDT means you have been tested against rigorous standards and demonstrated you have the knowledge and skills to provide science-based dog training.
Assistance Dogs International (ADI) Accreditation: This accreditation is for nonprofits that place assistance dogs. It ensures they align with high standards in how they treat their dogs and customers.
Other relevant certifications: Trainers may also consider earning certification at Animal Behavior College, Cooperative Paws, Dogs for Better Lives, or another facility that offers relevant services.

Specialized Training Techniques

A service dog trainer may learn the following specialized training techniques as they advance.

Positive reinforcement methods: Positive reinforcement involves rewarding dogs for following commands and encouraging them to keep up the good work. Rewards typically come in the form of praise, treats, toys, petting, and games.
Task-specific training: Task-specific training occurs when the service dog is trained in a specific task. For example, a dog trained to be a guide will focus on navigating for its owner, and a hearing dog will be trained to react to certain noises.
Public access training: Public access training prepares the dog for admittance to public places. It teaches the dog to be well-behaved and stable in public environments.

Understanding Disabilities

Service dog trainers must understand various disabilities. They should become acquainted with the limitations of these disabilities to ensure they train the dog properly. Service dogs are typically helpful for people with the following disabilities:

Hearing impairments
Blindness and vision impairments
Anxiety-related mental health issues
Mobility issues like arthritis, cerebral palsy, spinal injuries, brain injuries, and muscular dystrophy
Diabetes
Autism
Allergies
Epilepsy

Trainers should know what tasks they are training their dogs to handle. This insight allows them to adapt task-specific training methods, ensuring the dog fulfills its responsibilities.

Business Aspects

Individuals who obtain service dog training certification can use their degree to launch a career as a freelance trainer. They may also join a service dog school or open a training business. Here’s some advice for people with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Setting up a training business: The first step to setting up your business involves getting a license and developing a training plan. Where will you work out of? What are your business hours? How will you find staff? What is your budget? It’s a complicated process, and you may need expert guidance. However, running a rewarding and lucrative business may be worth it.
Marketing and networking: Marketing and networking are essential in any successful business. Create online and in-person marketing materials and determine how to use them to reach your target audience. Network with people who may recommend you to consumers who can use your service and organizations to help your business grow.
Insurance and liability considerations: A dog training company should have liability, property, and workers’ comp insurance to protect their assets if a dog becomes aggressive.

Conclusion

Service dog training is a rewarding career path. You work with lovable animals, help people with disabilities, and can potentially make a lot of money. There are also various options for career growth.

Becoming a dog trainer requires some work. You must earn the relevant degrees and certifications and familiarize yourself with various training methods. But with the right approach, you may join a respected agency or open your own business.

Justice Speaks can support you on your journey. We provide training courses to children so they can learn about service dog-handler relationships at an early age. Our team also handles workplace compliance training and advocates for handlers’ rights.

How to Become a Service Dog Trainer