Behavior Modification

and

 Obedience Training

10594 Redoubt Road

Manassas, VA 20110

PH: 703-369-9912

Fax: 703-373-7476

Email

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Who should consider becoming a dog trainer?

Training dogs and their owners can be an extremely rewarding career. However, as a professional dog trainer, you will primarily  be 'training' dog owners rather than their dogs. This means that 80% of your time is actually spent instructing people how to train their dogs and only about 20% will involve handling and training dogs.

You should have an outgoing, friendly personality but yet be able to present yourself in a professional manner so that dog owners will take you seriously. If you have a shy personality, you will not come across as confident and knowledgeable, even if you know how to train dogs and all the theory behind it. You will also need to learn how to properly instruct people so they will in turn be successful with the training of their dogs. This is not always easy, especially in a class with 10-15 dogs and their owners! You have to be able to adjust your teaching and training methods to the individual dog owner and each dog you train.

You already know you love dogs and you enjoy training them. That's a good start. Are you willing to put up with inconsistent dog owners that are often not willing to do their homework? Are you willing to repeatedly teach the same basic material? Are you able to adjust to each individual's owner's needs as well as their dog's?  You should be a patient person, as you may have to teach the same exercise over and over. 

A dog training career however is a very rewarding career. You will have the skills necessary to educate dog owners and train dogs to be well behaved companions. You will be able to help dogs that have behavioral problems and save many from getting turned into a Shelter or having to be euthanized. 

How long does it take to become a professional dog trainer?

This depends on the individual. Some people catch on rather quickly and might be able to instruct classes within their first 6 months. Others may take up to 2 years before they have gathered enough theory and hands-on experience before they feel comfortable instructing a large group class. Some may think a good dog trainer is one that has 30 years of experience training dogs. The truth is, someone can be just as good with only 2 years of experience as one with 30 years of experience. This mainly depends on how much you are willing to put into learning, attending seminars and practice. Not everyone can become a good dog trainer, no matter how much they study or practice. 

We feel that it is very important to not try to make yourself sound or look better than you really are. NO ONE can possibly know everything there is to know about dog training! It is a life long learning process and you should never think that you know it all and you're done learning - even after 30 years! We stay away from people that tell us that they know everything there is to know. We feel, that a professional dog trainer is someone who will continue to read books on the subject, attend seminars and exchange opinions with other trainers.

Here at CES, we offer a 1 and 2 year Apprenticeship Program. Unfortunately, we will not be able to take on Apprentices long distance and we don't offer an at-home study program. We feel it is very necessary that you do not only learn the theory, but also the very necessary hands-on practice. Many schools offer a 6 - 10 week Training Course. We think that although many of these programs are very educational, they can hardly prepare you for the real life as a dog trainer. There is much more to it than training a few dogs and learning some basic commands. It takes time and experience to become a good dog trainer.  Here at CES, we strive to turn suitable individuals into very knowledgeable and skilled dog training professionals, that will be able to make their career a full time profession, rather than a part-time hobby.