Service dogs learn their skills from animal trainers.
An animal trainer works with one or more animals, training them to perform specific tasks. Animal trainers can work with either domestic or wild animals. They have to understand animal psychology and animal husbandry in order to effectively train animals ranging from dogs and cats in domestic settings to lions and dolphins in the wild.
Function
Animal training involves teaching animals to behave in a certain way depending on an environment or a situation. Animal trainers are responsible for caring for the animals that they train in addition to teaching them, depending on what type of training they are providing. There are many different types of animal training depending on the type of animal and the specific action that is being taught.
Types
Animal trainers can work in boarding kennels, veterinary clinics, stables, animal shelters, aquariums, animal parks, laboratories, zoological parks and in private practice. For example, animal trainers are responsible for teaching service dogs provide companionship for disabled individuals, for teaching wild animals to perform tricks in zoological parks like Sea World and zoos, and also for teaching dressage horses leap, prance and perform other maneuvers. Animal trainers may also teach classes for people who want to learn train their own pets, such as canine education courses.
Considerations
One of the greatest requirements in order to become an animal trainer is simply to love animals. People who decide to become animal trainers also need patience. Animal trainers have to use visual and verbal cues to elicit specific actions from animals that do not speak their language, and so patience and understanding are absolute requirements. Animal trainers have to be trained themselves before they will have the skills necessary to train animals to perform specific tasks.
Requirements
Most animal trainers have to have a degree in animal husbandry, zoology, animal science or a related field. The specific requirements for an animal trainer will depend heavily on what animals they are training and in what setting. A marine mammal trainer, for example, will need a degree in marine biology or a similar subject, while a dog trainer may only require a degree in animal husbandry, or no degree at all. Other requirements are necessary for becoming an animal trainer, as a marine animal trainer will have to be a strong swimmer, for example, but most animal trainers do not require certification in order to do their job.
Outlook
Because there are so many avenues that an animal trainer can pursue, the outlook is positive for people entering into this field. Dog trainers, service animal trainers, animal husbandry trainers, marine mammal trainers and many other types of trainers are always in demand as the needs grow for animals with specific types of training. The pet population, for example, is constantly on the rise, and so the need for pet trainers is always growing.
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