How to Become a Dog Obedience Trainer in Kentucky

Dog obedience trainers in Kentucky are professionals called upon to facilitate a target behavior in a dog. This can be as simple as helping a dog follow a specific command or training them to perform a more complex action.

There are few obstacles to success for an aspiring dog obedience trainer in Kentucky, which is one reason many Kentucky residents are considering a career in dog obedience training. Below, we explore everything they need to know to achieve their career goal.

We break down the educational possibilities, specific programs, and income projections based on several notable factors.

Steps to Become a Dog Obedience Trainer in Kentucky

The following steps are usually needed to become a dog obedience trainer in Kentucky.

Basic Requirements

A basic understanding of the field is the basic requirement to become a dog obedience trainer in Kentucky. Candidates may also use the preparatory time to develop basic business ideas and determine what possible specialty areas and concentrations they will focus on.

Educational Options

Education is very important for prospective dog obedience trainers in Kentucky. They are expected to receive education in two facets: theoretical and practical.

For the theoretical part of their training, candidates spend time in a training course that can be taken online. All that is important at this point is that they develop a fundamental understanding of training methodologies, dog psychology, safety principles, and more.

Later, they can practice these theoretical issues in a practical environment. The best training programs offer both classroom and real-world training. Later in the guide, we list notable training programs for aspiring dog obedience trainers in Kentucky.

Job Placement

Training programs can offer candidates direct job placement, leveraging their networks with successful dog obedience training agencies in the state. Candidates can also eschew working with an existing agency and instead focus on starting their own business.

Either way, as long as they are well-trained, prospective dog obedience trainers in Kentucky can go on to start working on job placement and career growth.

Explore careers with similar paths:

• How to become a dog groomer in Kentucky

Top Dog Obedience Trainer Schools in Kentucky

The entries below are among Kentucky’s top dog obedience training education destinations.

Explore nearby states for education and training:

• Dog obedience training schools in Virginia

Licensure & Certification Requirements

Licensure is not a requirement for becoming a dog obedience trainer in Oregon. The state doesn’t even set educational requirements, leaving all major considerations to potential employers. However, most employers and customers with dog obedience trainers will prefer to work with certified ones.

This is because certification shows expertise and skills verification, giving people peace of mind. Thankfully, there are several quality destinations through which candidates can become certified as dog obedience trainers in Kentucky.

These include the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers and the International Association of Canine Professionals. Those who would like to consider other alternatives may also choose the credentials provided by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.

Salary & Career Outlook

Dog Obedience trainers in Kentucky can expect to start their careers with an annual average salary between $42,031 and $82,887. The first figure pertains to the lowest earners in the state, and the second pertains to the median earners.

Naturally, those just starting may find themselves in either of these categories before finally scaling to the highest-earning category. Those who have made it this far may have an annual average salary of $163,456 or more.

Experience and location are two factors that can help with upward movement. For location, Louisville and Owenton are the cities with the highest pay for dog obedience trainers in Kentucky.

These places offer annual average salaries of $66,618 and $62,068 respectively.

Lastly, the career outlook for this profession is also very promising, as shown by data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Due to the projected increase in pet-related spending, the bureau expects a continual increase in dog obedience trainers’ employment rate in the next decade.