View Cart1. Dogs.
I love dogs. Training them, hanging out on the sofa with them, watching them work, watching them play. As a professional trainer, I spend every day with dogs! Client dogs, and since I work for myself and have a dog-friendly workplace (of course!), my own dogs.
2. Flexible Schedule.
While it’s true that most professional dog trainers work primarily when regular folks are available, weekends and evenings, there is also the ability to set aside blocks of time when you simply don’t schedule clients. Does this mean you work less? No. But you have great influence over when that work happens, especially the administrative, marketing, and business portion of your work.
3. Picking Your Clients.
Like to teach puppies? Then focus on puppy clients! Love flyball? Teach a flyball class! Prefer hands-on training to teaching clients? Provide day training! Every business needs a certain number of clients to be self-sustaining, but you can direct the focus of your business and the types of clients you are servicing through marketing and product offerings.
4. Helping People.
As a certified professional dog trainer, you will solve people’s problems. That’s a great feeling. Dogs are a part of your clients’ families, and by helping your clients build a stronger bond with their dogs, you’re making a significant positive impact on their lives.
5. Teaching.
If you enjoy teaching people, professional dog training is a great profession to join. Dog training clients are a group of people who have reached out to you to solve a specific problem. They not only want to be there, many clients are highly motivated to learn.
6. The Aha Moment.
There is a moment in teaching people and in training dogs, where the light bulb comes on. That moment when it all comes together is incredibly rewarding to see, especially when you’ve been an integral piece in the process leading to that moment.
7. Being My Own Boss. More than setting my schedule, picking my client type, and helping people (great as all those are!), the general concept that I am responsible ultimately to myself and my clients is a great feeling. I like being the boss of me!
