LOVE ANIMALS ? MAKE A CAREER OUT OF IT !!

ANIMAL TRAINER

INTRODUCTION

Working with animals is an extremely rewarding and exciting career for those who genuinely love them.

Animal training refers to teaching animals certain responses to specific conditions. It prepares an individual to teach and exercise animals and make them learn companionship, protection and entertainment.

Animal trainers are trained instructors who carry out variety of training techniques to teach different types of animals. It is a broad field which includes working with different types of animals like dogs, elephants, marine mammals, birds, cats etc.

If you choose to become an animal trainer, first you must decide what type of animals you want to work with.

TYPES OF ANIMAL TRAINERS

• PET ANIMAL TRAINER: They usually work with dogs, cats, birds etc.

• SERVICE ANIMAL TRAINER: Is essentially a specialized dog trainer. They teach basic manners and special commands appropriate to the dog’s field of work. They are also trained specifically for detective jobs in the police department or jobs that include guiding people with vision or hearing impaired.

• MARINE MAMMALS TRAINER: They train mammals like whales and dolphin for show.

• EXOTIC ANIMAL TRAINER: Lions, tigers, bears and other wide animals are trained by exotic animal trainers.

• HORSE TRAINER: For a variety of competitive equine sports including dressage and show jumping, horse race etc.

For this animal trainers normally use positive reinforcement in a variety of ways which includes offering toys, food, rubdowns, play etc. Some trainers consider natural behaviors of the animal and intend to modify behaviors of animals by following the principle of reward and punishment.

ROLE OF ANIMAL TRAINER

• Animal trainers have the responsibility to maintain animal’s health and supervising dietary habits. They provide food and water, groom, bathe, disinfect clean and repair their cages and exercise animals.
• They also play with animals, provide companionship and monitor animals for injury and illness.
• There work maybe unpleasant, physically and emotionally demanding and sometimes dangerous.
• When working with animals, there is always the risk of bites , scratches and other injuries.

ELIGIBILITY

• Minimum qualification required to work as an animal trainer is class XII with 50% or more aggregate.
• Candidates need to have some training and additional education in case they want to become special trainers for special animals.
• Candidates who want to train marine animals and exotic animals require a Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology, Marine Biology, Animal science or psychology. Along with this they also need to swim well.

      COURSES

1. B.Sc (Hons) (Zoology)
2. B.Sc (Zoology)
3. B.sc (Marine science)

Apart from qualification, it is mandatory to undergo animal training programs offered by experienced trainers or institutes. Several clubs and organizations offer training programs and voluntary certification for aspiring animal trainers that include lectures, reading assignments and practical hands on experience with variety of animals.

The training workshop varies with the animals trained. For instance, dog trainers course covers topics like study of canines, learning theory of animals, safety etc.

Whereas, horse training includes horse health, horse handling, grooming etc.

SKILLS NEEDED FOR ANIMAL TRAINER

• Love for working with animals.
• Passion for their care and patience.
• Possess strong animal handling skills.
• Should be able to understand moods and activities of an animal.
• Excellent communication skills and interpersonal skills are essential.
• Critical thinking, decision making and time management is crucial.
• Those engaged with the training of marine mammals should be familiar with swimming and diving.
• Physical and mental stamina is very important.

CAREER OPTIONS

1. Animal Caretaker
2.  Zookeeper
3. Pet Groomer
4. Horse trainer or Handler
5. Dog handlers or trainer
6. Marine mammal trainer
7. Animal actor training
8. Animal behavior counselor

PAY SCALE

• Can start his/her career with an average salary of Rs. 120000/- p.a.
• An experienced person can earn on hourly basis that varies from Rs.100/- to Rs.200/-.
• Animal trainers who are working in the film and entertainment industry, government organizations and research facility can earn better salary as compared to the animal trainers employed in any other industry.

ANIMAL TRAINING INSTITUTE

1. Animal Rahat
2. Cochin Dog Training Academy and Pet Resort
3. Dog clinic and Pet shoppe
4. Dog Training Institute
5. National Training centre for dogs (NTCD)
6. Woodstock dog Training school

No college or university in India provide post graduate degree or graduation degree in fog training. But several training institutes, clubs and organizations offer voluntary certification for aspiring candidate.

 – PALAK CHADHA