Animal Trainer

Related Careers

• Animal Behaviour Consultant

• Animal Behaviour Consultant

• Game Farm Manager

• Pet-Shop Owner

• Zoo Educator

Animal Trainers train animals to perform work, entertain or serve as companions.

For example, they may teach dogs to guard property, search for drugs, or lead blind people. They may train horses for show, racing or working. Regardless of the type of animal they train or purpose of the training. Animal Trainers do many of the same tasks.

Before choosing animals, trainers evaluate them to determine whether they are trainable. Trainers begin by getting animals used to human voice and contact. Most training involves getting the animals to respond to hand, voice, and physical commands. Trainers may teach animals by approximation. This means they reward the animals for the behaviour that the trainer wants. By being more demanding in what animals must do to get rewards, trainers are able to shape their behaviour.