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Did you ever wonder how they get animals to do all those amazing tricks in the movies? Not like the "talking" pig or sheep in "Babe," but real animals doing real things? Think about how much fun it is when your dog sits or "shakes hands" on command. Wouldn’t it be fun to teach him to ring a bell or hide his head under his paws? Or maybe it would just be nice if "Oliver" didn’t jump on your grandmother or steal food off the table. Thinking even bigger, how cool would it be to train a sea lion to toss you a ball or teach an elephant to take a bow?
There’s more to working with animals than teaching dogs to walk nicely on a leash and animal behaviorists work with all types of animals for lots of different reasons.
Animal Trainers and Behaviorists can work in many areas
Zoos and Aquariums: Elephants, tigers and even fish can be trained in humane ways to safely interact with zoo staff so that they can be fed, receive medical treatment or move to different areas so that their enclosures can be cleaned. If the idea of working with exotic animals appeals to you, then you might consider working at a zoo.
Dog Obedience Schools: If you like working with dogs, then an obedience school might be the place for you. Most obedience schools offer group classes while some dog trainers work one-on-one with their clients’ dogs. Many obedience schools also offer agility and fly-ball classes.
Entertainment Industry: Movies, television and theme parks all use highly-trained animals for their shows, including dogs, horses and marine mammals such as Orca whales and porpoises. If you love animals and movies then this could be the right career for you.
Interview with Animal Behaviorist, Jenny Swiggart
Jenny Swiggart can hardly think over the noise of ten barking dogs. She walks up to a kennel where a dog stands quietly, wagging his tail.
Click-clack.
Suddenly, it’s completely quiet.
Jenny gives the dog a treat. She moves from kennel to kennel using her clicker before treating each quiet dog. "The dogs learn that if they do something I want, like not barking, they will get a click and a treat," she says. Pretty soon, every dog is waiting quietly for a click – and a treat.
Jenny is the Behavior and Enrichment Coordinator at the Loudoun County Animal Shelter located in Waterford, Virginia. One of her jobs is to make sure the dogs stay healthy while they wait to be adopted.
"Staying healthy means exercising their bodies and their brains," Jenny explains. "Think how bored you would be sitting in an empty room all day with nothing to do."
But Jenny has another reason for working with the dogs. "Many people think that there’s something wrong with a dog if it’s in a shelter. And that’s just not true," Jenny says. "Many of these dogs don’t have any manners because no one ever took the time to train them. We work on teaching them how to walk nicely on a leash, or to sit and not jump on people. We also work on making the dogs more comfortable in their surroundings. A lot of dogs are scared because they’re away from their old home and are surrounded by strange people, strange noises and strange smells. If we can make it less scary for them then they can show their best behavior to adopters."
Staff members and volunteer dog walkers take the dogs out every day around the Shelter’s fourteen acres. They bathe and brush the dogs, and some dogs spend an afternoon at the Shelter’s front desk greeting visitors. "We also stuff Kongs® with peanut butter and freeze them for treats. It’s a puzzle that tastes good."
Families can sometimes see the dogs playing on the Shelter’s blue and yellow agility equipment. "It becomes a big game for the dogs to run through the tunnel and earn a treat. Our visitors see that these are good dogs that will make wonderful family pets."
It’s important to find a treat the dogs like. "My favorite is a tuna cookie," Jenny says. "They’re simple and inexpensive to make. And the dogs love them." [See recipe sidebar.]
Although Jenny has earned training certifications for her work with dogs, (Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed, "CPDT-KA," and Pat Miller Certified Trainer, ("PMCT"), most of Jenny’s training has been "on the job." "I worked at several zoos before coming to the animal shelter. We used similar positive training methods with the elephants, tigers, bears, and my favorites, the sea lions. Believe me," she adds with a laugh, "there’s no way you’re going to make an 800 pound sea lion do something he doesn’t want to do!" Jenny has also "clicker trained" other animals at the Shelter, including cats and chinchillas. In her spare time, Jenny volunteers at the National Aquarium in Washington, DC, where she assists the staff with feeding and caring for the fish.
What’s the biggest secret to Jenny’s success? "A love of animals -- and lots of patience."
Jenny’s ability to "spot talent" has led to many adoptions by law enforcement and service organizations. "Our shelter dogs have gone to work as bomb sniffing dogs or for the U.S. Customs Service as part of the Beagle Brigade. I especially love to hear back from adopters who have trained their pets to be therapy dogs."
And it doesn’t matter what your dog’s age is. "They’re never too old to learn good manners," Jenny says. "You really can teach an old dog new tricks."
What
You Can Do to Get Ready:
D Whether you will need a college degree depends on what career path you want to take. Many animal behaviorists at zoos and aquariums earn advanced degrees.
For now, Jenny suggests that if you have a dog, enroll yourself and your canine pal in a basic obedience class. She recommends a program that uses positive training techniques such as clicker training. “A lot of obedience schools have family classes where everyone learns how to train their pet.”
Check out volunteer opportunities at local shelters and rescue organizations. Some rescue groups “specialize” in a particular type of animal, such as horses or cats. These groups can always use extra hands.
“You can learn a lot from just watching your pets,” Jenny says. “Watch how your cats play with each other or how your dog acts when she meets a new dog. And be ready to have some fun with them, too!”
What
it Pays:
While some people, like Victoria Stilwell of “It’s Me or the Dog” earn a lot of money from their television shows, most dog trainers earn about $12.00 an hour. An animal behaviorist can earn $100 an hour working with individual clients. A starting annual salary for a full-time animal behaviorist with a college degree is about $36,000. Animal behaviorists with advanced degrees can earn significantly more.
Other
Resources:
National Association of Animal Behaviorists, www.animalbehaviorists.org
Peaceable Paws offers information on training owners and trainers, www.peaceablepaws.com
Association of Pet Dog Trainer, www.apdt.com
National Aquarium in Washington, DC, www.nationalaquarium.com
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