Professional?

[Miss Z]

I don't really know, but is there anywhere that you can gain experience in dog shows etc? I don't know if there are any dog shows around where you live, but here there are plenty of county shows and stuff in the summer, occasionally i've helped at horse shows as a groom (for a friend), and making sure that people know when it's time to enter the collecting ring. I saw people doing that kind of thing for the dog shows too. Just ask on the day, they're usually glad of help. The experience with dogs will be useful when you actually become a dog trainer but i'm no expert in this field, so i could have it all wrong

[k9krazee]

My Aunt is an agility trainer. She made her own "club" and all the classes she offers are at her own house, with her own equipment. She actually makes quite a bit of money, she doesn't have a "real" job and does the agility thing during the week, agility shows on the weekends and also grooms dogs (out of her home) on the side. Sounds like a perfect life to me, lol.

[bckrazy]

It depends on where you want to go - there's actual k-9 training which is more involved, requires much more schooling and gets much better pay, a certified dog behavior consultant, working for a training school or owning a training school. Most dog trainers are self-educated, read a lot about training and go to seminars all over the country. There are dog training schools everywhere, but some are complete rip-offs so be very careful where you go.

I volunteered for at 4 Paws University, and dog training is a really serious job and can be scary at times. You have to be a strong person and be able to apply good judgement on the spot to solve a behavior... I don't think it's a job suited to most people, at all! But if you really want to you should totally go for it. Have you taken Sassy to Obedience classes? You should join an Obedience club, take her to classes, and volunteer to help before and after class to set up and such. You can get a lot of good advice for good trainers. Here are a couple of links ...

http://www.apdt.com/
http://www.ccpdt.org/

[Alysser]

Sadly, no. She is really dog aggressive sometimes and my parents don't want to take any chances.I trained Sassy myself and she is pretty well behaved unless vistors come. I have read alot of training books so I'm okay with the basic stuff. But not anywhere near as good as the experts. I am not old enough to volunteer. But as soon as I am I am volunteering or at least going to some training classes. Thanks everyone and thanks for the links!

[CalliesMom]

I think it is quite rare for vet schools to accept students without a bachelor's degree. You have to have done quite well in your required courses (we're talking 3.5 or better) and have had an extended number of hours working with animals in some degree (be it volunteered at shelter, worked in a vet's office). I have seen where they've taken older students without much animal experience, but these people have done other things that make them stand out.

Vet school is four years. You can go on to do residencies and specialize in one area of medicine. It is quite intense but if you want to do it, you find a way. Good luck with your choices!

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I guess I was wrong about the length of time it takes to become a vet, but you do not need an undergraduate degree in order to enter a veterinary science program. I believe you only need 60 credit hours, which is two years.

[lv4dogs]

Actually classes may help Sassy's behavioral issues, after all thats part of the reason there are classes. Even the very basic classes offer some training on isuues other than just sit, stay, down etc... They help with potty training, behavioral issues, social issues, etc...

I think it would be very benneficial for Sassy & for you & your family.