Depending on the area of the UK along with the services that are offered, a dog behaviourist in the United Kingdom could earn anywhere between £20,000 P/A to well over £100,000 P/A.
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How much does a dog behaviourist make?
The majority of dog behaviourists are self-employed and so this is largely in the control of the trainer. Depending on the area of the UK in which they work along with the services and specialisms that are offered you could earn anywhere between £20,000 P/A to well over £100,000 P/A.
Put simply the earnings of a canine behaviourist can ultimately be anything, and there are extremes from £50 to £1500 a session. A lot of what behaviourists charge will be down to experience, qualifications, and their location. Some behaviourists may wish to charge high figures and take on fewer clients, whereas others may charge less and serve more clients, resulting in the same earnings. There really are no guidelines or rules when charging for this profession – it comes down to what you want to earn and then obtaining a continuous flow of clients.
Is there a demand for dog trainers and behaviourists?
There is a demand for dog professionals, just as there is a demand for any knowledge that someone else needs. People do not automatically know or understand how to train dogs or change behaviours, and dogs don’t automatically know how to live with humans without displaying those natural behaviours that are unacceptable within our homes – as such there will always be a need for dog professionals who have spent time and money learning and understanding how to work with, train and change dogs unwanted behaviours.
A selection of careers and an idea of earnings as a dog professional:
- Dog Trainer / Dog Training Instructor. £20000+
- Dog Behaviourist (canine behaviour specialist). £40000 to £100000+
- Specialist Dog Trainer (Gundogs / Personal Protection Dogs / Security Dogs / Drug Dogs / Detection Dogs) £40000 to £100000+
- Assistance dog trainer – (Guide Dogs for the Blind / Hearing Dogs for Deaf People / Dogs for Good / Medical Detection Dogs et al) £18000 to £30000+
There are many others such as Police Dog Handler / Military dog handler / scent dog instructor / Agility trainer /Sports Dog Trainer (IGP / Working Trials / Mondioring) – in fact the list goes on and only stops at the end of your imagination.
How to get started in your dog training career
Depending on your goal or desired career – that will possibly dictate your pathway. That said whichever dog training related discipline you wish to work in you need to start with the basics. You can’t teach dogs to start opening and closing doors, detecting specific scents or apprehending a criminal if you can’t teach them to sit or to recall.
At CIDBT – we encourage you to build your Canine CV. Go everywhere – learn from everyone (even if you just learn what not to do!) catalogue everything – keep an open mind and don’t get absorbed into any bizarre ideologies that sound good in theory but fall down in practice. Stay true to yourself and keep it real and remember you are working as the voice of the dog. You owe it to them to be honest and as skilled and equipped as you can be.
We have an array of tailored Journeys here. of course, we will help you to create your own bespoke Journey. Send us an email and our career advisors will be willing to help hello@cidbt.org.uk.
