Why Become a Service Dog Trainer?
Training service dogs is one of the most rewarding jobs an animal lover can have. You get to work with dogs and have a chance to change people’s lives. By training service dogs you not only help people with mental or physical limitations live more independently but you help dogs reach their full potential as well. After all, dogs were not really born to lie on a couch all day!
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Service dogs can learn to do amazing, and even complicated tasks to help people with a lot of different disabilities. There are dogs who alert the hearing impaired, assist people with specific medical conditions like epilepsy, diabetes and allergies, help those with psychiatric issues such as PTSD, and provide mobility for the wheelchair-bound or stability for those who need support.
Service dogs can be trained to help people overcome all sorts of challenges navigating the world and environments not made for those with limited capacity.
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Taking Your Dog Training Skills to the Next Level
If you have experience as a dog obedience trainer and feel like you’re ready to advance your career and do something more challenging, enrolling in a service dog training course can take your career to the next level. Not only do service dogs need rock-solid obedience training but their skills should be proofed in all types of environments. And, of course, they have to be trained to do specific tasks.properly training a service dog can take up to two years.
You can learn how to become a service dog trainer at Animal Behavior College. The ABC Certified Service Dog Trainer online program teaches you how to work with dogs and their owners to make them an effective team. Enroll and become an ABC Certified Service Dog Trainer and make your dream of working with dogs and changing lives a reality.
If you are just starting out and need foundational training, we encourage you to start with our basic Dog Obedience Program to learn training techniques and understand dog behavior and build the skills you’ll need for the more challenging job of training service dogs.
Job Prospects and Service Dog Trainer Salary
Becoming a service dog trainer opens doors to several career options. You could work for an assistance dog organization, help train service dogs for veterans with PTSD, train mobility and/or medical-alert service dogs, work with hearing dogs and much more.
In February 2022, Kaiser Health News (KHN) reported exponential growth in service dog demand. “Demand for service dogs has exploded in recent years as dogs have proved adept at helping children and adults with an increasing range of disabilities,” said KHN. With 61 million people living with disabilities in the U.S. and only approximately 500,000 active service dogs, the field is wide-open for growth.
The salary range for a service dog trainer is between $30k to $50k a year, according to ZipRecruiter.1
In addition, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts overall employment of animal care and service workers is projected to grow 29 percent from 2020 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations.2 This employment growth should result in very good job opportunities for those with service dog training experience.
Learn more about ABC’s Service Dog Trainer Program
Call 800-795-3294
ABC’s Service Dog Trainer Certificate Online
Our Service Dog Trainer Program consists of 9 in-depth stages packed with information plus a final exam. The course contains vital information to prepare you for a career as a service dog trainer or start you on your path to even further service dog trainer education. Our program includes information on:
- service dog history
- service dog selection
- canine health
- living with a service dog
- obedience and maneuvers training
- service dog task foundations, cues and behavior chains
- training problems and solutions
- working with service dog clients/handlers
- how to build your career
- and much more!
Learn from Service Dog Training Professionals
Meet the authors and subject matter experts who were involved in the development of ABC’s Service Dog Trainer Program. They have shared their decades of dog training experience in the creation of this highly sought-after program.
Meet Anneliese Staff – Co-Author of the Service Dog Training Program
Anneliese has trained service dogs and taught clients to train their own service dogs since 2004. She specializes in working with clients with complex medical conditions that cause both physical and psychiatric limitations.
Anneliese also has extensive experience in the overall pet-care industry, including breed rescue, raising working puppies at a purpose-bred breeding kennel, operating a boarding kennel, performing various support roles in veterinary clinics, competing in dog grooming shows, managing grooming salons, sewing custom dog harnesses, fostering rescue dogs, training in animal shelters, and participating in many working dog disciplines and canine sports.
Anneliese currently lives on a farm in rural Wisconsin with her family and two Great Danes: her current mobility service dog, and her retired mobility and syncope alert service dog. Meet Pam Barker, DVM – Co-Author of the Service Dog Training Program
Born and raised in Alaska, Pam Barker earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University, where she trained her first hearing assistance dog. She has also trained search dogs and been an instructor and behavior consultant. Her fields of interest include not only service dogs, but obedience and conformation, as well as racing sled dogs.
She enjoys all things outdoors, particularly riding her horse. She has published a thriller novel and is currently working on learning to play guitar. She lives with her husband, horse and two dogs in Texas, where she works as an exotic wildlife veterinarian.
Meet Sara Carson– Subject
Matter Expert of the Service Dog Training Program
Sara Carson of Ontario, Canada, began her career running her own dog training facility for 5 years in her hometown of North Bay. During that time Sara expanded her knowledge teaching obedience, puppy foundations, tricks and agility to the students who attended classes at her facility.
In 2013, Sara began working with her own service dog Hero while running a business training dogs for clients in Ontario. She quickly found her niche in teaching tricks and formulating simplified methods for teaching them to others. In the years following, Sara applied these formulas while traveling in the U.S. with various stunt dog performance circuits. Her tricks would go beyond entertainment, however. Her need for Hero’s medical assistance would inspire her to use these tricks and transform them into tasks for Hero to perform day to day.
Partnering with a veteran service dog organization, Sara launched into a new arena: training service dogs for veterans with various disabilities. Tricks became complex tasks for service dogs, such as a Labrador who learned to care for a quadriplegic veteran who needed full time tasking and care. Sara’s ability to simplify her teaching methods allowed her to create a trainer team that trained various dogs for veterans across the country.
Currently, she is living in Kentucky. Her plans are to continue her adventures around the globe with her dogs, performing and teaching dog owners and their pups. Sara wrote an instructional book in 2022 called Super Dog Tricks which can be find on a shelf near you!
How Much Does It Cost to Become an ABC Certified Service Dog Trainer?
Tuition for our Service Dog Trainer Program ranges fromSupport for Our Students
After you enroll, you will receive the contact information for your personal Program Manager. You will be learning from a service dog training professional who has real life working knowledge and experience. They will be there for you throughout your studies and to provide support, answer questions, and grade your exams.
Flexible Online Course & “Service Dog Training Near You”
ABC’s Service Dog Trainer Course is designed so you can keep your current job and still pursue your service dog training education. Your course materials and tests are all accessed online, meaning they are available 24/7 and you can learn from the comfort and safety of your own home. This allows you to study no matter where you are, giving you the flexibility to fit your education into your current lifestyle. The approximate completion time for our program is 8 months.
ABC Service Dog Trainer Certification
Upon successful completion of your Service Dog Trainer Course, you will receive your professional certification as an Animal Behavior College Certified Service Dog Trainer (ABCSDT). Your certification will help you stand out when interviewing for volunteer and employment opportunities at assistance dog organizations and facilities. This is your first step toward a career as a Service Dog Trainer! If you are not ready to progress into service dog training yet and need to learn the basics first, check out our Dog Trainer Program, which teaches you the fundamentals of becoming a dog trainer, here.
Please note: Animal Behavior College does not guarantee employment after graduation.
**Additional shipping and handling charges may apply.
Sources: 1: https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Service-Dog-Trainer-Salary#Yearly
2: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/animal-care-and-service-workers.htm
