5 Essential Traits of a Great Dog Behavior Training Specialist

Becoming a dog behavior training specialist is one of the most fun and interesting jobs you can ever pursue.

There’s not a day that goes by that I find myself bored, unhappy or flustered–something most people can’t say about their current career.

Yet, as fun, wonderful and rewarding as a career as a dog trainer is, it’s not for everybody.

You see, there are several traits that will really help you shine in becoming a truly great dog behavior training specialist.

Why are these traits important to your success and do you have them?

Let’s find out…

Trait #1 – An Ability to Communicate With People

Often people jump into dog training programs with the idea that they will only be responsible for interacting with the animals they are training.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. Most dog behavioral issues are caused by the owners doing something that causes the problem! (Sometimes there’s actually nothing wrong with the dog at all!)

So, dog training is really primarily about knowledge transfer, or as I like to call it, dog owner education. For this reason, every consult you are a part of will involve working with the owners of the dog you are training. And your role is to get them to change how they interact with their dog!

So needless to say, there are a lot of hours spent each week interacting with people from all different walks of life.

And if you don’t enjoy being around people or are triggered negatively by many different personalities and behaviors, becoming a dog behaviorist while using the approach that I use may not be the ideal career for you.

The better I’ve become with people, the better I’ve been able to educate and share knowledge that has helped shape the behaviors of my clients’ dogs.

When this is done successfully, the results of your training methods will last much longer, making your consults an enjoyable and rewarding experience for you, your client and the dog that’s involved.

It’s fair to say that not only do I get great results working with dogs and their owners, but we also have a great time.

Trait #2 – A Desire to Help People

A big part of being a dog training specialist is having the desire to help both people and their dogs.

I can’t stress how important this is.

If you don’t care, you’ll often find yourself just rambling through consults wanting them to end, and they will ultimately end in failure. This will make future consults difficult. It will also destroy your reputation as a credible dog trainer.

Not to mention, people aren’t stupid. They will be able to pick up on if you’re doing a consult just for the paycheck.

Not good.

It’s also fair to say that the dog you’re working with will know you’re in a rush and that never helps…calm is king!

You won’t find success as a dog behavior training specialist until you truly care about the emotions and feelings of both the dogs and owners you work with.

This is when you get to make a difference in the lives of people.

When you care, you form stronger bonds with clients. And, eventually, word that you truly care gets around and people appreciate it.

This is what drives a successful dog training career.

Trait #3 – A Passion and Love For Dogs

I know, you’d think “loving dogs” is a common-sense trait when it comes to pursuing a job as a dog trainer. But it’s an important trait I feel people need to reflect on before making the decision to train dogs.

Anybody can “like” dogs or tolerate them. But, not everyone is truly passionate about them.

As a dog trainer, you may end up working all day long with dogs so it’s important in this line of work.

If you enjoy a half hour of playtime with your family pet, but get bored after that playtime is up, you’re probably not super passionate about dogs.

On the other hand, if you can’t get enough of hanging out with your dog, learning about what makes him tick, going on walks, cuddling on the couch and playing in the backyard–well, that’s a good sign that you truly have a passion for working with dogs.

Another sub-trait of a dog lover is the ability to love all types of dogs.

If you only love certain breeds or want to work with certain breeds, you’re going to struggle.

Just a quick piece of advice: You don’t need to have had a lot of experience with dogs before you start training. What’s important is that you love dogs and are open to working with different breeds.

And in case you are wondering, yes, dogs are incredibly smart. If you don’t really love a dog, they will know it–you just can’t fool them!

This will have a negative impact on your consult.

So, before you sign yourself up for working with dogs all day long, make sure you’re truly passionate about them.

Trait #4 – The Ability to Stay Focused, a Determination to Overcome and a Positive Attitude

Whatever you want to achieve in life, you must have the right mindset.

The more focused, determined and positive you are, the higher chance you have for succeeding as a dog behavior specialist.

Having these traits really becomes important when you find yourself in the middle of a tricky consult.

I know from personal experience that you’re going to be thrown all sorts of curve balls–from clients that want to pull you off track to dogs that are more difficult to connect with.

The good news…

The more you can stay focused, determined and positive, the greater the chances are that you find success.

When you own a dog training business, things are bound to get rocky from time to time.

When you hit a downward, turn you have to be able to focus and stay with it.

Are you able to raise the bar when it’s time to take your business to the next level?

Can you change and adapt depending on the different situations you’re thrown into?

If your answer is YES to these questions, I have no doubt you’ll be able to succeed as a dog trainer.

Trait #5 – The Ability to Change, Believe and Dream

When I first became a dog trainer, I thought it was the dog that needed to change. After all, the reason I was asked to do a consult was because a dog had a behavioral problem.

However, as I mentioned earlier, I quickly came to realize that a dog's behavior only changes when the owner changes.

So, as a dog trainer, you are in the change game. What you are really doing is challenging clients to change as fast as they can, as much as they can, permanently. When they do, their dogs will change.

As dog trainers, we also need to be willing to change ourselves. And when you become a dog trainer, that’s exactly what you’re doing.

The effects are profound when you make this change.

I always dreamt of finding this change–finding something amazing and out of this world. I wanted to find a way to connect with dogs on a truly different level–not just training.

I dared to dream and held onto that dream until I unlocked the secret to connecting with dogs in a way that inspired them to change on their own terms.

During this whole process, I never stopped believing that I could find a way, and I made my dream a reality and, at the same time, made big changes and transformed my life.

If you have the power to change, believe and dream, you can become a great dog behavior training specialist, too!

If you feel you have the traits of a great dog trainer, then you’ll love my new training course that will show you a new approach to gentle dog training.

Throughout this program, you’ll get to watch me at work as I implement my proven training methods, ask me any questions and be given the necessary help and advice to set up a successful dog training business of your own.

Interested in learning more? CLICK HERE

Not ready to become a dog trainer just yet but are looking for resources to solidify your training skills? If that's the case, I invite you to check out my program, The Dog Calming Code!

This program will teach you everything you need to know about helping dogs calm down and relax so they listen to you when it matters most.

Check it out here!

Awesome!

I can’t wait to work with you!

~Doggy Dan 🙂