How to Become a Dog Trainer in Chicago

People living in the Chicagoland area who love dogs and want to make a difference in their lives should consider becoming professional dog trainers.

Why become a Chicago Dog Trainer? According to  https://www.worldpopulationreview.com,  Chicago is the third-most populous city in the United States. Like most large cities in the country, Chicago has many different neighborhoods and a vast suburban area. When you combine the city of Chicago with the suburban areas, it encompasses numerous counties and has a population of almost 10 million people. In the United States, only the New York and Los Angeles areas have greater populations.  More people mean more opportunities for a good professional dog trainer. According to DogTime.com, Chicago is the fifth most dog-friendly city in the United States.

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How to Find a Chicago Dog Trainer
ABC Certified Illinois Dog Trainers
Chicago dog trainers

Combine millions of people and a dog-friendly environment, and you have an outstanding market to practice as a professional dog trainer.  Animal Behavior College (ABC) has known this for decades. According to the school, they have 16 pages worth of ABC certified dog trainers operating in Illinois, most of them in the Chicago area.

Steven Appelbaum, the President of the college, had this to say about Chicago Dog trainers and becoming a Chicago dog trainer. “Chicago has always been an excellent market for dog trainers. There is a great deal of interest in training there, and because it is such a huge area, the needs of the people are quite diverse. This equates to opportunities for enterprising dog trainers. A good dog trainer in Chicago can offer private lessons where they work with pet parents and dogs in the home where the dog lives. Group classes are also great options, although it’s essential to have an indoor location during the fall through early spring months. If I were considering an area to start a dog training business, I would certainly have Chicago in my top 2 or 3 places to consider.”

To become a dog trainer in Chicago, it’s essential to take behavioral theory and behavior, modification classes. Coupled with hands-on experience under the tutelage of an expert trainer, that is critical for success. Some professional dog trainers will work with apprentices. While that is great from an experience perspective, aspiring dog trainers should learn the foundations behind the actual training they perform in the field. Animal Behavior College offers a program that combines distance learning with practical hands-on experience. This allows new dog trainers the academic foundation with the experience they will need to train dogs in Chicago, or anywhere else in the nation they desire.

Dog trainers can typically earn $30-$60 per hour in the Chicago area, particularly teaching private lessons. This estimate is higher than that of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  That’s because the BLS doesn’t have a separate category for Dog Trainer and instead lumps it together with Animal trainers. While these might seem like the same professions, they aren’t, and because of this, the hourly amount the BLS computes is typically less than what the typical independent dog trainer can earn.

Regardless, becoming a dog trainer in Chicago or anywhere else for that matter can be extremely rewarding both financially and because of the positive influence, you can have in the lives of pets and the people who love them.