Animal Trainer

Overview and Key Facts

What Do They Do?

An animal trainer could...

Overview Listen to this section

Do you have a favorite pet food commercial or animal movie in which the animals do something really cool or cute? Animal trainers are responsible for these amazing animal performances. Animal trainers get involved in much more than the fun world of entertainment, though; they are also involved in the serious business of training animals for search and rescue missions, bomb and drug detection, criminal capture, and service to help people with disabilities.

Do You Have the Skills and Characteristics of an Animal Trainer?

1. Instructing: ? Teaching others how to do something.
2. Learning Strategies: ? Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
3. Speaking: ? Talking to others to convey information effectively.
4. Critical Thinking: ? Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
5. Active Learning: ? Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

6. Judgment and Decision Making: ? Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
7. Active Listening: ? Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
8. Monitoring: ? Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
9. Service Orientation: ? Actively looking for ways to help people.
10. Coordination: ? Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Core Tasks

Think about if you'd like the typical tasks an Animal Trainer might do:

• Cue or signal animals during performances.
• Talk to or interact with animals to familiarize them to human voices or contact.
• Conduct training programs to develop or maintain desired animal behaviors for competition, entertainment, obedience, security, riding, or related purposes.
• Feed or exercise animals or provide other general care, such as cleaning or maintaining holding or performance areas.
• Observe animals' physical conditions to detect illness or unhealthy conditions requiring medical care.
• Evaluate animals to determine their temperaments, abilities, or aptitude for training.
• Administer prescribed medications to animals.
• Keep records documenting animal health, diet, or behavior.
• Evaluate animals for trainability and ability to perform.
• Advise animal owners regarding the purchase of specific animals.