Hobby for Hire

September 4, 2007 12:58 PM

How does one get started as an animal trainer for domestic animals? (more inside)

I am a ferret enthusiast and really enjoy working with and training ferrets. I have had a lot of success with bite training, shoulder training, potty training, and generally making good pets out of stubborn, bitey ferrets. Ferrets are now the third most popular pet in the nation and I am thinking that there must be some money to be made in working with ferrets whose owners do not have the time, energy, or patience that it can take to transform a "wild" ferret into a "lovey" ferret. The problem is that I have no idea how to start making money at this. Any suggestions?

posted by melangell to pets & animals (7 comments total)

We hired our dog trainer because she was volunteering at the shelter where we adopted our dog. Does you local shelter/humane society have a ferret population where you could hone your experience and meet people who will need your help?
posted by saffry at 1:43 PM on September 4, 2007

Well, start planning what you'd offer. Make a list of all the things you can do, figure out how long you'd need for each (IE, will it be weekly training, 5-10 sessions, 1 hour, etc?) and a detailed description. This will help you plan what you are going to offer to clients. You'll also want to figure out what an appropriate rate is to charge.

Then, write it all up in a nice organized format and you can show it to interested ferret owners. Post ads in vets offices, pet supply shops, and online.

Once you've helped a few people you can get nice references to add to your promotional materials.

As for any legal requirements I don't know, that's just the basics on how you'd get a few gigs ;)
posted by jesirose at 1:44 PM on September 4, 2007

Thank you for your answers, saffry and jesirose! Currently, I am a volunteer at our local Humane Society. Unfortunately, they do not get ferrets in very often, so I have been honing my skills with the cats and kittens, as well as my ferrets.
posted by melangell at 1:51 PM on September 4, 2007

Take courses and workshops, especially in clicker training (the really good clicker training workshops have you work with all kinds of animals, from chickens to horses). Karen Pryor runs all kinds of clicker training programs and workshops and is pretty much the godmother of clicker training. Becoming an accredited APDT trainer (even though APDT is dog-specific) will give you something to hang on a shingle.

But I would start by offering free (or minimal-fee) brainstorming workshops for ferret owners, where you can start to develop training plans for ferrets (what do people want ferrets to learn? What kinds of classes make sense? I could see a very basic house manners course, including litterbox training, socialization and that sort of thing, being very successful). I would also consider other non-standard companion animals like birds and rats.

You will need to keep it very inexpensive to start, since a) you don't have much experience and b) there is likely a pretty hard limit on what people are willing to spend. You might also get a couple of ferrets very well-trained and put on little exhibitions at fairs, flea markets, pet shops and maybe even dog shows. People need to see what you can do with a ferret before they'll pay to learn how to do it themselves. Good luck, I think this sounds like an awesome idea.
posted by biscotti at 4:11 PM on September 4, 2007

Oh, and maybe once you have a basic course outline (with dogs it's usually one class/week for 6-8 weeks), try pitching it to local pet shops to run on weekend afternoons.
posted by biscotti at 4:12 PM on September 4, 2007

What about hooking up with local ferret rescues? Google 'ferret rescue' + whatever area you're located in. I know that there are a couple of national ones. I'm sure they would be thrilled to have you on-board. If you can save even one ferret from having to be put down due to behavioural issues, then you've already succeeded in helping the rescue's cause. Good luck!
posted by dancinglamb at 6:14 PM on September 4, 2007

A business card is probably one of the simplest, most effective advertising techniques out there. Get someone to design a nice, simple logo, and have business cards printed up.

Put the cards up at your local grocery store bulletin boards (especially natural food stores!), ask permission to leave them at local pet stores, shelters, and veterinarians.

A website is also useful, but takes more time.
posted by tejolote at 11:14 AM on September 5, 2007