How to Become a Dog Trainer: The Path No One Talks About

Becoming a dog trainer sounds pretty straightforward to most people. You love dogs, maybe go to a dog training school, throw up a website or run some ads, and just like that—you’re a professional. But what many don’t realize is that starting your career at the “dog trainer” level can actually set you up for burnout.

Why? Because the foundation of dog training doesn’t begin with training—it begins with care.

Like any skilled profession, dog training is a progression, a craft built through experience. And for many of us who’ve lasted in the field, it started with something as humble as cleaning kennels and managing playgroups in a doggy daycare. That’s where I started—working entry-level in daycare and boarding, meeting the basic needs of dogs. As simple as that sounds, it’s where most people struggle. Caring for dogs—truly making sure they’re clean, safe, well-fed, and relaxed—is a skill, not a given.

After four years in daycare and boarding, I took the leap and began training professionally. I had already been dabbling part-time, but the transition felt natural. I went from handling friendly playgroup dogs to supervising teams and learning the flow of dog operations. But most importantly, I started to notice how foundational care work was to everything that followed in dog behavior and training.

Burnout Begins Where Foundation Ends

The biggest challenge I see today? People skipping this foundational step. Whether it’s a young trainer looking to fast-track their career or a business investor opening a facility, the lack of experience in dog care shows up fast. And that’s where burnout happens—not just physically, but mentally. Because when you don’t know how to care for animals, your training efforts lack the depth they need.

My time in rescue work—particularly with pit bulls and through our nonprofit, Found Chicago—gave me even more perspective. You begin to see every stage of this profession as a piece of a larger puzzle. At our company today, every trainer starts at the entry level. No exceptions. Because if you don’t understand handling and care, you’re missing the most important part of this profession.

The Three Stages of Becoming a Trainer

Becoming a dog trainer, the right way, happens in three distinct stages.

Stage One: Learning Care & Operations

At the ground level, you’re learning what animals need to be stable, comfortable, and safe. You develop a constant mental checklist of their well-being—feeding, cleaning, enrichment. From there, you level up by learning team logistics: how to remember which dogs are under your care, how to keep detailed notes, how to communicate in high-stress environments. You start becoming exceptional at care.

Only once that becomes second nature—when dog care is on autopilot—can you free up mental energy to specialize.

Stage Two: Apprenticeship & Handling

Now comes the hands-on phase of learning dog behavior. Apprentices shadow experienced trainers, studying body language, timing, behavior chains, conditioning sequences. This is where your beliefs about dogs get challenged—because not everything you think you know is true.

Take dominance theory, for example. It’s outdated and incorrect. Dogs aren’t trying to dominate us; they’re responding to motivators, patterns, and outcomes. This is where trainers begin learning not just how to get behaviors, but why those behaviors happen.

This phase can last years. Many people stay in apprenticeship until they’re able to independently take a dog from start to finish, reliably and effectively. It takes time, repetition, and mentorship.

Stage Three: Professionalization

Just because someone can train dogs doesn’t mean they’re a professional dog trainer.

This is the phase most overlooked by schools and DIY mentors. It’s where people learn the professional skills needed to thrive: customer service, communication, organization, tech literacy, and admin processes. Can you log notes, submit reports, respond to clients, and manage your schedule all while progressing the training plan? That’s what makes a true pro.

This phase was the driving force behind Dog Tribe Academy in Chicago. After 15+ years of hiring trainers, I saw a pattern: many self-proclaimed trainers—or even graduates of training programs—lacked the professional competencies to actually succeed in the real world, especially in high-paced markets like ours. That gap hurts not just the business, but clients and dogs too.

The Final Phase: Mastery Through Experience

Once you pair training skill with professional capability, and add certifications or formal credentials (such as those through IACP or other certifying bodies), you’re finally stepping into the full role of professional dog trainer.

But even then, it’s not done. Because mastery is a moving target—and your education continues for life.

The Risk of Skipping Steps

The harsh truth? Skipping these phases comes with consequences. I’ve seen it too often: people get injured, dogs get injured—or worse—and careers crash before they ever had a chance to take off. In an age where social media promotes fast success, too many people are trying to shortcut a path that realistically takes five years just to begin mastering.

So… How Do You Really Become a Dog Trainer? Start at the bottom. Take an entry-level job. See if you even like working with dogs all day. If you do—if you love it—stick with it. Learn everything you can. Become reliable, skilled, and detail-oriented. Then find a mentor. Learn handling. Learn the science. Then learn the business of being a professional.

Because skipping the beginning only leads to one place: right back to where you should’ve started.

Dog training is a profession, not a hobby. And it starts long before you ever pick up a leash.