Though cats outnumber dogs as household pets-there are 54.6 million cats and 52.4 million dogs-canines are still top dogs in the kind of professional care they get from their owners.
That`s why the need for dog trainers is on the increase.
”Cats are more popular as household pets because they require less care,” said Alan J. Stern of the American Kennel Club in New York, who for 30 years has been a trainer, assistant handler, breeder, exhibitor and judge of dogs. ”Many two-career couples don`t have time to take care of a dog. Cat owners have more mobility, and walking a dog can`t compare to the
convenience” of cat litter.
Dog owners tend to be more involved.
”There are more dog shows, and registration and licensing of purebred dogs are up,” said Stern, whose organization runs shows and obedience field trials for the nation`s 12 million purebred dogs. ”Training, socializing and conditioning play a large part in the dog owners` lives.”
Stern reports a proliferation of grooming shops, ”puppy palaces” and obedience trainers.
”We now have more trainers and training schools, both important to compete in American Kennel Club events,” he said. ”But the number of trainers for dogs who are not showdogs is growing, too.”
Because of an increasing desire for trouble-free pets, dog trainers are in demand. At the low end are kennel helpers, who receive $200 a week. At the top are well-paid professionals who train dogs for television shows and commercials and those who work for as many as 15 or 20 owners who show purebred dogs.
”I know one trainer whose gross income is six figures a year,” Stern said. ”He has his own bus, a sort of rolling kennel, and shows dogs throughout the United States. But even the dog around the corner can be trained, cleaned and groomed by a local trainer.”
Trainers teach dogs to obey commands, do tricks, hunt and track and protect life and property.
”They also train dogs to search for missing persons or for smuggled goods, to race or to perform,” says a report by Chronicle Guidance Publications Inc., Moravia, N.Y.
Salaries, according to Chronicle Guidance, range from $10,000 a year to $100,000. Self-employed trainers make the most, with trainers working as employees seldom making more than $15,000, the report says.
Trainers, who often also groom and board dogs, combine several areas of expertise. ”One (area) alone may not provide enough income,” write Mary Price Lee and Richard Lee in ”Opportunities in Animal and Pet Care Careers,” published by VGM Career Horizons, Lincolnwood, Ill.
”In addition to their value as pets, many dogs are bred and trained for work,” the couple said.
They list training of dogs to lead the blind and for law enforcement and security purposes. The Lees cite hourly rates of $10 and more for individual obedience training, or $10 to $25 for each group class.
Trainers, who are not licensed, usually start as apprentices in kennels and work their way up to their own businesses.
But James R. Morgan, a professional trainer at 5904 N. Clark St., didn`t do it that way.
”I always had pets,” said Morgan, whose two-story shop has 1,200 square feet and whose backyard has dog hurdles, high jumps and tie-out stakes.
”I had an affinity for dogs from the time I was 5 years old. I served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam. When I got out in 1969, I worked for a beer distributor for 15 years.”
In that time, he trained his dogs and those of neighbors. ”If anyone had a problem with their dog, they called me. But I never thought I could take something I love and make a living at it.”
But in 1984, he did. ”A friend of mine who is a dog groomer recommended me to one of her clients to have her dog trained,” said Morgan, whose wife, Elana D. Morgan, is an assistant trainer. ”I just took it from there.”
He opened his business in 1985. He takes dogs for one week, working with them on his premises. The charge: $250.
Morgan sees an increase in opportunities for trainers because ”Mom`s not home anymore to housebreak the puppy, so there are people looking to have their dogs trained who can`t do it themselves. And even the suburbs are citified now, so there are few places where dogs can run off the leash.”
He says there are courses for trainers that range from three weeks to six months.
”I`ve never had a problem with dogs,” he said, ”but sometimes I can`t convince owners their dogs aren`t Muppets.” He likes to train puppies ”as early as possible, say three months, before they develop bad habits and are still a blank slate.”
Morgan says trainers ”have to be outgoing to make a living, but it all comes down to a person and dog communicating with one another.”———-
Carol Kleiman`s column, ”Women at Work,” appears in Monday`s Business section.
