Dog Trainer Resume Example & Writing Guide

Dog Trainer Resume Example

Working with animals takes intuition, patience, and caring. Congratulations! You have all those traits and are ready to create a great resume to show them off.

A successful Dog Trainer resume should clearly convey a candidate’s ability to teach dogs and promote better behavior and learned responses in them. Be sure to convey your ability to work well with dogs and create and implement successful training programs for dogs. It is important to emphasize your experience working with dogs of different breeds and ages. 

Almost equally important to your ability to work with animals is your ability to work with and communicate with their owners. After all, they are your clients and will have to learn how to handle their animals from you.

Some dog trainers work in specialized environments, such as those that train police dogs or service dogs, but most work either for themselves or a pet store or pet services facility such as a dog daycare or a kennel. In any case, a resume will tell potential clients or employers why you are the right fit for them.

Your resume should showcase your ability to encourage and reinforce positive behavior and work to stop bad behavior. You should also call attention to your knowledge of positive lifestyle choices for dogs including diet, nutrition, exercise, and socialization. By using one of Resume.io’s field-tested resumes, and following these helpful tips on the creation of your resume, you will be on your way to finding the Dog Trainer job you are looking for.

Profile Example

This short paragraph gives you a chance to explain your philosophy of dog training and showcase your successes to recruiters. Get a little creative here as dog owners like to know that you are serious about training, but also can be playful with their animals. Your personality is particularly important when you will be working so closely with people and the dogs they may consider part of their family.

Keep it professional, but don’t be shy here. Use strong action words to illustrate your achievements as a dog trainer (for ideas on how to use these - check out our handy guide ).

Consider using this format:

• One or two sentences that detail your philosophy of working with dogs
• One sentence that describes your greatest success
• One sentence that explains your qualifications.

See example content below.

Employment History Section

In this section, you should detail your work experience with dogs. If you have worked for employers, a simple Reverse-Chronological order listing is the best method. Within each job, use those strong action words to convey your achievements.

If you are self-employed, you can take more of a narrative approach. Try listing jobs using the name of the dog and then describing how you worked with both the dog and its owners. Include the dog’s breed, age, any history that you know (Was it adopted from a shelter? Purchased from a breeder?), and what it’s daily life is like. This approach will illustrate that you are familiar with a wide variety of situations and know how to approach all of them.

A Dog Trainer is an expert in dog behavior and knows how to train dogs to follow commands and abide by certain rules and expectations. They work with clients to develop individualized plans to achieve behavior goals for their dogs. Dog Trainers have an in-depth understanding of canines and negative behavior patterns, and they are adept in using training skills and techniques to effectively train dogs. An ideal candidate has valuable experience training dogs and a proven track record of success. 

List all animal care positions relevant to dog training. Working with animals in another capacity, such as kennel attendant or pet groomer, is valid. Any customer service experience or work with clients in another industry is also valuable. 

See example content below.

Education Section Example

While a higher degree is not necessary to find employment, a certification or degree related to canines is beneficial. Because it is not necessary to complete formal training to become a Dog Trainer, you should be sure to list any mentoring or on-the-job training you received.

If you have a certificate from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Training or the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, add those here.  

Along with any degrees you have, any honors or distinctions should be noted here as well. If you hold a degree higher than a bachelor’s degree, you may leave out your high school. 

See example content below.

Skills Section Example

This section offers potential employers and clients a brief glimpse of the talents you want to highlight. Consisting of five to ten skills, it is simply a list, but a very important one. When confronted with tens of resumes or options for dog trainers, people will scan quickly to eliminate candidates who don’t fit the bill. Make sure you think carefully about what skills are most desired in a dog trainer and include those here (for an in-depth look at writing the skills section - check out this guide !). Look through the job listing for the position you seek and match the skills the employer requires with the ones you choose.

An outstanding Dog Trainer resume, such as this example, will include a number of impressive skills that support your appeal as a Dog Trainer.  Remember that you are training the dog owners as well as the dog. In addition to understanding how to train a dog (and its owners), you need lots of “soft skills,” or skills that allow you to function well as a professional.

These include:

• Patience
• Confidence
• Flexibility
• Problem-solving
• Time management
• Diplomacy
• Clear communication
• Listening

Of course, you need respect and love for dogs, too!

See example content below.

Layout and Formatting

Complete your amazing resume with a clean, professional-looking layout. Resume.io’s templates make it easy to avoid common design errors and make a great first visual impression. We recommend the Creative or Modern categories, but you can also choose from Professional or Simple designs.

The resume.io  online builder makes it easy to develop a great resume. Be sure to save your file in the PDF format when you are completely satisfied to avoid formatting errors between word processing programs. And if you want even more awesome advice on resume writing, feel free to use our comprehensive resume guide for all professions !

With this guide and Resume.io’s handy tools and resume templates, you are well on your way to your next rewarding job!