It’s pretty much impossible not to love dogs, we’re sure you’ll agree. But what if only seeing your doggy outside of work hours just doesn’t seem like enough anymore? Well, then the chances are you should consider a career involving dogs. Fortunately, there are quite a lot of options out there that’ll take you away from the desk job and into puppy paradise! Here are some of the best:
Vets
Now, we’ve put this first on the list because it’s probably the toughest job on this list to achieve. You’re looking at several years of training and a lot of complicated study.
The obvious flip-side of this is that you’re an animal lover, so you’ll be able to spend all your time caring for and helping them: dogs included!
Check out our course that will help you get on the path to this career here.
Groomers
If you’ve got a way with a comb or a pair of scissors, then it’s quite possible you’ll love being a dog groomer. Dog groomers get paid – quite well, as it happens – to take in scruffier dogs and make them look fabulous. There is a range of training courses out there you can take that’ll give you the skills required, but a natural aptitude for attentiveness, care and grooming, in general, will give you an advantage.
What better way to spend a day than giving a happy dog a snazzy haircut?
Browse our grooming qualifications here.
Become a pet sitter
Though kennels have their place, lots of dog owners would much rather avoid them if they can. As a result, pet sitters are becoming a new trend! As you can probably guess from the title, pet sitters are paid – usually by the hour – to head over to the owner’s home and keep their pets company. Or you could set up business from your own home.
Essentially, you get to hang out with a dog for several hours, and you get paid for it! Needless to say, start-up costs for being a dog sitter are pretty minimal, but you may need to invest in some form of insurance. And if you go hunting for them, there are some qualifications or certifications out there that’ll help you look more professional.
View our professional pet sitting course here.
Dog walkers
Love long walks? Check. Love dogs? Check. You may well be a born dog walker. Does the idea of spending six to eight days wandering around your favourite places with a dog (or three) at the end of the lead sound like your idea of fun? Then you’ve found your perfect career.
Dog walkers can actually earn decent money in the right places and if they can find the right number of customers. Indeed, some that serve the wealthiest Londoners are believed to earn well above the national average, and some make six figures! Obviously, you’ll need to be marketing savvy in order to raise awareness of your service, but there are a lot of websites online that’ll be able to advise you on whether dog walking is the right career for you.
Our combined course also includes specialist modules on dog walking.
Service dog training
Service dogs make a huge difference to the lives of the people they help. As if there weren’t enough reasons to love dogs anyway. And guess what? Those service dogs have to be trained by someone! Service dog trainers will bring home the younger dogs as puppies and help train them until they’re old enough – and skilled enough – to start doing all that fantastic work.
There are a number of training courses out there designed to give you a head start on service dog training or dog first aid, so if you’re interested, give it a Google.
Our assistance dog training diploma is a great way to get started.
Pet photography
People (understandably) love their dogs, and you only have to take a look at social media to see how much they also love photos of them! A pet photographer is a skilled profession, of course: it’s not just a matter of whipping out your mobile and snapping off a few photos. However, if you love your dogs and you love a camera, it’s a great niche to get into.
Try out our pet photography course and perfect your skills.
To find out more about dog, other animal care courses, first aid for canines course or for tips on how to get into careers with animals, visit Animal Jobs Direct
