going to train to become a dog trainer....hopefully !

morning all,

i was talking to my trainer the other night and was asking him about how i can train to become a dog behavourist. he suggested i train to become a dog trainer first, as it would be better if i had hands-on experience. there are a couple of openings at the training club i go to on a sunday for trainee trainers, so he suggested i go along before my class starts and have a chat with him and found out all about whats entailed, then i can see if its something i want to do. i'm really excited . i'll keep you all posted!

wow thats brilliant!

good for you! I love training dogs, it's the people that i have the problems with... I am looking into becoming a canine nutritionist, i think that's where my best skills come in!

i think i will have problems with the people too! but i know that i am going to have to over-come that for the sake of their dogs!

might be asking your advice on feeding my 2 doglets then!

Brilliant news and good luck with it all. Look forward to hearing how it all goes.
I done a course years ago in dog and cat nutrition and passed my exams, and although a little rusty now on the finer points it has helped me immensly in selecting the right diet for my dogs especially my one with food intolerances.

hi madmare,

can i ask how you felt the course went? and what you now feed? the reasons i ask it that i have to be careful where i go to study as many many courses are sponsored by the pet food trade!

A friend of mine went to college to study 'animal care' and she came back saying 'this and this brand is all you need to feed' which annoyed me alot, especially as i have spent the last 3 years of my life looking at data sheets and studies done on animals and nutrition. And while kibble might be ok for some, some don't do very well on it at all, and are better with a home made diet. So i detest companies who claim that their 'hypo allergenic'' food can be eaten by each and every dog

My course was sponsered by a pet food company, and was done through a pet shop that I worked at. However I do NOT reccomend thier food in the slightest as I hate the stuff and the fact they animal test, but it taught me how to evaluate all foods, tinned and dried and what to look for in ingredients and about food intolerances, droppings etc.
Also that all dogs are individuals and require different things and what one will thrive on another won't. I actually don't feed any brands that I included in my course.
I personally feed at the moment PAH own complete, and I am in the process of trying a swap over to Wainwrights.
It has sorted out my JRT intense scratching from his wheat/Gluten intolerance, but the small breed had larger pieces than the large breed . So the size made it difficult for him to eat.
Both my dogs are undergoing the swap and at the moment look very good and happy on it.

I don't personally believe there is anything bad about doing the course through a pet food company as long as you are learning about a wide range of brands which you can choose, and how to analyse each on what they contain and how the ingredients work in the animal and what can cause intolerances etc etc.

Wow, i am amazed you had a common sense head on, and avoided what they threw at you!
My main interest is homemade meals, and how to persuade people that they can actually 'balance' their pet's diet... not sure if that exists as a course, maybe i will have to start my own!

put me on your course....