Asia’s Pioneering Canine Behaviourist and Trainer, Shirin Merchant looks at the various professional options available in the field of careers with canines in India.
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If you have always loved dogs and dreamed of working with them, then here’s some good news – you can make a career of out of your passion for pets! About two decades ago, if you wanted to work with dogs the only profession available was to study science and become a veterinarian. But now, among many other professions, you can build a career as a Certified Canine Behaviourist and a Dog Trainer.
Canine Behaviour is an established science and with the explosion in people purchasing and adopting dogs to make them a part of the family, and also an unprecedented rise in abandonment of pedigree dogs; the gap is in educating potential pet owners on how to choose a dog that fits into their life, living space, has the right temperament to join a family; and then how to train the dogs to follow house rules, deal with phases such as teething and toileting, and turn them into safe companions that are good around children and welcome in public places.
A good Trainer can make a career teaching people how to control their dogs and help teach the dog to be well mannered and polite. Some Trainers take their passion a step ahead and become specialised trainers for assistance dogs, therapy dogs, medical detection dogs and even sniffer dogs. Going a step even further, a Trainer can go on to study Canine Behaviour at an advanced level and become a Canine Behaviourist. A Canine Behaviourist helps dogs that suffer from aggression, destruction at home, separation anxiety, barking problems, among many others.
Without professional help, many dogs are rehomed, euthanized or abandoned. A Behaviourist can help many people find a happy ending to their dog problems. Certified courses for beginners and advanced levels in dog training, aggression, canine behaviour and agility are conducted by Canines Can Care in Mumbai.
In addition to becoming a Trainer or a Behaviourist, dog lovers have also diversified into becoming Dog Bakers (a fun profession if you have a combined passion for baking and dogs), Dog Grooming (look up courses by the Pet Pamperer- Shams Lakhani), Dog Walkers, Pet Shop Owners (cute dog accessories have a huge market), start Online Dog Apps/Websites (these apps contain a doggy directory for pet parents), Dog Jewellery business (combine your passion for jewelry designing and dogs), Pet Sitting (a great way to spend time with dogs) and even Kenneling.
So if you love dogs, then nothing can stop you from turning your passion for pets into a profession!
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