Working with dogs can be a fulfilling career if you love animals. And the animal care industry is projected to grow 22% by 2029. Many jobs work with dogs, such as kennels, zoos, stables, pet stores, shelters, and clinics. We’ve cultivated a list of the best careers working with dogs of 2021.
Best Careers with Dogs of 2021
Did your dream job make our list? Here are our picks for the best jobs that work with dogs of 2021:
Veterinarian
Not only is it a great paying career, but it is rewarding too. Veterinarians love animals and get to spend lots of time with dogs. Their job is to help keep your dog happy and healthy. But being a vet can also be very challenging because animals can’t tell you why or where they aren’t feeling well.
If you love dogs and are good at problem-solving, then being a vet might be a great career for you. You’ll need to get a college degree in veterinarian medicine that can take eight years to complete.
Veterinary Assistant or Technician
If becoming a veterinarian is too long of a time commitment, you may want to consider becoming a veterinary assistant or veterinary technician. Veterinary assistants work with veterinarians to help care for animals. You can become a veterinary assistant through a technical school or college.
A veterinary technician requires two years of school to become certified in a range of veterinary specializations, such as dentistry or medicine. Both of these careers work with dogs on a daily basis.
Certified Pet Trainer
Are you a dog whisperer? Is teaching animals natural and rewarding for you? Then you should consider becoming a certified pet trainer. A pet trainer must complete about 300 hours of classwork from a technical school or program. It also requires that you recertify every few years to maintain skills.
Pet trainers teach a wide range of commands and skills to animals. You could be teaching group lessons or private obedience sessions that are one-on-one. If you love puppies, this might be a good fit since puppies require a lot of training.
Service Dog Trainer
Another gratifying job with dogs is to become a service dog trainer. Before they can help others, service dogs must spend a few years with a trainer learning specialized and specific skills.
While there is no formal program for becoming a service dog trainer, you can get certified and trained through a service dog school. You’ll also need to have experience or a strong ability to train dogs where the dogs respond 100% of the time. And you’ll also need to gain knowledge of how service dogs can be used as a tool for people with disabilities.
K9 Police Officer
If serving on a police force appeals to you, you should consider becoming a K9 Police Officer. K9 police dogs help the police with:
- Identifying drugs and hazardous materials
- Assisting in search-and-rescue
- Protecting their police officer
To be part of a K9 unit, you’ll need to have two years of police experience and love animals. The K9 department will train you only any additional skills required to work with police dogs.
