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Last Updated: Aug 2nd, 2005 -
10:43:30 |
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A typical client of the
dog trainer/psychologist.
Uses with permission from
Ami Moore. | Searching the Internet for ‘Dog Psychologist’ let me to
pages and pages of links. But when I searched individual web
sites for someone who sounded like a professional, I was
amazed to find few I would actually contact. Then I came upon
Ami Moore’s site and found out why I was having such a hard
time determining who was a reputable “dog psychologist.” Even
though there were pages of results and people do use the term,
the position, “Dog Psychologist” technically doesn’t
exist.
The definition:
“I call myself a dog
psychologist, since I use my non-dog therapeutic skills to
rehabilitate the dog’s body and mind and my dog training
skills to communicate with the dog on his level with his
language.” Ami Moore, also known as a “dog whisperer,”
explained. For Moore, these non-dog therapeutic skills include
deep pressure work, sensory integration, sensory modulation
and sensory discrimination skills. You probably won’t
recognize these terms unless you’ve worked as or with a
Special Education teacher for children with learning
disabilities, autism and the like.
So what is a “dog
psychologist” really? Moore maintains she is a professional
dog trainer who “is an expert at changing a dog’s behavior
mentally and emotionally in real time, in a real way, in a
hands-on manner without the use of medications or elaborate
contraptions.” Her website says a professional dog trainer
truly effective enough to be labeled a “dog psychologist” or
“dog whisperer” is a person who both understands dogs enough
and has studied and practiced enough to have a grab-bag of
techniques.
After reading different web sites, I would add
that not only does a “dog psychologist” have a grasp on how
dogs think differently from people, but also on how people
think differently from dogs. Moore knows how to pull these
differing languages/ways together so the two species live in
harmony.
Other people who call themselves “dog
psychologists” may actually be “vet behaviorists” or “applied
animal behaviorists.” A vet behaviorist is a licensed vet who
sought additional training in solving companion animal
behavior problems, usually with the use of medications or
equipment changes. The “applied animal behaviorist,” Moore
explains, is an academic who specialized in some aspect of
zoology or even social work or English and “decided to hang
out a shingle as a ‘dog behaviorist’.”
Getting
started:
“Some dog trainers learned their skills from
their mothers or fathers. Many dog trainers had other careers
before deciding to make their avocation a vocation,” Moore
said in an e-interview. “I would suggest finding a dog trainer
that you admire and attempt to have this trainer take you on
as an apprentice. This can be tough. There are people out
there who will waste your time and keep you cleaning kennels
for years and never teach you anything useful about dogs.”
“The other option is dog school. I like the dog school
route because the education process is condensed and you can
learn so much in such a short span of time. In addition, the
instructor or school is committed to making you succeed since
his product is a dog trainer that is successful.” Moore
advises choosing a dog training school as carefully as
choosing a mentor. “A ‘dog school’ must have a wide variety of
dogs for you to experience. A dog school without dogs won’t
teach you anything about training dogs. It would be like going
to a cooking school but you never cook!”
Moore added
that one-shot classes and seminars are good for continued
education, but unless you already have a lot of experience,
there probably won’t be enough information to keep yourself
safe or profitable.
Income potential:
“I
know dog trainers (aka: dog psychologists) that are making
half a million a year, and I know other dog trainers that are
starving. I am in the middle range: low six figures,” Moore
shared. You could increase your income from good marketing,
quality product translating into increased business and
location. One advantage that Moore gives is her willingness to
travel to homes to work with dogs and their families. However,
she offers “boot camps” as well. In this way, she is able to
meet the needs of more clients as opposed to losing some to
inflexible schedules.
Rewards and
challenges:
“The rewards are being independent, making
dogs happy and making people happy. The challenges are the
same as in any other business: keeping your clients happy,
keeping yourself sane and making a profit (emphasis added).
Successful dog trainers know how to train dogs well, they have
great people skills and they understand that they are not
selling a product called ‘dog training;’ they understand they
are selling a state of being: ‘happiness’,” Moore wrote. “I
found my calling, and it is as a dog trainer/dog psychologist.
I am master of my destiny and I help people find happiness. Is
there anything better?”
For more information, visit
Ami Moore’s website at
http://www.doggiedoright911.com/ or call
847-284-7760.
About the Author: Tanya Sousa
is a Guidance Counselor, artist and author who lives in the
green mountains of Vermont with three border collies, three
cats and a very tolerant husband. Her most current publication
is Can Dogs Read? Starting and Implementing a Literacy
Program, which will be coming to print in
July.
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