Dog Handler

As we humans learn more about the many capabilities of our four-legged canine friends, we continue to find ways to use them. Dog Handlers are on the front lines of this effort as they train dogs to sniff out drugs, aid the handicapped, and perform search and rescue tasks, to name but a few.

If you are passionate about working with dogs and love spending time with them, a job as a Dog Handler might be right up your alley. In addition to training them, Dog Handlers might also spend their time showing off their intrinsic qualities at dog show competitions. This is an exciting opportunity to travel with dogs (yours or a customer’s), groom and prep them, and prance them in front of judges and audiences.

Outside of the show arena, dogs perform a variety of important duties, including aiding those with disabilities. You might train them to identify illness or seizures in humans. Or, you could work with Seeing Eye dogs, teaching them how to guide their sight-challenged owners. You might even use your skills to work for homeland security, handling dogs during military and police operations, such as locating bombs, sniffing out drugs at the airport, or tracking down criminals on the run.

Other common duties for working dogs include herding sheep, searching for lost hikers, and tracking down game.

Depending on how in-depth your training techniques are, you might run your own kennel where you house your students, travel to customer’s houses, or work for a government agency.