Animal trainers teach creatures from dogs to dolphins to assist, obey and perform

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October 23, 2009

Animal trainers teach creatures from dogs to dolphins to assist, obey and perform

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Outlook: Employment of animal trainers is expected to increase 19 percent over the 2006-16 decade, which is faster than the average for all occupations.

Pay: The 160 animal trainers in the Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma area earned a median wage of $31,220 in 2008.

The job: Animal trainers train animals for riding, security, performance, obedience, or assisting people with disabilities by accustoming the animal to human voice and contact and conditioning the animal to respond to commands. The most commonly trained animals are dogs, horses and marine mammals, including dolphins.

Training/licensing: Some animal training jobs may require a bachelor’s degree and additional skills. For example, marine mammal trainers usually need a bachelor’s degree in biology, marine biology, animal science, psychology or a related field.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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