Jobs with Dogs

Jobs with dogs is a popular career choice and there is immense competition for jobs in the dog care and behaviour sector. We have information pages about the various careers with dogs, please click through to find out more about careers with dogs.

Gaining relevant training will assist with improving your chances of gaining employment working with dogs. We offer free careers advice and will assist you in putting together a training plan for working with dogs.

If you want to work with dogs, it is important that you have training. Employers won’t notice your CV unless you have some type of relevant training. There are many different canine courses to choose from and the knowledge gained will ensure you feel confident beginning a career working with dogs.

We offer a complete range of accredited and employer recognised dog courses designed to assist those wanting to work with dogs.

A quarter of households in the UK have a dog and this has led to an increase in the variety of jobs with dogs, ranging from behaviourists, dog groomers, kennel workers, dog trainers, dog walkers, dog home boarders, assistance dog trainers, etc. This boom in pet ownership has unfortunately, increased the numbers of unwanted and abandoned dogs, given up when their owners are unable to care for them.

The same crisis also applies to other companion animals such as cats, reptiles, rabbits and other small animals, with many being given up every day. Many of these animals are cared for by animal charities and so, the animal charity and welfare sector is also a big employer.

Most jobs with dogs are hands-on. A typical day working in a boarding or animal charity kennels may involve walking dogs, scrubbing and disinfecting kennels, preparing 2 daily meals, ensuring fresh water, laundry work to clean and dry bedding, bathing and grooming dogs, providing games and environmental enrichment and carrying out daily health checks. Most kennel jobs involve an early start and you may be required to work on rotas and at weekends. Additionally, working in animal charity kennels also involve carrying out behavioural and re-homing assessments, the intake procedure for new arrivals and out-take procedure for dogs being re-homed as well as interviewing prospective new owners and providing information and education for adopters. Many animal charities have very high numbers of dogs in kennels and it is critical that standards of hygiene are maintained at excellent levels to prevent the spread of disease and infection. A disease or infection outbreak in a kennels causes suffering to the dogs affected, prevents dogs from being re-homed, increases the use of medicines (and the associated costs) and prevents the charity from being able to admit new arrivals which means that dogs that need help may have to be turned away. Therefore, the role that kennel workers play is critical and paying attention to procedures and standards is very important.