trainer

Question
MY SON IS REALLY REALLY GOOD WITH DOGS. HIS PETS ARE OBIEDENT AND EXTREMELY LOVING AND PROTECTIVE.  HE ENJOYS RAISING AND TRAINING THEM, BUT HE HAS TOOOOOO MANY.   IS THERE A PLACE THAT HE COULD OFFER THESE PETS. AND MABEY GET INTO DOG TRAINING AS A PROFESSION?
WE ARE IN EUFAULA, AL.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, JEANNIE

Answer

Hi Jeannie,

The first thing that should be done, if it hasn't been taken care of already, is to have all of your son's dogs spayed or neutered. There are many low cost spay/neuter clinics all over the country. Contact your local Humane Society or animal shelter to see what's in your area.

Many communities have laws regarding how many dogs you can own. You'd have to contact your town clerk or possibly police to see what the legal limit for pet ownership is where you live, but your son might well be in violation of this law. Here are some ways people find homes for dogs:

Vet Offices: You will find more good pet owners here than anywhere else! Talk to the staff. They often know of clients whose pets have died and are looking for a new one. Leave a color photo and description of the animal and your phone number on their bulletin board or at their desk.

Bulletin Boards: Post a color photo of the pet, a description, and your phone number on bulletin boards at pet stores, supermarkets, churches, schools, and other community bulletin boards.

Newspaper Classifieds: Use this traditional method of advertising, but results are generally not as good as using Vets offices and bulletin boards.

Local Publications: Also use whatever weekly advertising magazines are available in your area, such as the Penny Saver, Treasure Chest, Bargain Weekly, etc. They are generally more inexpensive than newspapers and allow you to elaborate in your ad.

Pet Rescue Organizations: Let local organizations know what you have available for adoption. They may help locate potential owners for a brokered adoption fee.

When your son is ready to place the dogs into their new homes, the following site has a lot of good info for him to consider, so he'll know the adopters will provide a good home:

Phone-screening for dogs at:
http://www.petrescue.com/library/dog-phone-screen.pdf

If your son is interested in becoming a certified dog trainer, a good way to start is to have him be an apprentice of an experienced dog trainer. He'd need to locate a local dog trainer and asking them if he can begin to assist with their classes and lessons. This might be the best way to gain hands-on experience and become a dog trainer.  There is a program offered through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT). That is the certification council of pet dog trainers. This is a unique program which one day will hopefully include various levels. For now, there is the introduction level which allows trainers with 5 years of experience and a minimum number of hours to take a test on basic dog training. For more information visit the councils website at:   http://www.ccpdt.org/
There might be a couple of dog trainer schools in Alabama, he should contact dog breed clubs within the state to see if they can recommend one. Again, he'd need to find these clubs by doing an Internet search.

Best of luck,

Patti