Are you looking to unleash your own dog training talents?

We’ve helped dozens of devoted dog people turn their simple love of dogs into rewarding careers in training. Our apprentices are hand-picked by our trainers, and come from all walks of life. Maybe you’ve always known you had ‘a way’ with dogs, or perhaps you’re looking for a more rewarding career. We are always looking to share our love of working dogs with more bright, happy people.

The Riverdog Apprentice Training Program (ATP) is a 3-month, part-time volunteer opportunity to learn more about training, behavior, and obedience for the family dog. Participants work closely with experienced Riverdog Trainers in a variety of activities:

  • Observing in-depth behavior evaluations
  • Shadowing trainers as they train dogs and work with clients during the business day
  • Gaining hands-on experience training dogs and receiving constructive coaching from trainers
  • Attending training meetings with senior Riverdog staff
  • Participating in behavior discussions, reading, and problem solving
  • Assisting in daycare operations and obedience classes

Benefits of the Program

To become an effective dog trainer, you need to know more than how to get a dog to sit and down. You must know a considerable amount about dog behavior, learning theory, and equipment options, for a start. And then you need to know how to apply that knowledge to many different types of dogs. Nothing replaces hands-on experience, and the ATP provides an excellent opportunity to work with dogs and start gaining that kind of knowledge. Whether you are interested in becoming a dog trainer, groomer, vet tech, pet sitter, or shelter worker, these skills can be utilized in any of these fields.

Benefits to Us

We wouldn’t offer the program if it didn’t benefit our company in a significant way. Coaching apprentices helps us keep our coaching skills sharp, which helps give us the edge in the marketplace as we give superior coaching to our clients. And because we are growing, we are always looking for hardworking, talented people; the ATP gives us the opportunity to screen for potential trainers. While there is no guarantee of a position within our company on completion of the program, we often hire new trainers from the best of our apprentice program graduates.

Qualifications

You don’t need prior dog training experience to be accepted into the ATP. You do need good people skills, a desire to work hard, an ability to work in a fast-paced environment, a high degree of adaptability and flexibility, and a positive attitude.

How to Apply

All you need to do is download and fill out and send us the application, plus any additional information you believe would be helpful for us as we make our interview decisions. You will be contacted for an interview appointment; we take on new apprentices twice per year. You may also call us and find out when we plan to begin our next ATP session: 425.427.5958.