Dog trainer to animal handler
A dog trainer already meets 59% of what the animal handler role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
49.7/ 100
1 How much of what an animal handler is expected to do is already part of a dog trainer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the animal handler role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An animal handler role treats 16 of its required skills as things a dog trainer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- anatomy of animals
- animal behaviour
- animal welfare
- animal welfare legislation
- apply animal hygiene practices
- assess animal behaviour
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 19 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An animal handler role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a dog trainer background worth leading with.
- already held provide animal training handling and moving
- already held provide an enriching environment for animals handling and moving
- already held treat animals ethically assisting and caring
- already held implement exercise activities for animals handling and moving
- already held assess animal's condition information skills
- already held make decisions regarding the animal's welfare management skills
All 19 carried skills, including the 16 the animal handler role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn handle working animals required
- still to learn control animal movement required
- still to learn manage animal welfare required
- still to learn handle veterinary emergencies required
- optional, not held handle animals for semen collection optional
- optional, not held groom animals optional
- optional, not held maintain welfare of animals during transportation optional
- optional, not held understand the animal's situation optional
- optional, not held load animals for transportation optional
- still to learn manage animal biosecurity required
- optional, not held calculate rates per hours optional
- optional, not held take advantage of learning opportunities in veterinary science optional
- optional, not held apply numeracy skills optional
- still to learn environmental enrichment for animals required
- optional, not held animal production science optional
- still to learn apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting required
- still to learn safe work practices in a veterinary setting required
- optional, not held interview animal owners on animals' conditions optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an animal handler role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 handle working animals practise this
- 02 apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting practise this
- 03 control animal movement practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 19 skills that carry over
- already held anatomy of animals knowledge
- already held animal behaviour knowledge
- already held animal welfare knowledge
- already held animal welfare legislation knowledge
- already held apply animal hygiene practices skill
- already held assess animal behaviour skill
- already held biosecurity related to animals knowledge
- already held implement exercise activities for animals skill
- already held monitor the welfare of animals skill
- already held physiology of animals knowledge
- already held provide an enriching environment for animals skill
- already held provide animal training skill
- already held provide first aid to animals skill
- already held provide nutrition to animals skill
- already held signs of animal illness knowledge
- already held treat animals ethically skill
- already held assess animal's condition skill
- already held maintain animal accommodation hygienic skill
- already held make decisions regarding the animal's welfare skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held cope with challenging circumstances in the veterinary sector optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held handle animals for semen collection optional
- optional, not held animal production science optional
- optional, not held calculate rates per hours optional
- optional, not held cope with challenging circumstances in the veterinary sector optional
- optional, not held groom animals optional
- optional, not held interview animal owners on animals' conditions optional
- optional, not held maintain welfare of animals during transportation optional
- optional, not held take advantage of learning opportunities in veterinary science optional
- optional, not held understand the animal's situation optional
- optional, not held apply numeracy skills optional
- optional, not held load animals for transportation optional
17 held skills the animal handler role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise customers on appropriate pet care skill
- not needed by the target role advise on animal purchase skill
- not needed by the target role advise on animal welfare skill
- not needed by the target role advise on care products for pets skill
- not needed by the target role assess the compatibility of individuals and animals to work together skill
- not needed by the target role assist in transportation of animals skill
- not needed by the target role bathe dogs skill
- not needed by the target role create animal records skill
- not needed by the target role design plans to address undesirable behaviour in animals skill
- not needed by the target role design training programmes for individuals and animals skill
- not needed by the target role develop an animal handling strategy skill
- not needed by the target role dog behaviour knowledge
- not needed by the target role evaluate dogs skill
- not needed by the target role protect health and safety when handling animals skill
- not needed by the target role select therapy animals skill
- not needed by the target role train animals and individuals to work together skill
- not needed by the target role work with veterinarians skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn environmental enrichment for animals required
- still to learn safe work practices in a veterinary setting required
- optional, not held animal production science optional
Common questions about this move
Can a dog trainer become an animal handler?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A dog trainer already covers 59% of what an animal handler is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 16 of which the animal handler role treats as required.
What skills does a dog trainer need to become an animal handler?
8 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is handle working animals.
How hard is the move from dog trainer to animal handler?
Its learning distance is 49.7 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.