Dog Handlers and Trainers

ANZSCO ID 361111

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
1,100
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
59%
Female Share
59%
Average age
40

Summary

Dog Handlers or Trainers teach dogs to obey commands and undertake specific tasks.

Tasks

  • Teaches animals to obey verbal and non-verbal commands and addresses behavioural problems.

  • Trains animals to perform in competitions.

Characteristics

Job Type
Technicians And Trades Workers
Skill Level
Medium skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
Physical Demand
  • Medium

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Animal Attendants and Trainers, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 59% of people employed as Dog Handlers and Trainers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 7 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 48 hours per week in their main job. This is 4 hours more than the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Other Services
52.8%
2
Public Administration and Safety
18.2%
3
Arts and Recreation Services
12.2%
4
Health Care and Social Assistance
5.2%
5
Other industries
8.9%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

29.3% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

27.6% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

21.8% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

7.1% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

11.1% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.4% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.6% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.0% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Dog Handlers and Trainers All Jobs Average
NSW 29.3 31.6
VIC 27.6 25.6
QLD 21.8 20.0
SA 7.1 7.0
WA 11.1 10.8
TAS 1.4 2.0
NT 0.6 1.0
ACT 1.0 1.9


  • Around 47% of Dog Handlers and Trainers live outside of capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 38%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
40
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
59%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Dog Handlers and Trainers is 40 years. This is the same as the all jobs average.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 59% of the workforce. This is 11 percentage points above the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Dog Handlers and Trainers All Jobs Average
15-19 2.8 5.0
20-24 7.9 9.3
25-34 26.2 22.9
35-44 24.1 22.0
45-54 23.4 21.6
55-59 7.8 9.0
60-64 4.7 6.0
65 and Over 3.0 4.2
Median Age 40 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Dog Handler or Trainer. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in dog training.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Animal Care and Management VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Dog Handlers and Trainers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 3.9 10.1
Bachelor degree 15.3 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 14.4 11.6
Certificate III/IV 30.5 21.1
Year 12 16.9 18.1
Year 11 3.9 4.8
Year 10 and below 15.2 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Animal Attendants and Trainers who are reliable, work well in a team and have a strong work ethic.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 55%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 50%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 48%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 45%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 45%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 45%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 43%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 43%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 43%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 43%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 41%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 41%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 39%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 39%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 39%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 37%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.

  • 37%

    Systems evaluation

    Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

  • 36%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 32%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 62%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 60%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 52%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 49%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 43%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 42%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 40%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 36%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 34%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 31%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 31%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 31%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 30%

    Therapy and counselling

    Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.

  • 30%

    Biology

    Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.

  • 30%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 29%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 28%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 27%

    Medicine and dentistry

    Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.

  • 24%

    Mechanical

    Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

  • 22%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 57%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 57%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 55%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 50%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 46%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 46%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 45%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 45%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 45%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 43%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 43%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 43%

    Multilimb coordination

    Use your arms and/or legs at the same time while sitting, standing, or lying down.

  • 43%

    Trunk strength

    Use your abdominal and lower back muscles a number of times without 'giving out' or fatiguing.

  • 43%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 41%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 41%

    Manual dexterity

    Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

  • 41%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 41%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 41%

    Whole body coordination

    Move your arms, legs, and body together.

  • 39%

    Stamina

    Exercise for a long time without getting winded or out of breath.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 74%

    Doing physically active work

    Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.

  • 71%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 70%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 69%

    Handling and moving objects

    Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.

  • 68%

    Thinking creatively

    Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.

  • 68%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 67%

    Working with the public

    Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.

  • 66%

    Training and teaching others

    Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.

  • 64%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 60%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 58%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 58%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 57%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 57%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 55%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 54%

    Coaching and developing others

    Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.

  • 52%

    Influencing people

    Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.

  • 52%

    Coming up with systems and processes

    Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.

  • 49%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 47%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 100%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 52%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 52%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 52%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 38%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 29%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 76%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 62%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 57%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 50%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 43%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.

  • 43%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 96%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 90%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 90%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 86%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 85%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 84%

    Outdoors, exposed to weather

    Work outdoors, exposed to the weather.

  • 81%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 80%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 78%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 76%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 75%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 74%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 73%

    Walking and running

    Spend time walking and running.

  • 72%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 72%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 70%

    Outdoors, under cover

    Work outdoors, under cover (e.g., in an open shed).

  • 70%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 70%

    Very hot or cold temperatures

    Work in very hot or cold temperatures.

  • 69%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 68%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 39-2011.00 - Animal Trainers.


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