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Posted by: Kirsten on 2010-02-22, 19:37:57
I think people hear figures of thousands of dollars to produce a service dog and think that means the trainers are well paid. At least half of the cost of producing a service dog goes into overhead, not salary. In other words, it covers costs, like insurance, facilities, equipment, health screening, veterinary care while the dog is in training, et cetera. The vast majority of service dog trainers are very poorly paid, if at all. A good wage would be about $10 per hour, or $20,000 per year. That's less than a school teacher typically makes. Don't get into service dog training for money. It is not a money making proposition. Do it because you love training, or because you want to help. The payoff in those two ways is significantly more than it is in the paycheck department. Guide dog trainers from very well recognized programs such as the Seeing Eye are different. They make good salaries for the few years they are physically able to do that sort of demanding work. They also start out with a college degree and a three-year unpaid apprenticeship. Competition for these positions is fierce. Very few make the cut. |
