It's Careers Week 2021! To celebrate, we're gonna be chatting to four wonderful women working different jobs in the animal sector and doing short interviews with them. There are so many exciting and diverse animal careers to discover! Yesterday, we heard from the wonderful Gillian. Today, we have Lyn! Let's hear what she had to say.
AnimalEd: Hi Lyn! Thanks for speaking with us. Our first question is: what do you do? What's your job?
Lyn: I am a dog trainer at Tammy's Dog Training. You might think I spend most of my time training dogs; however, the biggest part of this job is people training. At the end of the day, I see the dogs maybe an hour a week. It’s the owners who are training their dogs.
AnimalEd: Amazing! You actually work closely with Keeper Tiana so we know what a great trainer you are. In your opinion, what's the most important part of dog training?
Lyn: This is not an easy question to answer as all dogs who come through TDT doors need different help, whether they're 8-week-old pups or dogs with issues. Probably I would say getting owners to understand their dogs. This is vital for both basics and behaviour issues. Also, making sure the owners have realistic expectations and take it all at the dog's own pace and build those foundations first.
AnimalEd: We couldn't agree more! What do you like most about the job?
Lyn: I love the contact hours. Too much of this job is spent behind the scenes dealing with the boring ‘paperwork’. I love it when the owner sees what their dog is capable of - that ‘wow moment’. I love seeing the dog enjoy their training - learning must be fun for both dog and owner.
AnimalEd: Ooh, we relate to that - paperwork is so dull. Contact hours are the most fun! Last question: what would you say to somebody looking to get into dog training?
Lyn: This job is not about spending hours playing with pups - it is hard work. You need not only a love and understanding of dogs, but need to get on with people as well. Start by attending some training schools, ask if you can observe and eventually help. This will give you an insight to what is involved. It is not just about learning techniques, as each dog is a sentient being and will respond differently to the previous or next dog.
So true! A big thanks to Lyn Dubois at Tammy's Dog Training for taking the time to talk to us for Careers Week. You can find her @tammysdogtraining on Instagram and Facebook, and at www.tammysdogtraining.co.uk. Check back again tomorrow when we'll be looking at another exciting animal-based career path.
Thanks for reading, and remember to always keep learning!
-- Charlie and Tiana
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