Profession animal trainer

Animal trainers train animals and/or animal handlers for general and specific purposes, including assistance, security, leisure, competition, transportation, obedience and routine handling, entertainment and education, in accordance with national legislation.

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Personality Type

Knowledge

  • Animal welfare

    Universally recognized animal welfare needs as applied to species, situation and occupation. These are: need for a suitable environment need for a suitable diet need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns need to be housed with, or apart, from other animals need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.

  • Safe work practices in a veterinary setting

    Safe work practices in a veterinary setting in order to identify hazards and associated risks so as to prevent accidents or incidents. This includes injury from animals, zoonotic diseases, chemicals, equipment and working environment.

  • Anatomy of animals

    The study of animal body parts, their structure and dynamic relationships, on a level as demanded by the specific occupation.

  • Biosecurity related to animals

    Awareness of hygiene and bio-security measures when working with animals, including causes, transmission and prevention of diseases and use of policies, materials and equipment.

  • Signs of animal illness

    Physical, behavioural and environmental signs of health and ill health in various animals.

  • Animal welfare legislation

    The legal boundaries, codes of professional conduct, national and EU regulatory frameworks and legal procedures of working with animals and living organisms, ensuring their welfare and health.

  • Animal behaviour

    The natural behavioural patterns of animals, i.e. how normal and abnormal behaviour might be expressed according to species, environment, human-animal interaction and occupation.

  • Physiology of animals

    The study of the mechanical, physical, bioelectrical and biochemical functioning of animals, their organs and their cells.

  • Environmental enrichment for animals

    Types, methods and use of enrichment for animals to allow the expression of natural behaviour, including the provision of environmental stimuli, feeding activities, puzzles, items for manipulation, social and training activities.

Skills

  • Advise on animal welfare

    Prepare and provide information to individuals or groups of people on how to promote the health and well-being of animals, and how risks to animal health and welfare may be reduced. Provide recommendations for corrective actions.

  • Deal with challenging people

    Work safely and communicate effectively with individuals and groups of people who are in challenging circumstances. This would include recognition of signs of aggression, distress, threatening and how to address them to promote personal safety and that of others.

  • Implement training programmes for animals

    Implement training programmes for animals for basic training purposes or to meet specific objectives, following a developed training programme, and reviewing and recording progress against set objectives.

  • Provide first aid to animals

    Administer emergency treatment to prevent deterioration of the condition, suffering and pain until veterinary assistance can be sought. Basic emergency treatment needs to be done by non-veterinarians prior to first-aid provided by a veterinarian. Non-veterinarians providing emergency treatment are expected to seek treatment by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

  • Handle veterinary emergencies

    Handle unforeseen incidents concerning animals and circumstances which call for urgent action in an appropriate professional manner.

  • Provide animal training

    Provide training in basic handling, habituation, and obedience to enable the completion of day-to-day tasks while minimising the risks to the animal, the handler, and others.

  • Monitor the welfare of animals

    Monitor animals’ physical condition and behaviour and report any concerns or unexpected changes, including signs of health or ill-health, appearance, condition of the animals' accommodation, intake of food and water and environmental conditions.

  • Practise veterinary professional codes of conduct

    Adhere to veterinary professional codes of practice and legislation.

  • Manage animal biosecurity

    Plan and use appropriate biosafety measures to prevent transmission of diseases and ensure effective overall biosecurity. Maintain and follow biosecurity procedures and infection control when working with animals, including recognising potential health issues and taking appropriate action, communicating site hygiene control measures and biosecurity procedures, as well as reporting to others.

  • Implement exercise activities for animals

    Provide exercise opportunities that are suitable for respective animals and meet their particular physical requirements.

  • Provide an enriching environment for animals

    Provide an enriching environment for animals to allow the expression of natural behaviour, and including adjusting environmental conditions, delivering feeding and puzzle exercises, and implementing manipulation, social, and training activities.

  • Apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting

    Apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting in order to identify hazards and associated risks so as to prevent accidents or incidents. This includes injury from animals, zoonotic diseases, chemicals, equipment and work environments.

  • Design training programmes for individuals and animals

    Develop programmes to train humans and animals work together. Set objectives and targets. Evaluate the implementation of the training programme and progress by both the person and animal concerned.

  • Manage animal hygiene

    Plan and use appropriate hygiene measures to prevent transmission of diseases and ensure an effective overall hygiene. Maintain and follow hygiene procedures and regulations when working with animals, communicate site hygiene controls and protocols to others. Manage the safe disposal of waste according to destination and local regulations.

  • Assess animal behaviour

    Observe and evaluate the behaviour of animals in order to work with them safely and recognise deviations from normal behaviour that signal compromised health and welfare.

  • Treat animals ethically

    Carry out activities according to accepted principles of right and wrong, including transparency in work practices and conduct towards clients and their animals.

  • Train animals and individuals to work together

    Train animals and individuals to work together, including the match between individuals and animals, the design of integrated training programmes for people and animals, implementation of integrated training programmes, evaluation of integrated training programmes for people and animals against agreed outcomes and evaluating the compatibility between individuals and animals in relation to physical characteristics.

Optional knowledge and skills

provide nutrition to animals manage personal professional development breed-specific behaviour of horses animal production science care for horses clean stalls advise customers on appropriate pet care develop an animal handling strategy understand the animal's situation make decisions regarding the animal's welfare work with veterinarians assess the compatibility of individuals and animals to work together horse anatomy calculate rates per hours transport horses bathe dogs advise customers on usage of care products for pets train horses assess animal's condition design training programmes for animals maintain animal accommodation cope with challenging circumstances in the veterinary sector interview animal owners on animals' conditions exercise patience take advantage of learning opportunities in veterinary science teach young horses assist in transportation of animals budget for financial needs design plans to address undesirable behaviour in animals create animal records protect health and safety when handling animals provide mentorship manage a small-to-medium business dog behaviour advise on animal purchase select therapy animals select animals for training young horses training collaborate with animal related professionals maintain relationships with animal welfare establishments evaluate dogs assess customers

Source: Sisyphus ODB