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What classes should I take in collage for animal training?
I want to be an animal trainer for all different species of animals but I don't know what classes are required or this is collage or even in high school #animals #major #zooloy #animaltraining #equine #marinelife
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4 answers
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Melissa’s Answer
Hello! I work at Sea World Orlando with many animal trainers, more specifically whale trainers in the ONE OCEAN show. When asked this exact question whale trainers suggest you have classes in Psychology. Although coursework in Marine Biology is fantastic, animal training is a lot about establishing trusting relationships with these animals and having a suitable personality for animal training. Compassion and patience is key and obtaining a job in animal training is almost like an audition as opposed to solely being based on academics. Hope this helps!
This is REALLY REALLY helpful, Thank you so much!
Harley Marie
Updated
Tracy’s Answer
For general information & additional resource purposes, you may want to review this site: https://www.animalbehaviorsociety.org/ . I believe I should provide a disclaimer that I am in no way affiliated / profit from providing this site to you or anyone else. I offer it as a resource as this organization does provide information regarding:
1. Animal behavior education tracks & certification types
2. Provides student grants for research
3. Further the pursuit of animal conservation
4. Links to professional organizations
It would be a great place to look for what is available to you as a student to see what to study in college, including advanced degrees, or if you plan to be a future researcher. If you are not already doing so, there are colleges such as UC Davis which has a great school of veterinary medicine , which may provide general information about specific animal behavioral classes. Also, as someone else mentioned, you can talk to a local animal clinic/veterinary hospital for advice / volunteer / work experience. There are podcasts & Youtube channels with certified experts in animal behavior that may provide an email/link where you can pose questions. That may be a way to contact someone in the field & gather more data about the classes / education needed. That said, be very careful to research if their credentials are legitimate before contacting them. Take care & I hope that this was helpful!
1. Animal behavior education tracks & certification types
2. Provides student grants for research
3. Further the pursuit of animal conservation
4. Links to professional organizations
It would be a great place to look for what is available to you as a student to see what to study in college, including advanced degrees, or if you plan to be a future researcher. If you are not already doing so, there are colleges such as UC Davis which has a great school of veterinary medicine , which may provide general information about specific animal behavioral classes. Also, as someone else mentioned, you can talk to a local animal clinic/veterinary hospital for advice / volunteer / work experience. There are podcasts & Youtube channels with certified experts in animal behavior that may provide an email/link where you can pose questions. That may be a way to contact someone in the field & gather more data about the classes / education needed. That said, be very careful to research if their credentials are legitimate before contacting them. Take care & I hope that this was helpful!
Thank you!
Harley Marie
Updated
Ryan’s Answer
Hi,
A good start would be to contact your local veterinary offices and submit the same question to a zoo. Another fun way to obtain this knowledge would be to volunteer with some of the organizations that care for animals. This will give you access to a lot of people connected in the industry. You will be able to expand your network and will be able to pick the brain of those with the roles and jobs that you are potentially seeking in the future.
Best of luck.
A good start would be to contact your local veterinary offices and submit the same question to a zoo. Another fun way to obtain this knowledge would be to volunteer with some of the organizations that care for animals. This will give you access to a lot of people connected in the industry. You will be able to expand your network and will be able to pick the brain of those with the roles and jobs that you are potentially seeking in the future.
Best of luck.
Thank you! I will definitely try this :)
Harley Marie
Updated
Allie’s Answer
Different colleges will have different options for courses that might be helpful for animal training. I studied animal behavior in college, but the courses I took that most directly related to animal training were in psychology, such as Learning and Biopsychology. Training is about being able to communicate to an animal what you want them to do in a way that they'll understand, and also about knowing what an animal is capable of doing. This requires the trainer to have a strong foundation with the individual they are training, and good knowledge of the species overall.
Best of luck to you!
Best of luck to you!