Animal Trainers
Personal Care and Service
Day to day, the job is teaching animals to respond to cues and to stay calm around human voices and touch. Trainers run programs aimed at competition, entertainment, obedience, security, riding, or helping people with disabilities, and they signal animals during performances. They also feed and exercise animals, clean holding or performance areas, watch for illness, give prescribed medicine, and keep records of health, diet, and behavior. Before serious training starts, they judge each animal's temperament and what it can learn. The work suits people who like hands-on teaching, careful observation, and working with the same animals over time.
Typical education: High School Diploma or GED
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$39'990
Median Wage Market Position
$39'990
What you might do
- Train animals for riding, shows, or security
- Cue animals during performances and competitions
- Get animals used to human voice and touch
- Judge an animal's temperament and training aptitude
- Exercise animals and clean performance areas
- Watch for illness and give prescribed medicine
Skills that matter
- Performance cues and signals for animals
- Getting animals used to human contact
- Training for riding, security, or obedience
- Temperament and aptitude assessments
- Watching animals for unhealthy conditions
- Health, diet, and behavior records
AI & the future of this role
Training animals requires reading behavior in real time, adapting methods, and building trust that software cannot easily replicate. Assistive tools might support recordkeeping, but hands-on work with living animals is likely to remain central.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details