Training other peoples’ dogs in basic obedience?
February 6th, 2010 | 
Author: Here’s the deal.
I’m 15 years old. I’ve already trained 4 dogs in obedience, and one in highly competitive agility. One of the dogs I’ve trained belongs to my friend(Daschund), the other to my grandma(Standard Poodle). The other two belong to me. One is 11(hound mix), and the other is 3(Cav. King Charles Spaniel). My 3 year old is fairly competitive in agility and has placed every trial. He has his CGC and has passed his TDI test. He’s never NQed, and consistently outshines his classmates in our agility lessons. Basically, I’m not your average teenager.
This whole question stems out of the fact that I’m looking to add another dog to my ‘pack’, but I need the money to do so. This isn’t about breed choices(I’ve already picked a field bred ESS) or begging my parents to accept this dog, I already know where I’m going to college so that I can keep my dogs, so please, refrain from bringing it up.
An acquaintance of mine on a dog forum who is 14 teaches basic obedience classes in a park in the city she lives. She’s only privately trained one more dog than me, and since every one says that I have a way with dogs that not many other people do, I wondered if it would be worth it to try the same thing. Or at the very least, aid the dunces who teach the basic obedience classes at the local community center.
I wondered what others thought of the idea. It’d be a way of earning some extra cash by doing something I love(I can’t work at the boarding kennel where I take classes because I have to be 17 due to liability issues). And if anyone does think it is at least a plausible idea, how I should go about it(i.e. classes or one-on-one sessions) and what I should possibly charge.
Posted in Dog Obedience course | 
Tags: 3 cav, acquaintance, agility, boarding kennel, cgc, choices, classmates, dogs, extra cash, going to college, grandma, liability issues, local community, obedience classes, plausible idea, poodle, sessions, spaniel, standard poodle, teenager
No one I know of would ever go to classes given by a 15 yr old. It doesn’t matter how good you are with dogs or how many you have titled or trained. You don’t train the dogs you train the owners and few adults would probably take instruction from a 15 yr old. Not to mention you need to have a certain level of people savvy to teach people.
I would suggest you put your time and effort into either being handler for hire for other dogs in competition or perhaps work as a dog walker.