Animal Trainers
Description
Train animals for riding, harness, security, performance, or obedience, or for assisting persons with disabilities. Accustom animals to human voice and contact, and condition animals to respond to commands. Train animals according to prescribed standards for show or competition. May train animals to carry pack loads or work as part of pack team.
Job tasks
- • Observe animals' physical conditions to detect illness or unhealthy conditions requiring medical care.
- • Cue or signal animals during performances.
- • Administer prescribed medications to animals.
- • Evaluate animals to determine their temperaments, abilities, or aptitude for training.
- • Feed or exercise animals or provide other general care, such as cleaning or maintaining holding or performance areas.
- • Talk to or interact with animals to familiarize them to human voices or contact.
- • Keep records documenting animal health, diet, or behavior.
- • Advise animal owners regarding the purchase of specific animals.
- • Train horses or other equines for riding, harness, show, racing, or other work, using knowledge of breed characteristics, training methods, performance standards, and the peculiarities of each animal.
- • Use oral, spur, rein, or hand commands to condition horses to carry riders or to pull horse-drawn equipment.
- • Train dogs in human assistance or property protection duties.
- • Retrain horses to break bad habits, such as kicking, bolting, or resisting bridling or grooming.
- • Organize or conduct animal shows.
- • Conduct training programs to develop or maintain desired animal behaviors for competition, entertainment, obedience, security, riding, or related purposes.
- • Evaluate animals for trainability and ability to perform.
Abilities
Verbal Abilities
- • Oral Comprehension
- • Written Comprehension
- • Oral Expression
- • Written Expression
Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities
- • Fluency of Ideas
- • Originality
- • Problem Sensitivity
- • Deductive Reasoning
- • Inductive Reasoning
- • Information Ordering
- • Category Flexibility
Attentiveness
- • Selective Attention
Fine Manipulative Abilities
- • Manual Dexterity
Control Movement Abilities
- • Multilimb Coordination
Physical Strength Abilities
- • Trunk Strength
Endurance
- • Stamina
Flexibility, Balance, and Coordination
- • Gross Body Coordination
Visual Abilities
- • Near Vision
- • Far Vision
Auditory and Speech Abilities
- • Speech Recognition
- • Speech Clarity
Skills
Content
- • Active Listening
- • Speaking
Process
- • Critical Thinking
- • Active Learning
- • Learning Strategies
- • Monitoring
Social Skills
- • Social Perceptiveness
- • Coordination
- • Instructing
- • Service Orientation
Complex Problem Solving Skills
- • Complex Problem Solving
Systems Skills
- • Judgment and Decision Making
Resource Management Skills
- • Time Management
Knowledge
Business and Management
- • Administration and Management
- • Customer and Personal Service
Mathematics and Science
- • Psychology
Arts and Humanities
- • English Language
Interview options
Interviewee gender
Interviewee accent
Interview time
Source
Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
Learn more
Sources & Standards:
This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026