We frequently hear about the benefits of embarking on a career as a professional dog trainer – and making a positive difference in the lives of dogs and their owners is certainly a rewarding pursuit. However, what happens when you become so immersed in your work that it starts to have an adverse effect on other areas of your life?
Dog trainers are not immune to burnout – in fact, as dog training can be very demanding on all facets of your life (physical, mental and emotional), there is an argument that you are actually more likely to suffer from the consequences of feeling overwhelmed than many other careers.
In this article, we’ll help you to see what burnout actually looks like – and provide tips on how to manage your career to protect your physical and mental health.
What burnout looks like
As we begin this article, it is actually important to understand the signs of burnout, and the effect it can have on your mind and body. Some of the most common signs of burnout include:
- Physical exhaustion and chronic soreness
- Emotional fatigue, resulting in frustration or cynicism towards clients
- Loss of passion or motivation for your work
- Disrupted sleep
- Decreasing levels of patience with dogs and their owners
- Irritability towards friends and family members
- Feeling overwhelmed by your schedule or the expectations of your clients
You may be glancing through this list and only now starting to understand that you may be suffering from burnout. When you are so invested in your work and helping the dogs and families you are training, it can be easy to lose sight of the effect your career is having on your quality of life.
Why are dog trainers prone to burnout?
There are multiple challenges that dog trainers can face when it comes to managing their work and striking the right work-life balance.
Firstly, in many cases, dog training is physically demanding work. Trying to control a 100lb (or more) dog who is pulling on a leash takes its toll on all areas of your body. Depending on the climate where you live, summers may also be hot, and if you do not have an indoor facility, the majority of your days will be spent outside in the sun. You may be unaware of the workout you’re getting each day, but if you wear a smart watch, you’ll quickly understand just how many steps you cover each day.
Dog trainers rarely have a chance to relax. While budding trainers may wish to get into the industry because “they don’t want to work with people”, the reality is that dog training is a very people-oriented field. You have to be able to interpret what dog owners want for their dog, and be able to articulate training concepts in a way that they can understand to ensure the training is maintained. There is also the constant communication and back-and-forth with clients, from questions around behavior to scheduling appointments. This can be draining without the right boundaries in place.
Finally, there is the pressure to succeed. Dog owners expect results, and this brings a natural pressure for dog trainers. The pressure is multiplied if you are running your own business, and your ability to obtain an income will live or die by the results you achieve. Sometimes, we can put so much pressure on ourselves that we can stifle our ability to deliver.
Tips to avoid burnout
So, we’ve established that dog training can be draining – but it doesn’t have to be that way. Below, we have listed some tips that can help you to manage your workload and alleviate some of the burden in your day-to-day work.
Be intentional with client scheduling
‘Unintentional scheduling’ usually manifests itself in two ways. The first is setting too many appointments on a single day, meaning you have no time to recover between sessions; this not only results in you feeling fatigued, but it can also affect your ability to give your best during your client interactions. The second way is taking on too many clients because of demand – that feeling that the client is impatient and must be scheduled as soon as possible, in case they move on to a different trainer.
Being intentional with your scheduling means being realistic with the number of dogs you can train at one time, and the number of appointments you can attend in a single day. The easiest way to overwhelm yourself is to overbook your schedule. Know your limits and stick to them. It is also a good idea to schedule rest days to give yourself a chance to recuperate. In addition, if you travel, try to group clients in the same location on the same day to save yourself travel time.
Set boundaries with clients
Client communication is a key aspect of being a successful dog trainer. With that said, overcommunicating can set an unrealistic expectation for your client and make them feel that you are on call 24/7. Seeing another notification pop up on your phone – along with the feeling that you must respond immediately – is draining.
The best way to communicate with clients is to set boundaries early on in your working relationship. Have clearly defined working hours and tell clients when you are available to be contacted. A separate phone number for work calls will allow you to switch off outside of working hours. In your training agreement, it is best to define a service level agreement (SLA) for response times, and couple this with a conversation in your initial session about how and when your client should contact you. Naturally, you have to balance this with providing high-quality customer service – but it is more professional to set these expectations than to leave messages unresponded because you are so overwhelmed.
Prioritize physical and mental health
As a professional dog trainer, your knowledge is the biggest asset you possess for helping your clients. Optimizing your mental health not only reduces the potential for burnout, but it also provides you with a platform to deliver your best for the dogs you work with. As a large part of dog training often involves problem-solving, you want to be able to think clearly before providing solutions to complex behavioral problems.
You’ll know what works best for your mental health, and we already covered adding rest days to your schedule. Working with your own dogs can actually be a great stress reliever, as it gives you canine interaction without the pressure of client expectations. Activities like exercise, meditation and yoga can also enable you to be at your physical and mental best. Ultimately, you have to listen to your body and your brain – if it is telling you to rest, then you should rest. Pushing yourself past your limits on a regular basis is a surefire way to burn yourself out.
Utilize mentorship and community
A dog training mentor is typically not a qualified mental health professional, but they will be aware of the unique challenges you are facing as a dog trainer. Leaning on your peers for emotional support or for help with problem-solving can reduce the isolation or pressure you may feel to achieve everything by yourself.
Joining a professional dog training organization that aligns with your dog training philosophy and is centered on continuing education is an excellent way to meet like-minded individuals from near and far. When you are struggling, fellow dog trainers may be able to offer support and guidance – and if you’re losing motivation, these organizations may even have webinars and ideas that can reignite your passion. At the School for Dog Trainers, we pride ourselves on post-graduation support; Alumni are able to reach out via our dedicated Facebook group for support with any number of issues related to dog training, from actual behavior and training topics, to questions on how to run their business.
Delegate (if possible)
If you’re running your own business, you will know that most of your time is probably not spent actually training dogs. There are taxes to file, social media posts to publish, website issues to resolve, and so on. These additional items become even more challenging as you may not be an expert in any of them, requiring more of your brainpower to actually deal with them. Many of these are essential functions of running a successful business, so you cannot simply ignore them.
Delegation is your best friend. Finding professionals who are experts in their chosen field can take these issues off your plate, while still ensuring they are dealt with. For example, find a reputable accountant to help with your business finances, or hire a marketing professional to manage your online and offline marketing efforts. Of course, this comes at a financial cost, but doing these items yourself also comes at a cost – except the cost for you is time and energy, not money. Trying to do everything yourself detracts from the time you can spend on the work you enjoy doing (training dogs), and you will likely not be as effective as a professional whose sole focus is on accounting or marketing. You should consider the delegation of business functions as an investment in your business (ex: a tax professional might pay for themselves by reducing your tax burden, and a marketing professional should generate enough new business to justify their expense).
In conclusion
It’s an unfortunate reality, but burnout for dog trainers is real! It is also an often overlooked aspect of working in this industry, but it comes with the territory – particularly when you care so deeply about the work that you do.
We hope that by following the tips in this article, you can reduce the potential for burnout – and maintain your physical and mental health so that you can enjoy the work you do while providing valuable help for your clients.