Average Salaries for Animal Trainers

• According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, most animal trainers work with dogs. Although the bureau doesn't have specific salary listings for dog trainers, their animal trainer salaries are most accurate to dog trainers. As of May 2010, animal trainers earned a mean hourly wage of $14.96 per hour. From the 25th and 75th percentiles, animal trainers typically earned between $9.37 and $17.93 per hour on average across all industries, locations and experience levels.
  
  

Top-Paying Locations

• Certain areas of the United States are more lucrative for dog trainers than others. According to the bureau, Minnesota is the highest-paying location. Trainers in this state typically earned $19.81 per hour on average. Other high-paying states include Florida, Kansas, Virginia and Delaware with average hourly pay ranging from $18.16 to $19.37.
  
  

Top-Paying Industries

• Dog trainers are utilized in a wide range of industries, some paying higher wages than others. Amusement park trainers earn the highest hourly wage with $21.62 on average. Family services and support activities for animal production are also high-paying industries with average wages between $16.88 and $17.32 per hour.
  
  

Employment Prospects

• According to the American Pet Product Manufacturing Association, spending on pets increased from $17 billion to $38.4 billion per year from 1994 to 2006. This means that more people are willing to spend money on their pets, increasing job opportunities for dog trainers, as suggested by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.