Animal handler vs dog walker

The differences between animal handlers and dog walkers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both an animal handler and a dog walker. Additionally, a dog walker has an average salary of $30,893, which is higher than the $27,820 average annual salary of an animal handler.

The top three skills for an animal handler include animal handling, goats and animal species. The most important skills for a dog walker are PET, walkers, and clients homes.

Animal handler vs dog walker overview

	Animal Handler	Dog Walker
Yearly salary	$27,820	$30,893
Hourly rate	$13.38	$14.85
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	28,040	5,474
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	3	3

Animal handler vs dog walker salary

Animal handlers and dog walkers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Animal Handler	Dog Walker
Average salary	$27,820	$30,893
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $40,000	Between $21,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	CARE
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between animal handler and dog walker education

There are a few differences between an animal handler and a dog walker in terms of educational background:

	Animal Handler	Dog Walker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Biology	Psychology
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Massachusetts Amherst

Animal handler vs dog walker demographics

Here are the differences between animal handlers' and dog walkers' demographics:

	Animal Handler	Dog Walker
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 38.8% Female, 61.2%	Male, 29.2% Female, 70.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 2.6% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between animal handler and dog walker duties and responsibilities

Animal handler example responsibilities.

Handle, dogs pigs, donkey, and horses.
Assist veterinarians, veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants in providing the best care possible for patients.
Provide environmental enrichment for various mammal and raptor species.

Dog walker example responsibilities.

Manage all breeding, whelping, raising of puppies, grooming and showing of dogs for owners in the AKC.
Head groomer, use of dremel, clippers, dryers, hemostats.
Provide in-home grooming services such as bathing, nail trimming, and clipping for all breeds and sizes of dogs.
Provide general bathing and preventative services, such as nail clipping and ear cleaning to maintain and improve clients health.
Assist pet owners by transporting animals to grooming and veterinary appointments.
Assure proper annotation of administrative MWD utilization and training records used for legal reviews.

Animal handler vs dog walker skills

Common animal handler skills

Animal Handling, 55%
Goats, 13%
Animal Species, 8%
Exotic Animals, 4%
Zoo Animals, 3%
Animal Welfare, 3%

Common dog walker skills

PET, 50%
Walkers, 44%
Clients Homes, 2%
Fresh Water, 1%
Minute Walk, 1%
Customer Service, 0%