How to hire an animal trainer supervisor

How to hire an animal trainer supervisor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step animal trainer supervisor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an animal trainer supervisor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new animal trainer supervisor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your animal trainer supervisor job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an animal trainer supervisor for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An animal trainer supervisor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, animal trainer supervisors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of animal trainer supervisors.

   Type of Animal Trainer Supervisor	Description	Hourly rate
   Animal Trainer Supervisor	Animal care and service workers provide care for animals. They feed, groom, bathe, and exercise pets and other nonfarm animals... Show more	$9-39
   Guide Dog Instructor	A guide dog instructor trains dogs, which are used as guides by people with disabilities. A guide dog helps a great deal for people who cannot do certain tasks on their own... Show more	$15-34
   Service Dog Trainer	A service dog trainer specializes in training dogs to perform service tasks for disabled handlers. They teach dogs to follow specialized commands and to be calm in stressful situations... Show more	$11-23

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Animation
   • PET
   • VFX
   • Animal Handling

   Responsibilities:

   • Maintain animation continuity with all artists.
   • Acquire knowledge in animal husbandry, natural history, and animal conditioning principles through reading materials and participating in training sessions.
   • Assure proper annotation of administrative MWD utilization and training records used for legal reviews.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your animal trainer supervisor job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An animal trainer supervisor salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, animal trainer supervisors' average salary in idaho is 59% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level animal trainer supervisors earn 76% less than senior-level animal trainer supervisors.
   • Certifications. An animal trainer supervisor with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an animal trainer supervisor's salary.

   Average animal trainer supervisor salary

   $41,407yearly

   $19.91 hourly rate

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   Entry-level animal trainer supervisor salary

   $20,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing an animal trainer supervisor job description

   A job description for an animal trainer supervisor role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an animal trainer supervisor job description:

   Animal trainer supervisor job description example

   San Diego Humane Society is hiring a full-time Community Animal Trainer for our Oceanside Campus!
   How you'll impact our mission:
   
   At San Diego Humane Society, we're united by our mission to Inspire Compassion. The Community Animal Trainer acts as the subject matter expert on all things related to our public training program and is responsible for instructing general content and workshop-style pet training classes to adopters and the public. The Trainer works to encourage SDHS adopter engagement and enhance the bond between pets and their owners while allowing pet owners to safely and humanely control their pet's behavior. If you're passionate about making an impact in the animal welfare movement, we'd love to talk to you.
   
   What's in it for you?
   
   At SDHS, we're proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and commit to being a place whereeveryperson - staff, volunteer, and guest - can feel a sense of belonging.We support and invest in employees through conscious delivery of benefits and a workplace environment based on our Core Values.
   
   As an employee you'll enjoy:
   
   + Competitive pay and paid time-off (including your Birthday Day Off!)
   
   + Comprehensive benefits package, training and well-being programs
   
   + 403(b) retirement plan with 5% match after 1 year
   
   + Free pet adoptions, pet vaccines and spay/neuter services
   
   + ...and so much more!
   
   What you'll do:
   
   + Instruct general content and workshop-style community training classes on a weekly basis - classes may be held in person or live online
   
   + Respond to various customer inquiries received through the department voicemail and email boxes regarding but not limited to classes, registration, refunds, behavior concerns, and post-adoption consultations.
   
   + Assist in creating various resources such as informative materials on preventing and managing problem behaviors in the home, public classes, demo videos, how-to training videos, web content and social media content.
   
   + Work collaboratively with all behavior volunteers including but not limited to behavior helpline volunteers and class assistants.
   
   + Work collaboratively with all contract trainers for community classes - attend team meetings, engagement via email phone or zoom as needed.
   
   + Conduct pre- and post-adoption consultations as assigned.
   
   What we're looking for:
   
   + High school diploma or equivalent required, or completion of sufficient coursework to successfully perform the required duties of the position; AA or Bachelor's degree in related field preferred.
   
   + Must have a minimum of one (1) year paid experience working with animals in a kennel, shelter or similar environment. At least one (1) year of professional dog or pet training experience highly preferred.
   
   + Experience in the use of positive reinforcement methods, including appropriate use of humane training products is required. CPDT certification or equivalent highly preferred (CPDT-KA, KPA, IAABC, Nose Works certification, Dog Trainer Academy, ABC, etc.).
   
   + Bilingual skills a plus, bilingual-Spanish preferred.
   
   + Must be able to handle the physical and emotional aspect of work in an animal shelter environment, including the use of humane euthanasia.
   
   + Must have a valid driver's license and be approved by SDHS insurance carrier to drive a company or personal vehicle for work purposes.
   
   Location: Based at our Oceanside Campus, with the occasion of off-site special events. Travel to other campuses and areas within the community is required. Work hours may include evenings, weekends, and holidays. This position has the potential for some pre-approved work from home related activities.
   
   Pay: Starting range is between $18.00 - $20.25 per hour. The hourly rate is determined by your related education and experience.
   
   Vaccine Mandate Policy: SDHS strives for a work environment with the highest level of safety. To that end,being fully vaccinated is a condition of employment for all SDHS employees, including new hiresas one of the many safety measures taken. SDHS makes reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants with disabilities or sincerely held religious beliefs that prohibit a person from being vaccinated.

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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right animal trainer supervisor for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your animal trainer supervisor job on Zippia to find and recruit animal trainer supervisor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting animal trainer supervisors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new animal trainer supervisor

   Once you've found the animal trainer supervisor candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new animal trainer supervisor. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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