How To Become A Guide Dog Instructor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a guide dog instructor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Animal lovers, take note! Imagine a job where you can work with animals, while at the same time helping people reclaim their independence. That's exactly what you'll be doing if you become a guide dog trainer. A guide dog trainer shows guide dogs, also called seeing-eye dogs, how to work with people who are visually impaired. Using careful and persistent instruction, they train dogs on how to assist people through traffic, judge the height and width of objects, and are able to assess danger.

Guide dog trainers need to be physically fit, patient, and have a positive attitude. This work requires a great deal of walking and upper body strength. These trainers use many different techniques to train dogs, including positive reinforcement through rewards and praise. Instructors use verbal cues and collar cues to gain the desired responses from the dogs.

To get into the field of guide dog training, you'll have to at least have a high school diploma. However, in some cases, you may also be required to have a college degree. Some states also require seeing-eye dog trainers to have a license.

ScoreGuide Dog InstructorUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $49,458

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate 28%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 1.66%

Black or African American 4.38%

Hispanic or Latino 14.33%

Unknown 7.81%

White 71.64%

Gender

female 40.05%

male 59.95%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.3

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

9.3

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a guide dog instructor

Explore guide dog instructor education requirements

Most common guide dog instructor degrees

Bachelor's

65.5 %

Associate

14.9 %

Master's

9.2 %

Start to develop specific guide dog instructor skills

Skills	Percentages
Kids	62.83%
Adventure	11.12%
CPR	5.69%
Kayaks	5.02%
Responder	3.33%

Complete relevant guide dog instructor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New guide dog instructors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a guide dog instructor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real guide dog instructor resumes.

Research guide dog instructor duties and responsibilities

Manage the canoe landing including guests, workers, and canoe traffic in a way that all run smoothly and safely.
Guide weekend adventure climbing trips.
Assist with kids' camps - teaching about/riding horses.
Instruct customers on canoe and kayak use and safety technique.

Prepare your guide dog instructor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your guide dog instructor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a guide dog instructor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable guide dog instructor resume templates

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