Professional Dog Trainer - Weekday Daytime

Shoreline Happy Paws LLC; Old Saybrook (CT); On-site; USD 47,000 - 62,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

W-2 employee, paid every Friday

Insurance and workers' compensation

CEU support for continuing education

Mileage reimbursement

Job summary

Shoreline Happy Paws LLC is seeking a part-time dog trainer to conduct 1-hour Training Walks along a set route in the Shoreline area. You will design and lead training plans for clients’ dogs while our team handles marketing, bookings, and billing. Daily work spans 9am–4pm, 3–5 weekdays, with potential growth as routes fill.

Pay includes a base hourly rate plus per-walk bonuses, a reimbursed driving stipend, and workers’ compensation coverage. Training reports and cue videos are part of the role.

Qualifications

• A certified dog trainer (CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, or similar), or someone actively completing certification.
• Reward-based, positive reinforcement methods only. No harsh corrections
• Experience with leash manners, basic obedience, and dogs who react to other dogs
• Comfortable working alone, using good judgment, and writing clear notes
• Able to teach: you'll be showing our walkers how to carry out your plan and helping lead team workshops
• Lives within a reasonable drive of our service area, from Madison to East Lyme and up to Chester. Please tell us what town you live in
• Available at least 3 weekdays between 9am and 4pm, with all 5 days preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead 1-hour Training Walks: leash manners, basic obedience, and calm behavior around other dogs, practiced in real places like town greens and main streets.
• Run 1-hour Training Assessments with new clients and write a simple training plan for each dog.
• Send a visit report with photos and notes after every session.
• Record short cue videos and brief our walkers so every team member uses the same cues and timing.
• Tell us when a dog is ready to hand off to a regular walker, or needs more time with you.
• Help lead dog behavior workshops and continuing education for our dog walkers.

Skills

Certified dog trainer

Positive reinforcement

Leash manners

Basic obedience

Team leadership workshops

Independent work

Education

CPDT-KA certification

Job description

About The Role

Train dogs during the day, on a set route that we book and fill for you. You lead one-on-one Training Walks for our clients' dogs while their families are at work, and you set the plan our walking team follows between your sessions.

You do the training. We handle the marketing, booking, billing, and client service.

What You'll Do

• Lead 1-hour Training Walks: leash manners, basic obedience, and calm behavior around other dogs, practiced in real places like town greens and main streets.
• Run 1-hour Training Assessments with new clients and write a simple training plan for each dog.
• Send a visit report with photos and notes after every session.
• Record short cue videos and brief our walkers so every team member uses the same cues and timing.
• Tell us when a dog is ready to hand off to a regular walker, or needs more time with you.
• Help lead dog behavior workshops and continuing education for our dog walkers.

Schedule

3 to 5 weekdays a week, 4 to 5 hours a day, between about 9am and 4pm. We prefer someone available all 5 days, Monday through Friday. No regular evenings or weekends.

A Typical Day

• 9:00 to 10:00 - Training Walk 1
• 10:15 to 11:15 - Training Walk 2
• 11:30 to 12:30 - Training Walk 3
• 12:45 to 1:45 - Training Walk 4
• 1:45 to 2:00 - Wrap up day report and send cue videos for the team

Routes are built back to back in one group of towns, with 10 to 15 minutes of driving between stops and 40 to 50 miles a day at most. You need a reliable car. Before you apply, check Google Maps from your home to Madison, Old Saybrook, Old Lyme, and Chester, since your drive to the first stop and home from the last is not reimbursed.

Pay And Benefits

You earn an hourly base on all paid time, including driving between stops, plus a bonus for every Training Walk you lead. On a full route of four Training Walks in five hours, that works out to about $34 to $45 an hour depending on your tier.

• Hourly base: $22 to $25
• Bonus per Training Walk: $15 to $25
• Mileage between client stops is reimbursed
• W-2 employee, paid every Friday
• Paid drive time between stops
• Insured and covered by workers' compensation
• Support toward continuing education: we pay for your CEUs, approved by the Founder

The bonus is paid per session, so your hourly earnings are highest on a full route and lower on a lighter day.

Growth Path

• Standard Trainer: $22 an hour base, $15 per Training Walk, about $34 an hour on a full route. Hands-on training experience or a trainer-school graduate, working toward certification.
• Senior Trainer: $23 an hour base, $20 per Training Walk, about $39 an hour on a full route. Certified, with a track record of sessions and happy clients with us. Writes training plans.
• Advanced Trainer: $25 an hour base, $25 per Training Walk, about $45 an hour on a full route. Certified with 2 or more years. Leads reactivity cases, designs our programs, and coaches the team.
• The role starts part time. Hours can grow as the training route fills.

Who We're Looking For

• A certified dog trainer (CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, or similar), or someone actively completing certification
• Reward-based, positive reinforcement methods only. No harsh corrections
• Experience with leash manners, basic obedience, and dogs who react to other dogs
• Comfortable working alone, using good judgment, and writing clear notes
• Able to teach: you'll be showing our walkers how to carry out your plan and helping lead team workshops
• Lives within a reasonable drive of our service area, from Madison to East Lyme and up to Chester. Please tell us what town you live in
• Available at least 3 weekdays between 9am and 4pm, with all 5 days preferred

What we don't take on:

we work on obedience and mild to moderate reactivity toward other dogs. We do not take aggression cases, and never aggression toward people. Those are referred to a behavior specialist.

Service Area and Driving

We serve the Shoreline and Lower River Valley, from Madison to East Lyme and up to Chester, including Clinton, Westbrook, Old Saybrook, Essex, Deep River, and Old Lyme. You should be comfortable driving anywhere in that area, mostly on neighborhood roads away from the highway. Your route can be in a different group of towns from one day to the next, depending on where our training clients live. We aim for tight routes, so on any given day your stops are kept close together.

About Shoreline Happy Paws

We're a professional, team-based dog walking company trusted by Shoreline and Lower River Valley families since 2010. Our team visits 40 to 50 homes a day. Every team member is Pet First Aid and CPR certified, insured, and accountable through our app with GPS tracking and time-stamped photo reports.