What are the responsibilities and job description for the Dog Trainer position at Petropolis Pet Center?
About Petropolis
Petropolis is a trusted, family owned, pet care facility that has been operating for over 30 years to provide boarding, daycare, grooming, and training services.
Our mission is to empower the pets in our care by allowing them to make their own choices, never using punishments, and setting them up to succeed as often as possible.
We believe that by embracing these rules we can help our guests be as confident, independent, and happy as possible.
At Petropolis we maintain a high standard of care and are committed to force-free, reward-based training methods only. If you’re an experienced trainer who believes in using positive, science-backed methods to build confident, happy dogs, we want to hear from you!
Position Overview
As a Professional Dog Trainer at Petropolis, you’ll work hands-on with dogs and their owners to build skills, improve behavior, and strengthen bonds through positive reinforcement.
Responsibilities
- Conduct initial behavior evaluations for new training dogs
- Recommend personalized training programs based on each dog’s needs
- Provide individual training sessions and develop behavior modification plans
- Lead private lessons with pet parents to transfer training skills
- Maintain accurate training notes, progress reports, and client communication
- Build lasting relationships with training clients
- Collaborate with daycare and boarding teams to support training needs
- Ensure all training services align with Petropolis' appetitive, force-free philosophy
Qualifications
- Minimum 1–2 years of professional dog training experience
- Strong understanding of positive reinforcement methods
- Ability to evaluate behavior and design structured training plans
- Excellent communication and teaching skills
- Patient, compassionate, and team-oriented
- Comfortable working with dogs of varying breeds and temperaments
- Certification from a recognized training organization (CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, CTC, etc.) preferred but not required
- Must be able to work full-time
Compensation & Benefits
Pay: We pay commission of $26 per 1-hour training session & $32 per 1-hour private lesson. Our goal is to provide 6 sessions per day.
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Opportunities for advancement
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Petropolis: Empowered Pet Care provided the following inclusive hiring information:
We are an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants equally without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability status.
www.petropolis.com
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $19.50 - $22.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Referral program
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Are you interested in full time or part time?
- What tools/methods do you prefer to use while training dogs?
- Are you available to work Monday through Friday?
- Are you open to assisting at our sister locations if there is a need? (Chesterfield, St. Ann)
Experience:
- Professional Training: 1 year (Required)
Work Location: In person
Salary : $20 - $22