Also called: Scat Detection Dog Handler
Works with dogs trained to find wildlife scat, invasive species, or endangered plants for scientists.
Hikes rugged backcountry with a dog that sniffs out grizzly bear scat for DNA studies, or searches Florida swamps for invasive pythons. The dog finds samples humans would never spot.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Background in biology plus dog-handling training through specialized organizations.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Wildlife Biology, Animal Behavior.
Growing about average. Tiny but growing niche.
Low risk for 10 years. eDNA sampling and drones compete for some surveys, but dogs finding scat and invasive species in rough terrain stay valuable.
Classes: AP Biology, Environmental science, Physical education, Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-4021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.