Also called: Show Handler, AKC Professional Handler
Trains, grooms, and shows other people's dogs at dog shows to win championships.
Travels in an RV with a dozen client dogs, grooms a poodle for hours, then gaits it around the ring at a big show while the judge watches its movement. The best handlers show at Westminster.
Estimate; top handlers earn far more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 3 years after high school. No degree; years apprenticing under an established handler.
Ways in: Apprenticeship, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Growing about average. Small, competitive niche.
Low risk for 10 years. No AI can gait a poodle around a show ring; grooming, conditioning and handling on the road stay hands-on.
Classes: Biology, Physical education, Business, Agriscience (FFA).
Official data: O*NET occupation 39-2011.
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.