A police or security dog handler is specialized work.
A dog handler can choose between many different types of handling work, and each type brings a different rate and form of remuneration. Dog handling as a career ranges from security work in the police or military, through search and rescue organizations, to handling purebred dogs in conformation shows or working dogs in field trials. In each career, the handler works for a different type of employer and earns a different type of income. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated almost 10,000 people working in the category of animal trainers, which includes dog handlers, in May 2010.
Show Handlers
A show dog handler usually shows dogs in the ring for the owners and breeders. Conformation shows give purebred dogs the chance to achieve champion status, which boosts the reputation of the owners and enables them to command higher prices for the champion's puppies. Some show dog handlers earn six-figure salaries, according to the article "In the Ring: The Life of a Dog Handler" in "Modern Dog" magazine. The earnings come from daily rates paid by dog owners that average around $70 per dog per day, and bonuses of up to $500 for wins in the ring.
Military and Police Handlers
In the U.S. military, a dog handler is called a technician while in the police, a dog handler usually holds the rank of a patrol officer. The average salary for patrol officers in May 2008 was between $38,000 and $64,000 per year, with state governments paying slightly more than federal or local governments. Handlers may also get overtime pay for after-hours work such as feeding, exercising and training the dogs. A job posting in September 2011 by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for a supervisory training instructor with the national explosives canine team offered a salary ranging from $81,469 to $126,275 a year.
Search and Rescue Handlers
Search and rescue dog handlers in the U.S. work mostly on a volunteer basis, without any formal remuneration. The association they affiliate with covers the costs of travel to the locations where they work with the dogs to find missing people.
Working Dog Handlers
Professional handlers trained in competition field trials and specialist techniques such as Schutzhund defense work operate in a very similar manner to show handlers. They take on dog owners as private clients, training and competing with their dogs on behalf of the owner. Often owners want their dogs to be able to work and take part in activities that are inherent in their breed, but are not physically capable of training or participating with the dog. Handlers can determine their own earnings depending on the number of clients they are able to attract.
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