Could you be a Kennel Assistant?

If you aspire to work with animals we’re here to help! Working with animals is highly rewarding and extremely fun, and there are many different roles within animal care. A great way to work with animals is to become a Kennel or Cattery Assistant, so we’ve put together an essential guide for anyone hoping to work in this role.

As a Kennel Assistant you’ll be working directly with dogs or cats, and could either be working in:

• A boarding kennel or cattery, caring for people’s pets while they’re on holiday
• A rescue centre, such as the RSPCA, which cares for stray or abandoned dogs or cats
• Other kennels or catteries

This role is a hands on role, and your day-to-day will differ slightly depending on whether you work in a kennel or a cattery. Overall, your main purpose will be to maintain the welfare of the animals within the cattery or kennel you work in. Daily tasks may include:

• Cleaning cages or pens
• Cleaning or grooming animals
• Preparing food and feeding animals
• Dog walking
• Cleaning litter trays
• Recording animal details
• Observing animal behaviour

There are no set entry requirements for working as a Kennel or Cattery Assistant, but having a qualification in animal behaviour will be a huge benefit, and will make any application stronger. For example, Global Edulink’s Animal Behaviour and Psychology course would be an advantage to anyone hoping to work with animals. This course will teach all the fundamentals of animal behaviour, and the causes of animal behaviour.

The average salary of an entry-level Kennel Assistant in the UK is £15,600, and this will increase with experience. Anyone who successfully completes Global Edulink’s Animal Behaviour and Psychology course will have lots of options open to them. You could go on to further study of Animal Psychology and Behaviour, which could lead you to become a Dog Trainer. Alternately, you could begin working as a Kennel or Cattery Assistant, and work your way up to senior level.

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Overall, the course will open a lot of doors, and could be the beginning of a rewarding and successful career!