You Know You're a Dog Trainer When...

At what point can you officially call yourself a dog trainer? These signposts may help you diagnosis yourself as one of the lucky few:

#1 - You lay awake at 3AM composing client emails about the importance of daily enrichment activities or strategizing about that new class you'd like to teach.

#2 - While looking for a specific item, you mutter to yourself something about "having too much dog stuff." When your significant other asks what it was you just said, you reply "Nothing!"

#3 - If you do decide to tell them what it was you just said, you immediately follow up with, "It's not that it's too much stuff really. It's just that it isn't organized. That's the real problem."

#4 - At the end of a long day of work, you have taken your bra off and subsequently found dog treats on the floor.

#5 - Your Amazon wishlist is mostly comprised of books about behavior, with a few dog toys thrown in for good measure.

#6 - Anytime there is a new technician at a veterinary appointment, they always remark on "how well prepared you are," as you pull out your dog's mat, high value treats, basket muzzle, etc.

#7 - Your client's contact info includes a photo of their dog for quick identification in the event you don't quite recall the name popping up on your screen.

#8 - Family members solicit you for advice regarding serious behavioral challenges via text message.

#9 - You wish you had more time to train your own dog(s).

#10 - The more you learn, the more you realize how much you have left to learn.

#11 - Sometimes you wish friends and family would resist the urge to muse to you about dog behavior.

#12 - It would be difficult for you to move because you love your dog's veterinarian so much.

#13 - You pine over dog training gear online on a daily basis.

#14 - You already know what new piece of equipment you're spending your tax refund on.

#15 - You have given up on having a completely clean and organized home. It's more convenient to leave the training props in the living room and dog hair is just your reality at this point.

#16 - There is that one dog in your past or present that is the entire reason you became a trainer.

#17 - Over 50% of your t-shirt and hoodie collection is dog related.

#18 - You have at least one text message thread that is almost entirely comprised of dog photos.

#19 - There will never be enough time for all the books and podcasts you have in your queue.

#20 - You have played tug until your arms were sore the next day.

#21 - Despite everything, you think you have the best job in the world and couldn't possibly imagine doing anything else.

How many of these apply to you? Are there any that we missed? Let us know in the comments below!