Are Animal Trainers for Film and Television Happy?
Animal trainers generally have a unique and dynamic profession. For those who happen to train animals for film and television, their workdays are far from routine, often involving a mix of training sessions, on-set supervision and aftercare for the animals. This work requires a deep understanding of animal behaviour, patience and adaptability. Each project brings new challenges, whether training a dog to perform complex tricks, a cat to hit its cue or even more exotic animals like birds or reptiles to interact safely with actors.
For many trainers, the passion for working with animals is a great source of job satisfaction. They enter the field because they love animals and may enjoy the challenge of training them for specific tasks. Having said all this, however, the real question is whether these animal trainers are really happy.
Here we will define happiness, what it takes for someone to find happiness in their work and finally, we shall relate this discussion to animal trainers who do this work for film and television.
Factors That Influence the Happiness of Animal Trainers in Film and Television
Meaningful Work
One of the main reasons many people become animal trainers is because of their love for animals. Most of these people do not choose this career for material gain or to make a lot of money because this work is generally low-paid. But these people will generally have little to no difficulty finding meaning in this work.
This is because they get to spend time with animals but also, the work they do results in positive effects of their efforts, such as a successful performance by the trained animals for TV and the creation of engaging and ethical entertainment. This combination validates their dedication and hard work.
Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance is another huge factor that determines the happiness of animal trainers. While animal trainers can have a fairly healthy work-life balance, this is not always the case if they are doing this for film and television.
In film and television, productions often require long and irregular working hours. Shoots can start early in the morning and end late at night, which means that the trainers need to be on set throughout to manage the animals.
Trainers who have a degree of flexibility in their scheduling or those who can achieve a good work-life balance will therefore tend to be happier.
Compassion Fatigue
Like any professional caregivers, animal trainers are also affected by compassion fatigue. This term was introduced by the writer Carla Joinson.
Compassion fatigue is a unique form of burnout that causes someone to have reduced feelings of empathy and sensitivity. This condition affects many caregivers including animal trainers, leaving them feeling numb and emotionally disconnected from the animals they are supposed to train. Animals can also sense this which makes the desired outcomes less than ideal.
Those who can work through this condition might regain the happiness and satisfaction in their work but for those who aren’t able to work through it, their work ceases to be all puppies and rainbows quite quickly.
A Positive Work Environment
Like any other job, animal trainers in film and television are happier if they work in a supportive, respectful and collaborative atmosphere. This means that trainers need to have clear communication with their colleagues, adequate resources to be able to carry out their work and a culture that values the well-being of both the trainers and the animals they work with.
Also, when the trainers feel recognised or are rewarded for their expertise and efforts, they are more likely to be happy with their work.
Autonomy
Many trainers are left to find creative ways of training the animals. They greatly control and are involved in their work and the animals they train. This means that they can come up with training methods, schedules and care routines.
When a trainer has this level of control in their work, it gives them a strong sense of ownership and they will likely be more invested in the well-being and performance of the animals. This autonomy often leads to greater job satisfaction and a sense of ownership that makes them happy.
Regulatory and Ethical Concerns
A trainer’s ability to efficiently navigate the regulations that guide the industry can also define their happiness in the job of training animals for film and television. The landscape of regulations and ethical considerations is complex for a reason. It ensures that animals are treated humanely and this can sometimes conflict with production demands.
If a trainer is working on a production that is violating animal rights or treating them unethically, that person would be miserable at work because their role would also extend to advocating for the animals which can be very challenging. On sets that require that the animal’s well-being is taken into consideration, however, the trainer’s work is made a lot easier which can be a source of happiness.
Income and Job Security
While many animal trainers love their jobs, the reality of having a stable income can create conflicts in their happiness. Many animal training jobs have irregular work hours and project-based employment which can introduce a lot of uncertainty and job insecurity in the trainers’ lives.
Those who manage to obtain consistent and sufficient income find more happiness and fulfilment as they are able to focus on their passion for working with animals without the stress of financial instability.
Even for them, job security is essential for long-term planning and personal well-being because, with a reliable income and stable job prospects, they are able to invest in their skills, maintain a high standard of animal care and experience overall job satisfaction and happiness.
Conclusion
Whether the animal trainers for film and television are happy depends on several factors, some of which we have discussed above. The individual experiences of each trainer can vary widely from the experiences of others but generally speaking, yes, they are. A study from Career Explorer shows that animal trainers rate their career happiness 4.2 out of 5 stars which puts them in the top 3% of careers that make people happy.
