Animal Trainers
Personal Care and Service Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 39-2011.00
Train animals for riding, harness, security, performance, or obedience, or for assisting persons with disabilities. Accustom animals to human voice and contact, and condition animals to respond to commands. Train animals according to prescribed standards for show or competition. May train animals to carry pack loads or work as part of pack team.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Low· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.14
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Show 17 hidden tasks19 rated tasks · 2 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (10.5%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- 4 rated tasks are not in the O*NET 31.0 task list; their scores are kept as published for O*NET 27.2.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Keep records documenting animal health, diet, or behavior.O*NET Task ID 7995 | 1.0 |
Advise animal owners regarding the purchase of specific animals.O*NET Task ID 7996 | 0.5 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (15)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Observe animals' physical conditions to detect illness or unhealthy conditions requiring medical care. | Core |
| Cue or signal animals during performances. | Core |
| Administer prescribed medications to animals. | Core |
| Evaluate animals to determine their temperaments, abilities, or aptitude for training. | Core |
| Feed or exercise animals or provide other general care, such as cleaning or maintaining holding or performance areas. | Core |
| Talk to or interact with animals to familiarize them to human voices or contact. | Core |
| Keep records documenting animal health, diet, or behavior. | Core |
| Advise animal owners regarding the purchase of specific animals. | Core |
| Conduct training programs to develop or maintain desired animal behaviors for competition, entertainment, obedience, security, riding, or related purposes. | Core |
| Evaluate animals for trainability and ability to perform. | Core |
| Train horses or other equines for riding, harness, show, racing, or other work, using knowledge of breed characteristics, training methods, performance standards, and the peculiarities of each animal. | Supplemental |
| Use oral, spur, rein, or hand commands to condition horses to carry riders or to pull horse-drawn equipment. | Supplemental |
| Train dogs in human assistance or property protection duties. | Supplemental |
| Retrain horses to break bad habits, such as kicking, bolting, or resisting bridling or grooming. | Supplemental |
| Organize or conduct animal shows. | Supplemental |
0.20/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Observe animals' physical conditions to detect illness or unhealthy conditions requiring medical care. | E0 none |
| Cue or signal animals during performances. | E0 none |
| Administer prescribed medications to animals. | E0 none |
| Evaluate animals to determine their temperaments, abilities, or aptitude for training. | E0 none |
| Feed or exercise animals or provide other general care, such as cleaning or maintaining holding or performance areas. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Talk to or interact with animals to familiarize them to human voices or contact. | E0 none |
| Conduct training programs to develop or maintain desired animal behaviors for competition, entertainment, obedience, security, riding, or related purposes. | E0 none |
| Evaluate animals for trainability and ability to perform. | E0 none |
| Train horses or other equines for riding, harness, show, racing, or other work, using knowledge of breed characteristics, training methods, performance standards, and the peculiarities of each animal. | E0 none |
| Use oral, spur, rein, or hand commands to condition horses to carry riders or to pull horse-drawn equipment. | E0 none |
| Train dogs in human assistance or property protection duties. | E0 none |
| Retrain horses to break bad habits, such as kicking, bolting, or resisting bridling or grooming. | E0 none |
| Organize or conduct animal shows. | E0 none |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 48K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 50K
- Change (2025–35)
- +4.2%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $39,990
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43321 | 반려동물 훈련사 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 29699 | 그 외 스포츠 및 레크리에이션 관련 전문가 | Overlapping, not the same | confirmed |
| 43322 | 반려동물 행동 상담사 | Overlapping, not the same | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 5164Pet Groomers and Animal Care Workers
The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.
Pet groomers and animal care workers feed, handle, train and groom animals and assist veterinarians, animal health technologists and technicians in veterinary facilities, animal shelters, breeding and boarding kennels, zoos, laboratories, retail pet shops, riding schools, dog training schools pet grooming and similar establishments.
Tasks
- (a) bathing and feeding animals;
- (b) leading or carrying animals to treatment room and holding them during treatment;
- (c) cleaning and sterilising veterinary surgical instruments;
- (d) labelling drugs, chemicals and other pharmaceutical preparations and replenishing stock;
- (e) sterilising bottles, beakers and other equipment;
- (f) cleaning, organizing, and disinfecting animal quarters such as pens, stables, cages and yards, and animal equipment such as saddles and bridles;
- (g) collecting and recording animal information such as weight, size, physical condition, treatments received, medications given and food intake;
- (h) training animals to develop and maintain desired behaviours for competition, entertainment, obedience, security, riding and other activities;
- (i) grooming animals by performing tasks such as washing, brushing, clipping, and trimming coats, cutting nails and cleaning ears.
Example occupations
Animal attendant · Dog trainer · Horse breaker · Veterinary aide · Zoo keeper
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- animal trainerESCO 5164.2.1Same scope
Animal trainers train animals and/or animal handlers for general and specific purposes, including assistance, security, leisure, competition, transportation, obedience and routine handling, entertainment and education, in accordance with national legislation.
- animal handlerESCO 5164.2This occupation is broader
Animal handlers are in charge of handling animals in a working role and continue the training of the animal, in accordance with national legislation.
- dog trainerESCO 5164.2.1.1This occupation is broader
Dog trainers train animals and/or dog handlers for general and specific purposes, including assistance, security, leisure, competition, transportation, obedience and routine handling, entertainment and education, in accordance with national legislation.
- guide dog instructorESCO 5164.2.1.1.1This occupation is broader
Guide dog instructors train dogs to be responsible in guiding blind people to travel effectively. They plan the training sessions, match guide dogs with their clients and ensure overall routine care of the training dogs. Guide dog instructors also provide advice to the blind people in the use of techniques that facilitate dog's travel skills and mobility.
- horse trainerESCO 5164.2.1.2This occupation is broader
Horse trainers train animals and/or riders for general and specific purposes, including assistance, security, leisure, competition, transportation, obedience and routine handling, entertainment and education, in accordance with national legislation.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| A1509 | Comportementaliste animalier / Comportementaliste animalière | This occupation is broader |
| A1426 | Educateur canin / Educatrice canine | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| A1508 | Dresseur animalier / Dresseuse animalière | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| L1204 | Artiste de cirque | Related, not a match |
| A1510 | Préparateur / Préparatrice d'équidés | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| G1210 | Enseignant / Enseignante d'équitation | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| G1234 | Musher guide de randonnée en traîneau | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| L1206 | Cavalier / Cavalière de spectacle | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| L1403 | Cavalier / Cavalière d'entraînement | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 5893 | Cuidadores de animales y adiestradores | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 11322 | Berufe in der Pferdewirtschaft - Reiten - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Overlapping, not the same |
| 11582 | Berufe in der Tierpflege (sonstige spezifische Tätigkeitsangabe) - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Overlapping, not the same |
| 11302 | Berufe in der Pferdewirtschaft (ohne Spezialisierung) - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| 11393 | Aufsichtskräfte - Pferdewirtschaft | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 249 | 他に分類されない専門的職業従事者 | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources