Animal Practitioner Series: Burnout in animal behaviourists and trainers – some prevention and mitigation strategies

Home » Latest news » Animal Practitioner Series: Burnout in animal behaviourists and trainers – some prevention and mitigation strategies

This article is aimed at animal practitioners to help them understand burnout, recognise potential warning signs and consider ways to reduce the risk.

As animal behaviourists and trainers, we play a crucial role in enhancing the wellbeing of animals and nurturing harmonious human-animal relationships. However, the demanding nature of our work can lead to burnout.

This is a subject close to home. In February 2016, aged 41, I spent three weeks in hospital with flu, pneumonia, sepsis and a collapsed lung. At the time, I was working myself into the ground, juggling my business, raising a toddler and caring for a foster dog alongside my own animals. That experience taught me a hard lesson about recognising my limits. Life is still busy, but I am more aware of the need to pause, assess what I am taking on and make room to recover.

Burnout affects professionals in various fields, and although compassion fatigue and burnout have been explored in the context of other caring professions including the veterinary profession, research is limited when it comes to animal behaviourists and trainers. Data highlights that beyond the psychological and physiological costs of burnout to the individual, there is a monetary cost too – burnout of US veterinarians is said to be around $1 to 2 billion annually, in lost revenue (Neill et al., 2022).

Understanding burnout

The World Health Organization (2019) describes burnout as an occupational phenomenon arising from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It involves exhaustion, increased mental distance or cynicism towards work, and reduced professional efficacy. Demanding workloads, emotional strain and long working hours can contribute to these pressures.

Much of our work includes working with challenging cases, dealing with difficult animal behaviours, meeting and overcoming resistance whether that is with clients, colleagues and or peers, and we often work in unpredictable environments, all of which can take a toll on wellbeing. In fact, the ABTC’s Clinical Animal Behaviourist standard explicitly includes recognising compassion fatigue and emotional burden in ourselves, colleagues and clients, and knowing when and where to seek support (Knowledge and Understanding 32).

Consequently, key factors that contribute to burnout in the animal behaviour and training sector include

• Emotional intensity: We often deal with emotionally charged situations. This might include recommendations for rehoming, supporting highly distressed and or demotivated owners, discussing with the caregiver and veterinary surgeon possible behavioural euthanasia, situations where there is animal suffering, fights and bites, other human-animal conflicts, and even animal abuse cases, all of which can lead to emotional exhaustion.
• High workload: By the very nature of the job, we have multiple clients, each with unique needs. Managing appointments, conducting consultations, assessments, training sessions, report writing, handling follow-ups and general enquiries, plus working through emails, texts, social platform messaging and creative content, dealing with calls, online meetings and more, can lead to high workloads and increased stress levels. See my accompanying graphic on the Iceberg of Behaviour Consulting and Training for an overview of our typical day to day work. Additionally, clients tend to contact their practitioners at their convenience which means we may get messages at all times of the day – managing their expectations is critical here.
• Physical demands: The job is physically tiring as behaviourists and trainers frequently engage in physical activities such as handling animals, conducting training/consulting sessions/group classes and other teaching for several hours at a time on our feet, as well as addressing behaviour issues, whilst being fully present and alert throughout to ensure the safety of all. The physical demands of the job can, therefore, contribute to fatigue and exhaustion, especially when juggling family life or other commitments.

Preventing burnout

Reducing the risk of burnout involves looking at how our work is organised, the demands placed on us and the support available. Some strategies to reduce the likelihood of burnout are outlined below.

1. Review workload and capacity. Allocate time around your client appointments for work, including preparation, reports, veterinary liaison and follow-up support. Consider the emotional demands of cases when planning your diary, alongside the number of appointments you are booking in day-to-day. Review whether your fees cover the time involved and allow for breaks, holidays and other business costs.
2. Breaks and self-care. Prioritise yourself! That can be a juggle when running a business and having a busy family life. However, where possible, practices such as regular physical exercise, walking the dog, taking a moment to work through a breathing exercise, silencing device notifications, getting quality rest/sufficient sleep, and maintaining a balanced diet, can help. Some mindfulness ideas are listed further down.
3. Establish boundaries. Explain your working hours, promote these on your services page, Google Business page, social media platforms and in your Terms & Conditions. Include usual response times and arrangements for follow-up support at the outset. Use agreed contact channels with your clients, and protect time away from messages. Schedule emails to send during office hours, and create automated responses across your work channels, such as WhatsApp Business, Meta, email and so on, during your out of hours. Clear expectations help clients understand when and how they can access your support.
4. Seek professional support. Regular professional supervision and trusted peer support can provide space to discuss difficult cases and reflect on the emotional demands of practice. Protect client confidentiality during these discussions, and if you are finding distress is persistent or affecting your daily life, speak with your GP or a qualified mental health professional. Organisations including APBC, PACT, TCBTS, and APDT offer peer support or wellbeing resources for members. The ABTC’s freely available Mental Health & Wellbeing Toolkit also includes practical suggestions and links to support. Having the support of a professional supervisor can be very helpful via mentorships. This enables you to meet online or in-person with a peer to discuss work challenges and feelings. This can help provide a structured way to reflect on work and receive constructive feedback.
5. Keep professional development manageable. For many practitioners, a minimum number of hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) per year forms part of their member organisation’s requirements of practice. Choose CPD that addresses your current learning needs and fits within your available time and budget. Depending on your organisation’s requirements, relevant learning through mentoring, peer discussions, podcasts, articles and webinars may count towards CPD. Check what qualifies and how you should record your learning and reflection. CPD does not have to be expensive: it should help support confidence and competence. However, some CPD can take time and energy, so give yourself space to reflect on and apply what you learn. For some CPD ideas, check out my Learning Hub for independently assessed and approved courses.

Mindfulness ideas

Some people find brief mindfulness or relaxation exercises helpful for managing day-to-day stress. Choose an approach that feels comfortable to you, and adapt or stop any exercise that increases discomfort.

• Gentle breathing: Allow your breathing to slow comfortably, without forcing deep breaths or holding your breath.
• Mindful walking: During a short walk, notice the movement of your body, the sounds around you or the sensation of your feet meeting the ground.
• Sensory grounding: Take a moment to pause to notice details around you, for example, colours, sounds or the texture of an object in your hand. Use whichever senses feel accessible and comfortable.
• Progressive muscle relaxation: Gently tense and release different muscle groups, avoiding painful areas.
• A quiet break: Step away from work for a few minutes. You might stretch, potter outside, enjoy a cuppa, or take a moment to stroke your pet – avoid checking messages on these breaks.
• Body awareness: I tend to hold a lot of tension in my shoulders, especially when hunched over the laptop. Aim to notice where you are holding tension, and see if a change of position, adjusting your seating, or some gentle movement helps.
• Create a gratitude journal: Write down things you appreciated that day. These might be ‘wins’ from a client case, positive feedback or something outside work. Some people find this a helpful way to notice positive experiences and keep a record to revisit when they need a little boost.

These practices are optional supports. If you are struggling with persistent exhaustion or distress, do seek appropriate professional help.

Key take-aways

Animal behaviour and training work can be rewarding and emotionally demanding. Mounting exhaustion, difficulty switching off or growing distance from work can prompt us to review our workload and seek support. Feeling relieved when a client reschedules may simply reflect a busy day. If that relief becomes a recurring pattern alongside exhaustion or dread, it is worth considering what needs to change.

Ensuring caseloads are manageable, that there is clear client-practitioner communication, and reaching out for professional supervision as and when needed, all deserve a place in how we organise our work. Caring for our own wellbeing helps us sustain the attention and professional judgement involved in supporting animals and their people.

References

1. Animal Behaviour and Training Council (2024). ABTC Standard: Clinical Animal Behaviourist. December 2024, version 7.
2. Bartram, D. J., & Baldwin, D. S. (2010). Veterinary surgeons and suicide: A structured review of possible influences on increased risk. Veterinary Record, 166(13), 388-397.
3. Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 397-422.
4. Neill, C.L., Hansen, C.R., and Salois, M. (2022). The Economic Cost of Burnout in Veterinary Medicine. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 9, 814104. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.814104
5. Stevenson, R. and Morales, C. (2022). Trauma in Animal Protection and Welfare Work: The Potential of Trauma-Informed Practice. Animals (Basel), 12(7), 852.
6. World Health Organization (2019). Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases. https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases
7. World Health Organization (2022). WHO guidelines on mental health at work. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240053052