How much does an Animal Behavior Specialist make?

As of March 01, 2025, the average annual salary for an Animal Behavior Specialist in the United States is $48,258. Salary.com reports that pay typically ranges from $46,490 to $53,764, with most professionals earning between $44,882 and $58,777.

Based on HR-reported data: a national average with a geographic differential
Animal Behavior Specialist Salaries by Percentile
Percentile Salary Location Last Updated
10th Percentile Animal Behavior Specialist Salary $44,882 US March 01, 2025
25th Percentile Animal Behavior Specialist Salary $46,490 US March 01, 2025
50th Percentile Animal Behavior Specialist Salary $48,258 US March 01, 2025
75th Percentile Animal Behavior Specialist Salary $53,764 US March 01, 2025
90th Percentile Animal Behavior Specialist Salary $58,777 US March 01, 2025
25% $46,490 10% $44,882 90% $58,777 75% $53,764 $48,258 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click
Change Search Criteria

What is an Animal Behavior Specialist ?

An animal behavior consultant is a practitioner of applied behavior analysis to help correct behavior problems in animals, usually companion animals. Animal behavior consultants are usually employed to identify the cause of a behavior problem, to develop an intervention plan to change the problem behavior, and to help the owners learn how to execute that plan. Animal behavior consultants are distinct from animal trainers, in that their primary goal is not to train an animal to have basic manners or to perform a task, such as agility competition for dogs, but to mitigate behaviors that are prob...

Source: Wikipedia (as of 04/18/2019). Read more from Wikipedia

See user submitted job responsibilities for Animal Behavior Specialist.

Job Openings for Animal Behavior Specialist

Career Path for this job

  1. This Job:

    Animal Behavior Specialist

    0 - 1 years experience
    High School Diploma or Technical Certificate

  2. Up a level:

    Animal Technician, Sr.

    1 - 3 years experience
    High School Diploma or Technical Certificate

Understand the total compensation opportunity for an Animal Behavior Specialist, base salary plus other pay elements

Average Base Salary

Core compensation

 
 
 
46490
53764
48258

Average Total Cash Compensation

Includes base and annual incentives

 
 
 
46490
53764
48258
These charts show the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Animal Behavior Specialist in the United States. The base salary for Animal Behavior Specialist ranges from $46,490 to $53,764 with the average base salary of $48,258. The total cash compensation, which includes base, and annual incentives, can vary anywhere from $46,490 to $53,764 with the average total cash compensation of $48,258.

Discover how your pay is adjusted for skills, experience, and other factors

How much should you be paid?

For a real-time salary target, tell us more about your role in the four categories below.

46490
53764

 

Recently searched related titles: Breeding Technician, Animal Welfare Specialist, Animal Care Tech

Jobs with a similar salary range to Animal Behavior Specialist : Dog Caretaker, Kennel Tech, Military Working Dog Handler