High School

For pet store work, you will need to work well with customers and have a knowledge of animals and their care. In high school, the sciences are important for anyone working with animals. A knowledge of chemistry will come in handy when preparing medications and chemicals for the aquariums. Biology will introduce you to the biological systems of various kinds of animals. Geography courses can also add to your understanding of animals by introducing you to their natural habitats and origins.

A business club, such as Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, Inc. (FBLA-PBL), will introduce you to area business owners and help you develop skills in advertising, marketing, and management. Agricultural clubs and 4-H clubs can teach you about animal care and responsibilities.

Postsecondary Training

You can easily get work at a pet store without any college education or special training. As with most retail businesses, pet shops often employ high school students for part-time and summer positions. Store owners usually hire people with a love of animals, and some knowledge of their care, for entry-level positions such as clerk, cashier, and salesperson. For management positions, a pet shop owner may want someone with some higher education. It is also easier to advance into management positions if you have a college degree.

Though any college degree will be valuable for higher-level pet shop positions, you'll want to take courses in marketing, accounting, merchandising, and other business-related areas. Some pet shops also like to hire people with veterinary tech training. Students pursuing a pre-veterinary sciences degree often work part time in a pet shop to gain experience with animals and their owners.

Because of the wide availability of retail work, you would be better advised to pursue a paid entry-level position at a store, rather than an internship. Belonging to a business organization as a student can offer you valuable insight into marketing and management. DECA, an association of marketing- and entreprenurial-minded students, is an organization that prepares high school and junior college students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. There are many local chapters of DECA across the country, and annual leadership conferences. Some DECA chapters also offer scholarships to students.

Certification or Licensing

There is no specialized certification available for pet store workers. The National Retail Federation offers the following voluntary designations to sales workers who successfully pass an assessment and meet other requirements: customer service and sales, advanced customer service and sales, retail management, and retail business. Contact the federation for more information. No licensing is available for pet shop workers.

As with any retail job, you must be prepared to serve people on a daily basis—you should be outgoing and prepared to answer questions clearly and patiently. Though most of your encounters with these fellow animal-lovers will likely be pleasant, you must be prepared for the occasional dissatisfied customer; dealing with angry customers requires you to remain calm, and to settle the dispute diplomatically. You must remain informed on new products and animal care. Customers will be asking you about the right size cages for particular birds, or how many fish a tank can hold.

Depending on your duties at the pet store, you'll need analytical skills. You'll be analyzing data when ordering new products, choosing vendors, and examining sales figures and invoices. In whatever position you fill at the pet store, it will be important for you to manage your time well to deal with customers while keeping the store orderly and the shelves well stocked.