Pricing Tips for Dog Trainers

Pricing Tips for Dog Trainers

by | Sep 5, 2019 | Business

There are few things that drive me as crazy as dog trainers undercharging for their services, and it’s something I absolutely have to address. 

Undercharging is Taking the Easy Way out of Hard Conversations

The idea that many new trainers have is that in charging low prices, potential clients are more likely to say yes to working with them. 

It doesn’t work. 

You can’t avoid charging what you’re actually worth. You need to build up the guts to ask for what you need to survive, pay the bills, run your business, and then some. 

Do you want to be the most affordable, or the best? You can’t be both—you’ll burn yourself out. You have to focus on the quality of your work and the income will follow. 

Common Pricing Mistakes

The trouble with pricing is many trainers don’t know how to determine their rates and end up making things hard on themselves. 

Don’t Rely on Your Competition’s Rates for Guidance

Don’t only look at your competition’s rates to help determine yours. It’s not helpful as anything but a starting point.

You aren’t selling your services to your competition, nor your competition’s clientele. Every trainer is different and has their own method of teaching and communicating, and a unique skill set. There are massive variables between every trainer!

Don’t Ask for Pricing Advice from Friends or Family

Unless your best friend is a dog training business consultant, don’t ask them for pricing advice. It would be like asking a veterinarian for tips on how to sell your home. People who don’t have a deeper understanding of your industry, knowledge, skillset, and occupational hazards will not be able to give you truly appropriate financial advice. 

Charging Hourly Isn’t Sustainable

Though charging hourly rates can be a good way for businesses less than six months old to make money, it’s not sustainable long-term. Eventually, you will reach a limit on how many hours you can provide.You can’t manage your time if you aren’t charging for the whole service you provide, rather than just your working hours.

Remember that your rates aren’t just for the hands-on training time—your client is paying you for a professional consultation, learning materials, your education, and more.

So now that you know that charging more is worth it, how do you explain that to your clientele?

Communicate Your Value to Clients

You will, at some point, face backlash from a client with regard to pricing. People want the quickest, cheapest, easiest solution from dog trainers. 

If your customers have qualms about your pricing, politely stand your ground and explain your value. 

Many trainers are doing far more than teaching dogs to sit and stay. You are changing their family. You are preventing dogs from causing harm to people out of fear. You are rehabilitating animals. You are helping someone gain their independence through a working dog.

You’re making their dog more cooperative and happy. You’re making it possible for them to take their dog on a walk and enjoy it without fear of their dog lunging or snapping on leash. Your work is so valuable.

You have to be your own number one hype-man. It may be hard at first—being a salesman for your own services isn’t easy— but once you start understanding the process it becomes natural to you, and repetition creates muscle memory.

It’s okay to treat your business like a business. You can make money and help people and their dogs. And in charging the right amount, you’ll make it possible to focus on the quality of your work and your personal growth. 

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5 Ways to Set Your Clients Up for Success

5 Ways to Set Your Clients Up for Success

by | Aug 29, 2019 | Recent Blog Posts

"5 Ways to set your human clients up for success" is written in a box overlaying an image of Ines McNeil in a black shirt and blue jeans, next to her husky-mix.

As a dog trainer, setting your dog clients up for success is practically second nature. However, many trainers forget that setting their human clients up for success is equally—if not more—important.

Here are a few ways to ensure you’re keeping the success of your human clients in mind. 

Create a Welcome Packet

Every trainer has a different way of prepping clients for their first session, but many forget to take into account that their clients might not remember everything they’re told. 

Having a welcome packet with a set of expectations for your client is a stupendous way to overcome that problem.

Welcome packets can include your contact information (and when it’s appropriate to contact you), how to prepare for sessions, recommended supplies, and anything else your client should know about working with you. Be as detailed as possible about how your human clients should prepare and behave before, during, and after lessons.

Don’t have a welcome packet or new client onboarding packet? Check out the one we’ve already created for you!

Limit the Services You Offer

You don’t want to overwhelm clients with choices, mostly because they usually don’t know what they need or want. All they know is that they have a problem, and they’re going to an expert—you!—to help them come up with a solution. 

It’s up to you to tell them what they need, but offering too many solutions can muddy up the process. I recommend offering no more than three packages. Stick to what you like doing and what has given you the best results in the past. 

Refer Out When Needed

I have some great news for some of you. You don’t have to help everyone who comes to you.

I know that as a business owner, it can be easy to simply say “business is business” and take on every client you can get. However, if a client comes to you with a problem you don’t know how to solve—or if you can tell from the get-go that you and the client are going to be butting heads the whole time—you can refer them out.  

Having a training niche is how you generate business, so don’t be afraid to cut services that don’t fit within your training knowledge. Know your ideal customer and serve them better than anyone else!

Offer training that you feel confident in and enjoy doing—it will help build your business instead of bogging it down.

Stop Worrying About Your Competition 

Many trainers worry about losing business to their competitors when tailoring their services, which only inhibits the success they have with the services they do offer. 

Differentiate yourself—know your value. No two trainers are alike and everyone delivers different results and customer experiences. Clients who need a specific service are willing to pay for it, so don’t be afraid of losing business. 

Always Follow Up

Every good trainer knows that training doesn’t end after six weeks of lessons. Make sure your clients know this too, and offer them support after the training package ends.

Bring up other courses you have, and follow up with clients via email or even send them a post-training survey. Set them up to be interested in continuing to work with you, because you never know when they might need or want more training.

Another important part of follow-up is asking for feedback. Improving and growing your business is impossible without knowing what needs to be worked on. In your post-training email or survey you can ask clients if they found your explanations easy to understand and helpful, what they felt could have been better, and similar questions.

Putting these policies into practice can help your human clients get into the right mindset for training. When owners feel confident and comfortable with you, they’re more likely to be involved in their dog’s training, and their dogs are more likely to succeed. 

Want to set yourself up for success? Grab a copy of my free eBook, “10 Common Mistakes New Dog Trainers Make with Their Businesses.”

5 Limiting Beliefs Dog Trainers Have About Their Businesses

5 Limiting Beliefs Dog Trainers Have About Their Businesses

by | Aug 12, 2019 | Business, Recent Blog Posts

After having the opportunity to talk to many other dog trainers over the years, I’ve discovered some trends that I want to bring to your attention.

Limiting beliefs are beliefs that are unconsciously inhibiting you from making the right moves to create your dream dog training business.

Here are a few I’ve identified that could be blocking you from growing your business.


1. Dog trainers (unfortunately) believe their work isn’t super valuable.

This one truly breaks my heart. Your work changes LIVES!

Not just dog’s lives. But PEOPLE’s lives. Families lives. Childrens lives. You are teaching people a new way of thinking. A new way of approaching problems. You’re teaching them stuff that they will literally apply the rest of their lives. Your work is literally life changing. You are valuable. Your information is critical to people’s happiness and quality of life.

2. You can’t make a significant living as a dog trainer. 

If this is something you believe, guess what… You have the power to run your business however you want! You can work with whoever you want. Charge whatever you want. Structure your services however you want. If this limiting belief is stopping you from earning more as a trainer, it’s your turn to change how you’re doing things to make it untrue. Restructure your services. Increase your prices. Do whatever you need to so that you can grow your income.

3. Your clients don’t want to or can’t work with you in an ongoing manner. 

There’s this beliefe that new dog trainers have that people just want to finish the one package they purchased and then never want to work with you again. News flash – your clients need more from you. Their lives will change. New people will join or leave their family. They will adopt other pets. They will move to a new area.

And their dog(s) will need help adjusting to all of those situations.

4. Your clients don’t want to talk to you post-training. 

This couldn’t be further from the truth. If your client had a great time during training, they WANT to keep talking to you. They would love more tips or ideas. They would love to fill out a survey to help you learn and improve. Use that to your advantage to continue to stay in touch with them. Ask them about their experience working with you and then make improvements!

5. Your competition is the enemy.

There’s this old beliefe in dog training that all other dog trainers are the competition and therefore are the enemy. This really couldn’t be further from the truth. Your business is more limited by your beliefs and mindset than it is by your “competition.” I put competition in quotation marks because I don’t truly believe they are your competition.

You are different from your competitors simply because you are YOU. Maybe you communicate differently. Maybe you prefer to help certain case over others. Maybe you prefer working with certain types of people over others. You’ll have different specialities. You’ll have varying levels of experience and expertise. And who doesn’t have a dog these days? There is PLENTY of work to go around.

Focus on building community over competition. Make a network of like-minded trainers in your area like I did. Find others to mentor. Learn from each others’ experiences. Build each other up. This work is hard enough without worrying about “enemies,” too.

Now, here’s an opportunity for you.

If you have a dog training business and you’re not where you want to be.

You’re not working with clients you love. 

Your schedule is maxed out but you’re barely making ends meet. 

You want to have time off. You need more automation in your business. 

Set up a FREE strategy session with me!

Use my link to schedule a strategy session with you so we can take a deep dive into your business and I’ll give you some recommendations.

Last time I opened up time for free strategy sessions, 15 people signed up within 48 hours so don’t delay!

3 FREE Tools to Improve Your Efficiency

3 FREE Tools to Improve Your Efficiency

by | Jul 19, 2019 | Business, Marketing

This material was first shared via Facebook Live in our Facebook Group! Join the free group to see future presentations here.

As dog trainers, we often have a limited budget to start up and run our businesses. Fortunately, there are a few free tools available to improve your efficiency and make your business run smoother and faster without extra financial burden.

 

1. Streak

This Gmail add-on turns your inbox into a CRM system. A CRM, or Customer Relationship Manager, allows you to track your potential customers and existing customers so that you can easily follow up with them to continue the sales process to bring them on as new customers or offer them additional training services.

With this tool, you can see when customers open your emails, set reminders to follow up with potential customers, and keep your inbox organized. You may find that you might also want to store client notes in Gmail with the help of this tool. Take a look and see how it could help you stay organized.

 

2. DocHub

This Google Drive and Dropbox add-on allows you to edit, sign, and publish PDFs online. This eliminates the need to purchase Adobe which can be very costly for new businesses.

Not only is this handy for you, the business owner, but you can also share this with your clients so that they can more easily fill out and sign your PDF forms online.

 

3. MadMimi

MadMimi is a lesser known email marketing automation system. I use it to create and send emails for The Modern Dog Trainer. After using a variety of email automation tools over the years, I’ve found that MadMimi is the most user friendly and flexible to serve my needs.

Having an email newsletter is a minimum standard for most small businesses these days. An enewsletter allows you to feature success stories, share upcoming classes or training services with your clients, and it will help you stay top-of-mind with your potential and past clients so that they think of you when they’re ready to hire dog training help.

Additionally, you can use email automation to send new client inquiries a series of emails to introduce them to your business and give them the next steps for how to begin working with you.

 

Interested in more tips like these? Sign up for our email newsletter with the form below! (And don’t forget to check out our free resources here!)

5 Must-Ask Questions for Your New Dog Training Clients

5 Must-Ask Questions for Your New Dog Training Clients

by | Mar 17, 2019 | Communication, Recent Blog Posts

With experience, you’ll quickly learn not to take people at their word. It isn’t that clients try to lie to you, it’s simply that they don’t know better or make the assumption that some details about their dog’s lives don’t apply to their dog’s behavior issues.

Asking the right questions can help you dig up the information that could be critical to the success of your training program.

These are five questions I strongly recommend you ask every new dog training client no matter why they reached out to your for training help.

1. How much and how often does your dog eat?

And be SPECIFIC! Don’t be afraid to ask to see the food container and the measuring scoop.

If your client says “one cup of food twice a day” don’t assume one measuring cup. I’ve had clients show me their “cup” for measuring dog food and it turned out to be a 20oz plastic cup from a restaurant. No wonder the dog was picky about working for food! It was being over served free food twice a day.

2. What medications is your dog currently taking or has taken in the past?

Some people might look at you funny when you ask this question because they’re bringing you in to address a behavior, not a medical issue.

What they aren’t considering is that often behavior issues are triggered by medical issues.

Asking this question is helpful because:

  • You might discover medications or health issues that could be negatively impacting the dog’s behavior.
  • You could discover that the dog has taken pain medication related to a traumatic event such as an attack from another animal.
  • It will help you open up the conversation around health issues that the dog may have experienced in the past or is currently experiencing.

3. Has your dog ever growled, snipped, or bitten anyone for any reason?

This question is meant to open up a can of worms.

I always recommend asking this question no matter who you’re working with or why they are bringing in a professional dog trainer. Your priority should be safety!

Some people have brought me into work on their dog’s “obedience,” but come to find out – they have a dog that resource guards the couch and has snapped at people over it. Some people call this behavior “disobedient” and believe obedience training will solve their problems.

One particular situation comes to mind. A young couple brought me in to work on their dog’s recall and leash skills. Seemed simple enough! After a few questions and a thorough new client questionnaire, I discovered they had been court ordered to hire a dog trainer because it had gotten out and attacked their neighbors dog.

You just never know what you might uncover when you ask the right questions. The couple simply did not grasp the severity of the issue at hand and had unsuspectingly downplayed their needs.

This question is meant to dig up the details around why someone is bringing you in for help. You don’t want them to make assumptions on what behavior is most important to work on – that’s your job as a professional dog trainer.

4. How does your dog respond to new people in the home?

This might seem like an obvious question to ask future clients, but I rarely see dog trainers asking it. As a dog trainer, you’ll be entering many homes for private lesson training and safety should be a top priority.

Asking this questions can help you prepare and open up the conversation around how you’d like the owner to handle the dog before and during your entrance into the home. Come up with a policy you ask all dog owners to follow to avoid singling people out and making them feel judged for their dog’s behavior – and set yourself up to be successful!

5. What would you like to accomplish through training with us?

Making assumptions about why someone might be hiring you will not set you up to be successful. Every client has their own reasons for taking the steps to hire a dog trainer.

Each client will have a different definition and vision of what success looks like and this question helps you all be on the same page. Knowing what they determine to be the goal of their dog training program will help you adjust their expectations and create a better plan to reach their goals.

Asking clients this question can also help you learn more about what they care about. You can then turn around and use this information in your marketing to attract clients that value your services for the right reasons. Learning about the way they see your services and their relationships with their dog can help you better position yourself in the marketplace.

 

New Dog Training Client Intake Forms & More

Ready to arm yourself with a thorough and structured new client onboarding process?

These questions and many, many more are included in my “New Dog Training Client Onboarding Bundle” that includes 10 customizable form and email templates and a webinar explaining the best ways to use the templates to onboard your new clients successfully.

Go HERE to learn more about this bundle!

Here are just a few of the benefits of this new client onboarding bundle…

  • This bundle will save you a huge amount of time getting set up to take on new clients or improve your existing process.
  • You’ll know you’re asking all the right questions so that you know what you’re getting into with every client.
  • You’ll have a process in place from the beginning of each new client / trainer relationship so everyone’s on the same page.
  • Your clients will appreciate your professionalism, processes, and plan being explained to them up front.

How to Add Dog Training to Your Pet Business

How to Add Dog Training to Your Pet Business

by | Feb 2, 2019 | Business, Recent Blog Posts

Have you ever thought about adding dog training services to your grooming, pet sitting, or pet store business? Dog training is a crucial part of raising a new dog in today’s busy and social world.

Your clients are already looking to you for guidance when it comes to other aspects of their dogs’ care so why not provide an extra, special experience for them and their beloved canine?

 

Benefits of Adding Dog Training Services to Your Pet Business

Providing dog training services for your clients will help your pet business become the go-to place for all your clients’ dog care needs.

Value-Added Offering

If your business is already a hub of pet owners, adding dog training services will enhance their experience and help you become even more of a pet industry leader in your community. Offering dog training services is a wonderful value-add offering for your clients.

Key Differentiator And Customer Loyalty

Unlike veterinary services, dog training is unregulated so it is fairly easy to add these services to an existing business. This can help you differentiate your business from other pet businesses in the area.

Whether you’re a groomer, pet sitter, or pet store, dog training services can help your business stand out as one that truly goes the extra mile for their customers. This will help grow your customer’s loyalty to your particular business for the life of their pet.

Easy Sell

It is well known in the business world that increasing sales to existing clients is much easier and provides a better ROI than working to acquire a completely new customer.

You already have customers who may be struggling with their dog’s behaviors or who may have just gotten a new puppy that need dog training services. Why not offer services that your existing customers need?

New Income Opportunity

Without even having to acquire one new customer, you can increase your income by offering additional services to existing clients. When structured correctly, dog training services could help generate consistent foot traffic and sales for your pet business.

 

Hiring Someone vs Learning the Skills Yourself

Whether you should hire a dog trainer or become a dog trainer yourself will depend on how quickly you want to begin offering these services.

If dog training is something you want to begin offering this year, look for someone that can meet the needs of your clients in your community. Becoming a good dog trainer will take some time, education, and experience and there is likely someone else in your community with the right skillset and is waiting for this kind of opportunity. 

You can hire them and then take some time to acquire the right dog training skills yourself. Rushing into training your customers’ dogs without understanding animal learning theory could be detrimental for the long term success of your business, your customers, and their dogs.  

 

Qualifications of a Good Dog Trainer

Whether you choose to become a dog trainer yourself or hire someone to come in and offer classes in your space, there are a few things you should look for or acquire.

Like I mentioned above, dog training is not currently regulated in the US. This makes it difficult to differentiate qualified dog trainers from unqualified ones.

As a dog trainer with over 10 years in the industry, here are a few expectations I’d have of a qualified dog trainer:

 Consistent Continuing Education & Certification

  • Regularly Attend Seminars – A great dog trainer will consistently attend seminars and conferences. This exposes them to other ways of training and expands their understanding of dog training. Just like in any industry, the best keep their skills and knowledge sharp!
  • Certification – The CCPDT is the leading independent certifying organization for the dog training profession. Certifications from this organization are often a good sign that a dog trainer is committed to education, experience, and choose to abide by modern and humane dog training practices.
  • Formal Courses – Many trainers opt to invest in formal in-person education through a variety of dog training schools (Karen Pryor Academy, Dog Trainers Academy, CATCH, etc). In my opinion, these are certainly a plus, but are not completely necessary to becoming a great dog trainer. They are often very expensive and do not necessarily prove that someone knows how to train a variety of dogs. Structured education based on the science of learning theory plus adequate experience is a perfect combination.

 Experience

Dog trainers can acquire substantial experience through a variety of avenues. Working with a variety of dogs and their people is the best way to learn how to apply what you learn in a course, seminar, or book to real life situations.

Look for dog trainers with experience:

  • Working with rescue dogs – You’ll likely have many customers that adopt puppies and dogs from a rescue. These dogs often come with unique challenges due to their unstable upbringing and unknown genetic history.
  • Working with young puppies – Puppies will require consistent training for at least the first two years of their lives, so find a trainer that can set up your clients with a training program or plan for the duration. Puppies need different behaviors addressed as they progress through puppyhood, adolescence, and young adult stages.

Attitude

Finding team members with the right attitude might be the hardest piece. You want to make sure your new team members are on board with the way you want a training program implemented and find someone that can execute it to the best of their ability.

 The dog training industry, just like the rest of the pet industry, has a high turnover rate due to the type of work and long hours. You’ll want to find someone that’s interested in working on your project for the long term.

Team Members

Many dog trainers get into dog training because they love dogs. Unfortunately, this doesn’t lend itself naturally to people that love spending time with other people. Be sure to evaluate your potential hires for personality and attitude towards others as well as their dog training and handling skills.

Customer Service

Training dogs requires patience, but often it is working with their people that is the most difficult part. Being a dog trainer means you are essentially becoming a teacher to people. People call and email you for help – not their dogs.

This should be a key consideration when building your dog training practice. Your policies on how to treat people and handle customer service issues should be clearly documented and discussed with potential employees. Set your employees up to be successful just as you would a customer!

 

Dog Training Insurance

Since you likely already have a pet business up and running, adding dog training services shouldn’t come with huge costs. It has a low barrier to entry.

I’m not a lawyer of any kind so please consult with your attorney for official recommendations for your business, but many dog trainers have the following insurances to cover their services and business.

  • Professional Liability Insurance also known as errors and omissions (E&O) insurance – This insurance covers you and your business in case a client claims that you did not fulfill your promises when they hired you. Find company that is used to servicing dog trainers since trainers have unique circumstances to consider.
  • Updated Property Insurance – Notify your existing insurance provider of the new services you’ll be offering and make sure they are covered under your existing plan or update it so that it is.
  • Dog Trainer Liability Protection Coverage – Since you or someone in your business will be working with a variety of dogs with different behavior issues, this particular coverage is important. This insurance covers claims for bodily injury, personal injury or property damage to others. A good policy will include coverage for damage to property in your Care, Custody or Control including the Pet.  

Consult with an attorney that is familiar with the unique situations that dog trainers come across to help you decide which insurance policy is necessary for your business.

 

Structuring Your Dog Training Services

Training services are usually delivered in a few standard ways:

  • Private Lessons – These lessons are held one-to-one in the client’s home or public place. Private lessons help clients get precisely the assistance they need with their dog’s particular challenges.
  • Group Classes – Group classes are typically held once a week for a few weeks with a start and end date. You may decide to customize the structure and implementation of your group classes to better suit your clients by making them open enrollment (on-going classes that anyone can join at any time).
  • Day Training – Day training services typically supplement private lesson clients to help them make progress more quickly. With this service, the dog trainer works directly with the dog several times a week without the owner present.
  • Board & Trains – A board and train program is when you host the dog in your facility for a few weeks to complete it’s training goals. It is an intensive program that is beneficial to dogs that can handle the environmental change from living at home. Board and trains are usually followed up with private lessons at home to make sure the dog maintains his new behaviors in the home environment.  

 

Recurring or Drop-in Classes

Many trainers start off by offering single lessons for purchase or one group class at a time, but this is not a sustainable way to generate recurring income month to month. It also does not serve your customers in the best possible way because, in reality, they will need ongoing support and training throughout their dog’s life.

In order to better serve clients and their dogs, you could offer initial foundation classes followed up with recurring group classes or drop-in class memberships to come in for a training skills brush up when they need it.

 

Package Services Together

Since your pet business already has services and products to offer, you could easily transition to offering special packages or memberships to your clients that include dog training services.

For more information on packaging training services for the best results, consistent income, and how to set your pricing, check out the lesson:

 

How to Structure Your Services & Pricing (PDF)

Use this lesson to:

  • Discover what services your customers really need and want.
  • Research competitors to differentiate yourself.
  • Create packages of services for results and sustainable income.
  • Understand your operating costs.
  • Learn about pricing strategies so you can charge enough for your services.

Includes: Lesson (2 Parts) + 2 Worksheets

 

View the Lesson

Top 10 Animal Behavior Conferences for 2019

Top 10 Animal Behavior Conferences for 2019

by | Dec 17, 2018 | Events

Each year we do our best to put together a fresh list of conferences that interest professional dog trainers. (You can see previous years here: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015.)

animal training conferencesWe take a look at what recurring and new conferences are coming up that will provide excellent continuing education opportunities for amateur and professional dog trainers located in the United States. We also include some outside the US since conferences are the perfect reason to travel outside the continent! (And we know a few of you are located outside the US as well.)

NOTE: Only conferences that provide updated information online at the time of writing this article are included.

We don’t limit these conferences to domestic pet related conferences since you can learn a lot working with less domesticated species. Working with other species is a great way to improve your understanding of learning theory, management techniques, handling techniques and much more that can be applied to the various situations you can come across working with domestic animals.

 

1. APDT Conference 2019

October 30 – November 2, 2019 | Portland, Oregon

I attended my first APDT conference back in 2014. I was impressed with the friendliness of the staff and with how approachable all the attendees were. I used their online forum to find roommates for my stay and am still close with them today. (I highly recommend you find roommates for at least your first animal training conference!)

 

2. 11th Annual Art and Science of Animal Training Conference

February 23 – 24, 2019 | Hurst, Texas *Fewer than 50 tickets remain!*

This conference is one of the most respected and science-based conferences available. Trainers of all kinds of species attend this conference. This year Dr. Alliston Reid will be the keynote speaker presenting on his research studying how animals acquire behavioral skills in a similar way to humans. Other speakers include: Ken Ramirez, Steve White, Alexandra Kurland, Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz, Barbara Heidenreich, Emily Larlham, Dr. Joe Layng, and Hannah Branigan.

 

3. Denise Fenzi Dog Sports Academy Training Camp

May 17-19, 2019 | Lebanon, Pennsylvania *Registration opens in January 2019*

Top trainers in Obedience, Rally, Agility, Nosework, Freestyle, Rally-FrEe and other dog sports teach online courses at the Denise Fenzi Dog Sport Academy. I have personally taken several of these classes and cannot recommend them enough for any trainer looking to up their game at any skill level. Once a year they gather in one place to teach, play, and learn in person at the Training Camp.

 

4. WOOF! 2019 – Animal Behavior and Training Conference

May 17-19, 2019 | Nottingham, UK *Fewer than 50 tickets remain!*

If you live on the other side of the pond, this is a great opportunity to see some amazing presenters. The presenters at Woof! 2019 include: Dr. Julie S. Vargas Ph.D, Chirag Patel, Eduardo J. Fernandez Ph.D, Emelie Johnson Vegh, Eva Bertilsson, Kay Laurence, Ken McCort, Marty Becker DVM, and so many more brilliant minds in the animal behavior world. This conference is also highly focused on the science behind behavior and states their mission as “Empowering learners through the understanding and ethical application of behavior analysis.”

 

5. ClickerExpo

January 25 – 27, 2019 | Portland, OR

March 22 – 24, 2019 | Washington, DC

October 25 – 27, 2019 | Cheshire, UK

ClickExpo, run by the Karen Pryor Academy, is a great place to learn how to apply clicker training techniques to a variety of situations and species. I attended the Southern California expo in January 2018. I stayed at the conference hotel and it was extremely convenient to sleep, eat, and attend lectures in the same place. ClickerExpo offers basic registration with the option to upgrade a few things.

You can choose to add-on organized events such as lunches, dinners, and round table discussions for exclusive access to the teachers and presenters that attend the conference. (I chose not to add on extras when I attended, but would highly recommend it as I felt like I was missing out. Many attendees attend most or all of these extras. I should also note that some meals are restricted to KPA graduates as well.)

ClickerExpo offers certain tracks you can choose from including “Aggression” or “Foundations” if you want to hone your skills in a certain topic. 

 

6. Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA) Annual Conference

April 7-12, 2019 | Portland, OR

Animal welfare is often a topic that is not commonly discussed in dog training, but is an enlightening and empowering topic to dive into. As professionals, we ultimately are responsible for improving the welfare and management of dogs and we have a lot to learn from the leaders in this subject matter that work with other species. When you work with species that are not domesticated, there are certain considerations and assumptions that you can’t take. Seeing these different perspectives can be eye opening for dog trainers.

 

7. Penn Vet Working Dog Conference (2020) 

April 24-27, 2020 | Philadelphia, PA

With the 2018 conference already sold out, I thought I’d include the next conference to give you advanced notice. Among the presenters are some recognizable names from the pet dog training world such as Patricia McConnell, PhD, Leslie McDevitt, and Laura Monaco Torelli. You’ll also hear from university researchers, service dog training experts, and military and police dog training industry leaders.

From breeding to nutrition to puppies transitioning to working dog status – no topic is off limits at this highly respected working dog conference. This is a great opportunity to learn from the best of the best out in the field.

 

8. Under the Hood: Understanding the Inner Workings of Canines with Ken McCort

July 26- 28 2019 | Battle Ground, IN

This event with Ken McCort at Wolf Park offers the unique experience of learning about the science behind training methods while also giving you the unique and exhilarating experience of interacting directly with their wildlife – including wolves. This even offers 3 days of full of activities. Events at Wolf Park and Ken McCort are highly sought after because of this amazing experience.

 

9. International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants Conference

April 4 – 7, 2019 | Houston, TX

At this conference you can learn about the latest scientific research in animal behavior as well as the practical application of those findings and theories. This is among one of the most affordable conferences available and gives you the opportunities to learn from some of the best in the industry. You don’t have to be an IAABC member to attend, but you will receive perks like a discounted rate and free online streams of the conference (and other online webinars).

 

10. PPG April 2019 Annual Summit with a Focus on Aggression and Bite Prevention  

April 26 – 28, 2019 | Portland, OR

This three day event will help you take a deep dive into aggression in dogs (and cats) with a variety of highly qualified presenters with specialties in aggression. Some interesting topics that will be covered are the liabilities of working with aggression, neuroscience, resource guarding, behavior modification procedures, and much more. For anyone looking to work with aggression cases with a force-free approach or learn about bite prevention strategies, this looks to be a must-attend conference.

 

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6 Ways To Improve Your Income Potential As A Dog Trainer

6 Ways To Improve Your Income Potential As A Dog Trainer

by | Apr 16, 2018 | Business

Being a professional dog trainer can be an incredibly fulfilling profession. You can work for another company, but most quickly find out that to make a sustainable living, it’s best to run your own business.

Being your own boss isn’t always something that comes easily, but it certainly can be learned and perfected over time. Below I’ve listed some important aspects of running your own dog training business that should be top-of-mind if you are pursuing this as a professional career path.

1. Take Yourself Seriously

You’ll quickly realize that no one is going to give you permission or an official “stamp of approval” to be a professional dog trainer. You have to claim the title of “professional” and start by respecting your own skills, knowledge, and experience.

While there are many fabulous dog training schools out there, in the U.S. there are no education requirements to begin a career as a professional dog trainer. That being said, getting a solid foundation on the science of animal behavior is something I strongly recommend and a dog training school is a great place to get everything you need in one place.

Getting an education before you get started formally training other people’s dogs for a living will increase your confidence, grow your expertise, and improve your ability to articulate behavior challenges with your clients. When you’re more confident, articulate, and skilled, you will take yourself more seriously and others will, too.

2. Charge What You’re Worth

With education and experience under your belt, you’ll also want to remember to charge what you’re worth. Running a successful dog training business doesn’t mean you’re going to be playing around with puppies all day long although that is a common perception when you share your career goals with others.

As a professional dog trainer, you’ll have a direct and dramatic impact on the quality of life of your clients and their dogs. Do not forget this. If your skills and knowledge are able to help someone through a frustrating and debilitating behavior challenge with their dog, that is extremely valuable (some might even say priceless).

If you’re just getting started, you probably won’t be working with severe behavior issues, but you’ll still be making an impact on your clients’ lives for at least their dog’s lifetime. Often, you’ll also be teaching your clients’ skills they will use with future pets for the rest of their lives. This impactful knowledge transfer is also incredibly important!

Your clients look to you as the professional. They trust that you have put in the time to learn skills and knowledge about dog behavior so that they don’t have to. Convenience is an additional benefit you’re providing and convenience should not be underestimated.

3. Listen To Your Customers

Understanding your clients, their needs and wants, and what they see as beneficial will help you stand out from the crowd. I’ve seen a lot of professional dog trainers that make the mistake of assuming what is important to their clients. Their clients then get frustrated and may not seek out additional services since their voices were not heard in the first round of training.

Listening to your clients will improve the quality of service you provide which can encourage repeat business and generate referrals. Understanding what your clients’ value can also help you improve your marketing message to attract more of the clients you enjoy working with.

Being a great professional dog trainer mostly involves solving your human clients’ problems. 

Think about how you can improve your ability to listen to your clients and limit your assumptions. Sending  out surveys and practicing active listening are some great tools and techniques that come to mind.

4. Have Processes In Place

In addition to taking your dog training skills seriously, you should take your business seriously. Having thought-out processes for situations like new client email correspondence, new client onboarding, accounting, and marketing will greatly increase your productivity. There’s something to be said for not reinventing the wheel everytime a new client knocks on your (virtual) doors.

When you’re first getting started, each time a new, but soon-to-be recurring situation arises, create a process for how you’ll respond and plan out what tools you’ll use to deal with it. Processes help with time management and allow you to take on more clients with ease.

Having a formal new client onboarding process with a New Client Information packet like I include in the Template Bundle makes you come off as professional and organized right off the bat. Your clients will appreciate your organization and timeliness throughout their experience working with you.

If you’re really starting from scratch as a solo-dog trainer, I help you through the dog training business start-up process and give you insights into what to expect in my 12-week, “How to Start & Run a Successful Dog Training Business” course (Business Plan Template & Template Bundle included with this course!)

After almost 10 years in the dog training industry and 6 years running my own business, I’m able to help you better prepare your dog training business from the bottom up and give you a structured runway to launch successfully.

5. Have A Great Website & Get Found Online

If no one knows you exist, it will be hard to make an income as a professional dog trainer. Without a doubt, a website that is easy to navigate and is quickly found on Google is key to running a successful dog training business.

Your website is your virtual storefront. Would you want your storefront to be hidden behind larger, prettier stores? Would you want a storefront that isn’t attractive?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of editing and updating your website so that it is more appealing to search engines like Google. By utilizing best practices on your website’s design, content, and structure, your website is more likely to be listed on the first page of Google when people are searching for dog trainers.

Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions when it comes to SEO. It isn’t rocket-science and you don’t need to pay someone else to do the most impactful optimizations to your site.

Learning SEO and implementing it on my website has single-handedly contributed to the most income for my business. If you’re interested in learning more, I actually put my knowledge into a quick 5-week course that walks you through how to do your own SEO.

Once you learn it and understand the foundation, you can use the same knowledge to improve your own website for years to come!

6. Pursue Continuing Education Like It’s Your College Degree

The sign of a professional in any industry is the amount of time and energy they have put into their education. As your income allows it, actively pursue ongoing education to increase your skill set. The more skills you have, the more services you can offer and the more people and dogs you can help. Growing your skill set, including to animals other than dogs, will expand your understanding of animal behavior and the impact you have on the animals you work with.

Another benefit to continuing your education is the opportunity to meet all kinds of different people that are doing the same. You’ll make invaluable friendships that will refresh your perspective and give you emotional and professional support for years to come.

 

Ep 22 – Nan Arthur on Developing Better Dog Training Skills

Ep 22 – Nan Arthur on Developing Better Dog Training Skills

by | Mar 27, 2018 | Podcast

Ep 22 - Nan Arthur on Developing Better Dog Training SkillsIn this episode of the Modern Dog Trainer Podcast, we had Nan Arthur on to discuss the importance of developing your training skills as a professional dog trainer. As the author of Chill Out Fido! How To Calm Your Dog, Nan brings 23 years of experience and works with dog professionals, shelter employees and volunteers, and pet dog owners.

Nan is also a Karen Pryor Academy faculty member, and holds one of the highest certifications available by the Certification Council For Professional Dog Trainers, is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, and is a Certification Instructor for the Dog*Tec Dog Walking Academy; all of which require continuing education to maintain those certifications.

Through her business, Beacon of Hope Dog Behavior and Training Services, Nan and her trainers provide dog training classes in addition to private behavior and training classes for both dogs and cats and their people. She also lectures and holds seminars that help the public and other trainers understand dog behavior.

Subscribe to The Modern Dog Trainer Podcast on SoundCloud or iTunes. Follow The Modern Dog Trainer Blog on Twitter at @ModernTrainer, on Facebook at The Modern Dog Trainer Blog Page, and on Instagram at @TheModernDogTrainerBlog. Don’t forget to join our FREE Facebook Group, “Startup Tips for Modern Dog Trainers.” We love hearing from our listeners!

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Show Notes

You can find Nan here:

Ep 21 – Kaelin Munkelwitz On Expanding Her Business Nationally And Meeting Gary Vee

Ep 21 – Kaelin Munkelwitz On Expanding Her Business Nationally And Meeting Gary Vee

by | Feb 22, 2018 | Podcast

Ep 21 – Kaelin Munkelwitz On Expanding Her Business Nationally And Meeting Gary VeeIn this episode of The Modern Dog Trainer Podcast, we invited Kaelin Munkelwitz to join us to discuss her adventures of growing her dog training business across the country, how she came to meet Gary Vaynerchuk and what she learned from him. She is the owner, head trainer, and behaviorist at All Things Pups™ in San Diego, CA.   Subscribe to The Modern Dog Trainer Podcast on SoundCloud or iTunes. Follow The Modern Dog Trainer Blog on Twitter at @ModernTrainer, on Facebook at The Modern Dog Trainer Blog Page, and on Instagram at @TheModernDogTrainerBlog. Don’t forget to join our FREE Facebook Group, “Startup Tips for Modern Dog Trainers.” We love hearing from our listeners!   Please leave us a review on iTunes to help support our podcast!  

Show Notes

Kaelin shared a few takeaways from her time with Gary Vee. 

  1. Utilize influencer marketing (and become an influencer yourself!) Instagram is a particularly great tool for this due to discoverability.
  2. Host a live Q&A with your target audience online to demonstrate your expertise and approachability.
  3. Give out free content! People will always need to hire you to show them in person or to apply training techniques to their unique situations.

 

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