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5 Things Successful Dog Pros Do

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It’s not uncommon for dog guardians to note that their best friends behave better in the hands of a dog pro than they do at home. One reason for that? We dog pros behave differently. For example, R+ dog trainers and dog walkers are more likely to notice and reward good behavior. We employ higher rates of reinforcement. Our timing is sharper. We work to arrange the environment for good canine decision making.

Like the difference between dog owners and dog professionals, there are behavioral differences that help to determine why some dog businesses succeed and others flounder.

What makes the difference between dog businesses that thrive and those that only survive? Here are 5 of the top things we help our coaching clients and THRIVE! members do:

1. Actively market
If you’re not willing to market your business, you’re running the race with your shoelaces tied together. These days people have plenty of distraction and lots of dog businesses to choose from; if they don’t know you’re there, they can’t choose you.

Put together a marketing plan, including at least one new project per quarter if you’re in growth mode, and time for maintenance once you’re where you want to be. Keep track of how people heard about you and what made them decide to call so you know which projects to maintain.

2. Value yourself and your services
People respond to confidence and quality. They will value what you have to offer only if you do. The first step to valuing your services is pricing them well. Low rates undermine a message of value. Low training rates will cause dedicated dog parents to look past your services to trainers they assume must be better because they’re more expensive. That means struggling to fill your schedule with one-offs instead of lucrative training packages that are also better for dogs. For ongoing services like dog walking, low rates attract bargain hunters who will likely jump ship as soon as they see an even lower price.

To attract serious clients who choose you for who you are and what you have to offer, pick a price point that shows them you’re worth it. As our dogbiz clients and THRIVE! members have found over and over again, the higher your rates the higher in demand you’ll be.

3. Create services that serve your clients
This may seem like an obvious statement, but all too often the services we offer do not truly match the needs of dog lovers. We ask too much of them, require too much hoop jumping, make our services inconvenient or difficult to access. We forget that they are dog guardians, not junior dog trainers. Utilizing service structures like day training and open enrollment classes help dog lovers experience faster results with less burden—and are more attractive and easier to market. And packaging services creatively to offer more convenience and better support options, like the use of online Zoom sessions, for example, can help as well.

At the same time that we sometimes ask too much of clients, we also think too little of them. We assume clients will not be willing to invest in training, undermining ourselves financially and undermining our clients’ success by offering too little training. Successful R+ dog trainers learn to create and sell training packages designed to solve problems and help clients reach their goals.

4. Act like you’ve already made it
Be clear with yourself and your clients about your services: What exactly do you do, and how? If you’re a dog walker, decide what that looks like: How long will the walks be? When and where will they take place? What equipment will you use? What are your policies for weekly minimums, payment, and cancellations? Make these decisions clearly and communicate them clearly, then implement and enforce them consistently. Not doing so leads to decisions on the fly, ethical dilemmas, and a business that runs you instead of the other way around. Don’t mistake good customer service for letting clients dictate your business.

Dog trainers, stick to your guns about your rates and the amount of training necessary, and enforce strict cancellation policies designed to protect your revenue, your schedule, and your clients’ and students’ results.

It’s tempting when things aren’t going well to make compromises—lower a price here, bend a rule there, accommodate a client with a half day of daycare when your service model is full day, or walk a dog 20 minutes outside your service area when you promised yourself you wouldn’t. But letting fear dictate business decisions will lose you money, reduce your impact on dogs’ lives, and leave you with a number of problems that will require fixing down the road. The way to build the business you want is to behave as though you already have it.

5. Keep and work with a schedule
You have a lot to do for your business—marketing, taking care of dogs and clients, paperwork, the list is long. And a lot you’d like to do for yourself—time with family and friends, for hobbies, for your own dogs. There are a few superheroes out there who calmly, easily balance work and life, but most small business owners are either workaholics or given to procrastination. Both create problems and stress.

Finding balance requires structure, and that’s hard to come by when you work for yourself. You can create discipline with a master schedule, in which your work week is broken into discrete chunks of time for each category of items on your to-do list. Assign specific blocks for marketing, appointment slots to offer clients, desk time for administrative tasks, desk time for returning phone calls and emails. Equally as important, set aside the time to walk and train your own dogs, visit friends, run personal errands and tidy the house, and to take that online yoga class.

Work ON your businesses as well as IN it

Marketing, systems development for smooth daily operations, and service creation and improvement are just as important as time out walking or training the dogs and their people. If you don’t tend to behind-the-scenes tasks, you’ll likely have fewer dogs to exercise or private training consults to head to.

Your master schedule will help make the time to work on the business, but success also requires a perspective shift—an understanding that taking care of the business is part of taking care of clients and their dogs. It’s part of taking care of yourself, too—by creating a successful business you reduce your stress and ensure a long career doing what you love.

 

Want help building a thriving dog business? Get one-on-one support from a friendly dogbiz coach for your R+ training, walking, or daycare business or, if you’re a R+ dog trainer, become a THRIVE! member.

Dog Walking Equipment—How To Decide What’s Right For You

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Terrier dog wearing a harness running through the grass. To say there’s a new dog walking tool on the market every month these days is only a slight exaggeration. The last ten years have seen an explosion of (often derivative and sometimes innovative) variation in dog walking collars, harnesses, and leashes. As a professional dog walker, how do you decide what to use when walking the dogs entrusted to you?

Given how rapidly the options shift these days, this article doesn’t endeavor to list and rate all the available collars, harnesses, leashes, and the like on the market. Rather, our goal is to provide a framework to help you sort through it all to make your choices.

Before getting down to any decision making, take a moment to identify your professional dog walking needs. Who are the dogs you walk? What kind of walks do you take, and where? What do you need your equipment to help you accomplish?

Safety
A dog bolting off and being hit by a car or becoming lost is every dog walker’s worst nightmare. A dog hyper aroused or excited to chase or get to something, or a dog who is frightened or startled, can easily back out of a regular flat collar. For this reason, and to avoid the common tracheal damage many dogs endure over a lifetime of pulling, don’t clip your leash to a dog’s flat collar—or at least not to that alone.

A dog is far less likely to work her way out of a properly-fitted front or back clip harness. And if you have a fearful dog you know is easily startled, you might also look at safety or martingale collars, which have an extra loop mechanism that prevents dogs from backing out of them in a panic.

Stop the Pulling
Being dragged along by one’s four-legged charges is not top of any dog walker’s goal list. And of course, pulling isn’t just about the frustration and discomfort of being dragged about. It can be a safety issue, too. Strong pullers, especially those who specialize in sudden bursts (after a cat, squirrel, or pigeon, for example), can pull out of your hands or pull you literally off your feet and onto your knees.

Plenty of equipment options are designed to significantly reduce pulling, such as the many front-clip harnesses on the market. For light to moderate pullers, a front-clip harness will usually do the trick. (A harness with a leash clip on the dog’s back will aid a dog’s pulling, rather than reduce it.)

If you’re walking a particularly strong puller for whom a front-clip harness just doesn’t cut it, a properly fitted head halter will provide you with the most control.

Manage Problem Behaviors
If you walk a dog who barks, growls, or lunges at other dogs or at people, control is paramount. For leash reactivity, a head halter is your best option. You can literally guide the dog’s head away from a trigger to look toward you instead, avoiding and minimizing reactivity outbursts and the chances of the dog you’re walking making contact with others.

If there is cause for concern that a dog you walk may bite (especially if they have a history of biting and/or a bite on record), a basket muzzle can provide an extra layer of safety and protection for all involved.

Basket muzzles can also help in situations where dogs compulsively consume items or objects dangerous to their health, like balls or rocks.

Know the Drawbacks & Risks
Most equipment choices come with a downside. Be sure to thoroughly research the pros and cons of anything you consider using so that you can avoid or minimize those risks and take best advantage of the service the equipment offers.

Harnesses. Many harnesses can create sore spots under some dogs’ armpits—particularly dogs with thin fur or delicate skin. Many harness options now incorporate extra padding to help avoid this. Look for these and check daily for any redness or irritation until you’re sure a new harness is a good fit.

Head halters. The superior control head collars provide come with larger risks, too. It’s imperative that head collars not be used with longer leads, and that dogs not be allowed to run and hit the end of even a typical 5- or 6-foot lead. Because of the way these collars work, doing so can whip the neck dangerously.

Head collars are also a new experience for dogs used to wearing a flat neck collar, so most dogs need to be eased into wearing them using a careful process of desensitization. Skipping this step will cause many dogs distress and result in obsessive attempts to remove the collar instead of enjoying their walks. For fastest results getting through this process, ask or require your clients to hire a dog trainer to teach their dog to love wearing a head collar before you attempt to use it.

A final note on head halters: These are best used in conjunction with positive reinforcement training, especially for issues like leash reactivity. Controlling where the dog looks can reduce incidents and bring you peace of mind. For some dogs, though, it can be frustrating and aversive, and contribute to the negative emotions driving the reactive behavior. Ideally, particularly in more severe cases, you would work hand-in-hand with a professional positive reinforcement dog trainer to address the dog’s reactivity while using the head halter to manage the situation.

Muzzles. The same goes with muzzles. A dog can learn to love wearing a muzzle, but that has to be taught using desensitization, too. Done properly, you’ll have a dog who eagerly sticks her nose into her muzzle, excited to have it put on. Rush or forego this training process and you’ll have a dog who’s miserable in her muzzle, unable to enjoy her walk because she spends most of it trying to scratch or rub herself free of the thing stuck to her snout.

It’s also critically important that you choose a basket-style muzzle. Cloth or grooming muzzles do not allow for proper panting and are extremely dangerous for a dog to wear while exercising. Visit The Muzzle Up Project for more information about muzzle safety, training, and comfort.

Leave Pain Behind
Leave prong, choke, and shock collars off your list. With so many effective pain-free options available, there’s no need to take on the risks associated with these tools. Research studies have clearly demonstrated both physical injury (notably to dogs’ tracheas, particularly over a lifetime of use) and negative behavioral side effects (such as development of aggression) due to the use of prong, choke, and shock collars. As a result, many countries now prohibit their use.

Making Your Final Choices
Once you’ve determined the general type of equipment you’re after—harness, head collar, safety collar, etc.—it’s time to begin your research. There are leading brands and products that are most likely to be found in your local shops, and it may be easiest to start there.

But if you aren’t fully satisfied with the most common options, take a tour around the internet and you’ll find an impressive array of variations, each with its own innovations and claims, perks and features—harnesses that are less likely to chafe, head halters dogs take to more readily, versions that are easier to fit or put on, etc., etc. With a little experimentation you’ll find what works best for you and the dogs you walk.

 

Need help convincing clients to go along with your equipment choices? This post should help: Dog Walking Equipment—The Choice Is Yours (Not Your Clients’)

Step Outside the Marketing Box—It’s Better Out Here

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You hate it. Marketing. It’s uncomfortable. Expensive. So far removed from what you really want to be doing—helping dogs.

Cute puppy sticking his head through a hole in a cardboard box.Even when you manage to do a bit, it just doesn’t seem to work. Without strong reinforcement for your efforts, it’s hard to keep going. It can all be pretty discouraging, especially when you know you could be helping more dogs if you could just get more clients.

If any of this sounds familiar, it’s time to try thinking outside the marketing box, to learn an approach to marketing that you can not only stomach, but feel good about—and maybe, possibly, even enjoy.

Inside vs. outside the box
Most marketing in the dog training and care industry is too old school, with expensive print materials and awkward cold visits to vets and pet supply stores at its heart. Not only are these approaches largely ineffective, they require dog pros to step too far outside their natural comfort and skill zones.

One outside-the-box marketing concept we teach dogbiz clients and dogbiz University students is community education marketing. This approach involves sharing your professional knowledge as a way of helping dogs and their people while raising awareness of your services. It pulls marketing in line with your primary mission, making it a worthwhile endeavor instead of a distasteful one.

Another tenant of our marketing philosophy is doing for others instead of asking for ourselves. Good, active referral sources are a key to success as a dog trainer, dog walker, daycare operator, or the like. But referral relationships are challenging to begin. Most of us are understandably uncomfortable asking busy fellow dog professionals we’ve never met to do us favors. But it always feels good to do something for others—and doing so forms a much more solid relationship foundation.

Why market outside the box?
Here are our four favorite reasons to teach our clients and students to think outside the marketing box:

  1. Stand out. In a sea of business cards and brochures and informational fliers, good content really stands out. It shows off your expertise and professionalism instead of talking about it. And it gives people a more compelling reason to both pick up and hang on to your materials.
  2. Take the pressure off. Let’s face it. Singing out one’s own praises is just flat out squirm-inducing. When you change your angle to thinking about how you can serve your community and potential referral sources, marketing becomes about fulfilling your mission rather than self-promotion. That’s marketing you can feel good about.
  3. Make more difference. Sharing what you know gives you a chance for broader impact. You can only train or walk so many dogs (and not all guardians will hire a care provider). But when you use your marketing for community education, you expose many more people to concepts with the potential to improve their understanding of and relationship with their dogs.
  4. Get more clients. Community marketing is powerful. Sharing your expertise builds trust and brand loyalty and a much deeper awareness than traditional marketing in our industry. Dog lovers exposed to your knowledge and professionalism through your marketing efforts are far more likely to reach out to you when the need arises.

What it looks like: Two outside-the-box examples
This kind of marketing is limited only by one’s creativity. There are truly endless ways to share what you know with your dog-loving community, or to assist fellow dog pros dedicated to serving the same. Here are two examples to get your ideas flowing…

Example 1: Leave those brochures under your bed. You know the ones we’re talking about—the box gathering dust under your bed or in your home office closet. The ones you printed with such high hopes but haven’t been able to get yourself to distribute far and wide after watching the initial batch sit untouched at your local vet clinic.

Lesson learned. Shake it off and then let’s do something to stand out and make a difference. Instead of brochures, think about a series of useful tip sheets. 8.5 x 11 or A4 do the trick nicely, or you can have rack cards printed if preferred. Think about what services you’re looking to promote, and choose your topics accordingly—basic manners cues, an explanation of leash reactivity or separation anxiety, tips for helping a new dog settle in, etc.

You can take the tip sheet approach instead of traditional fliers, too. Marketing your puppy class? Put out tip sheets on puppy socialization, puppy biting, and housetraining—all with information about your class on the back. Looking for new dog walking clients? A tip sheet or rack card about how to choose a dog walker is invaluable education in this age of on-demand dog walking apps, and shows off your professionalism.

Example 2: A quick interview. Been putting off stopping by to introduce yourself to local vets? Afraid to step foot back in the local pet supply store after having your request to put out business cards rebuffed? Try this: Drop by during a less busy time of the week (or call if you just can’t bring yourself to go in person) and ask for 5-10 minutes to interview the doctor or store owner for a feature in an upcoming edition of your free print newsletter, produced as part of your mission to provide sound educational material to pet lovers. (Who would say no to free publicity plus an ego boost?) Once you’ve got your edition printed, bring it by with a plate of goodies and a nice stand, point out that you’ve put them on the front page, and suggest a spot on the counter where everyone will be sure to see it.

Once you’ve got your foot in the door with this act of service, it’ll be much easier to bring in subsequent editions and build the relationship from there.

Ready to step outside your marketing box?
If you’re ready to take a more comfortable, effective approach to marketing as a way to both grow your business and help more dogs, start by setting your marketing goals. With goals in mind, put your creative thinking cap on to brainstorm project ideas to share with your community, and ways you can be useful to fellow dog pros you’d like to build referral relationships with. Next, build a marketing calendar to maximize your efforts by spreading them consistently throughout the year.

If you’d like more personalized guidance or support getting your outside-the-box marketing off the ground, we invite you to work with a friendly dogbiz business coach, or join us in dogbiz University course Marketing Made Easy for a fun, step-by-step guided process creating and implementing a marketing plan that really works for you.

The Power of Choice in Your Dog Business

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We strive to give the animals in our care the power to make choices. We know choice can be reinforcing and can help to build trust. The same holds true for us. Choices are empowering, providing a sense of control.

Young woman smiling and holding up both arms in successBut when it comes to business we sometimes operate as if we’re powerless, stuck in our current situation. It’s not true, and you aren’t. Your business is yours to control. The trick is to take a step back and imagine what’s possible, to realize all the choices actually at your disposal. Our clients often find that choosing to make even small changes to things like their daily schedule, the services they offer, and the people they work with and serve can have a profound impact on their income, work/life balance, and overall business success. Read on to explore some ways you can apply the power of choice to your business.

Power over your schedule
If you’ve ever uttered the phrase, “When is good for you?” when scheduling a client, you’ve felt what it’s like to give up power over your schedule. The answer is almost always a day or time you’d prefer not to work. Then you have a quick internal debate about whether to say no, and if you cave in and say yes, a tinge of resentment probably follows.

A simple way to retain power over your schedule is to create a master schedule, basically a calendar with your preferred appointment slots. Then when you’re booking clients you’ll feel empowered to provide the days and times you want to work. Imagine yourself saying, “My next available appointments are X and X, which one do you prefer?” If you’re not sure you’ll stand strong, practice saying it a few times so you’re comfortable in the moment. Trust that your clients will make it work, just as you do yourself when scheduling with professional service providers.

You can schedule a few overflow slots, essentially back up slots that you’ll only fill if necessary. These slots come in handy when you choose to see a client outside of your normal times, or when something unexpected comes up that cuts into your preferred appointment times. See the clear distinction, though? It’s your choice! On the weeks when your overflow slots aren’t needed, you’ve just given yourself some free time to use however you’d like, whether it’s catching up on work or catching a movie!

A serviceable service area
A large service area can quickly turn into a huge headache. Whether your drive entails urban traffic or rural sprawl, if you’re spending as much time getting to your clients as you are working with them it’s time to assess. We hear cases like this one all the time:

“Ashley” had just started her business and was eagerly taking on any new clients, regardless of where they lived. While she didn’t love all the driving, she was happy to build her clientele and she still had plenty of free time.

Fast forward one year. Business is booming. Inquiries are coming in from three different cities and most days Ashley spends at least as much time driving as she does training or working with clients. She no longer has time for sharing training reports with veterinarians or other administrative work, and rarely takes a day off.

Ashley’s consulting goals were to reduce her driving to have time to see more clients, stay caught up on admin and marketing work, and grow her income. We helped her see that she had several options to get there. She could define a service area within a certain distance of her home. She could choose to focus on a specific city or area based on her enjoyment of the clientele she sees in that area. One area she serves has lots of young professional, ‘dog is their kid’ type clients, while another is family-centric, often with small children. She could also try to cluster appointments by city and day to reduce her driving to and from each day, which is doable as long as it doesn’t create more administrative work for her in actually getting clients scheduled.

Her choices are unique, as are yours. But what’s clear is that the choices exist. She is not stuck; she does not have to continue burning herself out and adding mileage to her car. If you have concerns about your service area, take some time to think about your own options and empower yourself to make choices that support your goals.

If you decide to reduce your service area, choose how you’ll handle inquiries outside your range. Deciding in advance will give you power to stand strong in the moment. Can you provide a referral to a dog pro closer to them? Or maybe you have alternative services, such as group classes, where they come to you. Or you can simply say, “I’m sorry, but you’re outside my service area.” While it’s hard to say no, sometimes it’s the best choice.

Your services offerings, your choice
The services we offer are the core of our business. Ideally they bring us joy, and success, and all the things we dreamed of when we started the business. It’s pretty common to start out offering services because they work for our current situation, only to find, as business grows, that certain services have taken off more than others. It can be hard when those turn out not to be the ones we really enjoy most.

When “Michelle” came to us for business consulting, she was feeling stuck. Early in her dog walking business she offered pet sitting and short potty walks, but her goal was always to offer two group hikes Monday through Friday. Business had been good, she’d built one great group of dogs and loved their daily hikes. But she still had a few pet sitting and potty break clients, some on weekends. She didn’t want to let them down, as they’d been with her since the beginning, but the result was long and tiring days, a 7-day work week, and no time to offer, or even market, a second daily group hike. Her goals were to reduce or eliminate the services restricting her overall growth plan.

Some options Michelle explored were referring these beloved clients to another provider, integrating their dogs into her groups, or just simply explaining to the clients why she had let them go. (The latter is often a painful choice to contemplate, but the reality is that change in business is a constant, and you cannot be everything to everyone.)

We’ve heard similar situations with trainers. For example, a trainer launching a board and train service offers regular overnight boarding at a reduced rate in the early stages of business – we get it, she wants the clients. But now having additional dogs paying a lower rate is taking up valuable space that could be filled with board and train dogs.

If something similar has happened in your business, you may feel so in the thick of it that you can’t imagine a different situation. But remember, just as you do with other aspects of your business, you can choose the services you offer. Start by envisioning your ideal day. Thinking about how you want to spend your time is the first step to making it happen. There are other factors to think about as well. Ask yourself these questions:

  • Do you enjoy the services you’re offering? If not, what would you change?
  • Are you comfortable with the amount of administrative work required to keep your services running smoothly?
  • Are you able to devote enough time to adequately market and promote services?
  • Are you meeting your income goals?

If you said yes to these questions, congratulations! But if you answered no or you’re not sure the answers, it’s time to explore your choices.

If your business is new, create a menu of services you can build now and that meet your future business goals, too.

Choosing your clients
You may scoff at the idea of choosing your clients – they choose you, right? But you do have power to choose your ideal clients. Think back to clients you’ve really enjoyed working with. Walkers, you likely prefer clients who are quick to respond to requests and who communicate regularly but don’t bog you down with trivial issues. Also think about the types of dogs you most enjoy. Do you like big rowdy dogs, or does walking a group of petites delight you? Trainers, you’ll probably say you enjoy clients who are motivated and committed to training, but also think about things like availability, and family make-up. For example, do you find working with kids fun or a drain? Once you’ve got an idea of your ideal clients, you can craft your marketing to reach them, and your services to fulfill their needs and goals. And you’ll be fulfilling your own needs and goals, too. It’s a win for you both.

By the way, you’re probably starting to see how these choices are connected; there is overlap in that one change can lead to another. For example, targeting a specific clientele, say families with young kids, may impact the time of day you need to offer your services. And when you change your services, your marketing workload may change, too. As you make choices, be mindful of how one may impact the other.

Picking processes that work for you
Administrative work, things like managing client information, marketing, bookkeeping, and scheduling – basically all the processes involved in keeping your business running smoothly– is an unfortunately unavoidable aspect of running a business. But it needn’t rule you. The key is to choose processes that work for you on two levels: One, they are doable for your abilities and style, and two, they fulfill your needs for keeping things organized and humming.

These days, choices abound for software and apps. To help you pick which will best fulfill your needs, create a wish list. Think of administrative tasks you’d like to spend less time on. Do you wish clients could schedule services without calling or texting you? Would you like to offer online enrollment for group classes or have your service agreement online so you could send and get signed electronically? Are you tired of compiling a year’s worth of bookkeeping each year at tax time?

Once you have your wish list, explore options, including hiring help for tasks that take your time and energy away from performing your services. Most software programs offer a free trial period, a chance to play around and test drive features so you can choose one you’re comfortable using. And there’s always ‘old school’ if you prefer to keep track of things manually, though we hope you’ll at least consider incorporating some technology to take some processes off your shoulders.

The power of choice
There are many other aspects over which you have power to choose. For example, setting your rates right can reduce your workload, and having a good cancellation policy can reduce holes in your schedule that impact your income. Even small changes can have a big impact.

Hopefully reading this has inspired you with ideas for your unique business. If you’re just starting out, look to choose options that set you up for success now and later. But if your hair is already on fire from being too busy, chances are you can’t even imagine where to start. The great news is, you don’t need to change everything at once. Pick one or two choices that come to mind and start there. Measure them against your goals (for example, more time, more money). Then create your plan to make changes.

Next, set a date to assess how the changes are working. Some of these changes will take time to have an impact. Check in over time. Are you feeling more in control of your schedule? Do processes seem to be running more smoothly? Are you feeling less stressed? If you answered yes, congratulations on taking steps in the right direction!

Still, you may have more work to do to truly begin to feel like you’ve taken back your power of choice. So think about the other choices available to you, are there additional tweaks you can make? Remember this is rarely a ‘once and done’ process. As a business owner, and human being, you owe it to yourself to periodically assess your situation and make changes. Believing in your own power to choose is empowering and transformational. Here’s to your long-term happiness and success in business and in life.

 

If you’d like more inspiration about making successful choices, check out the dogbiz University Money Matters 101: Pricing, Policies & Packages course.

 

Making Difficult Conversations Less Difficult

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Woman sitting on a bench thinking and holding a dog on leash.As positive reinforcement-based dog professionals, we tend to care deeply about others’ feelings, and naturally dislike conflict. For many of us, just the thought of a difficult conversation makes our stomach turn. But take heart when faced with one. It means you’ve made a decision to improve something in your situation. Hold on to that thought as you prepare.

Difficult conversations come in many forms, from everyday business communications like the sales moment at the end of an initial consultation or meet-and-greet, to dreaded conversations such as letting a client or an employee go, and everything in between. Whatever the situation, a little preparation can provide big payoffs in your confidence and comfort level, as well as the outcome.

Here are some steps to help you plan and prepare – and hopefully take some of the discomfort out of the situation.

Determine your desired outcome
Having a clear picture of your goal – what you want the outcome of your conversation to be – will help you create a plan.

Start by asking yourself a few questions pertinent to the situation. For example, is there only one acceptable outcome? If your goal is to end a relationship with a client, period, end of story, there is only one outcome. But would you consider another result? Let’s say the client promises to abide by your cancellation policy, would you accept that and continue offering your services? Or if an employee admits she hasn’t been doing her best work but is committed to doing better, are you willing to give it another go?

Also consider whether you’re willing to provide any support. If you’re cutting ties with a client, will you provide a referral to another dog pro who can help her? Are you willing to give the employee a recommendation for another job?

Setting your parameters ahead will help you stand firm in the moment, preventing temptation to give into pressure if you’re asked to reconsider your decision, and making sure you arrive at your intended outcome.

Choose your mode of delivery
With so many means of communicating these days, it’s important to think through the best mode for delivering your news.

How do you typically communicate with the person you plan to reach out to? If it’s someone you see regularly, and you’re both used to meeting face to face, this might be the best option. If you rarely see each other, a different mode might work just as well to achieve your outcome.

In many cases, a well-crafted email provides a professional delivery method for your message while serving as a nice buffer, giving the recipient some time to think and digest before responding.

A phone call or face-to-face meeting is the most personal way to have a conversation, but it does leave open the possibility of an uncomfortable exchange. If you decide to have a personal conversation, it will help to practice what you’ll say. More about that in a moment.

While sending a text message may feel most appealing, ask yourself whether the information you need to convey is likely to be well received via a text message. If you’ve ever consoled a friend who has been dumped via text message, you know it doesn’t feel good – nor does it typically provide closure. Texts also invite an immediate response, which could mean receiving a flustered or angry one.

If you’re unsure which communication mode is best, try imagining the conversation in each mode. Put yourself in the recipient’s shoes to imagine how it might feel to receive the news over the different mediums, and also consider what mode of response will be most comfortable for you to digest.

While we do live in the age of instant communication, remember that you’re representing your business – whether as a service provider or an employer – so ultimately you want to choose a mode that is comfortable and appropriate for both parties, and that enables you to present yourself professionally.

Choose your words
What are the first words that come to your mind when you imagine the conversation? Write these down, say them out loud, then pause! Chances are your patience is already spread thin by whatever issue has necessitated the conversation, so these first words may not be the most positive. That’s okay. You’re just planning right now, so let yourself have those thoughts. There’s almost always emotion tied in when we’re facing a difficult conversation, so this step may be cathartic – just what you need to move forward with a clearer mind. Don’t you feel better already?

Now think back to the desired outcome you identified earlier. First, what are the most concise words you can use to communicate and achieve that outcome? Next, think about how can you frame your words to apply empathy and kindness while making your point clear enough to achieve your goal.

Include language that communicates the ‘why’ behind your decision. Lack of understanding is often the culprit when conversations don’t go as we’d hoped. If possible, share some common ground. For example, if you’re letting go of a dog who is stressed in your group walks, talk about your common goal of giving Fido a healthy and fun outlet for his energy, then share why you feel group walks aren’t working for Fido. If you’re dealing with a client who isn’t following the training plans you’ve provided, remind them of your mutual goals for Buddy, and that you’re unable to accomplish them without their commitment. Drawing on shared thoughts, feelings, and goals can help you communicate from a place of mutual understanding, making the rough news easier to hear.

Practice it
If you decided to communicate in writing, give yourself some focused time to draft and edit your text. Have someone else read it, too, to ensure that the words clearly express the outcome you’re aiming for.

If your conversation will be in person or by phone, think through how it might go. Do some brainstorming with a trusted friend or colleague. Imagine potential questions or push-back that could come up during the conversation. While you’re unlikely to imagine every way a conversation might go, simply exploring the possibilities in advance will better prepare you for what might happen – and help your thoughts stay more organized in the moment.

Once you’ve crafted some language you’re comfortable with, take some time to practice saying it. Stand in front of the mirror, or videotape yourself. Or better yet, do some role play with a friend. It will likely feel awkward at first, which is precisely why it’s good to practice! The more comfortable you are in the actual conversation, the more likely you’ll achieve your desired outcome.

If the conversation you’re preparing for is one you anticipate might cause the other person to become upset or angry, remember there will be two sides – be sure to practice beyond just what you plan to say, imagining and responding to potential responses. Don’t fret this step too much, if you practice a few scenarios, you’ll likely feel more confident handling whatever direction the conversation takes.

And remember, both while practicing and during the real conversation, pause and think about your words before you say them.

Deliver the news with confidence
Most of us got into this business because we care deeply about dogs and their well-being. We use positive reinforcement-based principles to develop relationships built on trust and mutual understanding. We also tend to care a great deal for the people, and with a little planning we can apply the same principles to our difficult conversations. Whether it’s with a client, a staff member, or a business partner, we can achieve our desired outcome with grace and minimal discomfort for everyone involved.

When the time comes to deliver the difficult news, whether you decide to have the conversation in person or in writing, set the tone. You are a professional representing your business. Remind yourself what’s in it for you – the ‘why’ behind your decision and how the outcome will improve your situation.

While these types of conversations are rarely fun, taking some time to plan and prepare can help you deliver difficult news like the pro you are!