Starting A Dog Business

Small dog leaping over a hurdle

Starting A Dog Business

Become a Full-Time Dog Pro, Part 1

Dreaming about working full-time in your own dog training or dog walking business, but can't imagine how to make the leap? You need a transition plan. Whether you’re working full-time in another career, or spinning the hamster wheel balancing a part-time hobby business alongside your “real” job, a well-designed transition plan lays out a clear, step-by-step path to running your dog business full-time. And in case you're wondering whether it's really possible to go full time, the answer is yes. It really is possible. We know, because we've been helping dog professionals do just that since …

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Become a Full-Time Dog Pro, Part 2

If you missed part 1 in this series on creating a transition plan to full-time dog pro, which summarized the four steps of a transition plan and covered how to assess the financial feasibility of your dream business, you can read Part 1 here. In this article we turn to step 2 of your plan, which involves getting yourself and your business ready for the transition. The transition period to full-time dog pro can be both exciting and trying. It’s a great feeling to be underway in pursuit of your dog career goals, but juggling your “regular” job and life responsibilities with starting or …

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Become a Full-Time Dog Pro, Part 3

In part 2 of this 4-part series on creating a transition plan to full-time dog trainer, dog walker, or other dog pro, we looked at assessments, adjustments, and priority-setting at home, at work, and in your business to help get you through your transition as quickly as possible. This month we turn to lining up the support you’ll need once you enter your transition period. The message here: Don’t try to go it alone. You’re probably already pretty busy as it is, right? Your current job, the business if you've already started one, the dogs. All the responsibilities of running a …

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Become a Full-Time Dog Pro, Part 4

In the first three parts of this series about transitioning from a current job or career to full-time dog trainer, dog walker, or other dog pro we’ve looked at: How to determine what you need to earn and whether the business you envision has the potential to get you there.  Read Part 1 Making necessary adjustments to your personal finances and your current part-time or hobby business (if you have one) to set yourself up for success.  Read Part 2 Lining up support for the easiest possible transition.  Read Part 3 Now it’s time to build the road map part of your transition plan by …

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How To Become a Dog Walker: 3 Must-Take Steps

Ready to leave behind your cubicle, demanding boss, 9-to-5 hours, difficult co-workers, exhausting commute, mind-numbing/ stressful/ dissatisfying work? Dreaming instead of happy dogs, grateful clients, fresh air, daily exercise, flexible hours, and looking forward to your workday? Sounds like dog walking might be for you. If you’re serious about being a professional dog walker, you’ll need to set yourself up to make a living at it. Here are the three steps you need to take to become a dog walker: Step 1: Go to dog walking school Dog walking is an unregulated industry; unlike true …

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How To Become a Dog Trainer: 3 Must-Take Steps

Ready to leave behind your cubicle, demanding boss, 9-to-5 hours, difficult co-workers, exhausting commute, mind-numbing/ stressful/ dissatisfying work? Dreaming instead of clickers, grateful clients, happy dogs, flexible hours, and looking forward to your workday? Sounds like dog training might be for you. If you’re serious about being a professional dog trainer, you’ll need to set yourself up to make a living at it. Here are the three steps you need to take to become a dog trainer: Step 1: Choose the Right School for Dog Trainers Dog training is an unregulated industry; unlike true …

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5 Things Successful Dog Pros Do

What makes the difference between dog businesses that thrive and those that only survive? Here are the top 5 things we teach our clients to 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 lots of dog businesses to choose from; if they don’t know you’re there, they can’t choose you. Put together a simple marketing plan, outlining one new project per quarter if you’re in growth mode, and at least one new effort per year once you’re where you want to be. Keep track of how people heard …

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4 Tips for Business Success

We're asked often by clients and workshop attendees as we lecture across the country for the secrets to success in this industry. Here’s what we tell them. 1. Get and keep yourself educated Whether you are already or wish to become a dog trainer, walker, sitter, or daycare or boarding facility owner, you owe it to yourself, your clients, and the dogs in your care to know everything you can about dog behavior. We have an unfortunate habit of assuming we understand dogs because we’ve lived with them all our lives. The truth is we suffer from a host of often damaging misconceptions and pieces …

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A Dog Walker’s Checklist

Professional dog walking has grown rapidly over the last ten years, and the collapse of the economy has sent a new flood of dog lovers into the field. Because walking is a young business, there is currently no regulating body to dictate the standards of care or qualifications for the work. But walking dogs, particularly in groups, takes more than the passion we all share for them. There are specialized knowledge and skill sets, as well as ethical business practices, necessary to ensure the safety of the dogs in your charge, as well as yourself and the other dogs and humans who share the …

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Dog Walking For a Living

By Veronica Boutelle, dogbiz Dog Walking Academy co-founder and Oakland Dog Walking Academy instructor Gazing outside from behind the dreary landscape of our desks, few are the people who can say they’ve never given a thought to a career change that involved working outside--river guide, perhaps, or a rancher or deckhand on a luxury liner. For many dog lovers, those rosy-tinged, outdoorsy dreams concern dog walking. A life of easy days, surrounded by nature and happy pooches—but in reality, there’s much more to the job. dogbiz runs a certification program for dog walkers, called the Dog …

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Going Pro

Do you dream about working with dogs full time, but can’t see how to get there? Do you struggle with a part-time dog business, telling yourself you’ll keep the other job just until the business takes off? It’s a common refrain. In our work we've seen every kind of dog business model and every type of dog business owner, from wildly successful full-timers to weekend hobbyists. Years of experience supporting dog professionals have taught us the key differences between dog pros who make it as full-time entrepreneurs and those who don’t. Read on to see if you have the temperament, skill set, …

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Making a Living with Dogs: 7 Steps to a New Career

Ever wish you could quit your day job and live life with the dogs? Perhaps you sit at your work desk dreaming of being a dog walker? Maybe you drift off during meetings, imagining yourself training canines? Or stare past customers, planning your own doggie daycare? In short, do you want to work with dogs full time, but can’t see how? Coaching and supporting dog professionals for a living, I’ve seen people make the transition to full-time dog pro from all walks of life—lawyers, secretaries, computer scientists, sales reps, consultants, college students, you name it. So if you’ve ever …

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