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As R+ trainers, we’re committed to learning. We take courses on body language, attend workshops on reactivity, and sign up for webinars about the latest enrichment trends. Many of us could fill a bookshelf (or a hard drive) with the CPD we’ve done for our dog skills.

But when was the last time you invested in your business skills?

For a lot of trainers, the answer is somewhere between “not recently” and “never.” And that can be a problem – because your business needs training, too.

Why your business skills matter as much as your dog skills

You can be the most brilliant trainer in town, but if you struggle to market your services, manage your time, price correctly, or keep your admin under control, your business will always feel harder than it has to.

Strong business skills make everything smoother:

• Marketing brings in the right clients.
• Systems save you time and energy.
• Confident pricing and packaging let you make a living without burning out.

When your business runs well, you’re in a much better position to serve your clients and their dogs. You have more bandwidth for creative problem solving, more energy for your sessions, and more stability to weather the ups and downs.

The CPD imbalance

In our industry, investing in dog skills is almost automatic. You see a seminar from a trainer you admire and sign up without hesitation. But for business learning? That often gets pushed aside.

Why?

• It doesn’t feel urgent until something breaks.
• It can seem less exciting than a hands-on dog workshop.
• Learning about dogs is a passion, whereas learning about business can feel like homework (groan).
• We assume we can figure it out ourselves (and sometimes we do, but at a cost in time, energy, and trial-and-error).

The result can be trainers who’ve mastered teaching loose lead walking and separation anxiety, but are still marketing on the fly, overbooking themselves, or charging less than their work is worth.

How to identify the skills you need to work on

You don’t have to overhaul your business in one go. Start with a quick self-check:

• Marketing: Do you have a steady stream of the right clients (ones you truly enjoy), or are you relying on social media posting frenzies and last-minute bookings?
• Pricing: Are you confident in your rates and packages, or do you quietly hope clients won’t question your fees?
• Time management: Are you ending most days feeling accomplished, or exhausted and behind? Are you regular taking days off? Vacations?
• Client experience: Is your onboarding process smooth and professional, or are you reinventing the wheel each time?
• Systems: Are you keeping up with admin easily, or losing time to repetitive tasks and paper piles?

Pick one or two areas that would make the biggest difference to your work (and life!) right now – not just the ones you feel most comfortable with.

Making business learning more enjoyable

Business skills don’t have to be dry or intimidating. You can make them part of your routine in ways that feel manageable and even enjoyable (yes, really!):

• Pair learning with connection by joining a peer group or program where you can swap ideas, feel supported, and stay accountable (hello, THRIVE! Pro)
• Set small, specific goals. “Write my new service page by the end of the month” is more motivating than “Fix my marketing.”
• Break things into bite-sized sessions. An hour a week on your business adds up faster than you think.
• Celebrate progress, just like you would with a dog training plan – small wins matter.

This is one of the reasons trainers in THRIVE! make consistent progress – they work alongside peers, get real-world feedback, and break big goals into manageable steps.

Where to go to build your business skills (and how to choose wisely)

There’s no shortage of options for business learning. The tricky bit is knowing which ones will actually help you – and which might waste your time or money.

Start by getting clear on your goal. Are you trying to fill your client calendar? Streamline your systems? Package your services so they’re easier to sell? The more specific you are, the easier it will be to find the right match.

Green flags to look for:

• Content or coaching that directly matches your current priority.
• Clear, practical steps rather than vague “inspiration.”
• Opportunities to apply what you learn to your own business straight away.
• Support or accountability to help you follow through.

Red flags to watch out for:

• Overpromises (“Double your income in a week!”).
• One-size-fits-all solutions that don’t acknowledge the realities of a service-based, people-and-dogs business.
• Heavy jargon without clear explanations.
• More time spent “hyping” than teaching.

It can also be worth looking outside the dog industry. Marketing, productivity, and customer service principles often translate beautifully. You might find fresh ideas in small business conferences, creative entrepreneur workshops, or books written for completely different fields.

At the same time, dog industry-specific learning has unique value. Business programs and peer groups designed for R+ trainers understand your ethical framework, your client challenges, and the reality of working with both dogs and people. Many trainers mix the two – tapping into the breadth of ideas from outside while still grounding themselves in dog-world relevance.

When you train your business, things change

Once you start deliberately working on your business skills, you notice the difference. You stop dreading the admin because you’ve put systems in place. Your prices reflect your value. You have a steady flow of clients who are a good match. And your days feel more sustainable.

It’s not about “turning into” a businessperson instead of a trainer. It’s about making your business the well-trained partner you need it to be so you can keep doing the work you love.

Ready to start training your business?

Here’s a different kind of training plan to try this month:

1. Set your criteria: Choose one skill to focus on improving (marketing, pricing, systems, client experience, or something else).
2. Pick your reinforcers: Decide how you’ll reward yourself for making progress, whether it’s a favourite coffee spot, an afternoon off, or finally allowing yourself to buy that unnecessarily expensive dog mug you’ve been eyeing.
3. Break it into short sessions: Even 20-30 minutes a few times a week adds up fast.
4. Track your progress: Keep notes on what you’ve tried and what’s changing.
5. Generalize your skills: Once you’ve nailed it in one area, apply what you’ve learned to another part of your business.

Treat your business like you would a dog you’re training: be clear, be consistent, and make the process enjoyable. The results will speak for themselves.

If you’d like a single place to keep building your business skills alongside your dog skills, THRIVE! offers ongoing, practical learning and support for R+ trainers.

As a dog trainer, your expertise is your greatest asset – gained from all those hours spent observing behavior, delving into learning theory, and perfecting your training techniques. It’s natural to want to share this hard-won knowledge with your clients. But if you’ve launched into explanations about quadrants and conditioning, only to be met with glazed looks and furrowed brows, you know how difficult it can be to make dog training concepts accessible. The success of your business hinges not just on your knowledge, but on your ability to make those “ah-ha!” moments simple for your clients to grasp. When this happens, it leads to happier dogs, happier humans, and a successful business.

Here’s a quick guide to turning your canine know-how into client-friendly gold.

Beware of jargon

Terms like “operant conditioning” and “extinction burst” are likely part of your daily vocabulary. But for clients, this lingo can be as confusing as their adolescent dog’s sudden disinterest in recall. Once you’ve discovered the language of dog training, it’s easy to forget how it felt not to know it. One solution? Create your own ‘trainer talk’ dictionary. For example:

• “Positive reinforcement” becomes “rewarding good behavior”
• “Socialization” translates to “positive early experiences for lifelong confidence”
• “Desensitization” turns into “helping your dog get used to something gradually”

Use this dictionary consistently across all your content – articles, handouts, social media. Your clients will appreciate the clarity, and you’ll find it easier to maintain consistency in your messaging.

Use analogies and metaphors

People understand new concepts best when they can relate them to their own experiences. A great way to make your content more accessible is to draw parallels between dog training ideas and everyday life. Examples:

• Explain that a clicker is like a camera that “captures” the precise moment a dog does something right. 
• Describe leash training like teaching a child to hold hands in a busy street. It’s not about control, but about safety and teamwork.
• Compare counter-conditioning to changing someone’s opinion about broccoli by always serving it with cheese. Over time, they may even like broccoli on its own!

Make storytelling your secret weapon

At our core, humans are storytellers. We’re wired to remember narratives better than facts. Use this to make your content stick. For example, instead of just stating, “Consistency is key in dog training,” tell a story:

“Meet Sarah and Max. Sarah complained that Max would listen sometimes, but mostly ignored her. In our first session, Max’s family realized that they were all using different cues. ‘Come,’ ‘Here,’ and ‘Max, get over here!’ all meant the same thing. No wonder Max was confused! We set one cue for each behavior, and within weeks, Sarah reported that Max was responding like a champ. The lesson? Consistency isn’t just important; it’s essential if you want dog training to be a team sport!”

Stories like this are relatable, memorable, and they subtly guide clients towards a better relationship with their dog.

Show, don’t just tell

Dog training is inherently a physical skill, requiring precision, timing, and body language. This is why using visuals in your training content is so effective. The human brain also tends to process images with more ease than just text alone; activating multi-sensory memory pathways, organizing information into digestible chunks, and reducing cognitive overload. Some ideas include:

• Create infographics comparing dog body language to human gestures. A tucked tail isn’t just a tail; it’s the dog equivalent of a nervous smile.
• Use before-and-after video clips in your social media posts. Show a snippet from the first loose-lead walking session, then the same dog putting it all together in a more distracting environment. It’s powerful proof that your methods work.
• For articles about physical cues or training setups, include step-by-step photos. A picture of the exact hand position for a cue is clearer than paragraphs of explanation.

Use the power of “why”

Clients are more likely to follow advice when they understand the reasoning. Always include the “why” behind your “what.” Examples:

• “We use a long line for recall training because it keeps Bella safe while she learns. It’s like training wheels on a bike – it prevents accidents while she’s learning the ropes.”
• “I recommend stuffed Kongs for crate training because they create a positive association, which means the crate is a nice place to be rather than an unpleasant one.”
• “We use food rewards in training because they instantly tell your dog, ‘Yes, you nailed it!’ It makes learning fun and motivates them to do it again.”

FAQs as a content goldmine

Looking for an easy way to create relevant content? Keep a document of frequently asked client questions. These queries can be a great starting point for articles, social media posts, and handouts. You may find the words come easily as you’ve already answered these questions so often! Turn FAQs into:

• Blog posts: “Top 5 Questions New Puppy Owners Ask (Plus Answers!)”
• Video series: “60-Second Training Tips: Your Questions Answered”
• Email nurture sequence: Send a new tip each week to keep clients engaged

Positive over negative phrasing

Avoid phrasing things in the negative. It’s unclear and less motivating. Instead, use positive, action-oriented language that tells clients exactly what to do and inspires them with the benefits. This approach not only clarifies expectations but also paints a picture of success, making the training process more engaging and effective. Some rephrasing examples:

• Instead of “Don’t let your dog pull on the leash,” say “Learn how to teach your dog to walk nicely beside you. Imagine enjoyable walks without any shoulder strain!”
• Rather than “No jumping on guests,” try “Watch how Daisy greets guests politely by sitting. Your friends will be impressed!”

The “neighborhood test”

Before sharing any content, try the “neighborhood test.” Share it with a non-dog person – a neighbor, a family member, or a friend from a different field. If they can grasp the concept and explain it back to you, congratulations! You’ve successfully translated trainer talk into human speak.

Creating accessible content is an art that blends your dog training science with the science of human communication. Every time a client’s eyes light up with understanding, every time they report a successful training session, you’re improving human-dog relationships and building a more successful business.

Our final tip? Our newsletter marketing service is professionally written and vetted by R+ training pros. If you want to share great content with your clients via a newsletter, we can do it for you.

Dog training isn’t a “clock in, clock out” kind of job. It’s a calling, a passion, and in a lot of ways, an identity. Very few of us stop being dog trainers at 5pm – we keep reading, listening, learning, and analyzing every ear flick at the dog park.

And there’s nothing wrong with that. Loving your work is a gift. But when the line between you and your business blurs too much, things can get complicated. Suddenly, every client’s progress feels personal. Every industry debate feels like a test. And downtime? About as rare as a week where you don’t touch your treat pouch.

The end of the year tends to be a natural pause point. It’s a chance to step back, take a breath, and check in with yourself. Not just as a trainer and business owner. But as a person first.

When your business feels like you

For a lot of us, becoming a trainer started with passion. Dogs became the hobby, the obsession, the dinner table conversation, the social circle. Over time, the work blends into the rest of life until there’s very little distinction between the two.

And for some trainers, that balance works just fine. You genuinely love living and breathing the dog world. Your weekends are dog sports, your holidays involve conferences, your friends are fellow trainers. If that lights you up, great!

But if you’re feeling stretched thin, disconnected, or like there’s no off-switch, it might be time to check where the edges are. Passion and vocation are powerful forces, but they can tip into all-consuming territory without you noticing.

The noise of the industry

There’s also a lot of noise out there right now.

Social media debates about methods. New studies and trends. Constant calls for more CPD. Competing advice on pricing, packaging, and marketing. If you spend too much time scrolling, it can feel like everyone else has it figured out but you, or that you’re somehow falling behind if you’re not doing all the things.

In reality, you don’t need to listen to every voice, read every thread, or join every conversation.

Your business is as unique as you are. What works for someone else’s clients, schedule, or personal bandwidth may not fit yours. Filtering the noise is an act of self-preservation, but it’s also a business strategy. When you spend less energy worrying about what everyone else is doing, you have more clarity to focus on your clients, your goals, and your wellbeing.

Your business ≠ your worth

One of the hardest parts of working in a vocation-driven field is remembering that your business is something you do, not who you are.

When you hold it too close, everything hits harder:

• A negative review can feel like an attack on your character
• A slow month can feel like failure
• A client choosing another trainer can feel personal
• A tough case can feel like it’s all on you to fix

This is why setting boundaries matters. They let you step back, see your business as its own entity, and make decisions without feeling tangled up in them. That might look like:

• Setting “office hours” for yourself (no checking client messages at 10pm).
• Taking one full day a week off from anything work-related (yes, including scrolling dog training debates).
• Choosing one or two trusted voices to follow instead of trying to keep up with every industry conversation.
• Reminding yourself before each session: This is about supporting the client and dog in front of me, not proving my worth as a trainer.

And there are other benefits, too:

• Protecting your energy: You can be fully present for your clients without running on empty.
• Enjoying your own dogs: You don’t have to analyze every interaction or turn every walk into a training session.
• Handling feedback with perspective: You can hear it, assess it, and decide what matters (without spiralling).

Human first, trainer second

If the line between work and life feels fuzzy, pause and ask yourself: Who are you outside of dogs?

What lights you up? What gives you a genuine break? What reminds you you’re more than your business?

For some trainers, it’s creative outlets: music, writing, photography. For others, it’s movement: yoga, hiking, kayaking. It might be spending time with people who don’t know or care what “counter-conditioning” means, getting lost in a book, gardening, cooking, dancing, travelling – anything that lets you inhabit a different part of yourself.

This isn’t about abandoning your passion. It’s about refuelling it. When you make space for rest and joy outside of your business, you return to it with more energy, more perspective, and, sometimes counterintuitively, more creativity.

An end-of-year reflection

December often gives us a natural pause, even if you’re still running classes or consults right up until the holidays. It’s a chance to ask:

• Are my business decisions aligned with my values?
• Does the way I work support the life I want, or am I shaping my life around my business?
• Am I making space for the human part of me, not just the trainer part?

Reflection isn’t about judging where you are; it’s about choosing where you want to go next. Sometimes small shifts (clearer boundaries, less time in online debates, more intentional breaks) create the biggest difference.

Your foundation for better balance

One of the biggest drains on trainers isn’t the dogs, it’s the business side: writing policies, updating forms, building curriculum, writing training plans, managing clients, keeping marketing consistent. When all of that piles up, it’s easy for the line between “trainer” and “business” to vanish completely.

That’s what THRIVE! Essentials is for. It’s a library of ready-to-use resources built specifically for R+ trainers: toolkits, templates, and step-by-step guides designed to take work off your plate. Instead of reinventing the wheel or burning weekend hours creating paperwork, you can lean on proven materials and get back to the parts of your job that actually light you up.

When the scaffolding is already in place, you have more freedom to set boundaries, more energy for your clients, and more space to be yourself outside of work.

You are more than your business. And with THRIVE! Essentials, your business can run more smoothly, leaving you with the breathing room you need to remember that.

Managing your time as a dog trainer can be as tricky as teaching a collie to chill at a children’s birthday party. Your days are filled with client appointments, administrative tasks, ongoing education, and hopefully, some personal time. But just like dog training, mastering time management is a skill that can be learned and refined. Let’s dive into some strategies to help you create a schedule that works for your unique business and personality.

Understanding your work style

The first step in creating an effective schedule is to understand your natural work style. Are you a “splitter,” a “lumper,” or somewhere in between?

Splitters are natural planners who thrive on detailed schedules. They’re the ones who have color-coded calendars and enjoy breaking tasks down into small steps. A splitter might schedule their day like this:

• 8:00-9:00 AM: Answer emails and return phone calls
• 9:00-10:30 AM: Client session with Max the Labrador
• 10:30-11:00 AM: Write up session notes and plan next session
• 11:00 AM-12:30 PM: Client session with Bella the Poodle
• 12:30-1:30 PM: Lunch and quick walk
• 1:30-3:00 PM: Work on new puppy training curriculum
• 3:00-4:30 PM: Client session with Charlie the Beagle
• 4:30-5:30 PM: Administrative tasks and planning for tomorrow

For splitters, the challenge often lies in implementation rather than planning. They may need to focus on strategies to stick to their carefully crafted schedules.

Lumpers, or “freedom seekers,” prefer flexibility. They’re comfortable setting a general direction and figuring out the details as they go. A lumper’s schedule might look more like this:

• Morning: Client sessions
• Afternoon: Office work and curriculum development
• Evening: Personal time

While this approach allows for creativity and adaptability, it can sometimes lead to frustration if long-term goals aren’t being met. Lumpers may benefit from setting some loose structure to ensure they’re making progress on important tasks.

If you find yourself somewhere in the middle, you might be a “slumper.” You appreciate some structure but also value flexibility. Your ideal schedule might include a mix of detailed plans and open-ended time blocks. For example:

• 8:00-10:00 AM: Client sessions (specific appointments scheduled)
• 10:00 AM-12:00 PM: Flexible work time (choose between curriculum development, administrative tasks, or additional client sessions)
• 12:00-1:00 PM: Lunch break
• 1:00-3:00 PM: Client sessions (specific appointments scheduled)
• 3:00-5:00 PM: Flexible work time

Remember, no work style is inherently better than another. The key is to recognize your natural tendencies and create a plan that works with, not against, your style.

What makes a plan effective?

Regardless of your work style, there are some essential elements to consider when creating your schedule:

Emphasize balance: Include regular time off, preferably two full days per week. Research shows that we are less productive when we push ourselves too hard or try to multitask. Taking care of yourself is key to long-term success. For example, you might decide to make Sundays and Wednesdays your days off, using them for rest, personal pursuits, and spending time with your own dogs.

Prioritize what matters: Make sure your schedule includes time for high-level business tasks that move you towards your goals, as well as personal activities that bring you joy and keep you energized. These tasks might include developing new training programs, marketing your business, or attending professional development workshops. On the personal side, it could be daily exercise, meditation, or a weekly hobby class.

Work with your natural rhythms: Pay attention to when you’re most productive for different types of tasks. For example, if you’re a morning person, schedule your most challenging or creative work for early in the day. You might find that you’re best at writing blog posts or developing training plans in the morning, while afternoon energy is perfect for client sessions.

Work ON your business, not just in it: Set aside at least three hours a week for big-picture tasks like marketing, financial planning or curriculum development. Don’t let these important activities get squeezed out by day-to-day operations. For instance, you might block out every Friday afternoon for business development tasks.

Creating your plan

When developing your schedule, remember that it’s not set in stone. As author Oliver Burkeman suggests, a plan is simply “a present moment statement of intent.” It’s a guide to help you use your time effectively, but it can and should be adjusted as needed.

For splitters, focus on implementation strategies. Your detailed plans are great, but make sure you have systems in place to follow through. This might include setting reminders, using a task management app, or having an accountability partner.

Lumpers should aim for a higher-level structure that provides direction without feeling restrictive. Consider using broad categories for your time rather than scheduling every minute. For example, you might designate mornings for client work, afternoons for business development, and evenings for personal time.

Slumpers might benefit from a mix of detailed planning for certain activities and more open-ended time blocks for others. You could schedule client sessions and important meetings precisely, but leave other time blocks more flexible.

Mastering time management takes practice and patience. Be willing to adjust your approach as you learn what works best for you and your business. Over time, you’ll develop a system that allows you to serve your canine clients and their humans, grow your business, and still have time for your furry friends at home.

THRIVE! is one way to get your schedule in order. Our curriculum includes step-by-step support to create a plan that works for you and your business.