A dogbiz University Course
Transition Planning for Dog Walkers

Leave your old job behind. Become a full-time dog walker.
You dream of trading in your current career for the life of a full-time dog walker, but can’t see how to get from here to there. How do you build a dog walking business while working to make a living?
This course shows you how. You’ll create a step-by-step transition plan from the work you do now to the freedom of walking dogs for a living. Get ready to put your frustrating job or unsatisfying career in your rear-view mirror.
Good-bye suit, hello sneakers! Good-bye cubicle, hello fresh air! Good-bye boss, hello dogs!
What you get:
- Engaging instruction from industry experts
- A step-by-step system for making your safe transition
- Course workbook for creating your personalized transition plan
- CEUs: 2 PPG/ 11 CCPDT
Transition Planning for Dog Walkers is a 4-module course:
Module 1: Is It Possible?
We begin with figuring out what your walking business will need to make, and how feasible that figure is. Also, what to do if the numbers don’t add up.
Module 2: Assess, Prioritize, Adjust
In this module we take a careful look at your situation—your current work, income, activities and responsibilities—to begin forming the parameters of your transition plan.
We also consider the business you’re trying to build, and how to set it up for maximum success and a shorter transition period.
Module 3: Lining Up Support
We work for as quick and sane a transition as possible by looking at a wide range of creative ways to take some pressure off while you’re making your move to full-time dog walking.
Module 4: Milestones & Marketing
This is the meat of your transition plan—the actual steps you’ll take, and how you’ll know it’s the right (and safe) time to take them. Plus how marketing works to get you there!
Dates
This is an on-demand class. Take at your pace, on your schedule.
Tuition
$145
Includes:
- 4 recorded lessons
- Course workbook
Recorded Modules
Pre-recorded lessons are available to take at your own speed.
Total course run time approximately 1 hour 45 minutes.
Course Workbook
Create your own personalized, step-by-step transition plan.
dogbiz founder Veronica Boutelle guides you step-by-step through the creation of your transition plan.
MA Ed., CTC
Founder, Consultant Lead, DWA Director

Veronica Boutelle, MA Ed., CTC
Founder, Consultant Lead, DWA Director
Veronica is the former Director of Behavior & Training for the San Francisco SPCA. She has been helping dog professionals create their dream businesses through dogbiz since 2003.
Veronica is the author of How to Run a Dog Business and The Business of Dog Walking, the co-author of Minding Your Dog Business, and writes for multiple industry journals, including regular business columns in PPG’s Barks from the Guild and APDT’s Chronicle of the Dog. She is a sought-after speaker at conferences and dog training schools across the country and internationally, teaching R+ dog pros how to help more dogs in countries ranging from North America to South America, Europe to Down Under.
Veronica has made good use of her previous career as a classroom teacher, teacher educator, and curriculum developer to bring more effective curriculum and instructional strategies to group dog training classes.
Fun Fact: Veronica grows much of her own food and is rarely seen at home without dirt under her fingernails.