with us!
The dog training business of your dreams is closer than you think
The dog training business of your dreams is closer than you think
A thriving R+ dog training business should give you more than a full calendar.
THRIVE! helps you do exactly that, whether you’re still sketching out your first services or you’ve been running your business for years.
“I’m feeling excited about my business, happy about the life I’m building, and confident that the services I am creating will help change the lives of the dogs and people I work with. Thanks, THRIVE!”
~ Logan
You know dogs. But nobody hands you a business manual when you become a dog trainer.
Alongside helping dogs and their people, suddenly you’re figuring out pricing, marketing, policies, schedules, sales, and approximately 47 other things you’d rather not be thinking about at 2am.
And because so many trainers work for themselves, there usually isn’t anyone in the next office to ask:
Maybe you’re just getting started and wondering what to tackle first.
Maybe inquiries are unpredictable.
Maybe you’re busy but not earning what you should be.
Maybe your business is doing well, but taking up far too much of your life.
Or maybe there’s a new service, project, or next step you’ve been meaning to tackle for months.
Without a clear way forward, it’s easy for another year to pass with the same questions still unanswered, the same income or enquiry problems hanging around, and the same projects still stuck on the list.
THRIVE! gives you the business skills, tools, and support to turn plans and dreams into action.
“I wish I would have found this three years ago and saved myself all the trial and error. Glad I’m here now!”
~ Elton
There’s no single right way to run a successful dog training business.
THRIVE! helps you create the version of success that works for you.
Book more of the clients you love
Stop the nail-biting swing between slow spells and frantic busy periods. Learn how to market and sell your services in ways that feel natural and bring in your perfect-fit clients.
Create services that sell and serve
Design, structure, and price services that work for your biz, bring you joy, and get your favorite clients signing up without hesitation—and following through on the work, too.
Work less, earn more, and get your life back
You don’t have to run yourself ragged to succeed. Shape your schedule, services, and policies so your business fuels your life, not the other way around.
Stop second-guessing yourself
Get clearer and more confident about pricing, marketing, sales, boundaries, services, and all those other business decisions nobody taught you how to make.
Finally launch your “someday” idea
That group class, premium package, new specialty service, first hire, or dream facility? THRIVE! helps you move it from “someday” to “done.”
“I only take clients three days per week now. It’s so possible! And very freeing. Thank you, THRIVE!”
~ Jenn
“I love how THRIVE! shows us that we can provide our services however we like.”
~ Sheelah
Choose the path that fits how you like to learn and the type of support you need.
“I like figuring things out on my own time.”
Get the full THRIVE! curriculum, practical business tools, and a guided path based on where your business is now.
Work through it at your own pace, or jump straight to the answer you need with Buddy, our searchable dogbiz bot.
“I want expert eyes on my business and people in my corner.”
Get everything in Essentials, plus live coaching, accountability, coworking, and an active community of R+ trainers who understand the realities of running a dog training business.
“THRIVE! Pro is my therapy! It is my trusted place to ask questions about my business and get solid answers I can rely on.”
~ Angela
Without a clear roadmap, it’s easy to keep tweaking the wrong thing, putting off the important thing, or spending hours trying to piece together advice that only half fits.
THRIVE! Essentials gives you a step-by-step process for building a profitable, sustainable dog training business.
Follow the success path created for your stage of business, or dip in whenever you need help with a particular challenge.
Plus, THRIVE! keeps evolving with new resources added based on the real-world challenges R+ trainers are facing.
“When you’re starting out but don’t know where to start – dogbiz has the answer! I love that I can work through it at my own pace, or search for the answers to those burning questions.”
~ Stephanie
“I’ve already learned so much and really appreciate the depth and honesty behind your content. I’ve applied many of the strategies and even rebuilt my website and restructured my services around what I learned.”
~ Olga
Investment: $35/month (billed monthly) or $32/month (billed annually at $385—get one month free!)
Pay monthly and cancel anytime.
You can have the right information, a great idea, and a pretty good sense of what needs fixing—and still find yourself saying:
I really need to get to that.
That’s where THRIVE! Pro is different.
THRIVE! Pro adds the live support, accountability, and community that can help you move from I really need to do that to DONE.
Everything in Essentials, plus people to help you make it happen.
Weekly live coaching
Learn directly from the experienced dogbiz coaches through practical, business-focused teaching designed for R+ trainers, with real examples, discussion, and plenty of opportunities to learn from what other members are working through, too.
Office Hours
Sometimes you don’t need a whole class. You need someone to look at your situation. Bring your specific questions, decisions, or sticking points for 1:1 guidance from a dogbiz coach, whether it’s pricing, marketing, client issues, policies, or that project that refuses to leave your to-do list.
THRIVE! Rooms
Brainstorm, troubleshoot, and get feedback on work-in-progress with coaches and fellow trainers focused on the same topic or challenge.
Get It DONE! sessions + Cafe Days
Guided work sessions designed for doing, not just learning. Work on your biz with structure, company, and help nearby when you need it – the perfect opportunity to clear your to-do list or tackle something big.
STRIVE! Teams
Small groups of trainers working on a similar goal or project, with ongoing accountability and a coach’s support to keep you moving.
The Hive
Our private R+ trainer community keeps the conversation and support going between sessions. Members share wins, ask difficult questions, swap ideas, and remind each other that running a business doesn’t have to be a solo sport.
THRIVE! Pro keeps evolving around what members need.
Templates, worksheets, checklists, and support docs
Scripts for sales, policies, coaching, and tricky conversations
Bonus sessions for timely topics and deeper dives
Guest presenters bringing fresh expertise and perspectives
Selected dogbiz University courses and workshops
Our biggest discounts on dogbiz products and services
“I don’t think there’s another community like this anywhere else! I’m so grateful to be here!”
~ Nicole
“I’ve been a member for 6 years and continue to evolve and grow. THRIVE! provides guidance, accountability, and an incredible community.”
~ Patrice
Investment: $65/month (billed quarterly at $195) or $60/month (billed annually at $715—get one month free!)
THRIVE! Pro is a 12-month membership, giving you the time and support to make meaningful changes while helping us protect the close, consistent community that makes Pro special.
Enrollment opens just once each year in November.
$35/month. Cancel any time.
You get:
Best if: You want expert dog-business guidance and prefer to work independently at your own pace.
$65/month. Annual commitment.
You get:
Best if: You want everything in Essentials plus live teaching, personalized support, accountability, and a real community at your back to help you do the work and make your dreams happen.
Pro enrollment opens for just 6 days each November.
We’ve helped thousands of R+ trainers start businesses, grow them, change them, rescue them from burnout, and shape them around the lives they want to live.
THRIVE! is led by dogbiz founders Veronica Boutelle and Gina Phairas, longtime R+ trainers and educators who have spent more than two decades helping dog pros around the globe build businesses they love.
Our team brings decades of experience in dog training, business strategy, coaching, education, and running dog-industry businesses.
In other words: you’re learning from people who understand both the dog side and the business side—and who know how complicated the overlap can be.
“The THRIVE! coaches are so helpful and supportive and I truly appreciate all you do for us.” ~ Amy
THRIVE! brings together R+ trainers from around the world. New trainers and 20-year veterans. Solo operators and growing teams. Neurodivergent trainers, trainers with disabilities, parents, career-changers, introverts, big personalities, and people who never had “business owner” in their original life plan.
THRIVE! is built for different brains, different lives, and different ways of running a business. It gives you room to learn, experiment, and build something that works for you.
Because knowing what to do and doing it are two different things. Here’s how we help you make progress:
THRIVE! member Ashley Badgley got her new business up and running in less than a year. Watch her tell how she did it.
THRIVE! member Jenn Fantasia overcame overwhelm and burnout by shifting her established business from what she felt she should do to what she really wanted, and hasn’t looked back! Watch Jenn tell her story.
One of our favorite things is seeing the wins roll in, from small breakthroughs to proper business-changing (and even life-changing) moments.
“I sold my first package from my new website this week!” ~ Jennifer
“I’m already getting more referrals from local vets [from my new marketing]. Working on tracking who’s referring and sending thank you notes!” ~ Kizz
“We raised our rates 33-50%!!! and it has been amazing. No dip in acceptance rate of new clients.” ~ Jake
“THANK YOU to THRIVE! who finally talked me into raising my rates. Now I have higher rates AND participate in a scholarship program to offer free training to those in need, so no guilt!” ~ Laura
“I finally stopped dragging my feet and launched my membership this week!” ~ Sam
“[Now that I’m making enough] I hired a VA!!!! Yay less admin work!” ~ Erin
“Said ‘No’ to a beloved long-time client who wanted recurring appointments on my admin days. We were able to find times that worked for both of us on my work days.” ~ Wendy
“In the last year I’ve made more time for travel, friends and family, pets, fun, and my business has only grown stronger. We’ve got this, guys!” ~ Kayla
“Wins this year – 3 solid employees and highest revenue ever.” ~ Georgette
“I’ve tripled my first year in business income in the last four months!” ~ Jenna
“I don’t stress like I use to; I feel confident in my abilities now.” — Heidi
“FINALLY feeling comfortable to step out into the light and follow the direction of my true self without feeling the need to compare or mask myself… I have found my way! THRIVE! played an immense role.” –Andrea
THRIVE! is for R+ trainers who want to build a business that brings in reliable income, supports the life they want to live, and lets them help dogs without burning out.
Whether you’re just starting out or decades into your career, THRIVE! helps you work toward what we call Stage 5: a business that’s profitable, joyful, sustainable, and yes, thriving.
THRIVE! covers the business skills most trainers never learned in school, including:
In short: the business skills you need to succeed, without having to earn an MBA.
I don’t have a business yet? Come on in. You don’t need an established business to start building good foundations.
I’ve been in business for years? Absolutely. THRIVE! members range from new trainers to professionals with decades of experience.
I train animals other than dogs? Yes. If you train cats, horses, birds, or other animals using R+ methods, you’re welcome and will find others doing the same you can connect with.
I’m outside the U.S.? Definitely. THRIVE! members live all over the world, including North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, and Africa.
I use aversive or balanced methods? THRIVE! is for trainers committed to the exclusive use of positive, force-free training.
Whatever stage you’re at, THRIVE! members share a desire to run businesses they love, spread positive training methods, and support each other along the way.
Essentials: $35/month or $385/year, which gives you one month free.
Pro: $65/month, billed quarterly, or $715/year, which gives you one month free.
Your rate stays locked in for as long as you remain a member, even when prices increase later.
Essentials: Pay monthly and cancel anytime. If you choose the annual option, you’re committing for 12 months.
Pro: THRIVE! Pro is a 12-month commitment.
That gives you time to make meaningful, lasting changes and helps us protect what makes Pro special: a connected, consistent community of R+ trainers who show up for themselves and each other.
Essentials: Anytime. As in, right now. We’d love to have you.
Pro: Enrollment opens just once a year in November, and only for six days. Join the waitlist to be the first to know when doors open.
Essentials is your self-paced THRIVE! experience. You get the curriculum, guided learning paths, tools and resources, plus Buddy to help you find the answers you need.
Pro includes everything in Essentials, plus more hands-on support:
Essentials is a great fit if you want to:
Pro is a great fit if you:
Still unsure? Essentials is a great place to start, and you can move into Pro when enrollment opens if you decide you want more support.
We’d love to have you both. There’s no extra charge for business partners to participate in THRIVE! together.
In THRIVE!, you’re never behind.
You’ll probably have times when you’re highly involved and others when business or life gets busy and you need to slow down. That’s completely fine.
THRIVE! isn’t about doing everything. It’s about using the support and resources that make the biggest difference for you, wherever you are in your business.
No problem. Pro members can access recordings, audio, and transcripts, so you can catch up in whatever way fits your schedule.
The THRIVE! Hub and its materials are available to active members. If your membership ends, your access ends, too.
On average, members stay for around two years, and many stay much longer. A good number have been with THRIVE! since it launched in 2020.
Members tell us they stay because they continue finding value in consistently improving, protecting, and enjoying their businesses, and because they value being part of a supportive community of R+ trainers.
Think about the kinds of changes members make inside THRIVE!: adjusting their pricing, improving a service, filling a few more class spots, or finally launching the offer they’ve been sitting on. It doesn’t take a dramatic business transformation for the numbers to start adding up.
And the value can go well beyond that. We’ve seen members increase their income, reduce their working hours, create more sustainable businesses, and fall back in love with their work.
Once you can see that it’s possible, the real question is whether you’re ready to make the changes that could move your business forward.
Choose the kind of support that works for you.
Pro opens for just 6 days once a year in November. Join the waitlist to be first in line.
Just ask! Our friendly client support manager Deborsha will be happy to point you in the right direction. (You can trust her—she’s a dog person.)
Or give us a call: 510.525.2547