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with us!

A dogbiz group coaching membership for R+ trainers worldwide

Start or grow your dog training business and enjoy work/life balance with the support of dogbiz coaches and a like-minded community of positive trainers from around the globe.

Join the THRIVE! waitlist

We open to new members only once per year.

Join our waitlist to ensure first access next time we open.

(We’ll gift you a free subscription to our Monthly Minute biz tips while you wait, plus waitlist-only sneak peeks.)

 

Let’s THRIVE together!

We only accept new members one week each year—and that’s right now! 
 
You don’t have to strive alone— join us today.
 
Enrollment for 2024 ends November 14.
If so, please tell us who so we can celebrate them.
 

For 20 years our business has been to help yours succeed.
This is our favorite way to do it.

We’ve designed THRIVE! to support you and your dog training business every step of the way toward your goals and dreams.

You don’t have to struggle with questions. We’ve got the answers.

You don’t have to figure it out on your own. We’ve got a proven pathway.

You don’t have to do it alone. We’re stronger together.

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What it means to THRIVE!

We have six goals for all THRIVE! members:

1

Make your living as a dog trainer

Enjoy a reliable income and a full waitlist. No more swinging between nail-biting slow times and frenzied busy periods.

2

Enjoy your ideal work/life balance

Work less while you make more. Take weekends and vacations, spend time with your own dog, and banish burnout.

3

Run your business with confidence

Price, market, and sell your services with ease. No more nervous stomach and imposter syndrome.

4

Turn your ideas into reality

Imagine amazing things, then make them happen. Your coaches will guide you, and fellow members will cheer you on.

5

Make a real difference for dogs

Go to bed each night knowing you're changing dogs' lives. Leave the stress of a struggling biz and poor training outcomes behind.

6

Enjoy a supportive community

Take bold action with support from a community of like-minded force-free trainers. Put an end to isolation, doubt, and uncertainty.

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How the program works

Every member THRIVES! their own way. Here are some of the key features you’ll have access to. Use them all or pick and choose what works best for you!

Weekly group coaching sessions

In these lively Zoom sessions built around a monthly theme we share our best teaching and tips for building and enjoying a thriving R+ dog training business.

All coaching sessions are recorded, with easy access to revisit

Support to get things done

THRIVE! is more than just instruction and business strategies—it’s about moving forward on your goals. Here are some of the ways we help you turn your dreams and ideas into reality:

  • Get It DONE! sessions
    Check essential tasks off your to-do list during these guided, step-by-step interactive work sessions.
  • Cafe Days
    Bring whatever needs doing to these fun, productive co-working sessions; the coaches are on hand if you need us, too.
  • THRIVE! Rooms
    Join these topic-driven support sessions to brainstorm a project, get help with a problem, or gather feedback on an idea or work-in-progress
  • Office Hours
    Bring whatever you’re working on, whatever’s on your mind, anything holding you up, and get guidance from a dogbiz coach
  • STRIVE! Teams
    Join a small group of fellow members for ongoing support around a shared goal, business feature, project, or topic of interest.

Private, closed members-only FB group

Get feedback, seek support, and keep the discussion going all week with your committed peers. We spend time with you there, too.

Extras

We roll out bonus resources as we go, inspired by member suggestions, questions, and needs.

Things like:

Articles, e-books, and support docs like checklists, templates, and worksheets

Scripts for policies, sales, challenging client conversations, coaching, and more

Bonus sessions

Guest presenters

Access to lessons from dogbiz University classes and workshops

Our biggest discounts on all dogbiz products and services

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Membership fees & session schedule

Membership fees​

THRIVE! membership is only $65/month, all program features inclusive. 

There is no minimum monthly commitment.

Fees are subject to yearly increase, but yours are locked in for as long as you remain a member.

THRIVE! session schedule

Every Thursday

Two sections to choose from:
9am Pacific/ 12pm Eastern
1pm Pacific/ 4pm Eastern

Our members join in from all around the world.

Convert to your time zone here  >>

Sessions are recorded and made available by video, audio, and transcript.

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What members say about their THRIVE! experience:

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“Finding more time for my own dogs and seeing their happy faces because of it!”

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“This has been my best year of business in many years!”

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“I finally have enough clients to buy a file cabinet!”

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“I quit my day job to focus on private training!”

Play Video

THRIVE! member Ashley Badgley got her new business up and running in less than a year. Watch her tell how she did it.

Play Video

THRIVE! member Rick Pisani finally found the community he’s craved throughout his 20 years as a trainer. Watch Rick explain what it’s done for him and his business.

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“So grateful for this group. Gave me the confidence to say ‘no’ when [I needed to].”

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“I am going to start virtual classes with families that have fearful dogs. It makes perfect sense but I would not have done it if not for THRIVE!”

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“I’m set for my taking my business into my ‘semi-retirement.’ With dog*biz’ help, I’m financially comfortable!”

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“I am having clients extend training sessions like crazy! We hit the goals and then they want to do more!”

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“I’m pretty sure you ladies are covering a minimum of one business class semester in one session.”

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“I’m booked for private sessions for the next month! This would not have been possible without this group. Y’all rock! Thank you!”

Play Video

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.

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“I actually turned away a potential client [who wasn’t a good fit]. I don’t think I would have had the courage to do so before this group.”

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“My BEST win is becoming part of an AMAZING group of positive trainers who support each other, brainstorm the greatest ideas to help one another, led by the exceptional team at dogbiz.”

Join the THRIVE! waitlist

We open to new members only once per year.

Join our waitlist to ensure first access next time we open.

(We’ll gift you a free subscription to our Monthly Minute biz tips while you wait, plus waitlist-only sneak peeks.)

 

Let’s THRIVE together!

We only accept new members one week each year—and that’s right now! 
 
You don’t have to strive alone— join us today.
 
Enrollment for 2024 ends November 14.
If so, please tell us who so we can celebrate them.
 
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Get your questions—big and small—answered

Don’t let unanswered questions lead to doubt or keep you from moving forward.

As a THRIVE! member, you’ll always have a safe place to get the answers and guidance you need.

We’ll make sure you have real answers to burning questions like:

How do I start my dog training business? What do I need to set it up?

How do I grow my dog training business? How do I get more clients?

Could I work with only puppies or behavior or focus on cooperative care?

How do I go from part-time to full-time dog training?

How do I get in control of my schedule?

How do I come back from burnout?

How do I find more clients I love working with?

How much should I charge for my training services and classes?

How do I price online dog training?

How much can I make as a dog trainer?

What’s the best dog training marketing?

What is the best insurance for dog trainers?

What should be in my dog training contract?

How do I get clients and students to stop canceling or skipping sessions?

How do I get students and clients to do their homework?

How do I create curriculum for my online or in person training programs and classes?

How do I know what to work on first or next?

Can I make a living as a dog trainer without working nights and weekends? (Here’s a freebie: The answer is Yes!!)

Can I make enough money as a dog trainer to feed my family, pay my mortgage, and someday retire? (Another freebie: Yes!)

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Get support every step of the way toward your goals

Find your best ideas

Have a cool idea for a new class or service, but need some help with the details? Feel stuck in a rut and ready for a new direction? As part of THRIVE!’s collective brain trust, you’ll never be short on ideas, inspiration, or supportive input.

Implement your plans with confidence

Ideas are all well and good—but only if they get done. If you struggle to move yours from concept to reality, THRIVE! is the perfect place to get the strategies, support, and structure you need to make things happen.

Create awesome training services

Learn what makes private and class training services most successful for your business, clients, students, and dogs. Fine-tune your service structures and packaging, elevate your curriculum, and advance your teaching and coaching skills.

Make the hard stuff easy

Which parts of your business hold you back? Sales? Pricing? Marketing? Setting an enforcing policies? We’ll help you master these sticking points and enjoy newfound confidence.

Handle the unexpected with ease

Speaking of confidence, we want you to feel ready for whatever comes your way. Whether it’s inclement weather, illness, a sudden increase in space rental fees, or a difficult conversation with a challenging client, we’ll help you build a sustainable business and problem solve any challenge. 

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You don’t have to struggle toward your goals alone

Together, we’re WAY more than the sum of our parts.

Access to dogbiz coaches

Enjoy a level of ongoing support from dogbiz coaches usually only available through private consulting. 

Shared experience and ideas

Become part of a R+ brain trust. Answer questions, solve  problems, execute ideas– and help others do the same.

A like-minded community

Trade in isolation for the support and cheerleading of your R+ training peers and dogbiz coaches.

Accountability and structure

Working alone is hard. Weekly  sessions, concrete steps, and a supportive structure keep you moving.

Join the THRIVE! waitlist

We open to new members only once per year.

Join our waitlist to ensure first access next time we open.

(We’ll gift you a free subscription to our Monthly Minute biz tips while you wait, plus waitlist-only sneak peeks.)

 

Let’s THRIVE together!

We only accept new members one week each year—and that’s right now! 
 
You don’t have to strive alone— join us today.
 
Enrollment for 2024 ends November 14.
If so, please tell us who so we can celebrate them.
 
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Meet your coaches & support team

Veronica Boutelle,
MA Ed., CTC

dogbiz co-founder Veronica Boutelle is the author of the go-to business book for dog trainers, How To Run a Dog Business: Putting Your Career Where Your Heart Is, writes regular business columns for multiple industry journals including those of PPG, APDT US, APDT AUS, and APDT NZ, and has traveled the world teaching R+ dog trainers how to make a living doing what they love. Her international speaking and teaching engagements include appearances at APDT US, AUS, and NZ conferences, PPG summits, and as a Clicker Expo faculty member, as well as private education for leading R+ dog training schools such as The Academy for Dog Trainers, Karen Pryor Academy, and CATCH Canine Trainers Academy.

Having dedicated over 20 years of her career to the success of R+ dog trainers, Veronica cares deeply about delivering the most effective guidance possible to see individual dog training businesses and our industry reach new heights.

Gina Phairas,
BSc Comms, CTC

Gina Phairas helped co-found dogbiz back in 2003 and has since been responsible for many of our best ideas and innovations. Gina’s primary focus these days is creating curriculum for and providing support to our THRIVE! members. She also regularly shares dog business wisdom at dog training conferences and seminars, including those held by PPG and APDT, and as Clicker Expo faculty.

In response to COVID-19 Gina led the dogbiz team through a deep brainstorm and exploration of ideas for how to best use our resources, expertise, and 20 years of business coaching experience to help R+ dog trainers both survive and thrive through this crisis and beyond. The celebrated Survive and Thrive program was our answer to that challenge. Having experienced the power of group coaching to end trainer isolation and catapult trainers to faster success reaching their goals, we created THRIVE!

Tia Guest,
KPA CTP, CPDT-KA, ACABC

Tia is dogbiz’ lead business coach, helping dogbiz clients start, build, and run their dream businesses. Tia has been a professional dog trainer and instructor for over two decades, with experience in virtually all facets of the dog services industry. Tia was the first and founding director of the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior, assisting in creating its flagship Dog Trainer Professional course. She also played a central role in creating the Victoria Stilwell Academy curriculum. Tia is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, a Certified Animal Behavior Consultant with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, a Level 2 TAGteacher through TAGteach International, a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, and a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator for the American Kennel Club.

Tia understands what it means to start and run a dog business, having opened a daycare, training, and boarding facility in 1999 when dog daycare was practically unheard of. Sold in 2004, that business continues to thrive. Today, Tia revels in helping fellow dog professionals do the same through her work as a dogbiz’ Lead Business Consultant and as a THRIVE! coach.

Delphi Colman,
Member Success Coordinator

Delphi lives and breathes for our THRIVE! members. She is the go-to for all member needs and is constantly brainstorming and adding ways to ensure their success and support. She answers questions and provides resources, tracks member success data, reaches out to individual members in times of struggle, sends weekly emails to make sure members know what’s coming up and what’s just gone down, asks the hard questions that keep the dogbiz team on our toes and doing our best work for the trainers we serve. She’ll be the first to welcome you and ensure you enjoy a smooth onboarding experience. She’ll check in to see that you’re comfortable and thriving. She’ll be there whenever you need anything. And you’ll find that she does it all with a constant smile.

Delphi’s background as a certified dog trainer and dog walker plus her years in hospitality make her uniquely suited to her job. She also brings an international perspective to our team as a Brit living as an Aussie who’s traveled worldwide.

Deborsha Lashway,
Operations Manager

Deborsha makes sure all THRIVE! systems are go and running smoothly. Need help with a technical or service question, request, or need? She’s right there. THRIVE! members also know and love her for her musical selections—it’s Deborsha who welcomes members every week with tunes to get us in the mood to rock and roll our businesses.

Before joining dogbiz nearly 20 years ago Deborsha help administration management positions in the healthcare industry. She says dog trainers are way more fun than doctors and researchers.

Join the THRIVE! waitlist

We open to new members only once per year.

Join our waitlist to ensure first access next time we open.

(We’ll gift you a free subscription to our Monthly Minute biz tips while you wait, plus waitlist-only sneak peeks.)

 

Let’s THRIVE together!

We only accept new members one week each year—and that’s right now! 
 
You don’t have to strive alone— join us today.
 
Enrollment for 2024 ends November 14.
If so, please tell us who so we can celebrate them.
 
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THRIVE! FAQ

THRIVE! is a group coaching membership for R+ trainers who want support and community as they start, grow, and run their businesses. The program focuses on helping members enjoy successful businesses and genuine work/life balance.

THRIVE! is built around a revolving year-round curriculum designed to guide members step-by-step through the topics and practices that make a successful, sustainable business. Each month focuses on a specific business area, with lively weekly teaching sessions via Zoom. This core curriculum is backed up by a variety of support features members can take advantage of, such as office hours with the coaches and 24/7 support through the private members-only FB group.

But it’s much more than that. It’s also a community. Members actively support each other, celebrating wins and progress and cheerleading through challenges and moments of doubt or fear. That’s where the real magic happens.

We welcome professional dog trainers from all around the world who are:

— At any stage of their business (from start-up to 20+ years in, from struggling to rocking it)

— Committed to using only force-free or positive reinforcement training

— Committed to treating each other with the same approach. Our members actively support each other and celebrate each other’s successes as much as their own.

You’re welcome to join! Our members are at every stage of business, including just starting.

You’ll be in good company among other trainers in your situation, plus you’ll benefit from the experience of trainers who have been running their businesses for years or even decades. We also have special features to support members in start-up mode.

We’d love to have you! We have members who have been running businesses for two years and for two decades.

Whether you’re in business but struggling to get where you want to go, or you’re rocking it financially but feeling frazzled or burnt out, or you’re just tired of running your business in a vacuum, THRIVE! is designed to get you to what we call a Stage 5 business—one that’s financially successful, deeply enjoyable, and affords you the life/work balance you want.

Right now, THRIVE! costs $65 per month. The fee generally increases yearly, but when you join you lock in at the current rate. Your membership fee will always stay the same as long as you remain a member.

Yes. You have the option of paying monthly or yearly. (Paying yearly gets you one month free.) Your fees are charged automatically.

There is no minimum commitment; if you give THRIVE! a try and find it’s not for you, you can cancel at any time with a simple email.

It varies, but most members stay at least a full curriculum year, and many stay on for multiple years for two reasons: 1. To continue building and fine-tuning their businesses and protect their progress and success. 2. For the support and camaraderie of the community.

We can’t make that decision for you, but based on the success our members are achieving, we certainly think so!

Here’s something to consider: At only $65 per month, if you learn and execute just one single good idea that brings you a couple of extra clients across the entire year, you’ll have made money on your investment. (But if you’re like a typical THRIVE! member, you’ll do far, far better than that!)

Based on our 20 years of helping R+ dog trainers build and enjoy their businesses, we’ve developed a curriculum that covers all aspects of running a successful business.

The THRIVE! curriculum includes:

  • creating training services that serve your business, your clients, and their dogs
  • strategic pricing for your services
  • stress-free marketing that works to bring the clients you most want to your door
  • crafting a website that sets you apart and sells for you
  • mastering your sales and onboarding process
  • setting and enforcing policies that protect your business, honor your schedule, and promote training success for people and dogs
  • creating shared expectations around trainer and client/student roles and responsibilities
  • encouraging buy-in for homework and human behavioral change
  • handling challenging client moments and tricky conversations
  • curriculum and coaching for real-life success
  • hiring and managing employees
  • time management and organization
  • project planning and execution
  • battling burnout and imposter syndrome
  • creating and protecting work/life balance

And quite a bit more—in short, the THRIVE! curriculum is designed to help you fashion a business and life you love as an R+ dog trainer.

The live sessions are recorded and placed in the Hub—where members access everything. You can watch the replays, listen to the audio on the go, or download a transcript to read—whatever works best for you.

As we say in THRIVE!, you aren’t meant to do ALL THE THINGS. The program offers far more than any member can likely take advantage of.

We provide more than you need so you can choose the combination of sessions and support features that best support your goals and suit your learning style and schedule.

Members find that taking advantage of even a small portion of what’s on offer is more than worth their monthly investment.

All members THRIVE! at their own pace. You’ll probably have times when you’re actively involved and others where you need to slow down. That’s fine. You have access to everything when you need it.

And as members learn, you aren’t meant to do ALL THE THINGS in THRIVE! We’ve priced the program so that you get tremendous value no matter how many or how few features you use. We’ll help you identify which parts of the program best fit your goals and speed.

No. The Hub—where all recordings and curriculum materials live—is for members only.

Absolutely. We’d love to have you both. There’s no extra charge to join THRIVE! together.

That’s awesome! Many members train other species, including cats, horses, rabbits, birds, and pigs. They’d be thrilled to meet you!

Yes, it is. THRIVE! is for trainers committed to the sole use of force-free or positive training.

We do! Our international community includes trainers from across the United States and Canada, as well as Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, and Africa.

Wherever THRIVE! members hail from, they have these things in common: a desire to run a business they love, a dedication to spreading positive training, and a commitment to supporting each other.

Join the THRIVE! waitlist

We open to new members only once per year.

Join our waitlist to ensure first access next time we open.

(We’ll gift you a free subscription to our Monthly Minute biz tips while you wait, plus waitlist-only sneak peeks.)

 

Let’s THRIVE together!

We only accept new members one week each year—and that’s right now! 
 
You don’t have to strive alone— join us today.
 
Enrollment for 2024 ends November 14.
If so, please tell us who so we can celebrate them.