All tagged training

523: From Touch to Trust: Building Better Dog Relationships with Garrett Stevens

523: From Touch to Trust: Building Better Dog Relationships with Garrett Stevens

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What are the silent ways dogs communicate with us? In this episode, Garrett Stevens, owner of Stevens Family Kennels and Dog Language Center, dives into the four pillars of dog language: touch, space, movement, and energy. He emphasizes the importance of non-verbal communication in understanding and managing canine behavior. Garrett also shares practical tips for conducting behavioral assessments and creating a balanced, calm environment for dogs. Ultimately, he reminds us that between a stimulus and a response, there is a space where meaningful change can happen

515: The Power of Membership Models in Pet Care with Traci Bisson

515: The Power of Membership Models in Pet Care with Traci Bisson

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Traci Bisson, founder of Golden Dog Adventure Company and Start a Dog Walking Club, shares how she transitioned from a corporate marketing job to founding a professional pet sitting company and eventually Golden Dog Adventure Company, which has a very unique model. She delves into the concept of dog walking clubs, fostering a sense of community among pet owners, and the benefits of a membership model. Addressing the needs of reactive dogs and their owners, Traci highlights the importance of creating inclusive and supportive environments for all.

485: Creating Client-Centered Services with Hannah Alsup

485: Creating Client-Centered Services with Hannah Alsup

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What does it mean to create a client-centered pet care service? Hannah Alsup, from Three Dog Pet, explores how to incorporate a wide range of services to meet the unique needs of each client. From pet sitting and personal assistance to dog training, Hannah explains how personalized communication and flexible services can empower clients to make informed decisions about their pets. She also touches on the importance of setting boundaries for both clients and staff, while offering tips on integrating mental stimulation and training into pet care routines.

451: Offering Pet Detective Services with Annalisa Berns

451: Offering Pet Detective Services with Annalisa Berns

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Ever wondered what it takes to be a pet detective and how you could add it as a service to your business? Annalisa Burns, The Pet Detective, sheds light on the unique skills and training required for pet search and rescue. She discusses the challenges and emotional aspects of tracking lost pets, emphasizing the critical role of understanding animal behavior. She shares about the growing demand for pet detective services across the U.S., and ways to add it as a service, or a grow a business around it.

398: Risky Business?

398: Risky Business?

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What risks have you taken on in your business? While running a dog walking and pet sitting business is inherently risky, as the business owner you have control over the amount of risk and exposure you take on. We walk through the steps in a risk assessment and the questions to consider as you review the threats to your business. We also share how to know if the mitigation processes you’ve put in place are actually working.

348: Staffing Struggles

348: Staffing Struggles

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Have you had issues with staffing? 2022 may very well be defined by the labor market flipping to empowering employees. This has meant hiring and retaining staff has been difficult, especially as a small business. From competing on wages, to connecting with mission, job applicants are able to be very picky. We break down how we’ve changed our processes and have been investing in existing staff. Having staff will continue to be a major issue into the new year, and we have to prepare for it. 

324: When You Struggle to Keep Going

324: When You Struggle to Keep Going

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Have you ever wanted to give up on your business? Challenges happen, no matter how long you’ve been in business. Facing challenges means assessing how we are doing, so we can handle it appropriately. When we start feeling like quitting and giving up on our business, there are things we can walk through to gain clarity. We break down six things to ask yourself and work through and why you should not isolate yourself in times of struggle.

299: The Key to Great Communication with Chrissy Neumyer Smith

299: The Key to Great Communication with Chrissy Neumyer Smith

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Are you great at communicating with your clients? Chrissy Neumyer Smith, host of the Creating Great Grooming Dogs podcast, sheds light on what it takes to ask great questions of our clients. Chrissy explains the importance of using the right words and definitions for clear communication so we can give the right care. She also gives us the four questions we should ask everyone before we start services with them, and how it's ok to assume the dog may have issues that need to be addressed. Chrissy shares the relationship between behavior issues in dogs and burnout in the pet care industry, and what we can do about it!

287: Continuing to Adapt with Miguel Rodriguez

287: Continuing to Adapt with Miguel Rodriguez

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How do we continue to pivot, adapt, and overcome challenges in business? Miguel Rodriguez, owner of City Dog Pack, joins us to share how he continues to apply lessons from Covid to the way her operate his business. From slimming down the number of staff he oversees, to tackling dog training and coaching via Zoom, Miguel has learned to let things go that don't help him on his mission. He also shares how he uses social media as his only marketing tool, and why we should be reading more!

271: Equipping Your Clients with Tami Guy

271: Equipping Your Clients with Tami Guy

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Tami Guy, owner of Creatures Pet Care in Kalamazoo, uses her background in zookeeping, and educating, to teach her clients all things pet care. Tami shares how she continues to learn from her staff when it comes to running her business. From equipping them with knowledge to providing membership opportunities, she dives into what it means to help pet parents live their best life with their pets.

258: Working at the Pace of Dog with Jen Walmsley

258: Working at the Pace of Dog with Jen Walmsley

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Jen Walmsley is a trainer and dog walker in Bedford and operates Fetch Club, with a mission to provide top quality mental and physical stimulation to her clients. She shares how the growth of her business helped her be more creative and why hiring was so important to her. We also discuss what it means to focus on training fundamentals and how she makes her group walks function.

257: Onboarding and Training Staff

257: Onboarding and Training Staff

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It’s now time for you to bring your new hire into your company and help them feel like they belong. You need them to feel valued and part of your company, which takes time and intentionality on your part. Onboarding and training staff can feel daunting, but planning out the first six months to one year for them will help you make sure they’re on track and you don’t miss anything that will leave them hanging. Then, Natasha answers, “How do I become a better manager?”

254: Beyond Training with Garrett Stevens

254: Beyond Training with Garrett Stevens

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Do you speak dog? Garrett Stevens has spent his life trying to understand what the animals around him are saying. Garrett owns Stevens Family Kennels and Dog Language Center, and questions everything when it comes to dog training and behavior. The use of touch is extremely important in a dog’s control of their environment and gives us clues as to what they need. Garrett gives advice on assessing whether a dog is mature and how to foster a better relationship with them. Your clients are looking for family members, not robots, which means we get to help them find balance.

197: Leadership of Self with Gila Kurtz

197: Leadership of Self with Gila Kurtz

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When most of us think about leadership, we tend to think of what it means to bring others together and work toward a common goal. However, leadership actually starts with leading ourselves. Self leadership is based on habit formation, discipline, and follow through. When we are self-aware enough to ask, ‘Who am I right now and who do I need to become?’, we start the process of growing and expanding ourselves. Gila Kurtz, dog trainer and owner of Dog Is Good, shares why self leadership is so important in pet care and what it means to overcome the limiting beliefs that hold us back. Gila shares why setting goals for ourselves can be so hard and recognize the need for growth. We also discuss how being better at self leadership makes us better at leading others.

193: Reactive and Aggressive Dogs with Rene Smith

193: Reactive and Aggressive Dogs with Rene Smith

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Reactivity and aggression in dogs can take many forms. From resource guarding to separation anxiety, as pet professionals, we should be mindful of the context and history of the pets we are working with. Rene Smith, owner of Street Dog Rehab, started off with a passion for dogs, but got in over her head. After learning how to be a dog trainer, she’s dedicated her life to helping dogs stay in their forever home. Rene shares common signs of aggression, ways we can help clients and their pets through aggression, and why consistency is key. We discuss how to help dogs self-regulate and what it means to build a sacred bond between the pet and their owner.

187: Helping Clients Bond with Their Pets with Cherie Marquez

187: Helping Clients Bond with Their Pets with Cherie Marquez

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How do we help deepen the relationship between the client and their pet? With the pet craze in full swing and many owners struggling to connect with their new family member, pet professionals can help guide their clients into a deeper bond with their pets. Cherie Marquez, The Dog Mystic, is passionate about keeping pets in their forever home through education, training, and building trust. Cherie encourages us to set aside the technology and be present in the moment to focus on the pets around us. She also shares some awesome techniques to teach our clients how to deal with separation anxiety.

138: Back to Basics- Dog Walking

138: Back to Basics- Dog Walking

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The biggest change to the pet care industry this year has been mid-day dog walks. On our last Back to Basics episode, we discuss how dog walkers have pivoted, dog walking safety, and things you should remember when out with pups. Plus, Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do you do a year end review?”

104- Setting Yourself Apart

104- Setting Yourself Apart

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There are thousands of pet care providers across the world so, many times we are left wondering how we can set ourselves apart from the pet sitter down the street. On this episode we dive into what it looks like to make yourself stand out in this industry.

101 - Elise Proctor with Canine Company

101 - Elise Proctor with Canine Company

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On episode 101, Elise Proctor, owner of Canine Company, shares how her experiences with her own reactive dogs shaped her pet care business. Elise started her own training groups to be more inclusive and welcoming to owners of reactive dogs, and works hard to meet and set proper expectations with her clients. She also wrote a book about her best stories of being a dog walker to help shine the light on the life a pet sitter.

097- Robin Bennett from The Dog Gurus

097- Robin Bennett from The Dog Gurus

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Robin Bennett, from the Dog Gurus, joins us to talk all about safety and day cares! Whether you’ve been operating a daycare for 10 years or haven’t eve started yet, Robin has something for you. From being careful about zoning in your area to screening dogs, Robin shares some great information that we can all learn from.

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