Image

Archive for Dog training

Do You Feel Like You’re Just Treading Water in Your Business?

By Professional Dog Trainer · Comments (0) · Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012

Too often small business owners have a great idea, and are great at what they do, but don’t know how to take their business to the next level. This article can’t possibly tell you everything that you need to do to get to that next level, but we can tell you where to start!

You start with your vision. In ten years, how do you envision yourself spending your time? If you’re currently in your twenties, you may see yourself running a full-service dog facility with a staff, a spouse and 2 kids. If you’re currently in your late forties, you may see yourself phasing out of the dog training field – no classes, and privates for your specialty, only; and charging a great deal of money because you are recognized as an expert in this specialty. Or, you may want to stay small, doing one or two classes a week and a few privates, taking vacations when you want. As some anonymous wise man once said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” It really doesn’t matter what you want, as long as you KNOW what you want.

This vision is your primary aim; it’s why you’re in business at all – so you can achieve the lifestyle you want. To determine your primary aim, you have to do some soul searching. You have to articulate and then put in writing the things you don’t want in life, and the things you do want. You have to identify the barriers that are preventing you from having those things you do want. These barriers may be external, physical barriers (like limited income); they may be internal, emotional barriers (such as low self-esteem); or, they may simply be counter-productive habits you’ve developed (like poor time management).

Take the time to actually write down the vision you have for your future and how you want to be perceived by others; what do you want people to say about you when you’re not around. Once you’ve articulated your vision, boil it down to its essence and write it out in two-to-three sentences. This vision should go in your business plan – it should be something you refer to often (monthly). Keep it in mind and always be working toward that vision. If you find yourself being sidetracked (which you will!), having that written vision will help bring you back on track; or, it may be that you need to revise your vision, and that’s ok – as long as you have a vision that is at the core of what you want.

Comments (0)
Categories : Running a Dog Consulting Business
Tags : , , , ,

What Does Schooling to Become a Dog Trainer Entail?

By Professional Dog Trainer · Comments (0) · Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

This is a great question! If you want to become a professional dog trainer, your logical starting point is a school for dog trainers. But what does that mean? Currently, there is no standard curriculum for dog trainers, so you really have to do your research and find out what the school you are interested in is really teaching.

There is a whole body of knowledge about how animals learn – it’s called learning theory. We’ve been studying these principles for years (remember Pavlov and Skinner?). These are well established principles of learning and every dog training school should devote a significant portion of their curriculum to these learning principles.

It’s also important that a good school address business issues. Most people who become professional dog trainers will be in business for themselves. Now, the school doesn’t have to give you the equivalent of a business degree, but they should cover basics of how to set up and run a small business, professionalism and marketing.

Dog behavior is also a very important part of a good curriculum. There’s a lot of misinformation about dog behavior floating around – some of it is just plain wrong, some of it is not relevant to training. New trainers need to be able to critically assess behavior and make good decisions about how to go about changing that behavior. In order to do that, you need to understand both dog behavior and the principles of learning.

And, of course, how to train a dog is essential. But – I would hope EVERY school that trains dog trainers would have this component!

If you’d like to learn more about how to become a dog trainer, please visit https://becomeaprofessionaldogtrainer.com.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Comments (0)
Categories : Dog Training Industry
Tags : , , , , , ,

ADVANCE YOUR DOG TRAINING CAREER WITH COMMUNITY EVENTS

By Professional Dog Trainer · Comments (0) · Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

I had the best time, yesterday! I gave the last lecture in a series presented at the University of Texas, Austin called “Wolf to Dog.” The series was comprised of the following topics:

  • The Nature of Wolves & Dogs
  • The Nature of Wolf Evolution
  • The Nature of Wolf Transformation to Dog
  • The Nature of Ice Age Human Hunters
  • The Nature of Hunter & Scavenger
  • Discussion with a Dog Behavior Consultant

I’m the Dog Behavior Consultant! We did actual case studies, using the attendees’ animals. We resolved simple problems such as the cat who wants the owner to scratch her ears and lift her onto the eating table; the Shih Tzu who jumps on people at the door, and runs away when called. It’s always great fun to use operant learning in order to change yourself and others – owners always think it’s about animal! The lady with the cat mentioned that this cat is not as smart as her other cat. I had to ask her which cat was really smarter – which cat is getting his ears scratched and being lifted onto the food table?

While resolving these problems, I was able to weave in basic information on dog behavior and learning principles. A good time was had by all! Although I don’t do much consulting anymore, I do enjoy these types of presentations, because they’re fun and you are able to help both people and dogs.

However, as a behavior consultant, don’t overestimate the good that reaching out to your community can do for your business. A presentation such as this reaches an affluent, well educated focus group – just the clientele we’re looking for. And, if they learn from your presentation and are impressed with your style and ability, they’ll spread the word.

Think about your market niche, find community groups that serve that niche and offer to do a presentation. These groups are often looking for speakers, so should welcome you with open arms!

If you do not feel comfortable speaking in front of an audience, consider joining a group such as Toastmasters. Toastmasters is a non-profit group which specializes in public speaking. They have many groups around the country – some are very business-like, while others are into having a good time – you should be able to find a group that suits your needs.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Comments (0)
Categories : Running a Dog Consulting Business
Tags : , ,

Professional Dog Trainers Can Help Prevent Animal Hoarding

By Professional Dog Trainer · Comments (0) · Thursday, February 10th, 2011

I subscribe to a news service which I browse through everyday. Today, there was a story about a woman whose property was deemed unfit for human habitation because of the number of dogs she had living in her house; additionally, the woman is being brought up on charges related to hoarding. When I clicked on the story, related story icons popped up on the same page. As a professional dog trainer, you can help dogs stay in their original homes through training and educating the public on dog behavior and responsible dog ownership.

If you’d like to learn more about how to become a dog trainer, please visit https://becomeaprofessionaldogtrainer.com.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Comments (0)
Categories : Miscellaneous
Tags : , , , , , , , ,

When Beginning Your Dog Trainer Career, Avoid the Trap of Under-valuing Yourself and Your Services

By Professional Dog Trainer · Comments (0) · Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

It’s very common for trainers just starting out in their dog trainer career to under-price their services, thinking that will bring them more business. However, this technique may very well backfire on you! There are two types of price shoppers. Customer A is looking for the cheapest price; customer B is looking for the price range.

Think about which customer you would rather work with. Client A is looking for a bargain; these clients are often demanding, have unrealistic expectations, and get angry when you don’t meet their every demand. Client B is trying to find out what the going rate is for trainers in their area; they are generally more realistic in their expectations. Which client would you rather work with? And – more importantly, which client is more likely to spread good word of mouth, and to whom?

Under-pricing your services not only brings in the wrong client, it may actually lose you customers. If people are price shopping to determine the going rate and you are priced toward the bottom of the range, there will be a lot of potential clients who feel you are not as qualified as those in the middle- to high-end of the range.

Don’t fall into this trap – if you have completed your training to be a trainer, are beginning your dog training career, and feel you are qualified to receive money for your services, then price yourself in the mid-range. If you feel you are as qualified (or more qualified) than most of your completion, price yourself in the high-range. You’ll find yourself attracting a more desirable clientele.

If you’d like to learn more about how to become a dog trainer, please visit https://becomeaprofessionaldogtrainer.com.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Comments (0)
Categories : Miscellaneous
Tags : , , ,

Where are your credentials?

By Professional Dog Trainer · Comments (0) · Sunday, January 23rd, 2011

One thing that is often sorely missing from professional dog trainers‘ websites is an About Us page or a page that describes their background and credentials. When you begin your dog training career, it’s important to build credentials that you can count on. Begin by attending a dog training school that will get you the scientific knowledge you need to be a professional dog trainer. Next, work with other dog trainers to gain experience or have a mentor whom you can discuss cases and issues with, as we do in our weekly phone calls with our dog training students. After that, work towards earning an independent certification, such as the CPDT-KA designation. Last, make sure that you are continuing your education on an annual basis.

All of this information should then be readily and easily available for your potential clients on your website. Use an About Us page to describe your credentials and background and to describe your training methodologies, any professional organizations you belong to, and the continuing education that you engage in each year.

If you’d like to learn more about how to become a dog trainer, please visit https://becomeaprofessionaldogtrainer.com.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Comments (0)
Categories : Miscellaneous
Tags : , , ,

Certified Dog Trainer Certificate – How Can I Purchase One

By Professional Dog Trainer · Comments (0) · Thursday, January 13th, 2011

While searching for keywords, I ran across this phrase. I am shocked and appalled that someone is actually searching the Internet for “How to Purchase a Certified Dog Trainer Certificate!” I would hope that no one who cares about dogs would think that simply purchasing a certificate qualifies them to become a professional dog trainer. I hope that the person using this phrase really meant to search for something like “what does schooling to become a dog trainer entail?” Or “what’s involved in becoming a certified dog trainer?”

Because the dog industry is not regulated and currently has no uniformly accepted standards, anyone can hang out their shingle and call themselves a professional dog trainer. One of my personal (and professional) goals is to help professionalize our industry – which includes comprehensive education and standardized testing for professional dog trainers.

In the last 50 years, our society has changed drastically. When I was a kid my mother would go to work, my brother and I would go to school, and my dog Spot would roam the neighborhood. This was pretty normal for most dogs, at that time. This practice provided them with the opportunity to socialize and learn how to live in their world, as well as providing ample mental enrichment and physical exercise. Today parents go to work, kids go to school, and dogs stay indoors (often in a crate or other confined area) or in the back yard.  There are both good and bad consequences to both of these scenarios.

In the good ol’ days dogs:
Pros Cons
– self socialized – were hit by cars
– had plenty of mental enrichment – were injured in dog fights
– had plenty of physical activity – were shot by irate neighbors
– generally learned good house manners – generally lived short lives
– were shot or euthanized if they had behavior problems
Today’s Dogs:
Pros Cons
– are well-cared for, physically – don’t get enough exercise
– are beloved and pampered pets – are bored out of their minds
– generally live longer lives – are improperly socialized
– owners’ are more likely to seek professional help for behavior problems – are often aggressive with other dogs and humans
– are generally unruly
– Often don’t learn good house manners
– Are more likely to have separation issues

The point of this chart is to illustrate that the problems we see with dogs today are much more complex than the problems of 50, or even 20, years ago. Owners are less willing to give up their dog simply because it has behavior problems and will go to the expense and trouble of hiring a consultant.

However, because the problems are more complex, consultants need more formal education. Aggression and anxiety are high-stakes problems and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you risk serious injury to people and dogs, potential death to other household pets (and occasionally, but rarely, humans), and death to the dog displaying these problem behaviors. Even with less serious behaviors such as housetraining, jumping up and digging, if the problems are not resolved the dog often ends up in a shelter.

To sum up, I hope everyone who cares about dogs will encourage professionals to become certified professional dog trainers, and to always continue educating themselves. The scientific community is doing fascinating and wonderful things in the areas of behavior and cognition, and we are learning more and more about dogs every day!

Two organizations certifying dog trainers that I recommend are the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (www.CCPDT.org) and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (www.IAABC.org)

If you’d like to learn more about how to become a dog trainer, please visit https://becomeaprofessionaldogtrainer.com.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Comments (0)
Categories : Dog Training Industry, Uncategorized
Tags : , , , , ,

Raising Canine, LLC & Susan Smith – Introduction & Biography

By Professional Dog Trainer · Comments (0) · Saturday, January 1st, 2011

Since this is my first blog on this site, I thought I’d start with an introduction. My name is Susan Smith and I am the owner of Raising Canine, LLC, which provides education and services to dog professionals. As a professional dog trainer and behavior consultant, I look at the places where dog behavior and human lifestyle, love of dogs and conducting business meet most often:

  • business in general
  • client compliance in particular
  • current trends
  • theory and practical application
  • time management
  • planning and goals

Through my emphasis on professionalism and fascination with behavior, I provide professional dog trainers with a comprehensive but incisive review of contemporary dog training, its foundations, current state, and future trends – and strategies for applying theoretical knowledge in the field.

I am the co-author of Positive Gun Dogs: Clicker Training for Sporting Breeds, the first book published in the United States advocating positive methods for training bird dogs. I am also the author of many articles including Starting Your Own Dog Training Business and When to Ask for Help, which were published in the Association of Pet Dog Trainers’ The Dog Trainer’s Resource: The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Collection. I am a contributing author to the book “Top Tips From Top Trainers.” I have authored many other articles and book reviews, and am also the author of a column on learning and behavior for the APDT Chronicle of the Dog.

Certifications

  • CPDT-KA from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers;
  • CDBC from the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants; and
  • CTC from the San Francisco SPCA.

Affiliations & Honorarium

  • Current member of the Review Panel Committee for the IAABC;
  • 2002-2010 – List Manager for the APDTlist;
  • Former Membership Coordinator for the IAABC;
  • Former member of the Board of Directors of the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers;
  • Past Chair of the APDT Member Relations and Communications Committee;
  • Past member of the APDT Sponsorship Committee;
  • 2004 APDT Member of the Year
  • 2009 DWAA (Dog Writers of America Award) Nominee for “A Learning Theory Primer” (APDT Chronicle of the Dog) in category “Magazine: subject related series

Susan’s Journey and Raising Canine’s Start

Susan Smith was born and raised in Alaska. At age 29, she decided it was time to experience the rest of the U.S., so she moved to Texas and opened a Mail Boxes Etc., USA franchise in Austin, Texas. The MBE store gave Susan a good, practical education in running a business.

In the early ‘90s, Susan decided it was time to do something else, so she began exploring her options. She had three criteria: ability to make a comfortable income, flexibility of scheduling and a sense of enjoyment and accomplishment within her work. She was able to eliminate most of the list she came up with through the “enjoyment” factor; however, dog training met all her criteria, so she decided to become a professional dog trainer.

She began apprenticing, reading and training. By 1996 she had sold her Mail Boxes business and was building her dog consulting business.

In 2002 she moved to upstate New York to start a sanctuary for unadoptable dogs for the Animal Haven shelter in Queens. Animal Haven had purchased a 30 acre farm and the goal was for the dogs to live in the house with a lifestyle as close to normal as possible with aggressive dogs.

Susan spent 3 years running the sanctuary for unadoptable dogs. All the dogs at the Sanctuary were aggressive except one which had extreme fear issues. The sanctuary was limited to 15 dogs and the dogs lived in the house with Susan. This was a most enlightening experience, and provided an intense crash course in understanding what clients experience when living with an aggressive dog!

After three years of getting the sanctuary up and running, Susan decided to return to Austin and started thinking about what she wanted to do when she returned. She began consulting with a business coach, defined her criteria and began thinking about what she wanted to accomplish. She came to the conclusion that she wanted to maintain her original three criteria (comfortable income, flexibility and enjoyment), and added the criteria of helping her chosen field become a viable and respected profession.

This led Susan to provide remote, science-based training, coaching and business education to trainers, as well as providing a variety of products to help trainers more efficiently run their business.

Raising Canine’s Growing Reputation

Raising Canine was the first business to provide a wide variety of remote educational courses and seminars to the professional dog training field. These courses provide high-quality, science-based information for training and consulting, as well as established principles for running a business.

Raising Canine has been able to attract quality speakers who, through remote media, are able to reach a wider audience for a very reasonable price. The remote courses are available live, recorded and on-line. Some courses are simply a lecture format, some are interactive, some require homework, and some are a combination of several media.

Raising Canine also has an on-line dog trainer school. This school is designed for those who wish to become a professional dog trainer, yet cannot spare the time to attend an in-person school. The professional dog trainer course provides in-depth education in the principles of learning and behavior, as well as the practical areas of training and running a dog consulting business. We’ll teach you everything you need to know to become a professional dog trainer from teaching a sit to working with noise sensitivity in dogs to calculating rate of reinforcement!

Raising Canine Today

Raising Canine’s goal has always been to provide quality education, products and services. We have solidified that goal through the creation of a dog training mission statement that keeps our goals in the forefront of our minds, at all times.

Today, Raising Canine is still the largest and best known remote education service within the animal community. We continue to provide cutting edge information to trainers and consultants, as well as dog owners.

Even today, with our vast understanding of behavior and learning, there is still much misunderstanding of this subject within the training world. Raising Canine feels that all animals should be treated humanely and with the most advanced techniques now available that is a viable option; it is our goal to disseminate that information to animal professionals.

Susan currently lives in Austin, Texas with her dog, Jimmy Joe, where she runs her Internet-based education and consulting business.

If you’d like to learn more about how to become a dog trainer, please visit https://becomeaprofessionaldogtrainer.com

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta
Comments (0)
Categories : Miscellaneous
Tags : , , ,
Available Courses My Courses My Account Log Out