One of the most commonly asked questions certified dog trainers have to answer?  Which product is the right one for their client. In the pursuit of income diversification, many trainers offer a variety of services, including a combination of group classes, private coaching, day training, seminars, and single topic mini-classes. Additionally, clients frequently request very specific services that may not be the best fit for them.

How do you coach your client to the correct product?

1. Listen!

Clients are calling you, the professional dog trainer, with an expectation of solutions. While they’re expecting help, they also want an opportunity to share their personal stories. Take a moment and listen. It gives you an opportunity to connect with your prospective client, and you’ll be rewarded with a number of informational nuggets.

1. Ask key questions.

Sometimes a request for loose leash walking help comes from a client who needs help with a leash reactive dog. A request for separation anxiety training can be something as simple as a lack of crate training but the owner is panicked, overwhelmed and not sure what to do next, so he assumes the worst. Ask questions that elicit factual, descriptive responses rather than opinion or conclusions.

1. Pick the product.

This is the moment when you synthesize all of the informational nuggets that you’ve gathered. Be familiar enough with your products that you can make a recommendation on the fly – in other words, very quickly! Also know when your next available start date is.

1. Explain how your product recommendation fits your client’s needs.

Be specific, pointing out how the training you’re offering can alter and improve their dog’s behavior.

Coaching clients is one of the challenges you’ll face in becoming a professional dog trainer. Having a plan, being familiar with your products, and listening to your clients will help you successfully coach clients through one of their first interactions with you.

Many certified dog trainers struggle with the question of how much. How much should they charge for their services? How much are clients willing to pay? How much must they charge to earn a living?

There are several factors to consider when setting prices.

What are local competitors charging?
Check out your local competitors to see what they’re charging. This is merely a starting point. As you’ll see below, a number of additional factors will play into your final pricing strategy. Regardless of the pricing strategy that you choose and how that strategy compares to your competitors, you should be aware of where you fall within the pricing spectrum of your local market. 

How does your niche choice impact your pricing?
Specializing frequently allows you to charge more. If you’re an expert in an underrepresented area, if your niche specialty requires specialized training or experience, or if your niche attracts clientele who are willing to pay more for classes, then you might be able to increase your class prices to reflect this.

How does your target client market impact your pricing?
You can use pricing to encourage or discourage certain clients. Certain types of training require a strong commitment to change and a great time investment from the client. For example, training involving dogs with separation anxiety and certain types of aggression can be very involved and time consuming for the client and trainer alike. Professional dog trainers may choose to discourage less committed clients by raising their prices. Alternatively, you may choose to represent a specific geographic area in your community. Doing so can either place limitations upon your pricing or offer an opportunity for the sale of premium and add-on services.

Consider the Concept of a Working Wage
Professional dog training is not a hobby, it’s a career. As a certified dog trainer, you are responsible for training dogs that are considered family members by many owners. You may also have a direct impact on the safety and well-being of families and their pets, especially if you work with reactive and aggressive dogs. Becoming a professional dog trainer involves study, practice and maintenance of practical skills, and ongoing continuing education. When setting your prices, consider the concept of a living wage. What do you need to charge to earn a sustainable living as a professional dog trainer? A dog trainer who will be there for clients tomorrow and in 5 years, and in 10. You may not be able to set prices purely based upon your living requirements, but the concept of a working wage should influence your pricing if you’re committed to a long term career as a professional dog trainer.

Certified dog trainers are asked by clients – how do I get reliable behaviors? There is no single answer to this question. One of the training methods for reliability that I incorporate very quickly when training pet dogs is using distractions as rewards.

A reward doesn’t reinforce a behavior unless the reward has value to the dog. A training reward is anything of value to the dog. Food, toys, treats, praise, and play are the most commonly used in dog training. Primarily because these rewards are easy for the handler to control.

The bane of any dog owner’s existence is the squirrel running up the tree, the cat streaking across the street, the stinky patch of overturned earth, deer poop…distractions, those things that keep your dog’s attention away from you and on the environment. The beautiful thing about dog training is that these 2 groups, distraction and reward, have a significant amount of overlap. The skill involved here? Targeting the distractions that are also rewards, then narrowing that pool to rewards that are controllable by the handler. If you’re interested in becoming a certified dog trainer, this is a valuable skill to develop.

Some simple and frequently used examples of distractions that are also used as rewards:

1. “Go sniff” that stinky patch of ground.
2. “Say hello” to that friendly person or dog.
3. “Go play” with that dog you just left alone when I called you to me.

Consider your daily walks, play time in the yard, and shared time in the house. What distractions can you use as rewards? If it’s safe, there is a way for you to control access to the distraction, and it’s something of value to your dog, you can make it into a reward!

Why is exercise an important topic for certified dog trainers? 

54% of pet dogs are classified as overweight or obese according to a survey conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. Since approximately 50% of your clientele consists of dogs that are currently overweight or likely to be overweight at some point, then it just makes sense to have some helpful tips and words of warning for clients with overweight dogs.

Not sure where to get started?

Check out Desiree Snelleman’s audio course, “Why Not Exercise with Your Dog?,” available through Raising Canine. This audio course is approximately 1 hour in length and covers some important tidbits to consider when getting starting on an exercise regimen with your dog. There is also discussion of how exercise dovetails with dog sports. 

A Few Tips from Desiree…

Consider the following when making an exercise plan for your dog and yourself: duration, intensity, frequency, and mode or type of activity. For type of activity consider the physical and emotional demands of the activities you choose and the breed of your dog, as there may be some inherent traits that you can tap into.

Also, a good training program should include cardiovascular training, strength training, and flexibility training. And don’t forget the warm-up and cool down! Warm up can be as simple as walking, playing, jogging, or tugging – in moderation. 

Whether helping clients to get a good start on developing an exercise program or getting some tips that you can include in the classes you teach, this one hour audio telecourse is a great place to start!

You want to become the academy of canine behavior, one-stop shopping for your professional dog training clients? That means offering solutions for a variety of problems, including boredom busting. 

Check out this blog article for a few ideas on sniff-it games.  Games that utilize a dog’s nose are a great way to increase mental stimulation for pet dogs.  Games that are simple for clients to understand and easy for them to implement are the best kind!

http://buddyschance.typepad.com/positive_dog_training_blo/2013/05/sniff-it-why-you-should-encourage-your-dog-to-use-his-nose.html 

Certified professional trainers offer their clients the tools to succeed, and that means problem solving! Teaching “down” in a group class setting is a great example of a time when your problem solving skills will be called upon.

Why is “down” so difficult in group class?

“Down” is a position in which dogs can feel vulnerable. Some dogs feel trapped in the “down” position, because they can’t maneuver and respond to the environment as quickly. Perhaps the floor is cold and/or hard, so the dog is uncomfortable in the “down” position. There are a number of reasons that dogs have difficulty learning “down” in class. As in many dog training conundrums, the “why” matters! Understanding why a dog is reluctant to “down” in class can be helpful in offering training solutions, but it’s not absolutely necessary.

Option 1

Most trainers have a go-to option for teaching the behaviors in their classes. What you choose as your first option for “down” will be based upon your clients and their specific needs. The following are the basics: luring, shaping, capturing, hand targeting, and modeling. Not familiar with each of these?  Check out Become a Professional Trainer’s training courses to learn more!

Alternatives for teaching “down”    

1. Soft Bed. Try placing a bed or mat on the ground. If the floor is too slick, too cold, or too hard for the dog to comfortably “down,” then a mat may help.

2. Try Option 2. If you’re luring, try shaping. If you’re shaping, try luring. Some clients find certain methods easier than others, and the same is true of dogs. Find a method with which both dog and handler are comfortable.

3. Simplify. Make the environment less challenging by removing distractions. Visual distractions can be reduced with opaque barriers, for example. Split your criteria steps into smaller pieces.

4. In-Home Training. Some dogs are stressed enough in class that learning certain new behaviors is hard. These dogs may be candidates for in-home training.

5. Homework. If in-home training is either not an option for your client or there is a strong preference to attend group classes, then coach your client through the steps and send them home with homework. They’ll train at home, where the dog will hopefully begin to gain familiarity with the behavior. Once the dog has started the behavior at home, frequently the dog is more willing to attempt the behavior in class.

6. Change the Start Position. If you’re teaching “down” from the sit, try “down” from the stand.

6. Tweak Your Mechanics. If you’re luring out and away for a sphinx “down”, try luring around to the belly for a sloppy, relaxed “down.”

7. Use a Prop. Try luring under your leg or a chair, so that the dog bows into the “down.”

An exhaustive list? No, but this will get you started. It’s important to think creatively while analyzing the specific challenges that this client and this dog present. Becoming a certified dog trainer means having the tools in your training toolbox to address your clients’ training challenges. Memorizing methods might help get you started, but it’s creative problem solving targeted to the specific needs of your client that will help your clients achieve the best results.