Running a small business is hard work, even when you get to spend many of your business hours outdoors with cheerful canine companions. Given that it’s that part of the job—the dog part—that you’re … [Read more...]
The Two Feet Forward Blog
Business & Behavior advice from dog*tec Dog Walking Academy instructors
5 Dog Training Tips for Professional Dog Walkers
As dog walkers we don’t train to change dogs’ behavior for their owners. That’s a trainer’s job. We train for canine safety and to make the job easier and more enjoyable for ourselves. Training means … [Read more...]
What To Do When You Can’t Pay Your Taxes
By guest author Marie Poliseno, CPA, of Dollars & Scents Accounting Services. Don’t have the money to pay your taxes this year, for whatever reason? Maybe you’ve just started your new dog … [Read more...]
What To Do When a Dog Doesn’t Come When Called
Few things are more frustrating, and potentially frightening, than a dog who doesn’t come when called. And as all but those of us with the thickest skin have experienced, it can also be a bit … [Read more...]
Size Doesn’t Have to Matter: How To Compete With Online Dog Walking Services
We’ve been hearing a lot of concerns about the continued growth of online on-demand dog walking services among our Dog Walking Academy graduates and business consulting clients. These concerns include … [Read more...]
Size Matters: Protecting All Dogs with the 50 Percent Rule
Adapted from The Business of Dog Walking: How To Make a Living Doing What You Love, written by Veronica Boutelle of dogtec and published by Dogwise. Sometimes size does matter. While it’s always … [Read more...]
Making the Right Travel Deductions for Your Dog Walking Business
As a dog pro CPA, dog walkers often ask me what types of business expenses are deductible on their tax returns. Vehicle-related tax deductions seem to cause the most concern and confusion. Common … [Read more...]
Tips for Safe, Stress-Free Travel Time for Dog Walkers
Excerpted and adapted from The Business of Dog Walking: How To Make a Living Doing What You Love Driving is stressful enough these days as it is. Add a dog—or a small group of them—and it’s no … [Read more...]
Managing Your Dog Walks
This article is an edited excerpt from The Business of Dog Walking: How To Make a Living Doing What You Love by Veronica Boutelle Whether you’re walking single dogs or groups, on or off leash, how … [Read more...]
Managing Your Schedule
Despite all of mankind’s advancements we’ve still not found a way to add hours to the day, be two places at once, or stop time to get a few more things done. Most small business owners long for these … [Read more...]
Emergency Prevention, Planning, & Protocols for Dog Walkers
Taking care of other people’s best friends means living with the chilling prospect of emergencies. Dog walking emergencies can come in all shapes and sizes, from a vehicle break down to a sprained … [Read more...]
Predicting, Preventing, & Proactively Avoiding Dog Fights
Honest-to-goodness dog fights that result in real damage are remarkably infrequent. This is mostly due to the ritualized body language dogs use to avoid conflict. Conflict is expensive, evolutionarily … [Read more...]
Danger! Dominance Theory!
By guest author Pat Miller, owner of Peaceable Paws and author of Beware Of The Dog and The Power of Positive Training Why Every Mention of "Alpha Dogs" or "Dominant Dogs" is Dangerous to All … [Read more...]
Spring Cleaning Your Dog Walking Business
In the natural world spring is a time of renewal, of fresh starts, of green growth. Just as mother nature makes a new start of things each year, it’s good business practice to do the same. We … [Read more...]
Fix Your Marketing
Running a dog walking business without proper marketing is like running an engine without oil. But running a car with the wrong kind of oil will get you into trouble, too, just as there’s no point … [Read more...]
No More Pulling
By Alexis Davison, Australia Dog Walking Academy Instructor and owner of Scholars in Collars Walking dogs, whether our own or our clients’, is one of the great pleasures in life. It’s such a joy to … [Read more...]
Balance Your Dog Walking Marketing Plan
Think of a three-legged stool. It stands—and supports your weight—only because each leg has been built to do its part; it’s perfectly balanced. Remove, or even shorten, just one leg and the stool … [Read more...]
Rules of Engagement for Great Dog Walks
By Pat Blocker, Denver, CO Dog Walking Academy Instructor and Owner of Peaceful Paws Dog Training Imagine a parallel universe where dogs are as compelled to respond to their person as humans are to … [Read more...]
See It, Reward It, Enjoy It
By Erin Moore, Vancouver BC Canada Dog Walking Academy Instructor and Owner of Pawsitive Connection Dog Training Boone sneezes on cue. It's adorable. It's funny. It's fun. It's mostly useless, but … [Read more...]
Maximizing Client Referrals
By Veronica Boutelle, dog*tec and Dog Walking Academy founder and Kimberly Burgan, Austin, TX Dog Walking Academy Instructor and dog*tec Business Consultant A referral is worth a thousand words—and … [Read more...]
Are you Missing Out on Allowable Tax Deductions?
By guest author Marie Poliseno, CPA and managing partner of Dollars & Scents Accounting Services Too often, self-employed professional dog walkers find themselves owing taxes at the end of the … [Read more...]
Canine Communication for Dog Walkers
By Doug Duncan, Portland, OR Dog Walking Academy instructor and owner of Doggy Business As dog walkers, we gather our dogs together for fun adventures every day. Most of the time the dogs look … [Read more...]
Dog Walkers, Meet Dog Trainers—It Could Be a Match Made in Heaven
By Nan Arthur, San Diego and Ventura, CA Dog Walking Academy instructor and owner of Whole Dog Training As a dog trainer, I can attest that many trainers and behavior experts wish there were some … [Read more...]
What Every Dog Walker Should Know About Growth Plates
By Kimberly Burgan, Dog Walking Academy director and Austin, TX DWA instructor Who doesn’t love the sweet smell of puppy breath? Most of us jump at any chance to work with puppies and teenagers, … [Read more...]
Dog Walking Policies That Work
By Veronica Boutelle, dog*tec Dog Walking Academy co-founder and San Francisco Dog Walking Academy instructor We’ve all heard the “customer is always right” adage. But too often dog walkers take … [Read more...]
Making Behavior a Win-Win
By Erin Moore, Vancouver BC Canada Dog Walking Academy Instructor and Owner of Pawsitive Connection Dog Training It’s easy to forget that dogs operate in very simple ways: Does it work for me? Does … [Read more...]
Staying Current in a World of Social Media Surplus
By guest author Kellyann Conway, former president, Association of Professional Dog Trainers Social media seems to be everywhere driving everything these days – but of course it isn’t really … [Read more...]
Talk the Talk to Walk the Walk
By Pat Blocker, Colorado Dog Walking Academy Instructor and Owner of Peaceful Paws It is quite possible that an animal has spoken to me and that I didn’t catch the remark because I wasn’t paying … [Read more...]
Joyful Work: Mental Health Days
By Erin Moore, Vancouver BC Canada Dog Walking Academy Instructor and Owner of Pawsitive Connection Dog Training About five years ago, I experienced a serious case of burnout. After six months of … [Read more...]
Joyful Walks: Guiding Your Dogs
By Doug Duncan, Portland Dog Walking Academy Instructor and Owner of Doggy Business As the days grow longer and warmer and the flowers come out, so do the people! And they bring their dogs with … [Read more...]
Positive Methods Aren’t Just For Dogs
A conversation with Erin Moore, Vancouver BC Dog Walking Academy Instructor and Owner of Pawsitive Connection Dog Training “I like dogs more than people” is one of the more common reasons dog pros … [Read more...]
Positive Training With Heart & Mind
By Pat Blocker, Colorado Dog Walking Academy Instructor and Owner of Peaceful Paws A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron. … [Read more...]
Overcome Procrastination To Transform Your Dog Walking Business
By Carolina Rocha, Brazil Dog Walking Academy Instructor and Owner of Pet Anjo You have a lot of ideas for your dog walking business. But at the end of a long day of walking you’re faced with a … [Read more...]
Walking Reactive Dogs: Distraction To The Rescue
By Beck Rothke, Chicago Dog Walking Academy Instructor and Trainer for Fetch Find When I think about working with reactive dogs, I often think about the use of comic relief for intense moments. … [Read more...]
4 Strategies for Building a Referral Network
By Kelly Elvin, Michigan Dog Walking Academy Instructor and owner of Tip Top Tails Dog Training One of the most daunting tasks faced by any small business owner is how to get new clients. This is … [Read more...]
Setting the Tone for Easier Dog Walks
By Denise Mazzola, NYC & Boston dog*tec Dog Walking Academy Instructor and Owner of Everything Dog Imagine walking into a classroom to find your instructor wearing a sloppy set of sweat pants … [Read more...]
Dog Walking For a Living
By Veronica Boutelle, dog*tec Dog Walking Academy co-founder and San Francisco Dog Walking Academy instructor Gazing outside from behind the dreary landscape of our desks, few are the people who … [Read more...]
