Seriously Dogs

In our comms, we often talk about helping dog professionals become 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦, but what does that actually mean? Is it just some marketing jargon that happens to alliterate well?

Truth be told, we can’t deny liking the alliteration (😎), but we actually put a lot of thought into the choice of words.

There are many elements in managing a business that influence whether you will achieve your desired success, but when we looked back at our 5+ years of working with dog professionals, two stood out overall:

💪 Personal Development
🚀 Business Management Skills.

Any professional in any industry will agree that there are days when progress seems slow and obstacles appear insurmountable, but the one personal development skill that can guide you through both smooth and tough times is confidence.

Understanding confidence is a huge step towards recognising how its lack can hold you back and affect your results. Recognising your capabilities and acknowledging areas for improvement takes strength and humility, but it fosters a confidence that lasts a lifetime.

Then there are the business management skills. Understanding every aspect of what you manage is what we are all about. Our most successful clients are those who dedicate time and effort to fully understanding how to create and implement proper business processes. This approach helps avoid many stressful situations and the need to constantly address urgent issues, bringing a sense of calm and control to your operations.

In our experience, becoming a confident and calm professional creates the biggest shift in going from good enough to great.

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Cheryl and I are busy creating a business management course...🤫 It's shaping up to be our flagship offer—so much content!

Anyways, last week I was writing the section on time management and productivity, and I realised that it often comes in waves.

At the start of each year, we're filled with energy and ambition, ready to tackle our goals and make big changes. But as the months go by, that initial drive fades. By the time summer rolls around, many of us are looking for a fresh start again and a new way to maintain our momentum.

Our solution is, instead of trying to do it all, to focus on doing less but achieving more. I've spent a lot of time researching productivity, and I found that real productivity isn't about juggling countless tasks; it's about focusing on a few key things and completing them.

In the course, we introduce students to our 3-Task Method and provide them with tools to implement it and maintain momentum throughout the year. However, I figured, why not share the basics here for everyone to benefit?

It's simple, each day, choose up to three essential tasks to focus on. That's it!

This approach helps reduce stress, sets clear goals, and gives you a sense of accomplishment. By concentrating on fewer tasks, you can create a sustainable rhythm and end your day feeling positive and productive.

Give it a try and see how focusing on fewer tasks can make your days more productive and pressure-free. Here's to making the most of our time and achieving what truly matters!


&Tricks

The other week, I came across a question on Quora:

"Is it okay to hit your dog during training?"

Now, the question itself wasn’t surprising. We have all seen things on the internet that make us pause. But what struck me was the way many dog trainers responded. Instead of seeing it as a teaching moment, some dismissed the question outright or answered with frustration. And that got me thinking…

As dog trainers and behaviourists, education is at the core of what you do. Every interaction, whether in a class, a 1:1 session, an email, or even an online comment, is a chance to help someone understand their dog a little better. It’s easy to forget that while the answers seem obvious to us, they aren’t always obvious to the people asking.

Think about your puppy classes. In every single class, without fail, someone asks about puppy biting. How is this not common knowledge by now!? Well, because that’s not how common knowledge works. Just because someone owns a dog doesn’t mean they are deeply interested in canine behaviour, just like owning a phone doesn’t make you an expert in tech.

The truth is, most dog owners don’t spend their free time analysing body language or reading research papers on behaviour. And that’s okay! That’s why we exist. That’s why, when someone takes the time to ask a question, no matter how basic, we should see it for what it is: an opportunity.

Every response is a chance to plant a seed. A chance to guide, to inform, and to build trust. However, when we respond with frustration or condescension, we lose that opportunity, not just with the person asking, but also with everyone reading along. Because, like it or not, how we communicate online is part of our professional identity. Every comment, every answer, every interaction shapes how potential clients (or even fellow professionals) perceive us.

So, before answering a question online, take a second. If you can approach it with patience and kindness, great, go for it! You never know who might read your response and have their mindset shifted for the better. But if you’re feeling drained or frustrated by it, that is okay too. You don’t have to engage. You don’t have to be everywhere all the time. Trust that another professional will have the energy to pick up the torch.

Whatever you do this week, know that your knowledge matters. Your ability to educate, with patience and professionalism, has a ripple effect far beyond what you might see.

Have a fantastic week, and if you’re feeling up to it, take a moment to share what you know with the world (maybe even this page with colleagues 😉). You never know who might need to hear it.

Cheers,

Anne

[pic = Ten Thousand by the one and only brilliant cartoonist xkcd. Look them up if you haven't heard of them!]

Are you looking to enhance your authority as a dog professional?

You don’t need to spend a fortune collecting the alphabet to put behind your name, or listing every webinar you ever watched as CPD on your website. Instead, consider focusing on these four key areas:

1. 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠
🐕 Deepen your expertise in what you want to be known for.
🐕 Identify a specific target audience with a common challenge within your expertise.
🐕 Develop a unique value proposition for this audience, including a problem-solving process or method to solve the challenge.
🐕 Decline opportunities outside your focus area and maintain your focus.

𝟐: 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲
🐕 Develop a distinctive voice/brand.
🐕 Build a trustworthy body of work.
🐕 Create a strong online presence and share valuable content consistently for your target audience.
🐕 Enhance your external reputation by writing, speaking, and teaching about your focus area.

𝟑: 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟
🐕 Begin creating transformative case studies about your work with dogs and share them.
🐕 Create write-ups from reviews, highlighting the impact you've made in the lives of dogs and their owners.
🐕 Avoid accepting vague reviews such as ‘it was nice working with them’; focus on 'impact' by adding a review section in your feedback form!

𝟒: 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤
🐕 Your network is not your starting point; a strong network is the RESULT of the problem-solving impact you have on your target audience (and your writing about it)
🐕 Reduce network dependency, as it's a risky business development strategy; focus on Q1, Q2, and Q3 first.
🐕 Ensure your target audience is on your mailing list to receive valuable content from you, such as new learnings, trends, and cases related to your work.
🐕 Nurture your network; our Conscious Networking method is key.

🚀Your ultimate goal:
Widen the green circle! Each area influences the others. The more you develop your work in these areas, the greater the impact on your authority. There are no shortcuts, only guaranteed results if you put in the effort and remain consistent over time—play the long game. 💪

&Tricks

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