I was tired and mentally exhausted. I was working as a pubic health doctor (people now know what they are!) in the NHS. Around the start of this century the NHS underwent seven re-organisations in eleven years – and I had to reapply for my job each time. It was dispiriting (to say the least!) and by the end I had had enough.
By then I’d been training my own and other dogs and their owners as lead trainer of a local dog club for over 25 years. It was the hobby that kept me sane through all the upheavals. I needed to get out of the NHS but wasn’t sure what I was going to do instead – just retiring somewhere and sitting knitting and watching TV was not on my agenda.
So I turned my hobby into a business – and Down Dog Training was born. It’s true to say that I rather played at it at first. I didn’t know much about running a business. I based it on how the dog club had been run, which meant I earned very little that first year.
Especially as I made a lot of business mistakes. I was very naïve. I did stupid things, like accepting offers from other businesses to help me when in fact they just took my money and I gained nothing except the bill.
But I struggled on. I went to lots of courses to make sure I knew what I needed to (I did), because I often worried that I didn’t know enough. I was a bit of a seminar junkie. Down Dog was doing OK despite this, thank goodness. I got immense satisfaction from helping people with their problem dogs – the thing that still motivates me today.
Luckily I found a great mentor who helped me work out what I really wanted and, crucially, how to get there. I’ve learned so much over the past 12 years about running a dog training and behaviour business effectively – I could bore you silly with all the things I’ve learned – but there is one crucial thing I want to share.
You need someone in your corner to cheer you on and help you through the bad times.
Actually that’s a maxim for life as well as for dog training, now I come to think of it. But it is particularly true in dog training. It can be a lonely existence. Support from your family and loved ones is great (and necessary) but they can only give you general support and encouragement. You also need someone who’s been there in the trenches and understands the particular strains and stresses of helping people and their dogs.
Because it’s not always easy. It’s not all about cuddling gorgeous puppies (although that’s a huge plus), it’s often about helping people struggling with their dogs challenging behaviour. You have to be flexible and think on your feet and occasionally it can feel impossible to find an answer that will work for that person in that situation.
Keep training and keep safe,
Carol