Let's Talk Dog Business

Treat visibility as relationship-building, not just posting. Local vets, rescues and pet businesses, plus simple authority videos that reframe common problems, often move the needle faster than another generic reel.
Put basic systems in place so every enquiry gets a fast reply, undecided leads are followed up automatically, and review requests go out without you having to remember a single sticky note. The faster you reply the more likely you will be booked.

BEST MOMENTS
“If it's not resonating with the audience… that nice (website) design isn't going to go very far.”
“We're not actually in the business of dogs; we're in the business of people.”
“I've landed on this website, I'm in the right place, I'm hearing words that relate to me, and I'm already feeling a weight lifting off my shoulders.”
“I definitely don't think a new dog trainer needs to go spend $10,000 or even $1,000 on a website … just a simple web page to start.”
“I think it's a massive risk relying on the safe route of not putting yourself out there.”

ABOUT THE GUEST
https://digiwoof.com
Socials - @digiwoof

SOCIALS AND IMPORTANT LINKS
https://www.tiktok.com/@letstalkdogbusiness
https://www.youtube.com/@LetsTalkDogBusiness

Website www.caninebusinessacademy.com
Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/caninebusinessacademycommunity

Let´s Talk Dog Business Strategy Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Talk-Dog-Business-Strategy/dp/1068791705

Email: hello@caninebusinessacademy.com

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Jo Moorcroft and Vicky Davies are dog behaviourists, business strategists, and co-founders of Canine Business Academy—the UK’s go-to hub for dog professionals who want more than just a logo and a dream.

With a combined passion for dogs and business done properly, Jo and Vicky have helped hundreds of canine professionals build sustainable, profitable businesses rooted in real impact.

🏆 Their award-winning work has earned recognition including:
– UK StartUp Awards: Business to Business (Midlands)
– Small Business Awards UK: Most Innovative Small Business 2025
– Business Awards UK: Most Innovative Pet Product 2024
– Plus shortlists at the Women in Business and Great British Businesswoman Awards

They’re also No.1 bestselling authors of Let’s Talk Dog Business Strategy, featured on BBC Radio, FOX, NBC, and more—with 63,000+ downloads of this very podcast.

Their philosophy is simple:
Give a shit. Get shit done. Get results.

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Most dog trainers didn’t become self‑employed because they craved spreadsheets, tax returns, and late‑night admin. They started because they loved dogs, loved learning, and wanted to do something that wasn´t soul sucking.  

Fast forward a few years and many are burnt out, under‑earning, and stuck in limbo – half in, half out – between a “proper job” that is pure drudgery and a dog business they don’t fully trust to support them.

In this episode, we strip back the glossy story and talk honestly about why you’re in business, how you got here (accidentally or intentionally), and why that is important. We discuss how to keep going when things get hard. You’ll hear our real stories of turning down safe promotions, taking redundancy, leaving big salaries, and redefining purpose after grief and major life events. Including, the ripple effect those decisions had on family, money, self-belief, and our entrepreneurial lives.

KEY TAKEAWAYS


How your business started shapes your mindset and expectations of what you can achieve.  


Many trainers stay in “safe” jobs they hate because they don’t fully trust the business model or themselves to make it work financially.  


Tough life events often act as forced turning points that push you to finally say, “there is no good time – I’m doing it anyway.  


There’s a difference between the motivation to start and the motivation to continue and work your way through the drudgery.


If you’re constantly moaning about enquiries, clients, or cash, you eventually have to stop the moaning and change how you run your business.


What do you want your life to look like? – that is your first question, answer that question and change things to make it happen.

BEST MOMENTS

“What's the blocker here? Why are lots of people struggling to get those brilliant results?”

“I love that transformation; I love people getting brilliant results.”

“All the stuff that we're moaning about, all the things that we find difficult. What are we doing about it?”

“What is your motivation when it's hard, what's keeping you going? Where do you want to go with it? Where do you want your life to be?”

EPISODE RESOURCES

The Judgy Carrott episode - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-to-stop-unintentionally-telling-prospective-clients/id1727170978?i=1000768641524

SOCIALS AND IMPORTANT LINKS

https://www.tiktok.com/@letstalkdogbusiness

https://www.youtube.com/@LetsTalkDogBusiness

Website www.caninebusinessacademy.com

Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/caninebusinessacademycommunity

Let´s Talk Dog Business Strategy Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Talk-Dog-Business-Strategy/dp/1068791705

Email: hello@caninebusinessacademy.com

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Jo Moorcroft and Vicky Davies are dog behaviourists, business strategists, and co-founders of Canine Business Academy—the UK’s go-to hub for dog professionals who want more than just a logo and a dream.With a combined passion for dogs and business done properly, Jo and Vicky have helped hundreds of canine professionals build sustainable, profitable businesses rooted in real impact.🏆 Their award-winning work has earned recognition including:– UK StartUp Awards: Business to Business (Midlands)– Small Business Awards UK: Most Innovative Small Business 2025– Business Awards UK: Most Innovative Pet Product 2024– Plus shortlists at the Women in Business and Great British Businesswoman AwardsThey’re also No.1 bestselling authors of Let’s Talk Dog Business Strategy, featured on BBC Radio, FOX, NBC, and more—with 63,000+ downloads of this very podcast.Their philosophy is simple:Give a shit. Get shit done. Get results.

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Most dog trainers are losing hours of headspace to what we call “comparatinitis” – the constant urge to measure your business against everyone else’s.

A new trainer appears in your area, someone launches real-life puppy classes, or their social media looks slicker than yours, and your brain goes straight to: “They’re going to take all my clients,” “I should be doing that,” or “I’m not good enough.” Before you know it, you’re doom-scrolling their website instead of building your own business.

In this episode we unpack where that fear really comes from, covering money, ego, industry culture, and nervous-system level panic. Then show you how to flip comparison into fuel. You’ll hear how to get more specific about what you actually want to be known for, design a business model that doesn’t need 50 clients a month, and stop trying to copy trainers whose strengths and goals are completely different to yours.

KEY TAKEAWAYS


Constantly comparing yourself to your competitors keeps you second‑guessing your prices, offers, and skills. It leads to you building your business around fear instead of intention.


Get really specific about the dogs, people, and problems you want to be known for solving. That stops you from treating every other trainer as a direct threat.


Build a business model that doesn’t rely on packed classes and fifty clients a month. A handful of well‑priced, long‑term programmes is all you need.


There really is plenty of clients out there for everyone. 41% of UK households have at least one dog.


Put boundaries on your stalky‑stalk time - use that energy to take one concrete action to boost your own business e.g. follow up on a lead.


Use what other trainers are doing as proof that there’s demand, rather than seeing everything as evidence that you’re failing or are “too late to the party.”

BEST MOMENTS

“Let's flip that (new competition) into something that drives us forward, that makes us better – Ask, how can I see this as a possibility?”

“The more specific you get, the more likely you are going to get that owner that you really want, as a client.”

“You shouldn't try to be somebody else, and you can't just copy what somebody else is doing …you can do whatever the f**k you want to do.”

“I had a model where if I was making 3 sales a month at £2k I was like, there was six grand coming in for me. I was quite happy with that. I didn't need to go and get 50 people.”

SOCIALS AND IMPORTANT LINKS

https://www.tiktok.com/@letstalkdogbusiness

https://www.youtube.com/@LetsTalkDogBusiness

Website www.caninebusinessacademy.com

Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/caninebusinessacademycommunity

Let´s Talk Dog Business Strategy Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Talk-Dog-Business-Strategy/dp/1068791705

Email: hello@caninebusinessacademy.com

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Jo Moorcroft and Vicky Davies are dog behaviourists, business strategists, and co-founders of Canine Business Academy—the UK’s go-to hub for dog professionals who want more than just a logo and a dream. With a combined passion for dogs and business done properly, Jo and Vicky have helped hundreds of canine professionals build sustainable, profitable businesses rooted in real impact.🏆 Their award-winning work has earned recognition including:– UK StartUp Awards: Business to Business (Midlands)– Small Business Awards UK: Most Innovative Small Business 2025– Business Awards UK: Most Innovative Pet Product 2024– Plus shortlists at the Women in Business and Great British Businesswoman Awards They’re also No.1 bestselling authors of Let’s Talk Dog Business Strategy, featured on BBC Radio, FOX, NBC, and more—with 63,000+ downloads of this very podcast. Their philosophy is simple: Give a shit. Get shit done. Get results.

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Most force‑free dog trainers are finding it increasingly hard to attract clients. They are passionate, educated and deeply committed to canine welfare - yet their businesses struggle. Not because they’re not good enough, but because their judgyness of dog owners is quietly telling great prospective clients to f**k off.

Without meaning to do so, many trainers are saying “you and I are not a good fit – go work with someone else.”

Today, we explore how the way you talk about ‘ideal clients’ and commitment can accidentally leave well-meaning dog owners feeling judged and not good enough. You’ll see how certain phrases, website copy, and enquiry processes act like a big ‘keep out’ sign and what to do instead so the right people actually lean in.

Expect uncomfortable truths, relatable confessions, and practical mindset shifts you will be able to immediately apply to your messaging, sales calls and offers.

KEY TAKEAWAYS


Hidden judgement in your marketing copy, policies, videos, and website quietly tells great prospects to go elsewhere - long before they even speak to you.


Most dog owners say “obedience” because that’s all they’ve ever heard. It’s a knowledge gap, not them being arseholes and "bad" owners.


If you only speak to “ideal clients,” you shrink your pool down to a handful of already‑converted unicorns.


Demonstrate how you work and your philosophy using stories and examples. This, attraction marketing approach ensures people don't feel shamed by your content.


You’re not in the business of dogs, you’re in the business of people - meet people where they’re at to help more dogs, earn more, and resent your clients a hell of a lot less.

BEST MOMENTS

“A lot of us are unintentionally telling prospective clients to f**k off.” 

“The more invested, more passionate we get, the harder it is for us to understand what it feels like to be a dog owner, and this is where that resentment of people comes in.”

“You're failing the people if you don't meet them where they're at, and you don't acknowledge that their knowledge level is very different to yours.”

“If we've done the judgy thing, not necessarily in person to them, but through our messaging and through our marketing…you actually turn people off.”

“People skills are something we have to keep working on.”  

“You can be passionate without being a judgy carrot.”  

Make sure you check out CBA Live - THE business event for force-free dog trainers and behaviourists. 

Two days of Real talk & Practical strategies - July 9th & 10th 2026

Save big with our Early Bird discount – https://www.caninebusinessacademy.com/cba-live-2026/

SOCIALS AND IMPORTANT LINKS

https://www.tiktok.com/@letstalkdogbusiness

https://www.youtube.com/@LetsTalkDogBusiness

Website www.caninebusinessacademy.com

Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/caninebusinessacademycommunity

Let´s Talk Dog Business Strategy Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Talk-Dog-Business-Strategy/dp/1068791705

Email: hello@caninebusinessacademy.com

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Jo Moorcroft and Vicky Davies are dog behaviourists, business strategists, and co-founders of Canine Business Academy—the UK’s go-to hub for dog professionals who want more than just a logo and a dream. With a combined passion for dogs and business done properly, Jo and Vicky have helped hundreds of canine professionals build sustainable, profitable businesses rooted in real impact.🏆 Their award-winning work has earned recognition including:– UK StartUp Awards: Business to Business (Midlands)– Small Business Awards UK: Most Innovative Small Business 2025– Business Awards UK: Most Innovative Pet Product 2024– Plus shortlists at the Women in Business and Great British Businesswoman Awards. They’re also No.1 bestselling authors of Let’s Talk Dog Business Strategy, featured on BBC Radio, FOX, NBC, and more—with 63,000+ downloads of this very podcast. Their philosophy is simple: Give a shit. Get shit done. Get results.

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Many dog trainers accidentally build businesses that burn them out: 60-hour weeks, low prices, blurry boundaries, and no real way to step back. It doesn’t have to be like that. Treating your training business as a real company – with vision, pricing, and systems – is what changes everything.

Today, we sit down with Amber Quann from Summit Dog Training, a 20-year industry veteran who scaled from solo trainer to a 12-person team and used that growth to buy her own commercial real estate. We unpack how the pandemic puppy boom pushed her into severe burnout and how a year of coaching helped her separate her identity from the company and promote herself to CEO.

This episode is about shifting from “I just love dogs” to running a serious, profitable, CEO‑led training business – with real pricing, real systems and a company that can survive (and even be sold) without you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS


Don’t build your business as “I just love dogs, so I’ll train on the side.” Decide early that it’s a serious company and promote yourself from lead trainer to CEO.  


Separate your identity from the business - that emotional distance is what makes growth, delegation and even exit possible.  


Price for profit and sustainability, not guilt. If you want to pay good wages, give raises and survive rising costs, you must charge enough and accept that some clients will leave.  


Treat software and card fees as the cost of doing real business. 


Automated, upfront payments slash no‑shows and admin.


Set a clear North Star so you stop chasing every “good idea.” 


Look to other industries for better models, launch at 10%, then iterate – perfectionism is what keeps you stuck.  


Build a business that exists beyond you: systems, brand and a trained team turn dog training from tiring self‑employment into an asset you could one day sell.  


Aim for a healthy relationship with your business over the year, not perfect work–life balance every week.  


If you only want to train dogs, that’s fine – but then bring in ops/CEO support instead of trying to wear every hat.

BEST MOMENTS

“Folks told me no one's gonna pay that for training -  Now I charge three times that.”

“Look at something and take the bits out of it that are going to be relevant to you. You don't have to completely replicate it.”

“It's kind of just been this, North Star almost, but continuing to reorient around it as the years have passed.”

EPISODE RESOURCES

https://summitdogtraining.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/summitdogtraining

https://www.facebook.com/summitdogtraining

SOCIALS AND IMPORTANT LINKS

https://www.tiktok.com/@letstalkdogbusiness

https://www.youtube.com/@LetsTalkDogBusiness

Website www.caninebusinessacademy.com

Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/caninebusinessacademycommunity

Let´s Talk Dog Business Strategy Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Talk-Dog-Business-Strategy/dp/1068791705

Email: hello@caninebusinessacademy.com

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Jo Moorcroft and Vicky Davies are dog behaviourists, business strategists, and co-founders of Canine Business Academy—the UK’s go-to hub for dog professionals who want more than just a logo and a dream.With a combined passion for dogs and business done properly, Jo and Vicky have helped hundreds of canine professionals build sustainable, profitable businesses rooted in real impact.🏆 Their award-winning work has earned recognition including:– UK StartUp Awards: Business to Business (Midlands)– Small Business Awards UK: Most Innovative Small Business 2025– Business Awards UK: Most Innovative Pet Product 2024– Plus shortlists at the Women in Business and Great British Businesswoman AwardsThey’re also No.1 bestselling authors of Let’s Talk Dog Business Strategy, featured on BBC Radio, FOX, NBC, and more—with 63,000+ downloads of this very podcast.Their philosophy is simple:Give a shit. Get shit done. Get results.

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/