Let's Talk Dog Business

Many dog trainers start out trying to be everything to everyone, instead of focusing on the one thing we love and becoming brilliant at that. In this episode we sit down with Olivia Jones, the Biker Girl Dog Trainer, to talk about what happens when you stop trying to be a “GP” trainer and build your whole business around the big, spicy, bitey cases most people run a mile from.

Olivia shares how she became a reactivity and aggression specialist, why her bright red hair, tattoos and motorbike are core business assets, and how she has built an £80k business without a behaviour degree or a big team. Built almost exclusively via word of mouth.

We discuss how she trains large, intense dogs while still holding firm to force free principles. She gets honest about imposter syndrome, compassion fatigue, charging more than local trainers, and overcoming the fear that niching down will cost you clients. You will hear how networking, referrals and genuinely backing other professionals has actually made her business busier and more stable, not less.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Niche Down To Stand Out: Focusing on one type of case, instead of offering every service under the sun, makes it easier for the right clients to find and trust you.

Your Personality Is Part Of Your Brand: Red hair, tattoos, a motorbike, humour, and strong opinions are all a part of Olivia´s brand. The more you lean into who you are, the more memorable and referable your business becomes.

You Don’t Need Every Qualification: Results, experience, and the willingness to continually learn and improve what you offer matters more to most clients than formal behaviourist qualifications and titles.

Force Free Techniques Are Practical: Working with big, spicy, bitey dogs does not mean that you have to abandon your ethics. The stakes are high and safety matters so reading body language, addressing pain, accommodating genetics, and skilfully using the right tools are all very important.

Networking Beats Lone‑Wolfing: Referrals, networking and sharing cases with other pros leads to better outcomes for dogs and a more stable, sustainable business for you.

BEST MOMENTS

“I’m now turning over £80k… Which I’m buzzing about. A lot of people don’t realise you can actually do this as a full‑time job – and you really can.”

“I’m force‑free, but for me it’s LIMA. If I’ve got a dog that outweighs the owner, I’m going to use a head collar for a bit until we can move away from it.”

“I don’t think you should be a dog trainer who is a GP. You wouldn’t expect your GP to be a surgeon, physio, and everything else.”

ABOUT THE GUEST

https://www.bikergirldogtrainer.com

https://www.facebook.com/bikergirldogtrainer

https://www.instagram.com/bikergirldogtrainer

SOCIALS AND IMPORTANT LINKS

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

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

www.caninebusinessacademy.com

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/

When you look under the hood of most of your “I’m stuck” moments in your dog training business, you’ll usually find the same thing behind it - fear. Fear of getting it wrong, fear of what other trainers will say, fear of wasting money, fear you’re not actually good enough to pull off the business you secretly want. In this episode, we dig into how those fears show up as paralysis e.g. not posting, not changing your offers, not raising your prices, and endlessly asking for validation from partners, peers and even AI before you move.

You’ll hear honest stories about sick‑to‑your‑stomach investments, overcoming feeling like a “lowly dog trainer,” and hiding behind other people’s posts instead of owning your own opinions. Plus, how treating business decisions as experiments, not irreversible changes, helps you use fear as data and actually gives your ideas a chance to work.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

- Don´t Let Fear Drive: Whether your fear is about money, judgement or getting it wrong, if you let fear drive, you will stay stuck.

- Treat Business Changes As Experiments: Most changes you make aren’t permanent; they are not like tattoos. You can undo them or tweak them and try again. That’s not failure, it’s you experimenting and refining things until you find what works.

- Hiding From Judgement Is Costing You Growth: Ducking visibility, softening your opinions, and only sharing other people’s posts without commenting feels like it keeps you safe from judgement. The problem is it also keeps you invisible. If you are not seen, you will never gain traction and grow.

- Back Yourself: “I can’t afford it” often really means “I don’t trust myself to make it work.” When you genuinely appreciate the skills you have, back yourself and invest to grow those skills you become unstoppable.

- There’s a Limit To What You Can White-Knuckle Alone: Having the right person in your corner shrinks your fear, speeds up your growth, and stops you talking yourself out of what you actually want. Every human needs a mentor or trainer, at some stage.

BEST MOMENTS

- “There's so much interwoven fear, interlinked in different ways, and it manifests itself in paralysis.”

- “I was that person …I did have my own opinion, but I was scared to say this is my opinion.”

- “You have to step into that fear.”

- “Now we're not only interacting with other human beings, we're interacting with robots to tell us if we're making right or wrong decisions because of that super high need for validation.”

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/

When they strip away the “build a 7-figure empire” noise, most dog trainers realise that they just want a business that feels good to run. One that lets them actually help dogs and people. Today, we sit down with Josh Beckler from K9 Optima to discuss what a genuinely “small but mighty” dog business looks like when you design it around joy, not ego.

Josh shares why he walked away from a high-pressure corporate career and dreams of a big dog training centre to build a lean, behaviour-focused business that he loves working in. You’ll hear how rescue stories and humour, not polished obedience tutorials, built his audience and how training live for hours online keeps him sharp.

We also talk about compassion fatigue, feeling guilty when you’re not studying or marketing, and the pressure to launch courses and memberships before you’re ready. Together we explore how to set boundaries, create seasons of focused work without burning your life down, not typical dog training industry advice.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Specialising Beats Doing Everything: Dropping services that drain you and doubling down on the training you love is often the quickest way to achieve better results.

You’re In The People Business: Those "marriage counsellor" moments are all part of the job, they help you to understand and connect. The dog only changes if the human does, so you need that connection.

The Formats You Use Online Should Fit Your Nervous System: If live streams and pressure switch you on, use them; if they fry you, choose slower formats like pre‑recorded video, email or written posts instead.

Boundaries Are a Powerful Anti‑Burnout Tool: Deliberately ring‑fence time for family, rest and life. If you don´t your business will quietly swallow every moment.

Passive Income Needs Real Depth: Courses, communities and books only work long‑term when they’re built on lots of real experience.

Personal Brand Beats Being a Polished Guru: Your opinions, humour and quirks are asset. Sounding like yourself in a sea of AI‑slop enables the right people to find and trust you.

BEST MOMENTS

“The small is me. The mighty is my wife that keeps me on track to do things.”

“People are so sceptical, seeing all the AI s**t everywhere, not knowing what to believe.”

“Don't worry about sounding smart and throwing all the terminology around.”

“Being as mindful about planning the family activities as you probably are at planning your business is the answer.”

ABOUT THE GUEST

Book Link

The Infinite Approach: Modern Dog Training & Polyvagal Insights

https://a.co/d/07bJwDw8

The K9 Optima Community

https://www.k9optima.com/offers/DjZK7Bn2/checkout

You can also find everything in one place at

www.k9optima.com

SOCIALS AND IMPORTANT LINKS

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

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

www.caninebusinessacademy.com

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/

When you understand dog body language, everything clicks into place and your training improves. Understanding the personality type of the person holding the lead can be just as transformative. In this episode, we explore the four common personality types: chatty, big-picture thinkers (parrots), fast, results-driven people (eagles), calm, supportive types (doves), and careful, detail-focused people (owls).

You’ll hear real-world examples of personality clashes that leave both sides frustrated: trainers thinking, “I’ve explained this ten times, why aren’t they doing it?” We look at what happens when two parrots spend an entire session chatting instead of training, how an eagle can overlook what an owl really needs, and why the caring dove in you might slip into people-pleasing instead of leading.

We break down how to spot the bird in front of you, adjust your pace and level of detail, and use one powerful question to transform your consults, sales, and clients’ results—without having to become a different person.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Understanding A Client´s Personality Type Matters: You can create the perfect training plan , but if you don´t adapt it and deliver it in a way that suits the person in front of you very little progress will be made.

Fast Isn’t Always Effective: Eagle‑type trainers who love speed and “getting shit done” can accidentally bulldoze quieter, slower‑processing clients. You can walk away thinking the session was brilliant while the client leaves confused.

Regularly Ask This Vital Question: Asking “What else do you need from me to feel confident taking action on this?” . It is a simple, powerful way to uncover gaps in understanding, regardless of the personality type.

Being Yourself is a Strength: Understanding your own personality tendencies, whether that’s over‑explaining, over‑prepping, or winging it. enables you to design your business and client process around your own personality tendencies.

BEST MOMENTS

“For a lot of us, we think we're giving the detail, but it's being given in a way where you are just talking at somebody.”

“We have to be mindful that the population is a mix. You're not typically talking to just one profile. It's a blend of all of those profiles.”

“For somebody who needs a lot of detail, if that detail isn't given, that might put them off buying.”

EPISODE RESOURCES

D.I.S.C personality type for dog trainers episode with Andy Nisevic -

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-impact-your-personality-profile-has-on-your/id1727170978?i=1000668232509

How to contact Andy Nisevic :

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andynisevic/?originalSubdomain=uk

https://onedegree.uk/

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/

Hating every single part of your business right now? Don’t panic—you aren't alone, and those rough moments usually hide the best golden nuggets. This mashup episode brings together the absolute best bits from our upcoming CBA Live 2026 speakers to completely reshape how you look at growth, money, and boundaries.

We are tackling the addictive danger of riding only the highs, why "Bob" (your defensive brain) keeps trying to keep you safe, and the humbling reality of how your ego might be pushing you forward while pulling you back. Plus, get ready for some serious tactical advice on building off-platform assets—because relying solely on hacked-prone social media pages is a recipe for disaster. We are also breaking down the real truth behind burnout, why charging "affordable" prices is actually draining your energy, and how aligning your business with your highest personal values changes everything.

5 Key Takeaways
Highs are Addictive: Celebrating big wins is easy, but learning to navigate and measure the unsexy low days is the true marker of a sustainable entrepreneur.

Befriend "Bob": Your defensive brain works in feelings rather than facts; treat it with love, but don't let its pessimistic bias dictate your business choices.

Own Your Data: Social platforms are borrowed land. Building an email list protects your business from being erased by sudden hacks or algorithm shifts.

Burnout is Often Under-Earning: Burnout isn't always from working too hard; it’s frequently a state of low rewards, high financial stress, and not paying yourself.

Corner Pieces Matter: Your mission, vision, and values aren't just flippant corporate words—they are the foundation that shapes your entire customer experience.

5 Direct Quotes
"Highs are a very dangerous place to be. It becomes addictive."
"Bob works in feelings big time. 'I feel this and I must react.'"
"The reason that people burn out is because they're not spending enough time doing the stuff that they love doing."
"Email marketing done well outperforms social media in client acquisition massively."
"Burnout is actually a state of you not earning enough. It's not that you're doing too much."

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/