Agility training is becoming quite a big thing in the dog training world. It’s like extracurricular activities for dogs — people are teaching their dogs to run obstacle courses, and even competing with them!
If you have skill as a dog trainer, starting a dog agility training business might be a good business move for you. Right now it’s so popular that if you set up classes, you are sure to have a lot of interest. Here are a few tips for starting your own agility training business.
- Have some experience in professional dog training. Training your own dogs doesn’t count! If you haven’t ever done it professionally before, run puppy training classes for Petsmart or something before opening up your own business.
- Set up a good website. Every business needs a website, of course. Yours should be attractive, list classes and other services you offer, and offer some information on dog training for people who are considering whether they need your services or not. For instance, you could list information on which breeds tend to be better suited for agility training. People need to know whether their Pembroke Welsh corgi or their miniature schnauzer would make a good candidate for agility training.
- Network. Go to dog events in your area, including dog agility competitions, and network with the people there. Remember, you are there to represent your business, so be sure to dress and act professionally! Keep a list of networking contacts for a rainy day — you never know when you might need to pull a favor or do some cold calling.
Be sure to watch the video. This cute little dog comes on about a minute and a half into the video. He has apparently no interest in the course — but when he does jump, it’s funny to see, because he looks like a little jumping bean.