Episode Details

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 Bus