Seriously Dogs

19/07/2025

In our comms, we often talk about helping dog professionals become 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦, but what does that actually mean? Is it just some marketing jargon that happens to alliterate well?

Truth be told, we can’t deny liking the alliteration (😎), but we actually put a lot of thought into the choice of words.

There are many elements in managing a business that influence whether you will achieve your desired success, but when we looked back at our 5+ years of working with dog professionals, two stood out overall:

💪 Personal Development
🚀 Business Management Skills.

Any professional in any industry will agree that there are days when progress seems slow and obstacles appear insurmountable, but the one personal development skill that can guide you through both smooth and tough times is confidence.

Understanding confidence is a huge step towards recognising how its lack can hold you back and affect your results. Recognising your capabilities and acknowledging areas for improvement takes strength and humility, but it fosters a confidence that lasts a lifetime.

Then there are the business management skills. Understanding every aspect of what you manage is what we are all about. Our most successful clients are those who dedicate time and effort to fully understanding how to create and implement proper business processes. This approach helps avoid many stressful situations and the need to constantly address urgent issues, bringing a sense of calm and control to your operations.

In our experience, becoming a confident and calm professional creates the biggest shift in going from good enough to great.

Your weekly scoop on dog professional trends, insights, and must-knows in a fast, fun, and five-minute read. Your go-to newsletter designed to give you a boost of inspiration!

30/06/2025

I used to feel annoyed when someone asked me where I saw myself in five years. How could I know what life would throw my way? Then, I started my first business, and my perspective changed.

We live in a society addicted to instant gratification—social media, quick fixes, and immediate results. But experience has taught me that having a plan can bring calm and clarity. It reminds you of your passion and reasons for doing what you do, especially when you need a boost.

Building a thriving, sustainable business isn't about quick wins; it's about patience, consistency, and focusing on the bigger picture. Just like training a dog, it takes time, repetition, and working through challenges. The effort you put in today may not show immediate results, but it builds momentum and trust over time.

Our Holistic Business Practices for Dog Professionals course focuses on exactly that. We are currently in the process of creating it, and we are really looking forward to launching it!

It's tempting to take on every client or drop prices to fill your calendar, but these quick fixes don't necessarily move your business forward. Playing the long game means building a business that reflects your values and expertise. It's about setting sustainable prices, creating professional systems, and attracting the right clients.

Consistency and quality work build a reputation that spreads over time. Word of mouth grows, referrals come in, and suddenly, clients are coming to you. Playing the long game allows room for growth and a holistic approach. Focus on steady, intentional growth and explore opportunities when the time is right.

This week, I'm thinking about our long-term goals. The results may not be immediate, but they'll be worth the wait.

Cheers,
Anne

P.S. What are your long-term goals? Need an accountability buddy? Feel free to reach out in the comments!

, &Tricks, ,

23/06/2025

Cheryl and I are busy creating a business management course...🤫 It's shaping up to be our flagship offer—so much content!

Anyways, last week I was writing the section on time management and productivity, and I realised that it often comes in waves.

At the start of each year, we're filled with energy and ambition, ready to tackle our goals and make big changes. But as the months go by, that initial drive fades. By the time summer rolls around, many of us are looking for a fresh start again and a new way to maintain our momentum.

Our solution is, instead of trying to do it all, to focus on doing less but achieving more. I've spent a lot of time researching productivity, and I found that real productivity isn't about juggling countless tasks; it's about focusing on a few key things and completing them.

In the course, we introduce students to our 3-Task Method and provide them with tools to implement it and maintain momentum throughout the year. However, I figured, why not share the basics here for everyone to benefit?

It's simple, each day, choose up to three essential tasks to focus on. That's it!

This approach helps reduce stress, sets clear goals, and gives you a sense of accomplishment. By concentrating on fewer tasks, you can create a sustainable rhythm and end your day feeling positive and productive.

Give it a try and see how focusing on fewer tasks can make your days more productive and pressure-free. Here's to making the most of our time and achieving what truly matters!


&Tricks

16/06/2025

The other week, I came across a question on Quora:

"Is it okay to hit your dog during training?"

Now, the question itself wasn’t surprising. We have all seen things on the internet that make us pause. But what struck me was the way many dog trainers responded. Instead of seeing it as a teaching moment, some dismissed the question outright or answered with frustration. And that got me thinking…

As dog trainers and behaviourists, education is at the core of what you do. Every interaction, whether in a class, a 1:1 session, an email, or even an online comment, is a chance to help someone understand their dog a little better. It’s easy to forget that while the answers seem obvious to us, they aren’t always obvious to the people asking.

Think about your puppy classes. In every single class, without fail, someone asks about puppy biting. How is this not common knowledge by now!? Well, because that’s not how common knowledge works. Just because someone owns a dog doesn’t mean they are deeply interested in canine behaviour, just like owning a phone doesn’t make you an expert in tech.

The truth is, most dog owners don’t spend their free time analysing body language or reading research papers on behaviour. And that’s okay! That’s why we exist. That’s why, when someone takes the time to ask a question, no matter how basic, we should see it for what it is: an opportunity.

Every response is a chance to plant a seed. A chance to guide, to inform, and to build trust. However, when we respond with frustration or condescension, we lose that opportunity, not just with the person asking, but also with everyone reading along. Because, like it or not, how we communicate online is part of our professional identity. Every comment, every answer, every interaction shapes how potential clients (or even fellow professionals) perceive us.

So, before answering a question online, take a second. If you can approach it with patience and kindness, great, go for it! You never know who might read your response and have their mindset shifted for the better. But if you’re feeling drained or frustrated by it, that is okay too. You don’t have to engage. You don’t have to be everywhere all the time. Trust that another professional will have the energy to pick up the torch.

Whatever you do this week, know that your knowledge matters. Your ability to educate, with patience and professionalism, has a ripple effect far beyond what you might see.

Have a fantastic week, and if you’re feeling up to it, take a moment to share what you know with the world (maybe even this page with colleagues 😉). You never know who might need to hear it.

Cheers,

Anne

[pic = Ten Thousand by the one and only brilliant cartoonist xkcd. Look them up if you haven't heard of them!]

09/06/2025

As you may know, we added our Website Critique service as a standalone offering. Ooh, this sounds a bit like an opening sentence to a sales pitch, doesn't it? Stick with me, it isn't!

Funnily enough, critiquing our clients’ websites wasn’t a service we ever planned to offer. We simply started doing it in response to clients voicing similar concerns. The amount of positive feedback we received after implementing it in our coaching sessions took us by complete surprise.

The reality is that most of our clients either design their own website, have a friend or family member create it or hire a freelancer. As a dog professional, you don’t necessarily have the expertise to assess what makes a website effective, yet you also can’t justify spending thousands on a custom-built site or hiring a web development agency. It isn’t easy.

The concern being raised by several clients was that they were receiving almost daily unsolicited emails from website designers, SEO companies, and advertisers telling them their site was inadequate and needed improvement.

Even though they were aware on some level that these emails were of poor quality and constituted cold sales, their lack of knowledge on the topic caused a niggling doubt in the back of their minds. This doubt was manifesting in a lack of confidence and hesitation toward their entire online presence, which they voiced during their coaching sessions.

As I used to design websites professionally, we offered to review their website for them. What they received from us was an honest and actionable review—something that reassured them about what was working and provided clear steps for improvement. We received incredibly positive responses saying that it had restored their confidence. Even when our review highlighted areas for improvement, they felt empowered to ignore those spammy emails, and just like that, a small but recurring stressor was eliminated.

So, I created a free download to help you critique your own website. It’s just a simple checklist, but I hope it’s enough for you to be able to go shake off those invasive ‘what if they are right?’ thoughts and replace them with ‘yeah, yeah’, clicking delete and getting on with your day.

And that is what this post is about. Schedule some time this week to download our Critique Your Website checklist. It doesn't take long to feel comfortable welcoming more clients to your website!


&Tricks

02/06/2025

Cheryl and I are working on a new project to better connect people (stay tuned for deets! 😁), so this week, let's talk networking! Building a local business thrives on connections. It's an investment that creates a "self-grown forest" of referrals.

I've learned to be proactive through "Conscious Networking" – regular, thoughtful outreach helps keep those relationships strong.

If you haven't been in contact with someone in your network for a while, reach out to them! Just a quick message to see how they are doing or tip them about a bit of news that might interest them. It doesn't have to cost a lot of time, and it is always appreciated.

Who are you reaching out to this week? Go for it! 💪

Let us know if you want to learn more about implementing Conscious Networking in your business strategy!

25/05/2025

Are you looking to enhance your authority as a dog professional?

You don’t need to spend a fortune collecting the alphabet to put behind your name, or listing every webinar you ever watched as CPD on your website. Instead, consider focusing on these four key areas:

1. 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠
🐕 Deepen your expertise in what you want to be known for.
🐕 Identify a specific target audience with a common challenge within your expertise.
🐕 Develop a unique value proposition for this audience, including a problem-solving process or method to solve the challenge.
🐕 Decline opportunities outside your focus area and maintain your focus.

𝟐: 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲
🐕 Develop a distinctive voice/brand.
🐕 Build a trustworthy body of work.
🐕 Create a strong online presence and share valuable content consistently for your target audience.
🐕 Enhance your external reputation by writing, speaking, and teaching about your focus area.

𝟑: 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟
🐕 Begin creating transformative case studies about your work with dogs and share them.
🐕 Create write-ups from reviews, highlighting the impact you've made in the lives of dogs and their owners.
🐕 Avoid accepting vague reviews such as ‘it was nice working with them’; focus on 'impact' by adding a review section in your feedback form!

𝟒: 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤
🐕 Your network is not your starting point; a strong network is the RESULT of the problem-solving impact you have on your target audience (and your writing about it)
🐕 Reduce network dependency, as it's a risky business development strategy; focus on Q1, Q2, and Q3 first.
🐕 Ensure your target audience is on your mailing list to receive valuable content from you, such as new learnings, trends, and cases related to your work.
🐕 Nurture your network; our Conscious Networking method is key.

🚀Your ultimate goal:
Widen the green circle! Each area influences the others. The more you develop your work in these areas, the greater the impact on your authority. There are no shortcuts, only guaranteed results if you put in the effort and remain consistent over time—play the long game. 💪

&Tricks

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13/03/2025

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10/02/2025

We have been receiving some really great feedback on our 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 newsletter! 🚀

https://seriously-dogs.com/sign-up

This week's newsletter was all about how to start using 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 to completely change how you connect with people.

You never know where a conversation might lead!

Get weekly insights, inspiration, and real talk about running a successful dog professional business—straight to your inbox. And yes, it’s free!

29/01/2025

📝 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 "𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗠𝗲" 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲? 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲!

Many dog professionals we speak to find it challenging to write about themselves—but here’s the secret: your "About Me" page isn’t really about you! 🐾

Read this week's blog post to find out more on writing an About Me page that truly connects with your audience.

🎁 We have also made our exclusive 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗠𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲—usually only available to our coaching clients—𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱! Because… why not!? Let's all Thrive in 2025! 🎉

https://blog.seriously-dogs.com/how-i-wrote-an-about-me-page-that-truly-connects/

Struggling to write your About Me page? Discover how shifting the focus from yourself to your audience makes the process easier and more effective.

22/01/2025

New blog post is up and this week it comes with our free checklist to help you do your own Market Research!

Unlock the potential of your dog business with our DIY Market Research Checklist. Learn how to analyse competitors, identify client needs, and find new opportunities to grow confidently and sustainably.

15/01/2025

This week's blog post comes from seeing too many fantasies being sold and false promises being made.

𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝘆𝘁𝗵!

Nothing comes for free in life, which is why we prefer to talk about “𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞” – income that comes with minimal ongoing effort and is an addition to your main services and products.

You don't have to change your career path from dog trainer to content creator, influencer and marketer to achieve a more peaceful life.

https://blog.seriously-dogs.com/passive-income-is-a-myth/