Canine Business Academy

09/06/2026

Who still needs to get their ass into gear and nab their CBA Live 2026 early bird ticket before they end tonight? 🎟️🐦

06/06/2026

Playing around with some new artwork for CBA Live attendee's!

What do we think?? Does it cry out the weird and wonderful CBA vibes?? 🤣

Time is running out to get your early bird tickets! Tueday 9th July to grab the early bird! Link in comments

02/06/2026

The expectation as a dog trainer for many is to work a f**k tonne of hours, have no social life, and earn a low income.

This was certainly how I (Vicky) thought it had to be for 14 years.

Multiple services, working most evenings and evenings, and keeping my prices low somewhere around the middle of every other local trainer.

As much as I tried my hardest to make this work for me, I was close to breaking point.

Money was always so tight.
I had a husband I hardly ever saw.
And I was constantly exhausted.

This is when I made the life changing decision that something desperately had to change, otherwise the dog training would be ditched for a job at Tesco.

I found support that wasn't easy to find.

And it pi**ed me off that it wasn't easier.

I realised that investing in how to run a dog training business successfully to create a decent income, and more time and freedom wasn't anywhere near as a priority for us as learning the dog knowledge in this industry.

Jo and I built Canine Business Academy because of this huge gap that needed bridging.

Then we built CBA Live for the same reason. Dog knowledge conferences cannot be faulted for their forward thinking approach, but why the f is the same focus not put on business focused conferences- specifically for force-free dog trainers?

So we did something about that.
Something big.

CBA Live 2026 is just around the corner, and early bird tickets finish soon...

Do you still need to grab yours?

31/05/2026

Force-Free dog trainer/behaviourist; ever find yourself thinking "I just need more enquiries"

We know deep down the actions we need to take, but if it were that easy then we'd all be doing incredibly welll with consistent income months and a steady stream of clients.

We know we should post more.
We know we should talk about what we do more confidently.
We know we should follow up enquiries, charge properly and be more visible.

The problem usually isn't knowing what to do, it's that everything gets in the way of doing it.

The overthinking.
The comparison.
The feeling that you don't know enough yet.
The fear of putting your prices up.
The worry that people will judge you.
The guilt around wanting to help dogs and make money.
The exhaustion of trying to support clients all day whilst also trying to run a business.
That's the stuff we see over and over and over again.

That's why we've got people like Andrew Hale, Shari Teigman and Will Polston speaking at CBA Live, alongside marketing experts Adam Ashburn and Nick Fisher as well.

That's why we're talking about confidence, visibility, burnout, boundaries, money and the emotional side of running a dog business alongside the practical business stuff.

We all need support in knowing what to do and how we're getting in our own way and it's really nice to know when we're not the only ones finding this hard.

We know there are loads of brilliant events in the dog world and we're genuinely not sat here pretending ours is the only one worth going to, but..

Ask yourself, how much longer can you go on with feast and famine?
How much longer can you try and do this by yourself?
What if within the next 12months you'd earned £50,000?

We've built CBA Live around the conversations we see happening every single week with force-free dog trainers and behaviourists who are trying to make this career work.

For them.
For their families.
For their clients.
For the dogs they're helping.

If any of this is resonating, stop sitting on the fence.

The event is only 5 weeks away now.

Early bird tickets finish on 9th June.

9th-10th July.
Solihull.

29/05/2026

"No one will pay that for dog training." So she tripled her prices. People still paid 🎧
This week on Let's Talk Dog Business we're joined by Amber Quann from Summit Dog Training over in Colorado. Started training dogs at 10. Teaching classes at 13. Built her business to a team of 12. Owns the building they train in.
Amber shares the CEO mindset shift that took her from solo trainer to where she is now. We dig into charging what you're worth (and why cheap prices attract the wrong clients), the burnout that nearly made her sell the business in 2021, hiring people for what THEY love doing not just to plug your gaps, and why "work life balance" is bo****ks but a "healthy relationship with your business" actually works.
She also bought the commercial property her business operates from. With cash flow from dog training. Read that again.
If you've ever felt like you're doing everything in your business and burning out trying, this episode is for you.
Full episode out now. Link in bio.

27/05/2026

"OMG I'm so jealous you get to work with dogs all day!"

One of the things i always used to hear when i was working as a dog trainer/behaviourists is how many people say “omg I’m so jealous you get to work with dogs all day” and whilst yes obviously there are loads of amazing bits to this job, there’s also a whole side that people don’t really see unless they’re in it.

The overthinking, the emotional load of cases, the pressure of trying to help people and dogs whilst also trying to make enough money to survive, the constant second guessing, the fear of saying the wrong thing publicly because this industry can be brutal at times!

I think a lot of dog trainers quietly struggle with all of that whilst looking absolutely fine on the outside. Especially in the force-free world where so many of us carry so much emotionally.

Feeling like we should be doing more, learning more, supporting people better, somehow knowing more. Constantly questioning ourselves whilst trying to explain to people that behaviour change takes time and there aren't quick fixes.

It’s a lot. And I think business in this industry can feel really lonely sometimes because everyone’s trying so hard to hold it together and look professional that nobody really admits how hard parts of this can feel.

That’s a huge part of why we started Canine Business Academy and our annual event CBA Live because we wanted a room where these conversations could happen properly alongside all the business stuff as well.

We’ve got Andrew Hale speaking this year and his whole section is around the emotion of the dog trainer and the relationships we have with ourselves and others.

Early bird tickets finish on 9th June.

Village Hotel, Solihull 9-10th July.

Tickets and more info in link in comments

24/05/2026

We are excited to announce that Canine Business Academy will be exhibiting at CANIS Conference on October 7 – 10, 2026. 🎉🎉 Like or comment if you’ll be there! - via Event Platform

22/05/2026

Force-free dog trainers...

"Money is not a dirty word!"

Our passion when we teach comes from having lived and breathed the fear and stigma around money just like you.

We were dog trainers who also believed you couldn't earn a decent wage as a dog trainer.

That people wouldn't pay more.

That you need to live in an affluent area for it to work.

All of these comments and more came up in last night's 'Make More Money' webinar.

Sorry not sorry, but we're calling bu****it on this!

Our combined dog training businesses brought in £150k a year from people paying more- all with integrity, and no, we don't live in an affluent area.

Perceived value is a big part of what we teach within our Kitchen Table Framework, and we f**king love it!

Want to join us on the next FREE 90-minute webinar?

Comment DIRTY below to get registered 👇🏻

20/05/2026

It's new PODCAST drop day! 🎙️

This one is all about how you're potentially losing clients by trying really hard!

Go check it out on the You of Tube or on any audio platform as it's everywhere 😃

Most force‑free dog trainers are finding it increasingly hard to at...

18/05/2026

If you've ever sat in a session feeling completely paralysed about what to do next, this episode is for you.
This week we're getting properly honest about the messy reality of working with real dog owners. The clients who don't do the homework. The reactive dog that has a great week then explodes out of nowhere. The moment you realise the goal they came in with isn't the goal they actually want by the end.
We talk about the imposter syndrome that doesn't go away even after twelve years and a level six qualification. The pressure to have the perfect demo dog. The trap of stacking on extra exercises to prove your worth. And how being more human, not more polished, has been the thing that's actually grown our business.
Listen now on Apple Podcasts 🎧 https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lets-talk-dog-business/id1727170978