The Dog Training
School for Trainers
Starting Your Dog Training Business:
The Practicals
You want to start a dog training business. But what do you actually need to do to get it up and running?
Sunday 4th October 2026 | 10am–12:30pm | Live on Zoom | £49
Sunday 4th October 2026 | 10am–12:30pm | Live on Zoom | £49
A small, practical online workshop with Helen & Lee from The Dog Trainer School, designed for aspiring and newly qualified dog trainers who are ready to turn “I’d love to do this” into an actual plan.
Limited to 12 places to keep the workshop small and interactive.
Knowing how to train dogs is only part of it.
You can learn about behaviour, training techniques and working with dogs.
But then comes the bit that often feels much less straightforward:
How do I actually turn this into a business?
Do I need insurance? When do I register as self-employed? How do I take payments? What should I charge? Do I need a separate bank account? What should my terms and conditions say? Where am I going to work? What services should I offer?
And, perhaps most importantly, how do I actually find people willing to pay me?
There’s a lot to think about, particularly if you’ve only ever been employed before.
That’s what this workshop is for.
This isn't a webinar.
We don't want to spend two and a half hours talking at you while you sit quietly taking notes.
This is a small, interactive working session where you can ask questions, talk through your ideas and start making actual decisions about the business you want to build.
Because there isn't one correct way to run a dog training business.
You don't have to offer every service. You don't have to build the biggest business possible.
And we're certainly not going to tell you to simply “charge your worth”.
Instead, we'll help you work through what makes sense for you, your clients and the kind of working life you actually want.
What will we cover?
We'll work through the practical things you need to think about when starting your dog training business, including:
What are you actually trying to build?
What kind of trainer do you want to be? Who do you want to work with? And what sort of work do you actually want to spend your week doing?
Getting set up
properly
The practical basics you need to think about before taking clients, including business admin, records, terms and cancellation policies, data and sensible systems.
Business
Insurance
What you need to consider before you start working professionally and the questions worth asking when arranging cover.
Money, tax and
getting paid
A straightforward introduction to self-employment, HMRC, keeping records, tax, expenses and separating your business money, without trying to turn you into an accountant.
Taking
payments
Practical ways to get paid and the systems that can make life easier for both you and your clients.
What are you going
to sell?
1:1s? Classes? Packages? Something else? We'll look at what makes sense as a starting offer — and why you probably don't need to launch everything at once.
Where are you going
to work?
Clients' homes, public spaces, hired venues and classes, plus what you genuinely need to get started.
Who are you trying
to reach?
"Dog owners" isn't an audience. We'll help you think about who you actually want to help, what they need and where they're likely to look for support.
Pricing your
services
We'll look at costs, income, your audience, the local market and sustainability so you can make sensible pricing decisions — rather than copying the trainer down the road.
Finding your
first clients
Websites, Google, social media, local relationships, referrals and how to start becoming visible when nobody knows who you are yet.
What happens when someone actually enquires?
We'll work through the client journey from that first enquiry through to booking, payment, delivering the service and following up afterwards.
The real-life bits nobody really tells you about
Boundaries, cancellations, messages at ridiculous times, clients who don't follow your advice, knowing when something is outside your competence, quiet periods and some of the lessons we've learned from actually doing this.
What will you leave with?
By the end of the morning, you'll know what kind of dog training business you're building, what you need to have in place before taking clients, what you're going to sell, who you're selling it to, how you'll price it, how you'll take payment and what your next steps are to actually get started.
You'll also receive our Dog Training Business Start-Up Checklist to help you keep working through those next steps after the session.
And because we know it's a lot to take in, everyone who books will receive access to the workshop recording afterwards.
Who is this workshop for?
This workshop is designed for you if:
You're studying towards a dog training qualification and starting to think about what comes next.
You're newly qualified but haven't properly launched your business yet.
You're seriously considering moving from another career into professional dog training.
You've started doing a little paid dog training work but still feel like you're making the business side up as you go along.
You keep thinking “I want to do this, but I don't actually know where to start.”
You don't need to arrive with a finished business plan.
That's rather the point.
Come with your ideas, your questions and the things you're currently unsure about.
Starting Your Dog Training Business: The Practicals
Sunday 4th October 2026 | 10am–12:30pm | Live on Zoom | £49
✓ Maximum 12 attendees
✓ Live and interactive
✓ Ask questions throughout
✓ Dog Training Business Start-Up Checklist included
✓ Private workshop recording for everyone who books
If you're ready to stop wondering how you might start a dog training business and begin working out what yours could actually look like, come and join us.
What if we told you learning, lesson planning, and CPD didn’t have to be time consuming?
Learn from people who actually run dog training businesses
The workshop will be delivered live by Helen Wainwright and Lee Hobbs, co-founders of The Dog Trainer School.
Between us, we've spent years working within the dog training industry and building businesses within it, including Lee's experience of running a dog training business for around 15 years.
We'll both lead different parts of the morning based on our own experience and expertise, but you'll have both of us there throughout to answer questions and help you work through your plans.
This isn't about pretending there's one perfect formula for building a successful dog training business.
We'll tell you what we've learned, what we'd do differently, what you genuinely need to worry about at the beginning — and some of the things you probably don't.
Eventus
Sunderland Road
Market Deeping
Peterborough
PE6 8FD
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