Niqi Lalana - Making a Difference

Received an update from graduate Niqi Lalana. Read about the great work she has been doing and check out the amazing event she is putting together to help her cause.

Enjoy,
Ben

www.wonderdogs.ca

Dear Wonderdog Graduates,

Congratulations on your new careers in the dog industry. I hope you are all working towards or achieving amazing success! After graduating from PTP I became involved in training and rehabilitating pitbulls that were rescued from an illegal fighting ring, as well as street dogs in the Philippines. Many, if not all of these dogs were in poor physical condition and are in need of proper nutrition and medical care.

On January 20th at 7pm, I will be holding a fundraiser at Subeez Cafe in Vanocuver. Admission is $25 and will include dinner and a drink, live entertainment from talented dancers, comedians, and musicians including Juno Award winner Elaine L'il Bit Shepherd. We will also have a 50/50 draw, a silent auction with amazing items, and door prizes. All the funds that are raised at this event will go towards food, medical supplies and care, training equipment, shelter improvements, and animal supplies for the rescued dogs and cats. Tickets can be purchased in advance through me or at Subeez, or can be purchased at the door upon entrance.

I would like to invite you to not only attend this event, but to donate products or services for the silent auction. As a professional in the dog industry, you can donate products to expose your business which we will promote at the event, or services that can turn into more business and repeat clients. Gift certificates are a great idea! There will be many dog lovers and dog owners, so remember to bring your business cards, as this is a great opportunity for networking. There will also be other business owners in the dog industry that can be beneficial to meet. All donations must be ready by Friday the 18th in order to prepare them for the event. If you require pick up, or have any questions, please contact me at niqidulcinea@gmail.com or 778-893-7874.

Thank you for taking the time to review and support this cause. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and hope to see you on Sunday!


Sincerely,

Niqi Lalana

Jillian and Abby - The Weave

Check out PTP student Jillian and her dog Abby working on a wicked weave. Looking good Jill!

Enjoy!
Ben

Selling Your Service

Hi all,

Anyone in the dog walking business? Thought this email I received from Heather Barron was interesting. Bottom line: How you can sell your service when there are cheaper options available to your clients.

Enjoy!

Hi Ben,

Thought you'd be interested in taking a look at what I did to convince a client that my 1 hour walks are better than somebody else's 4 hour hikes for the same price. It worked!

Well she's definitely cheaper! We tend to go for quality over quantity so she would either be walked by herself or with 1 or maybe 2 other dogs at the most, and the duration is one hour. When you take out a huge pack of dogs and one of them gets hurt it doesn't leave you with many options so it isn't the safest arrangement unless there are multiple people walking the group of dogs. Since we're trainers (not just dog walkers) we make sure our clients dogs are behaving appropriately and following their leash etiquette rules while getting socialization and exercise. Our leash policy is that the dogs are either on leash the entire time, in a completely fenced in environment or they are allowed off leash if they have done advanced off leash obedience training through us in the recent past....so she would be on leash or in a 100% contained area.
Here's a quick little list of a few things that may be noteworthy for your situation:

-if a dog is used to having a certain amount of exercise and all of a sudden it doubles or triples overnight you run the risk of injury to the joints, pads of the feet and muscles
-we don't leave dogs together unattended for any period of time, not even in the vehicle
-we have emergency prevention and preparedness policies and procedures in place
-we are certified, licensed and insured
-all my staff is formally trained in canine body language and certified in DogSafe canine first aid

I'm sure this other person that does the 4 hour hikes is great, hopefully this gives you a couple of questions to ask her about that you may not have thought of yet. Alternatively, we have a 4-hour daycare option and an 8-hour daycare option ...both include outdoor exercise and socialization, there's more info on the website if you have time to read up on it.

Keep us posted about what you think is going to be best for you and your dog!

Training Can Save Your Dog's Life!

Just received this fantastic testimonial from a client who trained their dog with us many years ago and is now training their new pup with us again.

My husband and I were travelling to the interior of BC, when we stopped at a gas station in Princeton. The gas station is right next to the highway and a bridge, and there is a trail running along the river under the bridge. Our 1 year old Australian Shepherd, Fawn, got out of the car with us. We each thought she was on the other side of the car, and when we realized that she was not with us, I began calling her.  As I walked up the bank toward the highway, I saw her. She was obeying me exactly as I had trained her and was running toward me– right toward the highway.  I yelled "down!" as loudly as I could, and she dropped right along the edge of the pavement as a pickup truck flew past. I have no doubt that if she had not been trained, and had not dropped instantly, that she would have been hit and likely killed. She lived a happy life to the age of almost 13. I am now training my second Aussie, Ghillie, who is now just a year old. I am very confident that her training with Ben will be equally important as she travels with us everywhere we go. I highly recommend Ben Kersen and the Wonderdogs training, for dogs and their people. 

Cori Barraclough
            Victoria, BC
            clbarraclough@shaw.ca

It is testimonials like this that remind me of the importance of what we as trainers do.