485: Creating Client-Centered Services with Hannah Alsup
Time to Pet
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Pet Perennials
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What does it mean to create a client-centered pet care service? Hannah Alsup, from Three Dog Pet, explores how to incorporate a wide range of services to meet the unique needs of each client. From pet sitting and personal assistance to dog training, Hannah explains how personalized communication and flexible services can empower clients to make informed decisions about their pets. She also touches on the importance of setting boundaries for both clients and staff, while offering tips on integrating mental stimulation and training into pet care routines.
Main topics:
Client-centered approach
Personalized services
Communication and boundaries
Mental stimulation
Main takeaway: It's all about how you frame it. If you set small, successful steps, you can make the journey much easier for both the dog and the client.
About our guest:
Hannah went to school for and earned degrees in animal behavior and psychology in 2018, at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She always knew she wanted to work with animals, but didn't know in what way. Early on, she worked at a doggy daycare and boarding facility, did pet sitting, and worked at zoo and marine life facility camps. But, it wasn't until her internship at the local humane society, in college, that she fell in love with dog training.
She received a dog training position in Texas before school was over, so she rushed back home to start work. There she learned the basics of training group classes, and working on puppy and adult dog basic and advanced manners.
She also started getting into some sports training, such as nosework, agility, and rally, while working at the facility. She went on to work at a few other facilities in the area, gaining more knowledge and skills at each one, eventually earning her CPDT-KA in 2020.
She now spends her time doing pet sitting & dog training with 3dogpet. Gaining more knowledge through fellow trainers, continued education, and earning new certifications. She especially loves helping fearful dogs become more confident and working on reactivity, and has focused much of her continuing education on these subjects.
Links:
Website: 3dogpet.com
instagram: 3dogpet
tiktok: Notyouraveragepetz
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
dog, clients, pet, people, services, absolutely, business, training, conversation, point, overnight, pet sitters, gift, set, years, bit, sitters, care, doggy daycare, good
SPEAKERS
Collin, Hannah A.
Collin 00:02
Welcome to pet sitter confessional. Today, we're brought to you by time to pet and pet perennials. We are super excited to have Hannah Alsup with three dog pet and personal assistant company on the show to talk about what it means to give peace of mind to their clients and empower clients in their decision making through the pet care that they provide and how to incorporate things like training practices and the best things to do there. In all that we do. Hannah was super excited to get connected with you at the Texas pet sitters Association conference recently done in Lewisville. And so super happy to have you on. Could you please tell us a little bit more about who you are and all that you do? Yeah,
Hannah A. 00:43
absolutely, guys. So I went to school for animal behavior and kind of decided during that time that I wanted to do dog training. The business Three Dog pet was already operational and I'd already kind of been working with it. And whenever I moved home, I started kind of working around the different facilities, gaining different certifications. So I am a professional dog trainer with my CC PDT Ka. And so about a year or so ago, we decided to open up everything under free dog pet. So now free dog pet is not only pet sitting, personal assisting, but also dog training.
Collin 01:19
There's a lot going on in that
Hannah A. 01:22
is kind of the all encompassing anything that you need we got.
Collin 01:28
Right. And I think it's an interesting combination of services, because it is really trying to focus on the client and client problems.
Hannah A. 01:38
Yes, absolutely. And every client every you know, household, the different dogs, different animals has a, you know, different need and a different, you know, assessment and help whether that is our clients that have maybe you know, only cats and so we do some personal assisting with also taking care of their home, we have a lot of clients in the you know, flight industry. So being able to help them out with like, you know, just daily things whenever they're gone. All the way to being able to come in and take care of their dogs for dog walks vacation and also being able to do kind of like a little bit of a reverse board and train.
Collin 02:15
The personal assistants, you touched on that I know that is also kind of in the title of the company there. How did that start? Because you know, I've seen the pet sitting in the training, and now this personal assistant side, kind of what, yeah, how does it start? And what are the where does that stop, because I could see that kind of getting a little out of hand pretty easy. Absolutely.
Hannah A. 02:37
So actually, it kind of started at the beginning of free dog pet. So Lewis is the owner, and whenever she created the business, she wanted to be able to not only help clients with their animals, but just being able to help them in really any way that she could. So it quickly became like I said, for our flights, clients, you know, being able to maybe have some things prepared in their fridge or whenever they come home, if they're on like a quick layover before having to go again, you know, just taking care of just normal, you know, trash services, maybe picking up dry cleaning, you know, and it was a lot more at the beginning. And then it died down over the years as we just gained more pet sitting clients and just more daily clients, I would say probably around the pandemic started up a little bit again, when we were helping out kind of filling in for certain things. But I wouldn't say it's actually a super big focus these days. It's still there in case anyone needs it. But I would say now that we've just expanded so much in the pet sitting in job training that more is the focus these days. What
Collin 03:39
I like about calling it out specifically is many of the things the things that you mentioned, we've been asked to do by a client at one point, or another right of like, oh, on your way over, can you stop by and grab this? Or, Hey, I'm low on this, and it's going and then we as we as a business owner that have to go. Alright, what is within my purview? Is this what I'm supposed to do? Should I do that? Should I? Well, I guess I could, and well, I don't want them to be mad. And so by just calling it out and going and personal assistants, it's like, and if you need the services, here's, here's, here's how you're going to pay for those. And I think that's what's really important about that.
Hannah A. 04:15
Absolutely. I would say now these days, just like you said, it kind of becomes something that just comes naturally with the world in the business that we're in. But I would say now it's more focused on kind of pick up and drop off of not only animals, but also human kids. It's kind of where it's turned to. So we don't necessarily do as much of the things we used to but picking up dogs from doggy daycare, then taking them to their house and being able to do pet sitting, you know, doing some of our other services for them. It's kind of what it's gradually turned into because it is so just right there. They meet in the middle a lot of the times
Collin 04:47
and if we're going over anyway, it's like well, I feel bad saying no to this but also, but also I don't want to really get in the habit of doing this 10 more times. So how do we and that's where I kind of like as a bit Business Owner and as running things as you know, we have to go, where is that line? And if I'm giving requests for something, how do I turn that into either a revenue stream? Or how do I stop doing that entirely? And I've we've learned a great way to make things kind of stop is by putting a price on it, right? Because then people go, Oh, I can't get that for free anymore. Yeah.
Hannah A. 05:21
Julie. And I will say that was I think, another reason why as to why she did add it, because when she first started the business, it just was getting so many questions like that. And I figure I think that from the beginning, it was just same in her mind, let's just go ahead and read me right in the middle, make this there for the people who need it, and make sure that we're getting compensated for that time and for those extra things that we're doing. Because
Collin 05:45
again, it's so it's so easy to start slipping into that. And then all of a sudden, we see what we're actually spending our time doing, and going, Oh, wow, I'm spending all of my time, you know, bringing in their groceries or doing this stuff or taking care of these. That's not why I got into this. And so and it is it is that balance again of going okay, well, if my clients are asking for this, well, I need to, I need to decide if I'm the one to solve that problem, or if I need to recommend somebody else to do it.
Hannah A. 06:14
Absolutely. And there has been a few times where we have gone ahead, and especially these days, when there is so many of those services that are solely for that that are out there, which we're here, you know, this business is over 20 years old. So when it started, those services weren't really around as much as they are these days. So we definitely have had to make those calls and certain things. So just being like, Oh, we don't really have the time or you know, that's a little bit out of our realm. And I think that this would be a better service for you that that's
Collin 06:39
fantastic. I, you know, thought of going no, there's TaskRabbit for this, right? There's Uber for this, there's all sorts of things that can make this happen for you. And that's where you need to go for this. Because it can't be weird to be like, I don't know who to ask to pick up your groceries, it's like, well, here's an app.
Hannah A. 07:00
And just being able to give that to clients. And then like I said, now it's kind of become where we're picking up dogs from doggy daycare. So we're like, okay, that's a little bit more in our realm. And that's totally something that we're, we're, you know, happy to do, because again, it is a little bit more in line with our services. So it has been a very nice thing to be able to provide, but also set those boundaries of when it's not for us.
Collin 07:23
Well, and you said is that's kind of more in line with what you're doing. And it's important to know, like, where are my strengths, where's my passion, where's my insurance already covering me, where's my where to where my interests are. And picking, picking and dropping off dogs from daycare, I know can be kind of a sore spot for some pet sitters and dog walkers because we can feel a little hurt that they're not using us for our middle of the day services or our care that we can provide. Was that ever a struggle or discussion that you that you all had in that service at all? You
Hannah A. 07:54
know, it's one of those things that a lot of the clients that do use us for those services are still using us so much year round. So I don't think it's necessarily a sore spot specifically, because the ones that we have, it's just kind of giving them a different and routine and not so just the same old thing. So like a few of our clients will allow their dogs to go a few days, the week and then maybe we come in those other days, and just again, to make it more enriching and a full life for the dogs. So I think that that's where we're kind of like, No, that's okay, that's good for them and other dogs that aren't able to go to doggy daycare, so they don't have that availability, then that is another area where we're able to service them and not have to kind of work out scheduling of the dogs who aren't able to go to those facilities that are able to, you know, enjoy that activity versus the dogs where it's too overwhelming too much, or whatever the other reasons that are going on. So we haven't necessarily had that type of issue. But I can absolutely see where that might be a sore spot for you know, other people and depending on the situation at hand.
Collin 08:55
Yeah, it is thinking through like and kind of what I heard from you as well going yeah, this is a lot for like existing clients as an additional service we can provide to them. That's one thing versus a potential client, somebody going, Hey, I just need you to do this taxi service. And it's like, Ah, I we don't want to run a bus. Like that's maybe not what we want to do.
Hannah A. 09:17
Absolutely, absolutely. And it does start to become some of that sometimes where it's like, no, okay.
Collin 09:22
And then that's also a great way to build relationships with those daycares with those boarding facilities to continue that because then it is a partnership, everybody's working together to make this care possible, is we think a lot about like, how do I reach out to a boarding facility without offending them? Or how do I reach out to a daycare facility without them viewing me as competition? And a great way to do that is hey, I'm delivering a dog here for you. Let's talk about what are other things that we offer so that you can have some back and forth with them. That
Hannah A. 09:51
I will say something that's maybe not talked about as much or have as much focus on is there's a lot of dogs that aren't able to have those services where they go for no value raishin in the doggy daycare, or the boarding facility is saying, Hey, your dog is not a good fit for us. So it's like the perfect point to being able to if you build that relationship, and you have to turn down evaluation, Hey, your dog is not suitable for this environment. But hey, here's a great resource for you. So it's also a really great way to build that relationship. And but also not step on anyone's toes,
Collin 10:20
right? Because then you're going, Hey, I know you want to this dog to see you want to see this dog get the best care possible. And a lot of times, they're sitting there going, I don't know who to tell you like to the client, they're going, I don't know, go Google it. I go Google it. And yeah, to be able to have this Whoa, let me tell you about these people who come in and that we've actually talked to we have this long standing relationship with, it's a much better transition referral, not saying that it'll still work out for you. Right, when you get that referral, it's not a guarantee. Because sometimes they fail their evaluation for very good reasons. And you don't want a piece of that.
10:57
Yeah, for sure.
Collin 11:00
And for you, though, you know, you are also a trainer, as you mentioned, and so do you win, if you get those calls, you know, you get those those doggy daycare fails, you know, or they get kicked out from from those? Is that is that a conversation that you then pick up on of training services to offer? And then how did those conversations go?
Hannah A. 11:20
Absolutely. Um, so we definitely kind of have a little bit more of a lenient policy, whenever it comes to maybe dogs that haven't had good interactions with other people are good interactions with other types of like Animal Services, because I am able to have a conversation with the client go in, really be able to evaluate and assess the dog, and really be able to set up a practical solution. So really kind of setting them up for success, that's always such a huge thing, you know, making sure that you're looking at the dog in front of you, and assessing what's there and what is practical versus what's not. And then being able to open up that conversation of okay, hey, I think that your dog would be great for XYZ of our services, or, Hey, I think this may be a little bit past my realm. And here's a great referral to maybe a vet behaviorist or someone else that's a little bit higher up than me,
Collin 12:09
those practical solutions, right? Because I know, those are really hard to remind ourselves of, of, well, if you just go out and spend $2,000, on changing everything about your home. And if you just do this the end, if you started six months ago, you could do that, that would be perfect. It's going, Ah, right. We've got to be realistic with the things that we talk about. And it's important to know that what's realistic for one person isn't going to be realistic for somebody else. And that's a huge thing. How do you have those conversations when or have you had to have those conversations when you think something's practical and workable, and it's just not for that person on the other end? Absolutely.
Hannah A. 12:51
And I would definitely say it's all about how you've approached the situation and how you break it down. Because no one likes to hear that their dog is not able to do X, Y, and Z, especially these days, whenever, you know, a lot of people do view their fur babies as their own child, which I mean, I am a part of that group as well. And so it is kind of hard sometimes to really, you know, explain what's actually happening in front of them and what's realistic for their dogs. So it's all about how you frame it. And so I've definitely grown in that over the over the years. First few times, I sat down to have those conversations, they may not have gone the best. But these days, I feel like I'm really good about again, setting what's practical setting small successful steps. Because these days, everyone wants instant gratification, which is so hard with dog training, because if they don't see a result immediately, then the want to continue. It's just like a dog that wants to continue sometimes declines. So being able to really set up milestones, small progress steps to really be able to, you know, not only reinforce and commend the dog, but also the owner unless you know, the clients that hey, your dog is doing great. And this and let's keep going, or hey, we've done this for a while, it's really just not working. And now I do feel like we need to refer out. So I just tried to set that up from the beginning, especially if it is a dog that maybe I'm a little bit No unknown or unsure about how the progress is going to go. And not always it's not about the dog. Sometimes it's about the client that I'm like, okay, I can kind of see already that you might not be really willing to put in all the effort that's needed. And so in those moments, just really making sure that as a trainer too, that I am not getting, you know, ahead of myself and really again, just setting up that realistic expectation from the beginning has been a huge game changer. Oh,
Collin 14:35
you said that phrase. Nobody likes to hear what their dog can't do. Right? And that is so true people get people get pets for a myriad of reasons and sometimes they're very selfish reason sometimes it's and what's what's hard there as you start you start teasing out and and having to work through like why does this person have this? I don't know if you've encountered people where you're like, you live in a one bedroom studio. Why do You have a Weimer, Reiner. Wow. Oh my god. Wow, what is what is that? And it's it. Who knows? It could be they have got these, like, Oh, my granddad had wine writers and I just love my granddad right? It's always it can be bringing these past memories or these past experiences these childhood foundational things. And then you're babbling memories as opposed to reality. And it's those conversations are really hard to have.
Hannah A. 15:26
And it really is because you said it just right. There's so many people who specifically get dogs just because that's familiar as what they're used to. They're chasing the memories. And just because you got the same breed doesn't mean it's gonna have the same disposition personality or even enjoy the same activities that your other breed Did you know, or the your other dog did. I see that a lot. And so I'm such a big advocate for know the breed that's in front of you, even if it's a mixed breed, you know, do your research figure out you know, what might it have some you know, what breeds might be in it, but know the breed that's in front of you before you commit to it, because that is a lifelong for the both of you, and you want to make sure that both ends of the leash are happy.
Collin 16:09
Well, or, you know, a lot of people go out and they do you know, they get a rescue pet, they go from a shelter. And now they don't know the history of what that pets really all experience. And they may have this idea of this, oh, we I want to be a hiking family or I want to be a dog, you know, dog park kind of dog. That's what I want. That's what I grew up with. That's what I see my friends having on social media, and trying to have that conversation with. I know, that's what you want. But that's not what your dog needs at this. Yes,
Hannah A. 16:39
yes. And that is a hard conversation to have sometimes, because you know, people will be like, I used to love going and playing just for instance ball with my dog in the park. And that was our weekend activity. And the dog in front of you is not toy driven, doesn't like playing with balls doesn't really like doing that activity. And then you're discouraged because you don't have that, you know, X, you know, you don't have that fulfillment of the expectation that you said before, even really, you know, figuring out those interests. And I will say the more that you do with your dog, you will gain that, that, that fun with them, you know, just having fun with your dog getting out with them, even if it's maybe a different activity than what you grew up doing. I myself never played frisbee that much with any of my dogs, but my dog now it is her sole activity, she lives for Frisbee. And so now I'm starting to, you know, explore other things that could be different for her that I haven't done before, just because her needs are different than previous dogs that I've had. Yeah,
Collin 17:35
and having those as you mentioned, as well as as you're doing that and understanding who this dog is having those little small check ins and those checkpoints, if you're trying to progress towards something, not just for the pet to know kind of how you're doing and gauging that progress. But also I love how you pointed out really more importantly there for the client to make sure that they're not getting discouraged. And that and that and that we're pointing those out, you know, I mean, we've got several dogs who we, we come in and, and mad the intensity is there in the bark, but the they only bark for like 17 minutes we're used to they've aren't used to bark for 29 minutes, it's like this. Wow, we cut this almost by a third. And so I need to I need to tell the client that I need to talk to them about that tell them the progress of this may seem like it's just a little bit thing, but this is huge for your dog. Absolutely.
Hannah A. 18:26
And being able to celebrate those small victories you know, sometimes people will overlook them. But the more that we point them out and we celebrate with them, the more than they start to be excited and they want to reach out and let you know when they have a milestone whenever you're not present. So really being able to take those moments to celebrate with your clients whenever that's available is such a huge thing.
Collin 18:46
Well, so as as a trainer you know, I a lot of people and I don't know how you think about this, but I do know people think of like trainings over here in this little world and then like pet sitting and dog walking is over here in this little world. Do you do you keep training for training and and not mix those two? Or are you incorporating training into the other services?
Hannah A. 19:07
Absolutely. So we have quite a few different services that we do offer. Um, I will say Our company has about nine centers, I am the only dog trainer on staff so our other centers, you know, they are doing routine pet visits, so routine walks, were tuned in routine everything else. And for me specifically, you know, I definitely have the dogs that are needing a little bit more help on the leash. So maybe that was just the initial intake whenever we did the evaluation that they're telling us, hey, my dogs not the best on leash because of XY and Z. That's a point for us to really evaluate. Okay, how bad is that? Is it okay for us to kind of like work with as normal pet sitter, and just kind of how we all do with just working, you know, to make sure that they're not just pulling us down the street the whole time? Or is it something where I need to step in and I need to be doing more hands on to help them get to a point where one of the other sitters can take over. So everything is kind of intermingled it is just more of like a big assessment. And then we really just kind of fit them for, you know, the different services that we have and what we might think is best for them. And then they can decide,
Collin 20:10
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Collin 20:31
if you're looking for new petsitting software, give time to pet a try, listeners of our show can save 50% off your first three months by visiting time to pet.com/confessional. Well, and it sounds like I mean, that is set that initial assessment is so crucial. And even if we're, you know, your solar settler listening to this going, you have to know the dog that you're working with, you have to know because you won't know what skill set to pull from or to think about a plan or to even recognize those small advances, unless you know what you're starting with. Because that's your that's your baseline, that's going to give you a way of going, Is this in my wheelhouse, right? That's a really important assessment of going Anytime you walk in and going, do I want to take this on? And then if I do, what's going to be required of me to make to set us both up for success? And then that's where we start the planning. But if we don't actually take that assess initial assessment, seriously, it was just kind of a breeze we walk through and blah, blah, blah, yeah, okay, we're good, thank you, we're gonna miss out on a whole lot.
Hannah A. 21:33
For sure, so much information can be missed out on. And that is where a lot of the times if that is something that the client and I will say some clients are not forthcoming of the issues that their dog has, even after asking and prompting. So crazy, but some people are not even after the questions. So that is something where you know, we have feedback from our sitters, or I can go over and do an evaluation. And just to see if this is really something that I need to have a conversation with the client about and really just kind of see where their mind is that if they're noticing the issue, or if it's just something that they're not really worried about. And if that's the case, then really kind of what do we do? Is it something that we continue with? Or is it something that we say, Okay, well, here's something else that can be better for you. Um, but yeah, sometimes clients are not forthcoming, and even the ones that are just again, being able to really figure out the dog, and he said, what's in front of you, and figuring out what could be best. So like, for instance, we have multiple different types of training services. One is what we call like a dog about town. So it's where I go over, I do collect the dog, and then we go on outings together. So whether that is to pet stores, you know, home improvement stores, different parks, sometimes a dog friendly restaurant, etc. But we just want to make sure that our dogs, your dogs can be able to, you know, coexist in that environment. And sometimes it's a barrier, the owners don't want to take them out, because they know of the problems that might happen when they take them out. So being able to have us come in do that kind of practice for them. And then having them feel more confident to take over can be a big help as well, as we know, we had to have like a verse board and train. So it's where people will go out of town for pet sitting. And then I come in and do training throughout. So it's kind of like the reverse, where instead of You're dropping your dog off, we just come in. So there is just a lot of different services that we have that we can kind of fit to each and every client that comes in the door.
Collin 23:31
One that that about town service, you know, a lot, that's where a lot of people have they have that idea of well, I want my dog to go on with me to to errands or I want to do this stuff and going. Is that realistic for you? Is your dog able to do that right now? Where we are? And you know, it's also a great a great question that we ask, well, even just dog walking where people go, I need you to walk my dog. Invariably, one of the first questions I'm going to ask is, do you walk your dog? Yeah. And whenever they go, Oh, no, I could never Oh, no, that's terrible. It's like, okay, well, there's a reason here that we've got to figure out what's going on and see, because then, you know, okay, if this person is it, are they scared? Did they have a bad experience? Or they you know, are they worried about the leash reactivity? Or is it the pulling? Or is it just they don't have time? People contact us for so many reasons. And sometimes, so often, it's just expressed as I need this service, if we don't understand the why behind that. It's really hard to know how to progress appropriately. The whole process, it's, it sounds like is really a part of how you are empowering your clients because I saw that a few times on your website wanting to empower people want to empower pet owners. How do you go about doing that? Yeah,
Hannah A. 24:48
so it kind of is a combination of a few of the things that we've kind of already talked about, but I'll speak about it more for pet setting and then kind of re re circle back for the training. So for petsitting we are just we Want to make sure that our clients feel comfortable, the whole reason that Lois opened up this business is because she went out of town and she felt the discomfort of a home, I have to leave my dog at this place and not knowing it. So really making sure that we are in communication with our clients, you know, we're heavy on the communication, we see any type of notice or anything different, hey, maybe we need to do this, you know, maybe we need to change this. And then of course, we recently within like the last year or so, started doing precise pet care. So for those of you that don't know, it's just kind of like an online service for us pet sitters that are able to document our time with your pets, and just kind of go over, you know, the normal things like they've been watched, they've been fed, you know, they did their business, and just, um, you know, more information along those lines. But that has been a really good way to kind of help our clients, a lot of them have had, you know, past experiences with pet sitters that haven't been very good. So they're very nervous about leaving your dog with another pet sitter. So really being able to provide that communication provide that constant, hey, you can check in and see that we were here, see where we went to do all of those things. And then again, if we need to reach out and text them, talk to them outside of that, we're just really big on that communication that has been super helpful for our clients, and you know, all of our clients, especially our new ones, that might be a little bit nervous, when they come back, the reviews are always so happy and my dog looks so happy, they didn't even look like they missed me. And that's been so, so rewarding to the clients. And then with dog training, it's kind of the same thing that I was talking about earlier, really just taking those moments to celebrate the small victories. So you know, maybe it's like, for instance, I had a client yesterday, we've been working for a really long time on this dog's reactivity. And I took him for a walk, he passed two dogs, he had no issues, he was smiling, or, you know, the the happy, you know, smile from our dogs. And so being able to capture that, send it to my client celebrate that victory was really, really huge. And then just being able to, again, have that communication. So with my clients, I'm really big on, you know, sending them you know, the information that we've worked on, I also have another service that's kind of like a homeschooling. So when clients are at work, I can come in and work with their dog on just daily activities. So maybe they're a counter surfer, or maybe they're not great in the crate, maybe, you know, whatever the needs are, but I can go in during the day when they're at work to do that training. I don't have to leave the house if needed. But obviously, if their issues are, you know, walking around the neighborhood, we will, but being able to communicate go over the information that was learned. And then I do use kind of like an online service called Trello, that I'm able to kind of create boards where my clients can check in and we can communicate.
Collin 27:39
There's a lot there. Have some good, you ended on Trello? I mean, how can we not miss that? I did what Yeah, so Trello you know, that's a way to organize right information that's accessible from other people to kind of see the status of how things are going along, kind of a projection, right.
Hannah A. 28:03
And it's really great just because I'm able to communicate, and I don't have to have my clients kind of going over that boundary of texting me at 10pm if like your dog is having an issue, or something came up that they want me to be aware of that I can just have a one point you know, kind of Stop and Shop where I'm able to go over all of that respond to people and then you know, still put milestones progress updates everything on there. Big
Collin 28:26
because Trello is a project management tool. And so what you're doing basically is like the training process is my project. And I can set these little cards, and this progress of what we're moving towards, and the whole communication of what I worked on today. As as dog walkers as pet sitters as trainers, that is so important to know, not just like, here's how I found the dog. And here's what we did. But here's what we worked on. It was an intentional thing that we focused on for at least a portion of our time together, that that helps the client know, what am I spending my money on this? Right? What what were what, because then they can relate that to they can see that to progress, they can relate that to other things that they're experiencing as
Hannah A. 29:13
well. That and also I will say just because a dog is able to do something for you doesn't necessarily mean that the dog will do something for the owner for multiple reasons. Either that reinforcement history is different. The client does it differently than we do. They don't do things just the same way. So that experience can be different. So being able to have not only the progress updates, but that like sense of security of like here, this is what we did, this is how they're doing I'm able to show that to you are able to show you that they can do XY and Z behaviors. And then now we just need to work on making sure that they can do them for you and not just for me,
Collin 29:51
right when we started viewing our client updates as basic like medical charting, it kind of changed it change Here's the purpose of them for us, because it was a yes, I'm communicating this to the client. Also, these are back notes for me as well, so that I can reference stuff. And we can point to this was the first day this thing happened, right? This was the first time that we mentioned this, this was and you can start picking up patterns. And because there's so much data, in the updates in those notes of what happened that we tend to not give a lot of weight to. And I think it's a it's a wasted opportunity, in a lot of cases, even if it's the most well behaved dog in the world that we're working with, to note those little behaviors, to have somewhere to put those for you so that they're organized, that you go back and reference them. Because they are important, because if we want to be with this dog for the next, I don't know, decade, there's no way he I don't know if you're like me, if your memories as bad as mine, there's no way I'm going to remember what happened to DAX on a Tuesday, five years ago. It's not happening.
Hannah A. 31:00
Yeah, absolutely. And then it's just it's a perfect way for us to be able to, to keep everything and have a system for it. Because you know, saving text messages for years on end, it's just never a fun thing. And it's always so hard to go back through and look through things. So being able to have a point of reference, everything in one place is just so helpful.
Collin 31:20
Because again, it's just it's this what we do, it's there's a lot of data to it that we just don't think about. And there's that's not to say we just need to sit there and just record absolutely every little tiny individual thing. We use our professional discretion to know what to denote and what to point out and what to discard. And that may change is the more time that we interact with that dog or that pet that we're caring for. But it is going no, I'm going to use this for for maybe future self so that I know exactly what happened. Yes. That you offer a wide range of services for both the training and the pet care, and then the the personal assistant stuff as well. I was curious with such a wide range of services, how were you all attracting and connecting with the right clients for those? Yes, so
Hannah A. 32:07
I will say really, up until this point, a lot of it has been word of mouth and just our community, really active on like our Facebook community page, and just having so many referrals, that honestly has been, you know, a huge portion of where the things are coming from. And then especially like I had my, you know, on people from the past facilities that I've worked with that when they found out that I was putting it all under one, so many more referrals from that too. And then I would say this year, we're trying to expand and grow in that area. So being able to do more social media put ourselves out there and other areas has been a big goal of ours this year. But I will say a lot of it has been from word of mouth, and then just like hand delivering flyers, putting our cards up at that offices, small things like that, and then it just really has taken off.
Collin 32:58
We can never discount those those simple, quote unquote, old techniques, right?
33:03
Yes. Oh, helpful. Oh, yeah.
Collin 33:07
I've seen it so many times. I don't want to try flyers, right? It's 2024 or weights get get out? It's like, no, no, you have no idea. These, they help their physical presence, because one of the things as a service based industry that we really struggle with is having a physical presence in our community. Yes, brick, brick, and mortars have the their buildings they have these things they have, they're a known entity because people drive by them every single day. That is a fantastic way of advertising. So we have to find a way to have a physical presence, through flyers through pop ups through you know, we partnered with a local coffee shop to set out tennis balls and poo bag holders in a little basket, right? They were dog friendly. And so when I came in and asked, they were like, Oh my gosh, to be fantastic. Our clients will love those. And so I go back every now and then and just kind of restock that with these things that people can take for free. And it's just like, yeah, we're here. It's a, it's a physical presence of like, this is where we are, this is where we are. And the business cards can now you get connected with the client, the proprietors of those or even just, you know, the front desk workers or the whoever's there just to have a conversation, because then then you get that community aspect, right. And that's what's really important and really necessary for us. Oh, absolutely,
Hannah A. 34:22
especially for us. And that has been like our main source. So that is something that Lois has always been extremely, you know, huge about is the old tactics work. They're there for a reason. And so she has been really big into those. And I would say just within the last year, we've just kind of slowly started to expand and try other things. But I feel like we'll always kind of circle back to that, because that's always what's been, you know, the tried and
Collin 34:43
true. Well, other things are just really hard of, you know, radio doesn't work because that goes out 100 miles and I don't serve us over there. And so we're a weird industry to try and figure out how to advertise and market for but then it's it's important to also be putting out those messages to which Back to people who we do want, right? It's it. That's the other part that I forget, a lot of times, it's not just how we're we're getting the word out. It's what we're saying when we're doing that, and to not be afraid to try different wordings or different photos or different colors, because we don't eat, you know, unless you try a couple things, you'll never know what's actually going to get the best return. Oh, for sure. I was curious. How did you all come up with your name for the company? Absolutely.
Hannah A. 35:29
So when it started, there was only three dogs that were kind of associated with Lois at the time. And that has definitely changed over the years. But it was kind of a catchy, catchy thing. At the very beginning, we had three dogs in the household. And so it just became free dog pets. She kind of played on it past business that she did, and a whole other world outside of, you know, the dog world. It was the, you know, kind of the beginning letters of all of her kids names kind of mash together with her business partner. And so then it was like the three letters, and then we had three dogs. So it was just kind of an easy transition. And it was it was just cute at the time. Now, it's not as fitting as their six dogs. But you know,
Collin 36:11
well, I love I love how personal that is to have a recognition of yeah, this is where my starting passion was, and where, where where we can draw that line back to, to connect with. And that kind of that kind of connection is really important when in running a business of being involved in a business and being able to point back to either early beginnings, or what things were like are the are why of there's there's this there's this deep history that all of us have. Because we all started somewhere, we all have a foundation. And we need to remind ourselves of that from time to time, especially when things get hard. Oh,
Hannah A. 36:52
absolutely. Absolutely. Because sometimes, especially in the in the industry that we're in sometimes you know, after a day, it can be so hard for being able to kind of circle back have those like things and have those memories definitely helps being able to push you on
Collin 37:07
well and bring people on board to have have whether that's a team members, or that's clients to be able to have that story of what the company is and why at the end day like why they should care. Yeah, absolutely. As business owners, it can sometimes feel awkward or we can be uneasy about what to do for a client who has lost a pet. That's why our friends at Pet perennials make it easy to send a heartfelt condolence gift directly to someone with a broken heart. They have this awesome direct consumer gift model that takes the effort off of us and ensures a thoughtful, personalized simply gift reaches our client or employee on our behalf. All gift packages include a handwritten card, colorful gift wrap and shipping fees across the US and Canada. They also offer an array of milestone gifts and greeting cards that can be sent to celebrate birthdays, extend, get well wishes and welcome new and rescue pets a great way to connect with your clients. Additionally, there are gift choices in case you need to send a sympathy gift in memory of a special human client, or celebrate a pregnancy engagement or wedding of a pet lover. If you're interested register for a free business gift perks account, unlock the all inclusive discounted package prices, the services used on an as needed basis. So there are no monthly or annual obligations or minimum purchase, Learn more at Pet perennials.com Check out their business program or register for that free gift perks count by using the link in the show notes. I know as a trainer, we kind of touched on this a little bit, but I want to come back to that real quick because my brain just clicked over to it. You know, you are giving a lot of recommendations to people and a lot of suggestions and things and how do you how are those received a lot of times because I feel like sometimes we have the best intentions we want to tell people or inform and educate people. Do you feel like it's easy to get people on board with those recommendations? Or do they kind of need a little bit of little encouragement? Um,
Hannah A. 39:04
I would definitely say kind of depends on the situation, I would say for petsitting we don't really ever typically have pushback on recommendations just because we've been in business for so long, we've had so much positive reviews and most of our clients, I've always have already kind of read through the reviews before they've even like done the point of contact with us. So I will say most of the time for petsitting we don't have too much or too many issues. There's always you know a few in the bunch that kind of come up and happen. For pet or for training, it's a little bit different, especially because we're kind of going off a little bit of what we talked about earlier with memory so you know when people use certain types of equipment or certain types of things with their dog, and then that's what they've grown up learning how to use that's what they've been used to and then now we're changing a little bit because that's what your dog in front of you needs. So sometimes having to really explain the benefit of switching you know from what's comfort to something a little bit different. And might be a little bit of a conversation might take a little bit longer than I would like, but it's just kind of part of the game. So I don't really feel like I have to too much. But sometimes there is a little bit where it takes some coaxing.
Collin 40:11
Yeah, well, that's just at some point they have to connect with how bad how much of a problem is that in their personal life, right? How big of a pain is this? To, for me to buy into the solution that's being offered? Or not? You know, not solution is in that but like, into what's what's what the help that's being extended to me? Do I? Is it a big enough pain point for me to bite into this, and that's, that's a personal assessment that everybody has to make. And then again, we have to be okay, if they deem it not that big of a deal to themselves. At the end of the day, you know, we get these calls, people go, my Pooky snooker Holmes is my entire world, I would give anything for them. I've never, I haven't travelled in 10 years, because you know, blah, blah. But now my grandson is graduating, I've got to go. But they're my world. And we say, Oh, absolutely. We got this battalion, we get to it, and they, they hear the price. And they go, nope. And it's like, it wasn't that big of a deal. It wasn't that big of a problem for them, obviously. But they've got other priorities that were not expressed in that conversation. And I Okay, I understand absolutely. Best of luck in your search. And I'm just having to be okay with that. Absolutely.
Hannah A. 41:23
And I will say, I feel like maybe at the very beginning, you know, it's always a little bit different when you're starting a business versus when you have a, you know, long standing. So I feel like at the beginning, there was definitely some of those moments of like, I am a little bit upset that you didn't choose to go with us or whatever, then. And these days, it's exactly like you said, Okay, that's not a problem. Here's some other people, hopefully, they can help you, you know, have the best of luck in your search and move on.
Collin 41:47
And I'm not saying it still doesn't hurt because, boy, if there's somebody who holds a grudge, it's me, I'm really good at this. And so it's an active process of while I'm on the phone with somebody just going like doing my breathing techniques to go okay, no, it's fine. It's fine. Because not right now is it and just it just, that's part of the process of, of when we are serving and helping people, we have to remember that they want to be served and helped in a way that they want. Not in not, it's not always how we want to offer that service.
Hannah A. 42:22
I will say I mean, something that's going to help me not just even with like pet sitting, but even then like the dog training aspect of things, just really kind of having that conversation with myself. It's okay, these are probably not the type of clients that I would have wanted to have long term either, you know, whatever, we don't align for whatever reason, you know, if my price point is too high for you, then price points moving forward are going to be too high. So you're not the type of clients that I am going to continue to try to have. So that's totally fine. If there is someone else that can better suit you. So being able to have those conversations can be very helpful for me too.
Collin 42:54
Yeah, we've got to kind of sit down and just assess with ourselves of like, Man that really stung. I did that staying? Oh, because I'm you know, I'm worried about this, or I'm not really confident right now. Well, how do I get like, really taking the time to process instead of just rushing off to the next thing? Because then we don't build up a little bit of that resiliency that we'll need for the next time? Somebody turns us down? Absolutely. For you personally, I was curious, you know, you're in this in this industry, it can be all consuming. That takes a lot out of us. As far as boundaries for you. And with the business, what are some of the hardest boundaries that you've had to set, and then really importantly, here, not enforced? Oh,
Hannah A. 43:39
that is such a hard one. I will say I'm still ever learning. I mean, setting those boundaries, especially when you are not only taking care of your clients, pets and taking care of their home, but then you go even further and you're doing training and you're helping them grow. It can be very hard to set that balance and that boundary of when it's okay to reach out and talk to me about those milestones and when is it isn't okay? Because like you said, it's kind of a never ending thing. So I mean, from sunup to sundown, I'm generally working with clients talking with people and so trying to set with myself that after a certain time of day, and I'm certain, you know, point of the morning, I'm not going to be responding and just really making sure that my clients are aware of that. You know, and just kind of reiterating I absolutely am going to be responding to you. I'm not leaving you out or anything like that, but just really trying to make sure that I'm consistent with those things because it can just be so all consuming. And I would say probably for petsitting it's more so just been we've kind of tried to take a step back from doing overnights and that has been such a huge thing for our clients trying to set that boundary. And then same for PPC since we really just kind of rolled that out this last year. It's been a long standing company. So our long term clients have had a really hard adjustment with like not getting the daily text messages and getting that that type of conversation and communication from us. So really kind of having to show them like, here's everything for you and just kind of retraining them a little bit. Yeah,
Collin 45:09
when you hit on three really big things. Because, you know, the the client communication. That is, that's incredibly hard. I know for me, we'll get messages through our software, and I'm just staring at it right? I'm awake, it's 1030. I'm just staring at my phone going. Well, I could I could respond. It's, it's right here. That would give me a head for tomorrow. So I don't have to respond. Because I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. But at the end of the day going, Nope. If I respond to this, I've trained my client that it's okay. Right. Yeah. And, and then what I have to do is go to I want 100 More Clients texted me at 1030 at night, would that be? doable? No, no, that's not what I want. So sticking to those to go, I may want to but, you know, obviously, during the assessment of is somebody telling us something on fire, or somebody's bleeding, okay, if we go, let's move past this.
Hannah A. 46:05
And I still struggle with that myself. But it is just so important to continuously remind myself up, because it can just be so easy to have those slips. And then just like, you know, with training, you know, retraining the people to continue to respond that way. And it's like, okay, no, can't do it. Can't do it. Yeah.
Collin 46:22
Well, and then even with the even with the transition to a new software, different software, it's, it's, it's now I'm not training you just on when to contact me, but also how to contact me. And that is hard, because people they do they want those those text messages, because that's what I've always gotten. And so can't you just text me back this one time? And we we've we struggled with that so much, because I some through various reasons, like our personal numbers kind of slipped out to put some particular clients, right, and then they call you and you're just staring at it. And you're again, you're like, what? Ah, but Ah, okay, so I've got to wait for it to go through. And then I've got to text them through our business line and say, Hey, if you need anything called this number to watch this, like, know this, my personal number is not real. Like it's because otherwise it won't ever change. And then did we end up frustrated a year into it going, why aren't people it's like, well, because you're kind of allowing it. And yeah, from a good spot, but it's not what you need.
Hannah A. 47:31
And that has been a huge thing. I would say for some other people in the business, it's been harder than others. Like, for me, that was something that I learned early on in training, it was just, it was just all consuming. Like the from the moment that I got into the dog training world where people are constantly hitting you up finding you on Facebook finding you just to get information to talk to you. And so really taking that and then applying it more to the pet sitting world because I've been a part of Three Dog pet for a good 1012 years, but just kind of off and on. So really coming back to it with dog training and having that be my primary focus really trying to instill that and teach some of the other sitters and even our owner that Hey, it's okay, like we have to change we have to be, you know, adaptable. I know, it's so easy, like you said to respond when it comes right there. But just being like, okay, no, we can respond on the work line. At business hours, we have those business hours stated everywhere for people to know. And our business hours are really long. So it's not like we're cutting it down and like making it a small window to talk to people. So just kind of having to have those conversations with not only ourselves, but our whole staff have just It's okay, and they will get used to it. We just can't, you know, have those moments of accidentally or texting them one or two times because they quickly grasp on to that.
Collin 48:49
It is it is amazing. I know in speaking of changing behavior here, you as a trainer, notice it's amazing how quickly revert back to the bad behavior, right? It takes it takes nothing to backslide while while making in the other direction. It's like this is a month long process. It's
Hannah A. 49:07
so easy to backslide. It really really is.
Collin 49:11
When you also mentioned your transition kind of away from overnights as well. And so is that the development of your your bed and biscuits service? Yeah,
Hannah A. 49:22
so she probably opened that to her I would say about two maybe three years or coming up on three years ago. And we were still doing a lot of overnights but honestly, just the growth that the business has had the last few years just not being able to really service. I mean, we're booking out like, you know, I think she has stuff on the books for 2025 right now. So I mean, it's one of those things that we tried to schedule that time and scheduling it to make sure that people aren't working from sunup to sundown and overnight, it's going into the next day, really trying to be able to limit the availability of those. They're still a service but really just trying to take a little step. away from them and then offering that we kind of call almost overnight defendant Mr. Almost overnight. But nowadays, it was a little bit of an easier transition word wise to our clients to have it's almost an overnight in the night and in the morning, simulate the same responses, simulate the same things that we're doing at those overnights but being able to have a little bit of relief where our car sitters are able to go home and decompress and hang out with their animals before doing it all over again.
Collin 50:28
Yeah, it's a making that judgment call to have I love how you by making sure you've referenced it as an almost overnight, right? It really sets the expectation for the client, when you're having that conversation with them. Because if they're expecting the overnight, it's going well, we could let me tell you about our almost overnight, because I'm sure you will also know, right, it makes that transition so much smoother, because you know, you also on I'm sure know, the pets that that need legitimately need the overnight service for whatever reason, versus the and that's what we run into here. Again, we've again, this this personal experience and Pete client expectations of is this a pet need? Or is this a client expectation? And, and really, let's let's tease that apart? You know, we've we've had that the number of times I've had this conversation of, well, muffin really needs to be you know, someone needs to be here overnight. Oh, okay. Well tell me talk to you about behavior or medication or post op, are these? Oh, no, no, none of that they're the easiest talk in the world, it will just make me feel better. And you're like, Ah, okay.
Hannah A. 51:33
But it's also like telling the clients, you know, there are dogs that, you know, they live for their people and like, they enjoy our company, and they enjoy our visits. But being there long term, you know, they might hang out with us for like two hours. And then they're like, I'm gonna go lay in my bed and completely ignore you. Whereas the client, they cuddle in bed with them, it's a little bit different. Not every dog is that way. But you've definitely have your dogs that are kind of like dismissive of you. They're like, your 30 minutes is done, you are able to leave, but I'm used to, and like I have, I have allowed you to leave my part, like my presence. And so trying to communicate that to the clients and also were to in a way that it's like they still enjoy our company, they still want us to come. But we don't really need to be here for that full, you know, eight, nine hours.
Collin 52:13
Yeah, yeah, going? No, your dog is actively asking me to leave right now. So I'm just a
Hannah A. 52:19
timer to where I'm like, How do I? How do I nicely word that to my clients to where again, I don't want to just like they still are excited to see us they still want us to come? But how do I word that to make it to where it's not? So like, yeah, your dog is completely done with me. And they want me to leave?
Collin 52:38
It Yeah, we do have we are doing make sure that they ask us back, but also ask us back for maybe a different service, you know, and that, that that is part of that process, again, of going, it always comes back to assessing client expectations and pet needs. And that's an eternal balance that we've got to make and understand how do we threat our services through and offer the appropriate services to them to make sure that those are both net? How, how are you? Or what would you recommend more people incorporate as far as like training practices in a typical pet sitting that maybe make their life better or, or the anything to improve that that pet Flyff. Um,
Hannah A. 53:21
so you know, a lot of people will focus on physical activity of dogs, and that absolutely is great and needed, but so much. So many times the mental stimulation just goes to the wayside. So making sure that you know, depending on the dog depending on what's available, but could we you know, how give them a cone that's prepared to they can look at it and work at it and get that mental stimulation. Because what people don't realize is if our dog spends 15 minutes working at something like that, using their brain in that capacity, it's equivalent to them spending 45 minutes of time outside. And so a lot of times are dogs that are having, you know, some annoyance behaviors, excessive barking, digging, chewing, which can all be amplified when their owner is not present, then those toys or those outlets can be a fantastic tool to be able to help while the owner is gone. So that could be you know, having a slippery, so literally just going out and allowing your dog to have a sniff. So many times our society has deemed that walking is, you know, our dog should be glued to our side staring up at us the whole entire time. And like that's very nice aesthetically, and that's awesome. But a dog should be able to get out and sniff and be a dog and release those things that kind of also related to scrolling social media, like if my dog is able to go out and sniff it's kind of the same thing as me scrolling and checking things online. And how maybe a day of not being able to do that. I might also be like, what's going on on there? What did someone post today? You know, I want to be able to make sure that our dogs have that time have that ability. And that also could be using a snuffle mat so maybe I'm Having my dog forage for food using their nose and a little map that's available, using the comps the leaky mat. I'm using like a tail teaser. So it's another just form of enrichment for our dogs. But being able to provide those is another huge thing with our clients aren't present, because some of those behaviors might be amplified with them being gone.
Collin 55:20
Well, and he mentioned the the benefit that brings the dog in in a shorter timeframe. Because many times we may feel like, oh, gosh, if I had an actual time, I don't have the time to do this big thing. So it's asking, What can I do instead of that, and you're right, that mental enrichment is, is a huge part of it. And when we focus too much on the on the physical aspect, we we, we can we do deprive that pet from a lot of a holistic approach to their care?
Hannah A. 55:51
Absolutely. And so that was probably one of the few biggest things that I would say to clients and the clients that do provide that to their dogs and like have that set out for us to be able to give to them, I can't tell you how much it makes a difference in that dog when they when the owners return and how happy that dog is and just how content that dog is versus a dog that we're only able to go over for three or four visits a day, and we're only able to spend that time hanging out, maybe going for a walk, when they come back, you know, they're still happy, but just a whole different appearance of the
Collin 56:21
dog. And I want to thank you so much for coming on the show today. And walking us through those processes of connecting with the client and making sure that we're having that conversation. And being honest, when we need to be and, and the importance of charting and all that stuff in our business so that we can see that progress. And we can encourage our clients and empower them to to continue to go down that journey with their pet, I do know that there's a whole lot that we didn't get to. And there's a whole lot more here. So if people are interested in getting in touch with you, and following along with all the cool things that Three Dog pet has going on how best can they do that?
Hannah A. 56:57
I will say there's gonna be a lot of new things coming out this next year. But right now social media. So Instagram under three dog pet is a great resource. I'm also setting up the availability to do training online. So even if you're not necessarily in the DFW area, being able to do zoom calls their training, and I'm also probably going to be rolling out with a online dog training course. So our website, free dog pet will be a great resource as well as our Instagram for all of those upcoming new things.
Collin 57:25
Well, well, I will have links to all that in the show notes and on the website for people to click right to and start following along and see all that cool stuff coming out. And this was an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much for coming on the show today. Thank
57:37
you so much for having me. It was a pleasure. What small,
Collin 57:41
achievable steps can you outline right now, for a client or clients or for yourself? What little things could you set out to achieve in the next week, maybe two weeks. Importantly, keep track of these. Look for those changes as you work hard on making them so that you can look back in a month or a year and see where it all started. Whether for our clients or their pets, or importantly for us at our business. Small Steps allow you to see frequent wins and allow you to see the impact that your effort is making, which motivates you to keep it up. We want to thank today's sponsors time to pet and pet perennials for making today's show possible. And we really want to thank you so much for listening. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your week. We'll be back again soon.
