You’ve put in countless hours over more than 3 years, you’ve completed your attestation statement, you’ve filed your Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics, studied and understood the LIMA effective behavior intervention. Next, you tackled your nerve-wracking exams, passed with flying colors, and now, with your CPDT-KA certificate, you are officially a dog trainer. Congratulations on your dream career and all the hard work you’ve done!
Whether you are now learning how to open your own dog training business or already have one—have you taken advantage of all the benefits of branded gear for dog trainers out there?
You and your customers—pet parents—are an excellent means to grow your business together. If you’re wondering what the benefits of branded gear for dog trainers are and if they’re worth it, we’re ready to help!
Preparing to Brand
Before you start creating your brand, you need to prepare. Developing your brand and the strategies to follow help make it easier to grow your audience, help turn strangers into loyal customers, and scale your dog training business. Here are just a few suggestions to think about before you decide to brand your dog training gear:
- Imagine your brand as a person, and that person walks into a public space. What impression would it make to the people there? Define your brand attributes, the characteristics that your audience will see as a fundamental part of your brand.
- Define four or five of your core brand attributes. Social media platforms change and evolve, which may force you and your dog training business to evolve as well—but your core attributes, unless undergoing a rebrand—should remain the same.
- Know your ideal customer. In this case, it’s relatively easy. Your customers care about their pets and want to improve them and their relationship with them. But pinpointing the exact sort of customer you are looking for will help you brand your gear toward attracting more of your preferred customer.
Next, consider the following:
- Pet parents need to feel that pets will remain secure and undamaged when in your classes. Is your brand trustworthy and safe?
- Pet parents have extremely positive emotional associations with their pets, is your brand mirroring those feelings of warmth, compassion, and positivity?
Branded Gear Suggestions
If you aren’t sure yet which of your gear to brand, we have some helpful suggestions for you. These may help get your creativity going!
Fido Tritan Bottle with Bowl, or Rocco Collapsible Pet Bowl
When you’ve got a demonstration, a training session, or you and your pup are putting on a show—you know how crucial it is to keep you and your star hydrated. Especially on the hottest of days in the summer, a water bottle and a bowl combined cover both your and your dogs’ needs. The Fido Tritan Bottle carries 34 oz of water and is 100% BPA-free copolyester. It features a screw-top tethered lid that remains connected to the bottle and features a removable bottom pup-safe bowl so you can pour water and share it with your best friend. It’s top-rack dishwasher safe, though hand-washing is recommended.
For when you are really on the go with days filled up with classes or shows, a Rocco collapsible pet bowl will ensure your trained companions can get both a much-needed bite to eat and a drink of water no matter where you are.
Positive Reinforcement – Buddy’s Pet Food Bag for on the Go
As a positive reinforcement trainer, you teach your customers to use a reward for good dog behavior, starting with your dogs. Praise, toys, and of course, treats are an essential part of that positive reinforcement. That’s why you never leave the house for a training session or with your dogs during your downtime without your treat bag. That food bag is another excellent chance for you to put your logo and brand upon it, as you carry it with you every place you go.
Pooch Pack Clean-Up Kit
Accidents happen, and sometimes the call of nature can’t be denied. Whether on a walk or starring in a show, make your life a little more convenient with a kit that helps you clean up, branded with your logo. With a dispenser flap and loop, you can have convenient tidying-up and your logo right on your belt wherever you go with a refillable device.
Benefits of Branded Gear for Dog Trainers
Reaching New Customers
As a dog trainer, you know how essential it is that a dog gets exercise. Whether it’s taking a dog out for daily walks or letting them run freely at the dog park, dogs and their owners get a lot of travel in. Sometimes with multiple walks per day, that’s a wealth of opportunity for both you and your customer to show off your brand.
Whether you’re taking your own trained dogs out for a walk, a run in the park, or showing them off at a local agility course or competition from Trick dog trainers, you have an excellent opportunity to carry branded gear.
Boost your Training Reputation and Support Animal Shelters
Although you may not be able to afford it at the first step, you can make a difference with your branded gear for dog trainers for animals in need while boosting your reputation at the same time. Many shelters and pet welfare programs must rely upon and often appreciate donations. Items such as pet food bowls, tennis balls, flying dog toys, clean-up packs, portable food, and water bowls are a welcome addition to any shelter. Additionally, anything that helps a pup or animal get adopted is a boon, too! Precious items like bandanas for picture day when the shelter is posting available adoptions tend to get potential pet parent’s attention and help increase chances of adopting.
The benefits of branded gear as a dog trainer are surprisingly vast. There are even opportunities for you to share your gear with pet-friendly environments for further customer reach. If you aren’t carrying branded gear, you may be missing out on a vast range of opportunities to help your business grow. At MSPDesign, don’t miss out on any options with our massive range of training gear, fantastic merchandise, expert tips, and advice.
