Laurie's Blogs.

You’re smarter than you think and you have more to offer than you realize!  Where is this blog going, you might be wondering?  Well, this past Saturday I had the pleasure of doing a talk for Alberta Dachshund Rescue, and on Tuesday this week, I’ll give a talk to the Calgary Dog Fanciers Club.  Both came up as invitations to speak, and I’d be a fool to pass up the opportunities!  These talks plus what I’d noticed while teaching over the years is the inspiration for this week’s blog.

When I teach, anywhere all over the word, we often have dog owners come in to bring dog-participants for the classes.  Most of the time, the owners stay to help hold and organize their dogs, and they also sit in on the lectures… just because they’re there.  I often notice how they will perk their ears when I talk about things that any good dog owner or breeder may have seen or gone through: lick granulomas and the correlation to spinal nerve impingement; clinical signs of Wobblers disease or lumbosacral disc disease; The fact that there is an immediate treatment technique for geriatric idiopathic vestibular disease; How manual therapy actually works to address pain in a joint; and so on.  They often ask me questions or tell me stories of their dogs, and how interesting they found my lectures.  It has often made me think, how much there is that we know and take for granted that the dog owning public (and in particular breeders, sporting dog competitors, and working dog handlers) would LOVE to know and understand.  And of course, you know that the more you give, the more you receive.  And when you teach, you become an expert on the topic.  And when you speak and convey what you know, people start to feel comfortable with you, they start to like you, and they start to trust you, which is a great way to start a potential client relationship.  All of these are reasons why you should consider offering talks, seminars, or educational evenings at your clinic.

So, who is your target market?  Well, as my introduction to this blog tells you already, breed groups, rescue groups, sporting-dog groups, working-dog groups, or kennel clubs are great places to start.  What should you lecture about?  Well, really there are so many things.  Let’s start a list:

Senior dog issues

IVDD (for the Chondrodystrophic breed clubs)

Stretching the canine athlete

Conditioning the canine athlete (or break it down further…)

Building strong shoulders in the canine athlete

Conditioning to prevent cruciate tears

Conditioning the canine handler (this one would be great for physios / PT to do!)

Warding off osteoarthritis

How to assess your dog for signs of joint or muscle pain (where to look, how to check)

Grow a strong puppy! (Coordination and strength training & the importance of well puppy checks)

Back end awareness (good for any dog, but the giant breeds would be great to target here)

Those are some ideas I came up with in less than 5 minutes of thinking!  I’m sure there are dozens more!  In fact, please send me your ideas or topics that perhaps you have addressed in talks that you have done in your area!

Beyond those things, and down to some of the nitty gritty stuff.  1) Have a hand out.  People love getting things, and beyond that, they can continue to look at it and be reminded of you and your services.  2) Put together a bit of a power point presentation if you can.  Visuals are great.  3) Go ahead and charge a nominal fee.  The goal isn’t to get rich in the DOING of the presentation, but rather, build your client-base and establish new connections.  4) Be sure to make it about THEM, what can these owners do to manage their dog, and yes, you still promote yourself and your business, but while giving information, also give some tips and tricks.  Hmm, 5.  It seems like I should have 5 points.  5) Smile, be friendly, be fun, be yourself.  People aren’t wanting to listen to a stuffy professional know it all. Be human! Other humans like that!

Okay, so on that note, since more than ¾ of FourLeg members & friends are in the Northern hemisphere and experiencing winter… there’s no better time to ‘create’ than when the earth is in resting mode!  So, take the time to brainstorm and create some talks that you can give, and grow your business!

Comments from the Daxi talk:

We were given such a wealth of information. My focus and outlook have done a 180. My smile is still stuck on my face knowing and seeing Fanci is going to recover 💖💗 I am so grateful for this opportunity. Thank you Canine Fitness Centre and ADR 🐾💕

The worst combination of letters to a Dacshund owner are IVDD. Yesterday some of that fear was lifted thanks to @caninefitnesscentre. Thank you for the education on IVDD that we can help pass on to our fosters, our own dogs and our friends. 🐾💕🐾