05/13/2026
Rant post incoming.
After my post about private equity in vet med got traction, I was going to do a follow up about PE in the dog training world too (beware the franchise). But honestly? I think there’s an even bigger issue: pay structure for trainers
Dog training is highly skilled labor. Good trainers need technical knowledge, hands-on experience, excellent communication skills, emotional intelligence, problem solving ability, and the ability to safely handle difficult behavior cases. We are educators, coaches, counselors, crisis managers, and customer service reps all at once.
And the actual session is only part of the job.
One client session can involve:
• planning time
• scheduling
• driving/parking
• follow up emails/messaing between sessions
• notes
• networking with vets/sitters/groomers
• continuing education
• webinars
• conferences
• late-night worrying about your clients and their dogs
People see “one hour session” and don’t realize how much unpaid labor surrounds it.
Meanwhile, many companies are asking for years of experience, paying close to minimum wage, and then charging clients $150+ for sessions.
One of the reasons I expanded my business was because I knew genuinely talented trainers who were underpaid, micromanaged, burned out, and treated as disposable despite being the reason clients were coming back in the first place.
And to be clear: I am not pretending I have this all figured out.
Running a facility is expensive. Some months I don’t pay myself. I pay at the top for trainers Chicago and it’s still not enough. I’m still trying to figure out how to build something sustainable without recreating the same problems I hate seeing elsewhere.
But I do know this:
if dog trainers are expected to behave like skilled professionals, they need to be compensated like skilled professionals.
Some red flags to watch for as clients:
• high staff turnover
• trainers constantly leaving
• vague pay structures
• companies heavily reliant on unpaid “shadowing” or “apprenticeships”
• trainers being overbooked
Because the people doing the actual labor with your dogs matter.
