09/02/2026
Let’s talk about something nobody likes to talk about… 👀
Yes, you’re screening us as trainers.
But here’s the part some people forget…
We’re screening you as clients, too.
And no, we don’t believe we’re the right fit for everybody. We shouldn’t be.
That’s exactly why we spend so much time on the phone, answering questions, having conversations, and meeting with people BEFORE we ever contract training. We want to know what you expect, what your dog needs, what your goals are, and most importantly… whether we’re a good fit for each other.
Because when the conversation starts with:
🚩 “My dog would never do that.”
🚩 “There’s an excuse for everything he does.”
🚩 “I don’t want you using anything negative.”
🚩 “I’ve already decided exactly how you need to train my dog.”
🚩 Questioning every single thing we say before you’ve even hired us.
🚩 Treating us like we somehow stumbled into this profession yesterday.
That’s probably our first clue. 😂
And let’s clear up the “negative” training conversation while we’re here…
There is no positive without a negative.
Training is about communication, boundaries, consequences, reinforcement, accountability, and teaching the dog what behavior is appropriate. It isn’t about beating a dog into submission, and it also isn’t about handing out treats while politely asking a dog to stop making terrible decisions.
Our job is to train the DOG in front of us, not the dog you wish you had.
We genuinely want every dog that comes through our program to succeed. That means sometimes we have to have uncomfortable conversations with the humans attached to those dogs, too.
So yes, ask questions.
Yes, interview us.
Yes, make sure you trust us.
Yes, make sure our training philosophy aligns with what you want.
But understand that while you’re deciding whether we’re the right trainer for you…
We’re deciding whether you’re the right client for us.
Because the goal isn’t just to take your money and put your dog through a program.
The goal is SUCCESS …..for the dog, the owner, and the relationship between the two.
And if we realize from the beginning that we’re not a good fit?
We’re perfectly okay saying “this probably isn’t going to work.”
No hard feelings. No drama. No wasted time.
There are plenty of trainers out there.
And there are plenty of clients out there.
We’d rather put the RIGHT dog with the RIGHT trainer and set everybody up for success than force a relationship that was a bad fit from day one.
So yes…
We are being screened.
But respectfully…
So are you. 😉🐾
Kilo & Frei K9
