We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Caroline Mattioli. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Caroline below.

Alright, Caroline thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry

Behavioral issues in our pet dogs are sky-rocketing. This is mainly because the latest trends are steering people to treat their dogs as if they were 100% human. Anthropomorphism is sometimes helpful, and many times it is not. Our dogs deserve to be treated with respect and kindness, but treating them and their issues as if they were human is anything but respectful and kind. Here is a client story for example: Their Corgi hated being hugged. He just didn’t like the feeling of being smashed into someone’s chest. Despite warning signs, they truly believed “but all dogs like to be hugged” and “it shows him we love him”. Hugging is not in the canine world. It’s a human behavior. Plus, not all humans like to be hugged either. To this dog, hugging does not equate to love.
Most owners mean well, but they really need to start looking from the dog’s perspective and not their own.

Caroline , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

After graduating from Kansas State with my degree in Animal Science, I started off my training career by Dolphin Training. I learned a lot about how animals are trained with creative techniques, patience, and positive reinforcement. I then attended a dog training school to further my education. I gained experience through various jobs, and continued to pursue education online through other dog training programs. It’s critical to never stop learning, and to question what you already know. My German Shepherd mix, Onyx, is one of the best teachers I have. Your own dog can teach you a lot, if you’re willing to learn. Now, the dog training world is extremely messy. There are a lot of egos to deal with, and it gets tiring. I wanted to better the lives of dogs and their people, but at different facilities I worked at, my hands were tied. I had to conform to what they wanted, and there were times that heavily frustrated me because it would cause me to fail the dog/owner. This was because the methods were centered around being only Force Free. No one lives in a “force free” world. I believe in using positive reinforcement as well as effective negative feedback so our animals can actually learn what we like, and what we do not. I decided to start my own dog training business so I can cater to each individual family to help them in their own unique way. Some dogs need more positive reinforcement, and others need a combo of learning boundaries along with rewards. I love that I have a massive client support system, and I look forward to continuing to help each team develop their skills in a manner they need. My services include mobile dog training in the comfort of the client’s home and neighborhood, along with field trips to other locations to practice. I currently have a 10 and 20 Day Package where I work with the dog one-on-one to help build muscle memory, then show the owner what their next steps should be and how to continue the training process. My special skill is teaching the owner and dog how to have a pleasant walk, and actually enjoy their outing.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I started recording my work and really just messed around on social media (Instagram) to see what I could create. It was mainly for me to share tips that I thought were important for the common dog owner to know. I would just post anything that came to mind, or record something I thought would be useful. Now, I get many of my clients from social media. At this point, I’m still just posting what I want and what I think is important. Showcase your work, and don’t worry about making it flashy!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Egos are big in the dog training world. There are definitely times when people will begin to back-stab or talk poorly of you to others, especially when you’re proving to be successful. They get jealous, and they wish they had the skills. I once worked at a dump of a place I should’ve never gone to, as it began to ruin my reputation as a credible trainer. I was in desperate times, so I decided to go with it. Not only were the trainers unable to effectively train any of the dogs, but the management treated the staff incredibly badly. It was to the point where clients knew this place was not credible. I couldn’t help but think how embarrassing this was. I could’ve really gone down hill because of this choice. I opened my own business, and have actually helped many clients from their company. It’s a win win for me. Never stop doing what you’re passionate about.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gotitdogtraining.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gotitdogtraining?igsh=N3M2bXU0dDVzajc5&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@gotitdogtraining?si=NhVTVYPvrOZZ1fYc
• Other: @JustTrain_Dogs (Instagram)