Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brian Gallardo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Brian , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Our mission is to help everyday dog owners train and teach their dogs how to thrive in everyday real-world settings so that owners and their dogs can do more of what they want together without the added stress.

My mission with Awoken K9 came about when I was in college pursuing veterinary science in the hopes of becoming a veterinarian. As a college student, I adopted a pitbull from a shelter with my fiance.

As first-time dog owners, we asked questions regarding Mila, the pit bull mix, “how is she with people, how is she with dogs and cats, and what was her history?”

After speaking to the adopters, they assured us Mila’s, was “great with people, dogs, and cats!” We were excited after hearing this because we had a very social lifestyle, had friends with dogs, and had a cat named Khai.

After adopting Mila, we understood that introducing Mila to our cat Khai would be a slow process. When Mila first arrived, she was extremely excited and fixated on our cat, so we kept them separate for the most part initially.

As new excited dog owners, we took Mila out daily, played with her, ran with her, and walked her.

Within a few days of having Mila, we realized she would lunge, bark, and growl at other dogs and drag us on the leash toward other people!

As you can imagine, we had no idea what to do. We started getting stressed out because when we took Mila on walks, we would have to look two blocks ahead to ensure that nobody was walking their dog or make sure that people weren’t on our path due to how Mila the pitbull behaved.

To make things worst, when Mila wasn’t outside with us, she would be crated all day because Mila was now trying to attack our cat Khai!

So what did we do? We did what most people do; we watched YouTube videos on how to train your dog to stop barking, lunging at people’s dogs, and preventing your dog from trying to get your cat.

As you can imagine, there were many videos, and each video contradicted the last, leaving us more confused.

At this point, we decided to call a trainer. We called every location, and every trainer told us, “we don’t work with aggressive dogs.” The only trainer who did was over 8 hours away!

This left us feeling hopeless; we loved this dog but knew that she deserved a better home and lifestyle than what we could provide for her.

So as hard as it was, we had to return her to the shelter we initially adopted her from.

As hard as giving Mila away was, this one experience changed my whole life for the better. I was so heartbroken that I developed an obsession & fascination with understanding dogs, their behaviors, why dogs do the things they do, how they learn, how they perceive things & how to train them properly.

I paid thousands of dollars for dog psychology courses and for top trainers to train me.

Heck, I even quit my job, changed my Major, and adopted my first puppy!

After college, I interned and worked with various dog training facilities, where I got hands-on experience with dogs from every walk of life.

I worked with the most adorable knuckle-headed puppy’s to the most unruly dogs!

I read every book imaginable (and still do!) about dog and puppy psychology, behavior, and training.

I put everything I learned under a microscope to fully understand what was happening inside a dog’s mind & why it all worked.

It took countless months, years, and hours for it all to set in, but it finally hit me that I can help other puppy and dog owners so that no one ever has to give away a dog love because of their behavior.

Ultimately my mission came about due to the hardship I faced with my dog, and I wanted to ensure that no dog owner would have to give their dog away due to their dog’s behavior.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Awoken K9 is a dog training company that focuses on “awakening a dog’s untaped true potential” we pride ourselves on being able to help any breed, any size, and any problem.

If you have ever looked into training your puppy, an older dog, or want to teach your dog new tricks, you probably learned the same thing I did growing up; You have to be “alpha,” the “pack leader,” or rely solely on treats and become a human “treat dispenser” for your dog.

I can tell you that none of that is true.

Awoken K9 focuses on Awakening your dog’s true potential from the inside out so your dog can thrive in an everyday real-world setting while developing your dog’s behavior so you can do more of what you love together without the stress.

Awoken K9 has been challenging the status quo of training dogs regardless of age, breed, or size to create a life where dog owners don’t have to stress or limit what they can do because of their dog’s behavior. Instead, be able to enjoy everyday life with my dog without limitations.

At Awoken K9, we believe that the #1 secret to living a happy, fulfilling life with your pup isn’t tugging on the leash, stressing due to your pup, or limiting your dog. (which is one of the most common reasons we get contacted)

It’s Awakening your dog’s true potential. We believe that if you and your pup can awaken that untapped potential emotionally, in your relationship, and with clear communication – you and your pup will be happy. Awakening your dog’s true potential = Happiness.

Awoken K9 offers private 1-on-1 dog training where you learn how to not only train your dog but also learn to understand your dog at a deeper level.

We also offer day training for dog owners with a busier lifestyle, where we do the bulk of the training and catch the owners up to speed on how to maintain the training while fully teaching owners how to understand their dogs better.

We understand that every dog is an individual, just like their owners, so all our training is completely customized to the owner’s and dogs individual goals and needs.

For more information on our services, feel free to visit our website AwokenK9.com.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The three main books that changed how I view business are Dotcom secrets, Expert secrets, and Traffic secrets by Russel Brunson.

These three books completely changed the way I not only viewed business but marketing as a whole!

All three books focus on different things.

Dotcom Secrets: Goes over how to take a potential client to an easy process called a “sales funnel” and allowing them to become a client as easy as possible

Expert Secrets: Goes over how to create a following of individuals that not only see your cause and mission but are on board.

Traffic secrets: This last book ties the three together by teaching you how to get traffic (people) visiting your website or sales funnels

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Google and referrals are the best source for new clients.

Google is everywhere, so it’s essential to be present on google. And referrals due to excellent service provided.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Awokenk9.com
• Instagram: AwokenK9
• Facebook: AwokenK9
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChyvTobst7gxHUdPpsjgbWg
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/awoken-k9-tampa

Image Credits
Fetch social