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

Hi Brandon, thanks for joining us today. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

Around the year 2017 we attempted to create a business from scratch called K Through 9 Dog Boarding and Training. Unfortunately we went about it ALL wrong. Not only were we unsuccessful, but we got scammed by several different people, lost a lot of money and even had a dog abandoned with us. We ultimately learned all the things one shouldn’t do to run a successful business in the dog care industry. At the end of 2018 we got pregnant with our first child. It was at this point we decided we could not raise a child in the unpredictable environment and with the unreliable finances K Through 9 (and a serving job) provided.

I found a job with a company called Stand Proud K9 Training where I quickly became the head trainer and took over most of the board-and-train cases. It was a wonderful job but definitely a small business. It had a good reputation but not a very large one. By the end of 2020, the owner had a big opportunity and decided to sell the company to us. We officially took over in January of 2021 and turned the business into Stand Proud Dog Training. When we bought the business, we knew we could be successful, but we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We revamped the website, invested in some marketing and strengthened our communication with potential clients. Despite the fallout of the pandemic, dog training was a much needed service in the Reno area, and the business immediately blew up. We remodeled our home to accommodate more dogs at one time and started hiring employees.

It soon became apparent that the business was exponentially growing and we needed to expand. In 2022 we opened a commercial facility, moving the business out of our home and substantially increasing our capacity. The growth didn’t stop, or even slow down. Within a year of opening our facility in North West Reno we had tripled our staff, including three additional trainers and had an active client list of around 200 people (it started with about 30).

Over the years we have learned many hard lessons, including who and who not to rely on, how important it is to read the fine print of contracts and how to anticipate and prevent accidents and emergencies. We have expanded again, adding a second location, more employees and now have an active client list of around 600 people. Owning a successful, growing company is an absolute blessing but it is also pure chaos where every day is a learning experience. We strive to continually grow and improve as trainers, care takers for the animals, employers and business owners.

Brandon, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have been surrounded by dogs my entire life. I grew up with my father breeding and showing akitas. I worked in the dog industry from a young age and wore many hats, including kennel technician and grooming assistant. I worked at several doggy day cares and was the overnight attendant for quite awhile and ended up working at the Humane Society. I have always had a connection to dogs but my passion to help them was truly sparked when I worked in animal control. I found myself bonding with and wanting to save the “troubled dogs.” I even attempted on several occasions to train a dog that was with animal control because of aggression or severe behavioral issues. I wanted to give them another chance but I was a liability and ultimately got fired.

Shortly after, I moved to Lake Havasu City, Arizona where I met my wife, Danielle. We moved back to Reno together where Danielle served tables while we attempted a couple different businesses, but ultimately circled back around to dog training. Within a few years Danielle stopped serving and we dedicated everything to our new business, Stand Proud Dog Training. We started small, mostly with obedience but did take on some behavior modification cases as well and we started growing a reputation as one of the few trainers in the area that actually worked with aggressive dogs. I threw myself into education, utilizing the information that very successful trainers put out and building my own strategies, techniques and plans for each dog I worked with. Over the years, my training style has morphed quite a few times and I love continuing to learn and grow so we can offer the dogs and owners we work with the very best help possible. The biggest downside to continuing to grow as a trainer is knowing that there were several dogs early in our career that I know we could have helped more now (we are so sorry Daisy).

While there are many dog trainers in the area (and a couple other really great behavior modification trainers), there are a few things that set us apart from the others. For one, we pride ourselves on being very anti cookie-cutter when it comes to training each dog. We train the dog that is in front of us. There is never a set game plan, we are not married to any tools or techniques and we go above and beyond to bond with the dogs we train so we know what drives them, what communication works best for them, what consequences are the most effective without damaging our relationship with them, etc. Every dog and every situation is different so our training procedures are rarely the same. We work closely with the families to figure out specific issues and goals and develop a course of action based on those things but truly it’s the dog’s personality that drives the training.

We also focus very heavily on educating the owner through our training process. We always joke that only 25% of what we do is actually training the dog. The rest is training the owner. Our board-and-train programs come with extensive follow ups where we teach the owners how to access the skills we gave their dogs, how to trouble shoot and how to enforce and maintain the training long term. We are invested in each family and each dog’s success and we strive to give each client all the tools necessary to do so. Our success rate for those that do follow through with everything they are supposed to is 10/10. We will never give up on a dog or a family that is actually trying, especially with a dog struggling with behavioral issues.

I got into this industry because I love dogs, that’s truly what it comes down to. We do our very best to care for the animals with us the way we would want someone to care for our own dogs. We bond with them, love them and even become part of the family to many clients. We are not only dog trainers, but marriage therapists and family counselors. We get up close and personal with these families and a lot of times have to tell them hard truths in order for their dogs to succeed. Dog training isn’t a wave of a magic wand, it is a lifestyle change and a long journey (especially with dogs who have behavioral issues) and for those that take it seriously, we can and have changed many lives. We are proud of what we do here, though it is not an easy industry to be in, it is all worth it when we see that we saved a dog from being euthanized or a marriage from splitting over the issues caused by the family dog.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Appreciate your good employees. It really is as simple as that. It is NOT easy to build a reliable team. But once you are there, if you show appreciation for their hard work, 9/10 times they will maintain that hard work and dedication to your business. I can say this from experience as both an employee and an employer. There was nothing worse as an employee than working hard for your boss and being overlooked or taken advantage of. As an employer, we are diligent about telling our staff all the time how much we appreciate them and acknowledging when they go above and beyond for the business. We also do what we can to add perks to working for us. One big benefit of having one location in our home is that I can cook a lot for my employees. I bring them coffee and make dinner for everyone regularly. We also help with vehicle expenses for the employees that travel for their job, and and give small bonuses occasionally for those we see going above and beyond. It doesn’t have to be big things, just these small acts can show your staff how valuable they are to the business and that goes a long way.

Being responsible for the care, well-being AND training of many dogs at a time is a big task but we have an amazing staff willing to maintain our high standards. They all care for the dogs like family and want them to be happy and healthy while with us and succeed with their training at home. We are very grateful for the staff we have gained over the years and recognize that they are a huge part of our clients’ success.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

While I was born and raised in the Reno area, I needed to get away from where I grew up (as most teenagers/young adults do) and I moved to Lake Havasu City, Arizona in 2014. I lived there for a few years, working at a few different places, mostly a Polaris dealership. I was just starting to consider moving back to Reno when I met my now business partner and wife, Danielle. After a short time, we moved back to Reno where we began trying to get a business off the ground. After a few unsuccessful attempts, we got it right and have been growing our company for the last 4 (almost 5) years. We now have two beautiful children together, an amazing home where we can see the stars at night and a thriving company. While it can be a challenge for my wife to be my business partner, we make a great team and I am very grateful for what we have built together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.standproudtraining.com