We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dakoda & Shiloh Riddle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dakoda & Shiloh, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
We both grew up with dogs and have always had a love for them. When Dakoda joined the Air Force in 2009, he found his calling and started as a K9 handler. He served for 11 years, and throughout that time he worked with dual-purpose dogs, meaning they are trained in both detection and patrol. My heart dog Callie was actually the 2019 Dog of the Year for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!
One evening we were at the park training our dogs and noticed people watching us. A couple of people asked if we trained dogs professionally and were interested in getting help with their personal dogs. We explained that we didn’t have a dog training business, but that conversation started a chain of events. On our walk home, we saw so many people struggling with their dogs and something just clicked. Over dinner, Dakoda asked me if we could start taking a couple clients a day, just people from the neighborhood, and that night we started our Facebook page.
Business picked up quickly and we grew out of the neighborhood and expanded out to the greater San Antonio area. At this time, we were in a rental, so our lease wouldn’t let us take Board and Train clients, and with the amount of people who were interested in lessons and boarding, we knew a life change had to happen. We are now on 12 acres, so plenty of space for the dogs to run around and in addition to private lessons, we now take roughly 6 board and train clients a month.
Dakoda & Shiloh, 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?
We are a veteran owned company providing obedience, protection, sport and detection training to both pet and working dog homes. With over 450,000 pets in San Antonio, there are many options for trainers and programs. We offer private lessons, as well as board and train programs and each client is treated with individual care to make sure their dog is getting what they need. As balanced trainers, we believe in using the tools and methods that make the most sense for the dog in front of us.
We want our owners and dogs to walk away from training with a stronger bond and more confidence than when we started working.There is a reason why we have such a loyal client base. We guarantee your happiness with the training you receive for your pup, and provide a lifetime of support to ensure you stay on track.
We are balanced trainers. This science-based method uses treats and aversive tools to encourage clear communication between dog and owner while also proofing real world reliability. Some of the benefits of this approach are clear boundaries, rewarding wanted behaviors while allowing the ability to correct unwanted behavior, utilizing motivation and drive to create behaviors. We want dogs to be happy and enthusiastic learners, and this encourages a strong relationship while still being able to adapt to each dog’s individual needs.
We aren’t like the big places where you drop your dog off with 50 other dogs and they are unattended overnight. Our facility is located on our private property. We can see the kennel runs from our couch, and we treat the dogs like they are our own when they are here. Our clients receive a lifetime of support, and never have to wonder how their dog is doing, because we are available to send updates via text, social media and phone calls.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
I (Shiloh) have a dog, Callie, who needed obedience training. I was also looking at adding a Belgian Malinois to my pack. I joined a Facebook group, Texas Malinois, and saw Dakoda was a highly recommended trainer. I reached out to him with some questions about the breed as well as inquiring about setting up a private obedience session for Callie.
Our first session was over 2 hours at some random soccer field. He offered so much information and insight into Callie’s training as well as the breed that I was looking to add. We began to meet bi-weekly and he brought his 2 malinois (Kaapo and Kronos) so I could familiarize myself with the breed. I saw tremendous progress with Callie and I fell in love with the breed.
Our friendship grew into a romantic relationship and almost 3 years later we are married, have 6 personal dogs (5 malinois and a what I like to call “San Antonio Special”) and are wonderful business partners. We share the same passion for dogs and helping the community. Dakoda handles the training side while I handle the business side. It works out really well.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
Every client is aware we are here for a lifetime of support. We have clients from over a year ago who still reach out, providing us updates, photos/videos, and ask questions. We touch base with our clients on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis. It is our top priority to ensure our clients feel supported. We have several clients who have sent multiple dogs from their pack to us for training and many times we board our clients’ dogs while they travel.
It’s one thing to train a dog and look at it as a transaction, but we see each of these interactions as a new relationship. We aren’t in this business for the money, we are in it to create happy homes and ignite a love for dogs in other people. You can often find us out and about in the community as a vendor at dog-friendly events, getting to know the folks of San Antonio and their pups. Even if someone doesn’t need training, they can meet us, get to know the values that we hold important, and potentially refer us to someone later. Having a strong brand doesn’t mean just fitting someone’s needs now, it means being the person they think of later as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lssk9.com
- Instagram: @lonestarstatek9
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoneStarStateK9
Image Credits
Scorey’s Photos