We recently connected with Heather Brown and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I wanted to offer affordable dog training to help dog owners build lasting relationships with their dogs. Being able to build these relationships will help with the overpopulation of dog shelters and making your dog a better living partner. I also offer several fun classes that help keep owners engaged with their dogs continually.

Heather, 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?

34 year ago I had a rottweiler/shepherd mix, Chelsie, that I wanted trained as she was an impossible dog to live with. With the experiences I went through with her made me want to explore being a dog trainer. A few years later I added a mastiff to my family – Savannah, My journey with Savannah led me down a path of meeting Annette Neff, I did an apprenticeship with Annette and started my journey of being a dog trainer. Savannah also started my journey into dog shows. Over the next 30 years I continued my training journey and showing my own dogs in many areas, conformation, obedience, rally, agility, earthdog, barn hunt, fast cat to name a few. I am an AKC canine good citizen evaluator, trick dog evaluator, temperament test judge, canine fitness instructor, AKC Junior Showmanship judge. I do therapy work with my rottweilers and I am a 4h leader, I wanted to take my experiences bring them locally to where I live, to have affordable dog training and to build relationships to set a lasting foundation. I feel that if you can afford to train your dog that it will help with less dogs in the shelters and less problem dogs. Then I took it a step beyond and starting offering fun “exercise” classes that keeps the dogs (and owners) busy. A well exercised dog is a happy dog.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

During Covid shutdown, we had to close our physical doors. I started posting things on facebook how to keep your dogs busy, training videos and I did virtual trick dog tests. When we were allowed to go back to in person we had to limit class size, practice social distancing and change some of the way we demoed exercises.

How did you build your audience on social media?

We have a public Facebook page, where we post our classes, share pictures of our training classes, let our clients share stories, if our clients or my trainers participated in a dog show, obedience, rally, agility, scent work trial, we share their adventures, success stories and not so successful stories. We also advertise events that we hold. Every year we offer free pictures with Santa for our community, it can be with or without your pets. We have had dogs, chickens, cats and rabbits we post all the information on facebook.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shagbarkdogtraining.com/
• Instagram: @shagbarkdogtraining
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063494956018