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

Alright, Jessica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

As a small business owner, it takes certain level of nerve to go out on your own without a safety net. It’s terrifying and exhausting but some people are meant to write their own story… make their own path.

In October 2019 (after of year of many life changes including bariatric surgery and divorce), I decided to leave my full-time job at a local bank where I had stability, health insurance, and a retirement plan to take a risk and invest in myself. With nothing more than what was saved in my 401(k), I took over a Dog Walking and Pet Sitting business in an affluent area of town. Thankfully, I already had an establish dog training business and had the credentials to match.

With the short lived growth, I hired my first employee. Then in March 2020, the world stopped. COVID hit.

Everyone was home and no one needed my “luxury” services and the business dropped 90% over night. “What have I done?” played in the back of my head constantly.

Through 2020, I pivoted from the Dog Walking and Pet Sitting business to boarding only and focused on the Dog Training business because the need was there. People were at home and needed help. Suddenly, everyone started to see their dog’s behavioral issues and needed my help.

My business, Arfordable Dog Training, grew dramatically in the summer of 2020 and into 2021 because I still offered private sessions. I focused on social distancing and safety but grew as a dog trainer and a business owner but I plateaued. Physically, I couldn’t take on anymore but I started to grow my staff to help with the added responsibilities but then about a year ago, EVERYTHING CHANGED.

I got a message from a colleague, Jenny Ochoa, asking about a position I posted. This was it. My chance to get the help I needed from someone I respected and trusted without truly knowing her.

Jenny decided to leave her corporate management position at PetSmart and decided to “hitch her horse to my wagon”. She took the same risk I did. She invested the same blood, sweat and tears I did which made sense to have her as a 50/50 partner. When she first messaged me, I knew having a partner would take us to the next level. There was no way I could do it alone.

Within a year, we grew tenfold and with all of the aches and pains, ups and downs, we took a risk. We started with very little capital, (i.e. personal funding and credit cards) and build a facility in less than a month because we outgrew the space I had in my detached garage. Humble beginnings for sure.

From building a facility, struggling with management, employees, we took a risk but it’s slowly paying off. We are now one of the most robust dog training businesses in our industry and multiple facilities are try to duplicate what we’ve been able to do. That risk of investing in us is setting up a future for ourselves and our legacy. We still have a ways to go!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Jessica Davis, BS, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, Fear Free Professional and I started Arfordable Dog Training in 2017 as with nothing more than a hobby. All my life I have been an animal lover but was never a math/science person. After the realization that being a veterinarian would be an unlikely future for me, I turned to customer service. I started in retail and moved into banking. Throughout my career, I knew something was missing. I wanted to give back and help others. I started volunteering at a local shelter and fell in love. The people, the pups, and the passion. The shelter started a dog training team and the rest is history.

After 3 years of working with reactive, fearful, and socialized pups at the shelter, I knew it was time to get certified. This is why I started Arfordable Dog Training. Along with becoming a certified dog trainer (CPDT-KA) and receiving my CBCC-KA through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), helping people make their lives easier with their beloved pups has been my greatest accomplishment. To see the impact of a few simple behaviors on families has motivated me to learn more and work harder than ever before.

Arfordable Dog Training is a woman owned small business that provides transparent and affordable dog training for families in Central Texas. We believe every family deserves access to positive reinforcement no matter their circumstances.

Our Services Include:
– Day Training
– Playcare
– Board and Train
– Obedience Classes
– Private Sessions
– Behavior Modification
– Service Dog Training
– AKC Canine Good Citizen Classes
– PetTech CPR and First Aid Classes
– Educational Presentations
– Boarding
And More!

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

Relationships are one of the most important things you can have in a toxic and highly-political field as dog training. People may not realize but dog training is not a regulated field. There is no minimum requirements or standards which means every training can and will do things differently. Some will use strictly positive reinforcement, some will use training tools, and others will be in the middle using both.

There’s a joke, “What is the 1 thing 2 trainers can agree on? That the 3rd one is doing it wrong.” It’s true. Everyone has an opinion and that’s ok. I choose to not get involved.

Throughout my career, I’ve remained professionally neutral and lived with the belief that other trainers are colleagues, not competition. Because of that fact, I’ve made some amazing friendships with people that do what I do and do it better. I respect them for it and learn from them. That is where Jenny Ochoa came from.

Jenny and I met a few years ago and became Facebook friends. She watched me and how the business grew and I watched her and recommended her when people would say things about corporate training. We knew OF each other but never really knew each other. It wasn’t until she reached out asking about a position I had open, where I got to know her as an individual. I learned quickly that she had the same work ethic as me. Our goals were the same. She was the ying to my yang.

I am so thankful we both took the chance.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Our Core Values – 4 Pillars of Arfordable Dog Training include: – Compassion
– Education
– Family
– Community

What has helped build our reputation are these Core Values.

Compassion – We work with multiple rescues to help give back including fundraising, supply drives, and Social Impact services such as free training. We offer discounts to our rescue, military, and first responder community. We also go above and beyond for our clients because we can… often too much.

Education – We provide educational services such as presentations, PetTech CPR and First Aid classes, and work with local law enforcement agencies to teach a Canine Encounters course that is required for their Continued Education.

Family – We understand that not everyone is going to be our ideal client and there are times when we have to give a little. We set appropriate boundaries but not every client is going to fit a mold. Just like our business doesn’t fit a mold. As small business owners, we can make adjustments and build programs specifically for a client and situation. We have that flexibility and that is what helps us go above and beyond for the client.

Community – We stay involved. We love doing community events. Visibility is key in this day and age. It’s not about who’s the best or more credentialed trainer or business but who is top-of-mind. We make time to help with local fairs, elementary school career days, festivals and fundraisers.

With all of these facets of our business, we can build long-term relationships with clients and colleagues. We focus on integrity which means ‘doing what is right, even when no-one is looking’. These pillars and the services we do related to them, most people won’t even see it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.arfordabledogtraining.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arfordabledogtraining/?hl=en
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/arfordabledogtraining
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/arfordable-dog-training-converse

Image Credits
Professional Photo of Jessica Davis and Diego by Christy Myhre with The Wyld Hare Studio