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

LUCIANO, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

May 2004, I was the lead dog handler for any Air Force One missions that could have come up over this particular weekend. My kennel master approached me and said, “Listen, I just got the updated schedule, it’s going to be a quiet weekend. You will attend this dog training seminar and report back to us your thoughts and what you learned.” At first, like anyone else would be, I was annoyed and thought to myself, “Great, more work!”

It was Saturday morning, I was present physically, not sure if mentally. I listened, it was interesting but I’m a young hotshot that thinks he knows it all already. then they started to demonstrate, they brought out their dogs and should us what the results are from applying their styles. I was blown away, I couldn’t stop asking questions. I was given permission to run home to grab my dog, Smokey, a 1.5 year old Cane Corso. Over the weekend I had not only reached new heights with Smokey but learned how to problem solve a completely different way.

After this intense weekend of learning I went home and told my wife, Leticia, “I want to get out of the military after this contract and I know what I want to do, I’m going to start a dog training company.” I explained to her how these professionals came to teach us from various backgrounds, law enforcement, search and rescue, the list went on, they all had a pet training company. For me the best part was, I wouldn’t have to leave my kids, they could come with me to work. I said, “Think about it, I could be at a park training with a customer while the kids are playing. Once I’m done, we pack up and move to the next park, it’ll be great!”

January 2005, I left the security of the United States Air Force and the career I had built to embark on a new journey that I had no clue how it was going to turn out. All I knew was, I had my wife and kids and failure wasn’t an option.

LUCIANO, 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 grew up scared of dogs, to this day my father thinks it’s hilarious what I do for a living having witnessed first hand my fear, my siblings couldn’t have dogs growing up because I was so scared. How that changed was in the military, there was an opportunity that presented itself, I was given the choice to pursue a new path working with dogs but first I needed to go through an interview process and perform a few exercises.

The interview was no problem, I was sitting in front of the Kennel Master of the K9 section and as a young man in our nations military, you think you’re invincible. Then the exercises came, there’s nothing real challenging, a lot of it is testing your heart. Then they ask you to put on the protection sleeves and a dog handler walks out with this crazy Belgian Malinois, barking and salivating, ready to bite you. You get a few directions and are asked, “Let me know when you’re ready?” I wasn’t ready, I was terrified but I wasn’t going to show them that. I said, “GO!” They released the dog and it came flying at me. Instantly, that fear turned into adrenaline, I was hooked! The Kennel Master signed off my endorsement letter, I submitted my paperwork and within a few months, I was on my way to start my new career, beginning with the Department of Defense Dog Handlers course in Texas.

Today at Presidential K9, we stayed true to that initial conversation, I still bring my kids to work but now they’re partners and work with me. We bring that energy only a person who has served can easily understand. We’re here to figure out and give solutions to our customers. Problem solving is very important when it comes to working with animals, you don’t give up because one way didn’t work, every dog is an individual and responds and learns in their own unique way. We want to give results without sacrificing the dogs spirit.

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

I’ve never been scared to try something new, I believe it’s something the military taught me. As early as I can remember, I was given different challenges and told to figure it out. After leaving the military I was presented different opportunities and I never shied. away from them. One example of this was creating a promotional products business. I figured, I was always going to need marketing materials, I could also provide others in my free time and make a little extra. It took over my time and soon enough, I was spending nearly 20 hours a day trying to keep up with just the one business which was now hurting my dog training business. It took me years to realize that I was actually hurting myself and my business by trying to take on this other venture. After investing so much money into the printing business I had to make the hard decision to accept the loss as a lesson learned and focus on my true art which was the dog training business. Presidential K9 has gone from a 2 person operation and me being a mobile dog trainer going into homes to a nearly 10k square foot facility where a team of 15 offer, dog training, dog grooming, and dog daycare/boarding.

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

Most of our new clients come from word of mouth. You have an 80% chance of closing a new sale when they are being referred to you by someone who has used your service or bought your product. How you treat that customer goes a long way. I tell my family, “The customer is not buy dog training, dog grooming or daycare, the customer is buying you, after they have purchased and given you the opportunity, now its time to make good and show them they made the right choice. building a strong network with other businesses is very important, those business owners you treat them just as you would a customer because they will refer you as you should also refer them.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.presidentialk9.com
• Instagram: @presidentialk9
• Facebook: Luciano Aguilar – Presidential K9