We were lucky to catch up with Michelle Stern recently and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

There is a misconception that when someone is struggling with their dog, that they need to hire a professional who comes to their house and has to see the problem happening “in real time.” But along with an in-person visit comes the potential for the client to feel embarrassed or ashamed because they feel that their dog’s behavior is a reflection on them. And for fearful, reactive or shy dogs, having someone in their home can cause additional stress and an escalation of behavior.

Additionally, many dog professionals are experts in…you guessed it – dogs! They are not familiar with parenting issues, child development, or best practices in teaching.

I decided to take a new approach to serving my clients, who are mostly overwhelmed parents raising kids and dogs together (or families who are pregnant or are in the midst of the adoption process and need to prepare their dogs for the new addition.)

I wanted to blend my experience as a dog trainer, behavior consultant, licensed family dog mediator, mom and former teacher of 16 years to focus on supporting parents. They need specialized support from someone who can relate to their day to day experience with empathy.

Busy families don’t usually have the bandwidth to invite professionals into their home, even when things between their dog and child might be dangerous. The house might be a mess, the kids might need to be fed or nursed, they might need to pump breastmilk at unexpected times…

So, I decided that I wanted to serve my clients virtually. They know their dog best – so we spend our first session talking about their dog, the dog’s history, background, educational experiences, traumas, health and behavior. I don’t have to be in their space to offer support, and they don’t have to waste time getting ready to have me in their home.

Not only do I ease my clients’ stress by seeing them online, but it has expanded my client base worldwide. I remember one week when I had a client in Singapore one day and Mexico City on another. It felt like such a gift to be able to offer my specialized skills to people all over the world.

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?

From early childhood, I wanted to work with animals. From the moment I was old enough, I volunteered at our local animal shelter, worked as a bather at a dog grooming shop, and did the dirty work at two veterinarian offices (poop, anyone?). My dreams of becoming a veterinarian were dashed in college when I could barely pass organic chemistry. But that didn’t stop me from working with animals!

After I graduated from college, I headed to Puerto Rico, where I spent several months on an island studying the mating behavior of rhesus macaques. I realized that field work was too lonely for me, and longed to work more with people in a way that I could inspire change for our natural world.

So I decided to get my secondary teaching credential and became a high school biology and environmental studies teacher. Working with feisty teenagers and their parents was an amazing experience that taught me to be flexible, humorous, and to think on the fly of positive solutions to difficult circumstances.

After teaching for many years, I had our daughter, and then soon afterwards, we adopted our son from Guatemala. While they were young, I wasn’t ready to be back in the classroom, but missed working with people. My path swerved and I blended my love of food and the environment with teaching and founded a certified green cooking school for children. My team and I ran after school programs and did more birthday parties than I could count.

Unfortunately, time with my clients overlapped with time I needed to spend with my own children. So I decided to return to the classroom, so I could be working while they were in school. Due to some unforseen circumstances, I lost my job and was reconnected with my childhood mentor from the animal shelter. I began taking her advanced dog training academy courses and was hooked.

Working with dogs and their humans is a lot like teaching – both high schoolers and toddlers with knives! It takes compassion and a delicate, creative approach. From the moment I began, I knew I would want to work with families who had or were expecting kids. Hardly anyone else specialized in the topic, and I had both personal and professional training to support me in that niche.

I founded Pooch Parenting 6 years ago and haven’t looked back since. I have been a guest on 20 podcasts and have been featured on NBC tv segments 9 times.

I see clients 1-1 over zoom, offer online on-demand classes to help parents with their babies, toddlers, and dogs, and I am working on a new live program to serve small cohorts of adopting or expecting families to prepare their dogs for baby. I also support other dog professionals who want to serve clients with children but don’t currently have the confidence to do so.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Social media has been a crucial aspect in gaining the attention and respect of my peers and clients. I try to produce content that is supportive, educational and non judgmental – and it often gets shared. I have also been invited to be a repeat guest of several online summits, which I believe has greatly boosted my credibility. I absolutely adore being a guest on podcasts and tv segments, and have been so fortunate to have many of those opportunities.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I have learned from so many legends! Some are in the dog training industry. I give so much credit to Trish King, Mike Shikashio and Kim Brophey, in particular. I also adore learning from podcasts. One of my favorite parenting podcasts that supports my work with families is called Unruffled.

But I have learned a lot about business from people like Stu McLaren, Don Miller and Jan Ditchfield. It is a nonstop learning process.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.poochparenting.net
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/poochparenting
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/poochparenting

Image Credits
Norcal Pet Photography Sherri Stein Reick Michelle Sterh