Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tiffany Score. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tiffany, 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.

The idea for my business has been a slow evolution. I started as a devoted dog owner to an easy and friendly amazing dog. When I left the military and moved with my husband overseas, our dog had a really difficult time adjusting. I started to work with a trainer over Zoom conferencing on ways we can best support and help him to adjust. As she was teaching me the basics, I became utterly hooked. I was amazed at the transformation I was seeing in my dog and amazed at how much opportunity there was for me to do better with my dog that I had no idea existed. I fell down the animal behavior rabbit hole and 5 years later I’m running a successful business helping others experience the same success, relief, and joy with their own dogs. Soon I’ll be one of a handful of board certified animal behaviorists in the country!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m Tiffany, a military veteran and spouse. After leaving the military I started a very small dog walking business while I finished my undergraduate degree. A couple of years later I was accepted into The Academy For Dog Trainers – the Harvard of dog training schools. Once I graduated from the program I launched my own training business and started my master’s degree in Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare. I’m not loving that I get to spend my days with the dogs and people of Moore County, helping them to enjoy their lives together to the fullest!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has by far been networking. I moved to the area in late 2020 and found myself in an over saturated market. Although it was intimidating at first, much of what makes a dog trainer successful is how they interact, teach, and connect with the human end of the leash. After all, it’s the owners who live with and love their pets. Maintaining an open-mind and desire to connect with other like-minded businesses has been instrumental to our success as well. We have a growing referral source from businesses that include local veterinarians, pet sitters, dogs walkers, and rescues. It truly takes a village!

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

My business is 100% self-funded. Having served in the military, I am grateful to be able to utilize my GI Bill to attend graduate school in Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare which makes me an exceptional trainer and behavior consultant. The small savings I had established over the years of going to undergrad and attending The Academy for Dog Trainers helped to launch my business and cover initial expenses like insurance, website, logo and branding, supplies, and licensing.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.freetobedog.org
• Instagram: @freetobedogtraining
• Facebook: Tiff Score – Free To Be Dog Behavior

Image Credits
Free To Be Dog Training