Dog & Business Goals 2019

Halelujah! The New Year is upon us and the Pack is back!

I figured instead of posting a list of sentiments and hopes on Facebook, where it will get buried quickly, I shall lay out Dog and Business Goals for 2019 right here. There are things I could have (and should have) done differently in 2018, which would have propelled my team much further than we are. Recent events and poor traffic here at Pup Stop shows me that more organization and clear, determined goal-setting is utmost for success. Thus, let’s travel back a bit with a forward look at what we can do.

What is Success?

First of all, what, pray tell, is success? What does it look like? What evidences success in dog training? In HRD (Human Remains Detection) training? And, yes, in business?

Do you dream? Do you have dreams for you and your dog? Aspirations of working with that dog, beyond simple obedience? How about business? Are you an entrepreneurial type? Or, would you like to be?  Where, specifically, would you like to be and in what time-frame would you like to get there?

When I ask myself these, and more, questions the first thing that pops into my mind is the work I have done with missing children that are presumed dead. After all, that is why I got into HRD training to begin with. Eventually, I aim to create a loose organization of ministry-minded K9 teams that will assist in similar endeavors. A sort of “Special Investigations K9 Unit” available to law enforcement as well as private folks and organizations. For more information on the driving force of “what we do”, check out our other blog, Simple Truth. There you will find some examples of actual cases.

I am simply, overwhelmingly motivated to find these children and do the investigative work to help bring justice for their sakes. But it does cost. Taking time to train a dog for this work, in addition to the investigation itself–neither of which I get paid for–does take a toll. Not only are there costs for training and testing my dog and myself, but there is the daily upkeep that takes a bite out of the budget. That is one reason why I designed this website to assist others in training their dogs, while offering products to suit their needs. Hence, business + dog goals are essential for our purposes here.

Therefore, “success” in my view would include building a sustainable small business that can help defray the costs of training and performing pro bono investigations. Alongside that, the completion of necessary training and certifications for myself and my dog to be of benefit to the lost and their families.

Steps to Success

To accomplish the desired success, setting some milestone goals in both training and business makes a venture achievable and productive. In any venture, it is a good idea to set goals, steps that will move you toward your desired success–whether that be merely a well-behaved dog, or conquering a fear-reactive issue, or building a business so you can quit your job. Break it all down into bite-sized chunks with mile markers set in weeks, months and years. It’s sort of like making a to-do list for the day! As we approach the short-term goals and check off activities and achievements, we become more motivated. We can reflect on progress, see what needs more work or refined, we also see how much closer we are toward success as we become better stewards of the time we are given.

So, my goal setting looks something like this:

• Main goal: A well-trained, certified K9 team to compliment investigative ministry work.
• Secondary: A sustainable small business venture to support the training and work.

Next, I review what I have to accomplish these goals, as well as taking account of what is needed.

Hanani turned 2 last November (2018) and is still quite fear-reactive. In order for Hanani to test for HRD, she needs to first be CGC (Canine Good Citizen) certified. That will not happen if we cannot get her over these fears. Other than this, she is an awesome dog that will do anything I ask of her!

• Milestone/goal I: Ramp up Hanani’s training to include this reconditioning so that she can pass CGC within 3 months from now. That will bring us to March.
• Milestone/goal II: Provided we succeed there, and she continues to do well in HRD training, she ought to be ready for that test come July.
• Milestone/goal III: Also by March, Pup Stop needs to begin generating an income or we shut down. More traffic and interaction on this site is needed, as well as folks purchasing products through links on our site here.

I love helping folks out–especially with their dogs–and I believe we can all help each other. We now have expanded our affiliate base to offer options beyond Amazon. The next three months will determine if all this Free assistance in dog training tips and one-on-one advice continues, or gets wiped.

Next…

We now have our basic outline for 2019 goals for dogs and business. From here we will break down even further each milestone and keep you updated on our progress. I hope this series helps others looking to further their training with their dog, address behavior issues or whatever else we can encourage you in 🙂

Please share your goals with us below or in an email! We can help each other meet those goals! Whether it is simply to have the most praised pooch of your neighborhood, or to train that reliable team member for higher aspirations,

we are here for you and your four-leggers!