One of the most popular questions we get on social media and calls to our office is "I am starting a mobile dog gym in my home city, can you give me some advice on how to get started. Simply put, we do not have the time or desire to answer all of the questions and comments we get on this topic, as it really has no benefit for us to do so. People who are interested need to understand that you are not unique asking this type of question, and we get around 5 or 10 of the same type of inquiry every day from all over the world. Even if there were some benefit to us taking time out of our schedule to answer questions, there is simply too many to do so and still have time left over to run the business itself. Maybe writing this article will provide some clarification to the hundreds of people out there who are interested in starting a mobile dog gym, and serve as a warning to them.
Many people contact us because they see our videos on social media and think that it is a way they could feel fulfilled working with dogs and also make money at the same time. While this is certainly true, it is important to seperate the "dream" from the realities of operating a business. We are constantly getting people saying "if I have an old van and buy a cheap treadmill, I can do this too." Yes, you described the dequipment that is necessary to operate a mobile dog gym, but what you are leaving out is the part that is actually the most important, being successful at it. An old van and a cheap treadmill do not convey professionalism and an understanding of the high level of service that is necessary in order to make people comfortable trusting you with their dogs. It's very much like saying "I have a kitchen and know how to put a pill into cheese, I think I will open a veterinarian clinic." Even if you did become a veterinarian, people are not going to pay you if your office is dirty, your clothes are covered in blood and animal poop, and there is no secretary to make the appointment. You must understand that you are asking people to pay you to do something that they do not necessarily need, and in reality they are choosing to use the service because it does something BETTER than they can. This means that you are going to need to significantly invest into equipment that makes people understand that you are a professional, have training and experience, and will not hurt their dog. The "guy with a van and a treadmill" can say he is in business, but that doesn't mean he will make any money or get any customers.
Experience and training is key. If you do not understand canine fitness and think that you throwing a ball for your dog in a park makes you a fitness expert, then you should probably not move forward with your dream. People are trusting you to provide exercise for their dog over and above the walks and dog-park play they can do on their own. This means they are trusting that you have experience actually developing and following workout programs that produce results. Weight-loss, muscle-building, stamina and cardio increases and generalized improvements to fitness are not something that everyone knows themselves, and the fact that many people who say they are starting dog gyms even though they have never been to a gym themselves is quite problematic. It is insulting to people who have actually dedicated time and effort into learning about how to develop a stronger body in a safe way, for you to believe that buying a machine makes you qualified. Too many people who buy slatmills don't realize that adding resistance to activities is not something that is natural for a dog, especially a pet dog. Pulling extra weight is going to have an impact on most dogs that is not the same as a walk around the block or a day of running in a park. Without experience in dealing with this very unique form of training, you are potentially going to harm dogs. Here is what I mean by that, I constantely see people online buying a slatmill and running a dog on it daily. This if far to much load on the dog's muscles and skeletal system to not provide enough recovery time in between. A heavy slatmill session that results in the dog panting hard should be followed by at least 3 days of recovery before it is done again, if not more. By overtraining your dog, you will ultimately make them weaker and more prone to arthritis in the future. A lack of understanding of the outcomes of heavy exercise combined with a highly motivated subject like a dog can have disasterous outcomes that manifest later in life. Putting yourself in charge of the exercise of an athlete is a responsibility that people need to take seriously. Just because you have access to a tool does not mean you should do it every day.
The realities of running a business is the killer for most dog gyms. People have the desire to help dogs and feel as though they are benefiting the world by providing a service. People see our videos online and are inspired to do the same thing themselves. This is a huge mistake that will cost many people their life savings when the business doesn't make enough money to support them. First off, how do you plan on getting customers? If you think you can just post a few Instagram videos and the phone will ring off the hook then you are oblivious to the realities of social media as marketing. You will actually need to be a social media expert to use this strategy, familiar with scripting, editing, lighting, filming and audience retention. You will need to post multiple times a day, every single day. The posting will be a full-time job by itself. Fliers and handing out cards at ovents do not convince people to call because they simply do not understand the value of this type of service. They believe that walking their dog is enough, and as a result they will simply thow the fliers away. Many people who want to start a dog gym wil say "but it's hot here, cold here, or there's lots of rich people here" as the way they have convinced themselves that this type of business will thrive in their area. This is a huge misunderstanding of how people choose the services they use, and will probably result in you not having any business. Just because someone is wealthy does not mean they are just spending money on anything, and just because it is hot does not mean people are willing to use a service they do not fully understand.
In the last three years, over two hundred dog gyms have opened and then gone out of business within a year or so. Even long-term dog gyms that have survived several years are still trying to figure out how to make more money and get more customers. Do not look at the fact that someone else is doing this as the proof that you can do it too. Their circumstance is different than yours. Their experience is different than yours. They might not be doing as well as it appears online, and for all you know they might be giving their services away just to make you believe they are successful. Just because you have a van and can buy a treadmill does not mean you have a business. Just because you have the desire and saw a guy on TikTok doing this does not mean you will be able to get new customers or keep them around. At the end of the day, a business is something that has the ability to earn enough money to sustain itself, not just something that some people understand is a good thing.
Be careful, do your research and only spend money when you are 100% sure you can do it the right way. Anything less will result in failure. We are not franchising yet because there are still aspects of the mobile dog gym industry that are not yet worked out enough to be able to work seamlessly. We have not yet moved to franchising because we have identified the issues and are working on them. We will let you know when we feel it is ready, but until then the choice is yours if you want to try this on your own.