How Much Does It Cost to Start a Dog Training Business?

Minimum Dog Training Startup Costs For a Business

As we mentioned before, the minimum startup costs for a dog training business is around $600. This includes the cost of business insurance, liability insurance, and marketing expenses. Generally speaking, you can expect to pay around the following for each of these:

• Business insurance: Approx. $200/year for a basic policy
• Liability insurance: Approx. $50 to $500/year for a basic policy
• Marketing expenses: Approx. $250 to $600 (at the start, though this effort will need to be ongoing)

Of course, these costs will vary depending on the size and scope of your business. For example, if you’re planning on starting a dog training business that offers group classes, you’ll need to factor in the cost of renting space. Additionally, there are other costs you may incur on a monthly or annual basis, which we’ll touch on later.

Why Do You Need Business Insurance?

The first expense you’ll need to consider is business insurance. This will protect your business in the event of any accidents or injuries that occur during training sessions. If you don’t purchase business insurance, you can run into any of the following problems:

• You may be sued by the owner of the dog if their pet is injured during a training session
• You could be sued by the dog owner if their pet bites someone during a training session
• If you’re renting commercial space for your business, the landlord could sue you if you damage their property during a training session

However, by securing business insurance, you can protect yourself (and your business) against any of these potential problems.

Why Do You Need Liability Insurance?

Liability insurance differs from business insurance in that it protects you from any injuries or damages that occur as a result of your business operations. For example, if one of your employees is bitten by a dog during a training session, you would be protected against any potential lawsuits.

Liability insurance is not required by law, but it’s highly recommended for any business that deals with the public. This is because it can help you avoid any potential lawsuits (and the associated costs).

Some examples where liability insurance will come in handy include (but aren’t limited to):

• If a dog bites someone during a training session;
• If someone is injured while on your property;
• An accident wherein someone’s property is damaged.

Marketing Startup Costs

The next expense you’ll need to consider is marketing. Marketing is important for any business, but it’s especially important for a new business. After all, you need to let people know that your business exists and that you’re open for business.

There are a number of ways to market your dog training business. Some common (and effective) marketing strategies include:

• Creating a website for your business
• Creating social media accounts for your business (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, etc.)
• Developing an email marketing campaign
• Creating print materials (business cards, flyers, etc.)
• Paid online advertisements (such as on Facebook Ads, Google Ads, etc.)

Each of these marketing efforts will come with an associated investment. For the examples listed above, you’ll probably be looking at the following costs:

• Creating a website: Approx. $100 to $500
• Creating social media accounts: $0 (free)
• Developing an email marketing campaign: Approx. $50 to $200
• Creating print materials: Approx. $50 to $200
• Paid online advertisements: Approx. $50 to $500

Of course, these are just estimates. The actual costs will vary depending on your business and your marketing goals.

It’s also worth noting that when it comes to marketing efforts, this will be an ongoing thing. In other words, you’ll need to continue investing in marketing (on a monthly or annual basis) in order to keep your business visible.

Other Potential Dog Training Business Expenses

In addition to everything mentioned above, there are a number of other potential business expenses you’ll need to consider when first starting your dog training business.

For example, once you’ve decided on a name for your dog training business, you’ll need to get it legally registered. The cost of this will vary depending on your country/state, but it’s typically a fairly inexpensive process. On average, you’ll likely be looking at around $50 to $100 to register your business.

Another potential expense is licensing. Depending on where you live, you may need to get a business license in order to operate a dog training business. Once again, the cost of this will vary depending on your location, but it’s typically not too expensive. Probably somewhere in the ballpark of $30 to $200.

Once Your Dog Training Business Is Up and Running

Everything mentioned above can be considered the foundation of what you’ll need in order to launch your own dog training business. However, realistically, there are some more expenses you’ll need to consider if your goal is to achieve long-term success.

In particular, you may also need to consider:

1. Rent/mortgage payments (if you plan to operate out of a brick-and-mortar location outside of your own home)
2. The cost of hiring (and paying) employees
3. Costs for equipment/supplies
4. Ongoing marketing efforts, as briefly mentioned earlier

Let’s break each one down individually….

Rent/Mortgage Payments

If you want to operate your dog training business out of a brick-and-mortar location, then you’ll need to factor in the cost of rent or mortgage payments. How much this will cost will depend on a number of factors, including (but not limited to):

• The size of the space you’re renting/buying
• Where the space is located
• The current state of the real estate market
• Your negotiation skills

On average, you can expect to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $500 to $2000 per month for a small/medium-sized dog training business space. Of course, this number will go up (or down) depending on the factors mentioned above.

The Cost of Hiring Employees

If you’re running a successful dog training business, there’s a good chance you’ll eventually need to hire one or more employees to help with the day-to-day operations. How much this will cost will depend on:

• The number of employees you need to hire
• The salary you’re willing/able to pay them
• Your negotiation skills
• The current state of the job market

Generally speaking, you can expect to pay your employees somewhere in the ballpark of $2000 to $5000 per month (on average). Of course, this number will go up or down depending on the factors mentioned above.

Costs for Equipment/Supplies

Another potential cost you’ll need to consider is the cost of equipment and supplies. How much this will cost will depend on:

• The type of equipment/supplies you need
• Where you purchase them from
• Whether you buy new or used
• How often you need to replace them

You can expect to spend somewhere in the ballpark of $500 to $2000 per month on equipment and supplies. Of course, how much you wind up spending will be affected by the factors mentioned above.

Ongoing Marketing Efforts

You can expect to spend somewhere in the ballpark of $500 to $2000 per month on marketing. However, it’s important to note that this number will fluctuate depending on the factors mentioned above.

Last but not least, you’ll need to factor in the cost of ongoing marketing efforts. How much this will cost will depend on:

• The type of marketing you’re doing (e.g., online, offline, etc.)
• How often you’re doing it
• How much experience you have
• Your budget

Miscellaneous Expenses You May or May not Need

Finally, let’s take a look at some of the business costs you aren’t necessarily required to have, but may wind up running into (depending on the choices you may and the path you take for your business):

Trademark Fees

If you plan on trademarking your business name and/or logo, you can expect to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $275 to $325 per application.

Lawyer Fees

If you plan on working with a lawyer to help you with the legal aspects of starting your business, you can expect to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $200 to $300 per hour.

Accounting Fees

If you plan on working with an accountant to help you with the financial aspects of running your business, you can expect to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $50 to $250 per month. On the other hand, if you’d prefer to handle this yourself with the help of accounting software (e.g. QuickBooks), you can expect to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $20 to $100 per month.

Patent Fees

If you plan on patenting your business name and/or logo, you can expect to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $275 to $325 per application.

Software Fees

If you plan on using any type of software to help you with the day-to-day operations of your business, you can expect to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $0-$100 per month per software used (depending on the features/functionality you need).

Utility Costs For Commercial Space

If you plan on renting/leasing a commercial space for your business, you can expect to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $50 to $250 per month on utility costs (depending on the size and location of the space). Examples of utility costs include:

• Electricity
• Gas
• Water
• Trash removal

Internet Fees

If you plan on using the internet for your business, you can expect to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $50 to $100 per month, depending on the provider you choose and the plan you go with.

Phone Fees

If you plan on using a phone line for your business, you can expect to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $30 to $60 per month.

Gas and Mileage

Should you choose to be a mobile dog trainer who travels directly to their clients, you can expect to spend somewhere in the ballpark of $50-$100 per month on gas and mileage for local clients. However, if you decide to offer your services to clients outside of your area, you can expect to spend more on gas and mileage. After all, the further you have to travel, the higher your costs will be.

Tolls and Parking

While on the topic of mobile dog training, if you live in an area with tolls and/or parking fees, you can expect to spend somewhere in the ballpark of $20 to $50 per month on these expenses.

Website Costs

Earlier, we mentioned that the approximate cost for setting up your website was around $100 to $500. Of course, there are all sorts of free website builders out there – so, arguably, this could potentially be free for you!

That said, if you aren’t confident in what you’re doing, you may instead want to outsource the job to someone more experienced. In this case, you can expect to pay someone in the ballpark of $50 to $100 per hour to build your website for you.

On top of that, there are also costs associated with hosting your website. You can expect to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $20 to $100 per month for web hosting services (depending on the features/functionality you need).

Domain Name Fees

If you plan on purchasing a domain name for your website, you can expect to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $15 to $35 per year. Of course, there are always promotions and deals going on. As a result, it’s possible to snag a domain name for even less!

SSL Certificate Fees

If you plan on using an SSL certificate for your website, you can expect to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $50 to $100 per year.

Email Fees

If you plan on using email for your business, you can expect to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $0 to $50 per month (depending on the provider you choose and the plan you go with).

Dog Training Certification Course Fees

Hands down, the best way to set your career up for success is by first getting professionally trained and certified as a dog trainer. This will not only give you the skills and knowledge you need to be successful in the field, but it will also help to build credibility with your potential clients.

Of course, certification courses aren’t free—so, you can expect to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $300 to $5,000 for a quality dog trainer certification program.

Wrapping It Up

At the end of the day, there’s no exact answer to how much it costs to start a dog training business. The truth is, it can cost as little or as much as you want/need it to.

Of course, if you’re serious about making your dog training business a success, we recommend investing in quality education and certification, as well as building a professional website and branding yourself accordingly. These are all important factors that will help you to stand out from the competition and attract high-paying clients.

Do you have what it takes to launch a career in the dog training industry? We can help you get started today! Just give us a call, send us an email, or reach out on live chat—we’re always happy to help!

Thanks for reading!

Start your self-paced, online certification training with QC Pet Studies today and be ready to get your dog training business going in as little as 3 short months!