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Meet Jessica WheatCraft of Synergy Dog Training in Central and Eastern Areas

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Wheatcraft .

Jessica, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I began working with dogs when I was in high school by volunteering at my local shelter to get the hours needed to graduate. I immediately felt a kinship with the shelter dogs and discovered a passion I didn’t know I had. Although I only needed 10 volunteer hours to graduate, I often went to the shelter in my free time to walk the dogs and also to help with adoption events. Looking back now, I think my connection to shelter dogs stemmed from what I experienced when I was 12 years old and my family fell apart. I understood what it felt like to be abandoned, and how scary it was to be in a big world you weren’t ready to take on.

In 2003 I moved to San Diego to study Psychology, and shortly afterwards I adopted my first dog Harley. Harley was originally listed as a Mastiff/Labrador mix, but I later found that she was an American Pit Bull Terrier mix. Harley changed my life in so many ways, but mainly by leading me into a dog training career. After I adopted her I saw she needed more training than I knew how to provide, and so I met with various trainers in San Diego. I wasn’t comfortable with the cookie cutter, choke chain/shock collar approach so many of the trainers I found had. Upon a recommendation from Pit Bull Rescue San Diego, I contacted Nan Arthur of Whole Dog Training. I loved Nan’s approach to training, and the science-based methods she employed. It fit right into my fascination with behavior and psychology, and I was hooked! I learned how to change Harley’s unwanted behaviors into desirable ones, and how to truly communicate with a dog in ways they understand. Nan asked me if I had ever considered being a dog trainer, and I told her no. I was planning on becoming a therapist, but she planted a seed that eventually led to me switching paths and working with her for 7 years. When I first started out, I did private in-home training and group classes focused on teaching puppies and basic manners. I was always drawn to behavior though; where it stems from, how you can change it, the science behind it, etc. I spent a lot of my time learning more about dogs and continuing my education. As the years passed I learned how to help modify behavior issues in dogs including anxiety, fear, leash reactivity, and aggression.

In the dog training industry there isn’t a typical 4-year college degree that you can get. But there are a few well established dog training certification programs and certification councils. During my career I started by earning my basic dog training certification through Animal Behavior College, and then moved on to earn my Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, and my Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.

5 years ago I started my own business, Synergy Dog Training. Making that leap from working with another company to doing it on my own was scary but ended up being the best decision I ever made. I offer private in-home services and group classes, and I specialize in behavior issues.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Not at all! Dog training is not an industry that you can jump into and immediately be successful at. It takes a long time and hands on experience with dogs to begin to have the observational skills, mechanical skills, and teaching skills to be effective. Dog training is more about teaching people to train their own dogs. I could easily work with a dog and create changes in their behavior on my own, but that wouldn’t set the dog up for long term success in their home. It’s a balance between teaching the dog new behaviors, while coaching the owners how to do the same.
I often find it amusing that my original plan in life was to be a therapist, because there seems to be many parallels in that and dog training. In training, I feel like I am helping people learn about their behavior and actions and how it is affecting their dog, and how they can communicate more effectively to get the results they want.

On the dog’s end, I feel like I am helping them learn better skills to help them live more successfully in our world, while also “listening” to them and helping them and their owners have better relationship. For me, it is the best of both worlds. Working with dogs requires an open mind and a desire to continually grow as a person and a trainer. There are many things I do today that are much different from how I did them a year ago, 5 years ago, 10 years ago, because I am constantly learning ways to be more effective at what I do. Looking back at my career, there are many things I wish I had done differently, and dogs whose training programs I would have approached differently had I known better. When you know better you do better, and this is a driving force behind my commitment to ongoing education. Having an ego and thinking you know it all is a huge disservice to people and their dogs.

Starting my own business was a leap into the unknown and has been a constant learning curve. You don’t think about the amount of effort it takes to keep a business running outside of the in-person training services you provide until you are forced into it. I have had to learn many tech, business, financial, management, and communication skills on the fly in order to keep things running successfully. I am not the most tech savvy person, but it is a big part of a business and so I suck it up and I have learned many new skills, albeit slowly 🙂

Synergy Dog Training – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I started Synergy Dog Training in 2013. I offer a variety of private in-home services and group classes that address a large number of dog training needs including puppy training, basic obedience, trick training, and Canine Good Citizen prep and testing. I offer behavior modification for dog/dog aggression, dog/human aggression, leash reactivity, fear, and anxiety behaviors. I specialize in reactive dogs – these are dogs that are reactive to other dogs or people on leash but often less reactive or even friendly off of a leash. I offer specialty classes for reactive dogs so my clients have opportunities to practice their training around other dogs in a structured setting. This helps bridge the gap towards “real life” such as walks and public outings.

I treat each dog as an individual and personalize their training to their specific needs. It is very important to me that my clients have the training and support they need to fully reach their goals. Instead of showing up for 1 session and leaving a client to figure it out from there, I guide them through an entire training program that may consist of private training, group classes, or a combination of both. My commitment to my clients and supporting them in ways they need, whether I worked with them a week ago or a year ago is one of the things I am most proud of. What sets me apart from others is the combination of services I offer, along with my certification of Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC). I am one of 3 in the San Diego area with this designation.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
From a business perspective I define success as a business that sustains year after year, and continues to grow whether financially, in size (such as# of people), or in aptitude. Success in business also means high customer satisfaction. I think that building a business organically by focusing on relationships is more valuable and credible in the long run versus spending money on marketing gimmicks to get customers. Having a strong referral network consisting of prior clients and other professionals in the field is also important to success in business.

There are 2 quotes I really love and identify with regarding success: “Success is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration” by Thomas Edison and “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it” by Maya Angelou. Success in dog training doesn’t come easy. It’s not a very profitable job when you first start out. At first, I worked my regular full-time day job, and did dog training on evenings and weekends. This meant working long days, 7 days a week, every week. But I loved it so much I wouldn’t have done it any other way. When I left to start my own company, it was scary to be on my own, but I hustled! My livelihood depended on it, as I didn’t have anyone else to help support me financially. Today my business is beyond the capacity for me to handle on my own, and I’m looking to expand this year and hire additional trainers. I’m very excited to take this next step! 

Pricing:

  • Private In Home Training $95 per session, sold in package formats
  • Group Classes $35-$250, varying types

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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