Today, we’d like to introduce you to Allison Weeks.
Hi Allison, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I got started in the world of dog training by accident, I guess you could say. All of a sudden (it seemed), my adorable puppy was not behaving so adorably.
He got older and bigger, and the problems just got more and more complicated until I just had no idea what to do. I had taken him to puppy classes right after he had been vaccinated and thought I did everything right. What the heck happened?! I was determined, though, and tried one trainer, then another, and, oh yes, then another. I was losing hope when I was finally able to get training, and that really clicked. It was different, though – this trainer was teaching ME.
I changed my behavior and then watched my highly aggressive dog change into that happy and calm puppy I once knew. There was not a shred of aggression left as he got along so well with other dogs, cats, people, and kids. I learned a lot from all of the various trainers and classes and was able to pull the parts from each that helped and forget the rest. What helped the most was that last trainer, who really guided me through some key training strategies for myself that the previous trainers had completely overlooked as they focused on the reactions and behaviors of my dog.
I realized that training my dog was so deeply intertwined with my thoughts and emotions that they were inseparable and had to be worked on together. I later went into pet sitting and dog walking and used all I’d learned about dog training to my advantage as I built up a very successful pet-sitting business in Las Vegas. But clients took notice of my training abilities.
I soon had people coming to me for training sessions because I seemed to be able to elicit change with them and their dog that they had not yet experienced but truly needed. Over the years, I learned more and gained experience with every dog I worked with, fine-tuning what I would later label my training program as dog training for humans.
We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been some major trenches in this road to building Peticularly Perfect into a successful dog training company.
The biggest struggle, however, was the COVID shutdowns, which actually led me to transition my pet-sitting and dog-walking business into a 100% dog training company. So, without that struggle, we would not even be here today. Shifting to dog training has been the best business decision I have ever made.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Peticularly Perfect?
At Peticularly Perfect we are: Dog Training Done Right.
Every new pet owner wants to avoid the same thing… behavior problems. I devised a training program that teaches the owner, the human, how to think like and communicate with their dog so that teaching any command becomes easy and a loving, behavior problem-free companionship is formed that lasts a lifetime.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
No matter how many Zoom meetings people have, everyone still wants their dog trainer right there in person, guiding them, coaching them, and showing them the progress is real.
So, although I don’t foresee any huge shifts, there is a big trend towards board and train programs, which can be wonderful to set a good training foundation for puppies or rescue dogs right away IF done right.
We urge dog owners to fully investigate facilities and opt for in-home environments where dogs can receive training from a trainer outside of a kennel/crated environment. We currently offer two in-home boarding locations, one is a positive-only training home and the other utilizes LIMA.
We do feel strongly that for training to be truly successful, the environment should resemble a home so that learning can transfer more easily, and stress and trauma are avoided without extended crate/kenneling.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.PeticularlyPerfect.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peticularlyperfect/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeticularlyPerfect
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/peticularly-perfect-escondido
Image Credits
Ali Peterson
