I Was Interviewed on The Honest Dog Breeder Podcast!

It’s no secret that I am an avid reader and researcher, with one of my favorite topics being dog training and behavior. To be your best at anything, you should always seek to improve yourself through education. 

For me, this means lots of reading books and articles and listening to podcasts, but it also means investing financially in high-quality programs. I have spent thousands of dollars on dog training and behavior programs, including the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Professional program, The LEGS Applied Ethology program, and so many more. 

Any breeder who says they don’t need to “waste” their money on such programs and that they can learn everything they need to know through Facebook and Google is fooling themselves and doing a disservice to their clients and their dogs.

Another topic I am an avid student of is business and marketing. I’ve read countless books and blog posts and listened to hundreds of hours of podcasts on these topics. Every day, when feeding my animals and doing my barn chores, I listen to podcasts or audiobooks about either dog training or business and marketing. (Depending on my mood.) It’s a great way to do two important things simultaneously and make the work go faster.

I have also invested in paid marketing/business programs, including 5 X Your Farm Sales, Business Made Simple (StoryBrand), Amy Porterfield’s List Builder Society, Digital Course Academy, and many more. Every penny spent has been an investment in my business, my clients, my animals, and myself. Some people buy fancy clothes and vacations. I buy knowledge. 

Anytime I can find a good resource that combines business and marketing with the topic of animals, it’s a bonus. There are a few good blogs, podcasts, and memberships for “pet professionals,” and I have tried them all. Some are helpful and interesting, and some are not. There are a few podcasts that I listen to regularly, especially ones that focus on dog training businesses. 

The one thing that bothers me about most of these platforms and businesses is that they, for the most part, completely ignore dog breeders when addressing all the “pet professionals” they help. It’s as if they think all dogs come from rescues or spring out from under toadstools. They are happy to profit from breeders but can’t even mention them in their marketing. And that is why I may listen to their podcast and take what I can from them, but I won’t pay for their memberships or programs. 

It took me several years of searching, but I finally found the perfect person to support breeders, which means that, in turn, she is helping our clients. Meet Julie Swan, owner of The Honest Dog Breeder. Julie’s mission is to help ethical and responsible breeders run businesses that serve their clients and honor their dogs without causing undo stress to themselves and their families.

She does this through various offerings, including a podcast (The Honest Dog Breeder), private business coaching for breeders, and (best of all) a paid membership for breeders called the Dog Breeder Society. 

I first met Julie many years ago on a Facebook group for dog breeders. I was having problems with very sick Maremma puppies. It was so bad I thought it might be Parvo, even though all the tests came back negative. This was such a difficult situation that I almost gave up breeding. Julie told me I was dealing with Giardia. That knowledge allowed me to make changes that saved my puppies and my breeding program, including building my puppy parlor so that I could continue to socialize my puppies with livestock while keeping them healthy. (Because I learned that you can’t sterilize dirt.) I have not had a sick puppy since. I give Julie much credit for helping me get on the right path to healthier puppies.

Over time, I lost track of Julie because I stopped going on that Facebook group. Then, one day, I noticed that she had started a podcast and a membership for breeders. I was curious about the membership but didn’t feel I needed it since I had a lot of other programs I was using. But I listened to her podcast and really enjoyed it. 

A while before I had discovered Julie’s podcast, I was interviewed on the Bulldog Social Club podcast. If you haven’t heard that interview, here it is. (It’s on YouTube and Apple Podcasts but the YouTube version has photos of my dogs, so I will share that.)

A few months after I was interviewed on The Bulldog Social Club podcast, I heard an interview with Julie on that same podcast. Julie discussed her mission and membership and offered a discount on her membership to anyone who listened to the episode. That motivated me to check the membership, so I joined.

I planned to spend a few months checking things out and unsubscribe when the discount period ended. That was over a year ago, and I would not dream of quitting the Dog Breeder Society now!

I get so much value from the Dog Breeder Society. There are many Master Classes on marketing and business processes, dog and puppy care, and so much more. Julie is adding new courses all the time. She sends monthly marketing templates for social media and email marketing specifically for breeders. (So amazing!)

Julie introduced me to Honeybook, a game changer that made my business more efficient for my clients and me. She also helped me achieve my long-held dream of switching from Weebly to a WordPress website. I never could have done it without her!

Her membership includes a private forum for breeders and is NOT dependent on Facebook. There is no bullying or breeder shaming, just a safe place to ask questions and share stories with other breeders. Julie provides the service that most of the other “pet marketing businesses” fall short of. Julie is truly a treasure for breeders and, by default, also for dog owners. She helps me serve my clients better.

I was thrilled when Julie told me she would do a 12 Days of Breeders series on her podcast and wanted me to be one of her breeder interviews. It was so much fun to talk with her about my beloved Maremmas and the differences between breeding Livestock Guardian Dogs versus other types of dogs. I got to share stories about some of my clients and dogs and share things that might help other breeders, regardless of the kind of dogs they breed. I could have talked for hours, but we kept it a bit shorter than that! So here it is, my interview on The Honest Dog Breeder. 

I hope you enjoy the episode. It’s a great way to learn more about me and what is important to me as a breeder, which will help you decide if I might be the breeder for you. Listen to Julie’s podcast, and also go back and listen to my interview on the Bulldog Social Club. Then you will have a pretty good idea of who I am!

After you listen to my interview, you might enjoy listening to the other episodes. I have listened to every one of them and find them so fascinating. There are so many awesome breeders out there raising all kinds of dogs. I’m learning so much and being inspired by these amazing breeders. There is even a blind breeder who breeds and trains service dogs. How cool is that?!

If you are a breeder looking for helpful resources to grow your business and to give you the support and encouragement you need, check out Julie’s offerings, from her free podcast to her paid membership.  Julie has something for every breeder.

If you’re wondering if a Prancing Pony Maremma is right for you, sign up below to learn more about our breeding program.