Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrienne Liddle.
Hi Adrienne; so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have always loved animals but never imagined I would find my life passion in dog training. I was a classical pianist and an English major in college before joining the Army in 2009 as an Arabic linguist and Signals Intelligence Analyst.
After separating from the Army in 2014, I used my GI Bill to attend Starmark Academy and, in 2016, I earned my state-accredited certificate as a Canine Training and Behavior Specialist. Since then, I have used my communication skills to help dog owners learn to love living with their dogs! Dog training can be a very intimate thing. People let you into their homes and their lives. Sometimes the training changes can be hard, I love to be the support and encouragement while those changes take place, and I love to see the results in the home that come with training!”
I am committed to her craft. I attend yearly schools, workshops, and the annual IACP conference. In November 2019, I graduated from the elite NePoPo®️ Silver School and NePoPo®️ Gold School in April 2020.
I have four dogs, Tucker, a lab/rottweiler cross; Dexter, a cattle dog mix with so much personality; Payday, a two-year-old chocolate American field lab, who is working on taking over for Tucker as a primary down dog for clients but is also pursuing a couple of sports including hunt test for bird hunting and personal protection sports for obedience. Lynx is a one-year-old Belgian Malinois pursuing personal protection sports and will be trialing for the first time at the end of the year.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting this business has been a fairly smooth road. I had a vision for it for a long time before I established it, I went to school for dog training, and while I was there, I fell in love with the industry, the service we provided the dogs, and the human service component. I continued to work in the industry for different facilities to gain more experience there; while I pursued continuing education, workshops, conferences, and dog training schools around the country. When I finally opened the business, I had flushed out the vision of what I wanted to build. I immediately started going to work on that. What sets me apart is my love for the human component of this industry. It’s not just about the dogs; It’s also about the human side of the leash. I love coaching human beings and building relationships and repour with them. I want to ensure they gain as much training, understanding, and support as their dog. As I continued to make, I sought expert advice from business, life, and financial coaches. That has helped me sidestep the most common hardships small business owners experience in their early years with the help of these people, learning from others’ mistakes ahead of time and staying true to my vision from the beginning. We have multiplied while maintaining our passion, drive, and energy from this enterprise as it continues to grow.
Dog training as an enterprise is inherently an isolating situation. We operate one-on-one with our clients and their dogs in our immediate areas, backyards, public parks, or facilities, and they’re only sometimes meeting up very often. However, the Central Texas dog training industry has a phenomenal supportive community. They make a point to have get-togethers twice a year, which has been wonderful. We all refer to each other, support each other, and communicate with each other in a very positive manner. That being said, being a single, female, small business owner is not always the easiest it is an alternative one. I am usually busy when others are free, and I am often stuck in books or Zoom meetings when others would instead be drinking wine and watching Netflix. I have to find my social circle outside my immediate vicinity in communities online or in the industry itself. It is a lifestyle I have dedicated myself to because I believe in what were doing.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Dog 4 Life Training & Behavioral Solutions?
A happy demeanor is our top priority, and our motivation-based training is holistic and in-depth and delivers advanced results. We have helped hundreds of dogs with anxiety, aggression, resource guarding, dog aggression, and more. Coaching the owner is as important as training the dog. We provide tons of custom resources and one-on-one training for our clients to help them understand their dogs and the training and achieve lifelong success. We specialize in high-end immersive training at our beautiful country property – your dog’s educational resort experience! We have a hybrid high-end in a home environment with the lowest dog-to-trainer ratio, we customize a training approach for your dog, and your dog enjoys training on beautiful country acreage. (your dog is never in a concrete kennel). Our learning environment is calm, motivational, and individualized. We prioritize teaching you as much as we teach the dog. We are highly educated and multi-certified trainers and behavior specialists in Austin. We use our experience and high-level education to customize our training approach to each dog.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting?
On the business side, I recommend hiring a business coach asap, and I have been working with Sherry Boyer(lookup). She is fantastic; she has succeeded in owning a dog training business. It is important to follow and hire coaches that have already done what you want to do. Their resume is more important than their promises! On the dog training side, attend a school with an excellent reputation with the NEPOPO, Starmark Academy, and Dogma Academy in Waco, Texas. I also recommend joining the International IACP and attending their yearly conference.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dog4lifetraining.com
- Instagram: @dog4lifetraining
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dog4lifetraining
- Youtube: @dog4lifetraining936
