Pet Boarding and Daycare Expo West information coming soon!
*Last year's info below

Tuesday Programs

Getting Your House in Order

Fernando Camacho

Before you even think about trying to get new leads and customers into your pet care business, you need to make sure that you’re ready and able to take really good care of everybody. Too many business have big holes in their sales funnel and are losing people out the back door as they work so hard to get more in the front. In this seminar, Fern will help you discover what areas in your business need careful attention and optimization, ensuring that you are providing the best customer experience, as well as maximizing all your efforts to bring in new customers and keep them long term.

Accounting 201 for Pet Business Owners

Schwanda Flowers

Owners and business managers of pet care facilities will want to attend this session for an in-depth look at essential accounting processes which will include discussion from a subject matter expert on the importance of mastering financial statements and other related accounting documents, as well as the effects of these documents on performance and success to ensure sustainability of services and to optimize client care. Other topics covered will include: common accounting pitfalls to avoid as a pet care professional and small business owner; the components and overall purpose of an income and expense statement; identifying various accounting documents, terminology, procedures and their roles in maintaining services; financing examples and cash flows for pet care businesses; and the important components of a business plan for pet care professionals.

“Your Dog's Not the Right Fit for Daycare” (Don't Blame the Messenger!)

Eve Molzhon

In this session, Eve will cover how to communicate with the client when their dog has behavioral concerns in daycare and what behavior typically would result in a dismissal from daycare. She will also discuss the importance of providing alternatives when you do need to dismiss a dog from daycare.

Don’t Gamble with Your Future: Renovate, Relocate or Remodel Decisions Made Easy

Jeff Adney, Claire Cronin, Brandy Keck & Eric Doering

This presentation will showcase industry experts taking a deep dive into pet care facility projects and the roadmap for expansion. We will start with the finishes by addressing flooring, which can be one of the most critical decisions you can make within your pet care facility. You will hear from a national flooring expert to help determine the right option for your business.

Next, we’ll dive into the architectural renderings of both small leasehold and large ground-up construction projects from recent pet care facility projects nationwide. We’ll highlight the main focal areas for both practicality and customer engagement. We’ll then walk through the main pitfalls and strategic planning involved in renovations from pet care facility specific project managers. We’ll help you determine whether you can retrofit your current location to maximize profitability or if it’s time to consider a new/additional location.

Lastly, our team of experts in financing solutions will help you determine the right time to take your business to the next level. We’ll walk through loan structures, budgeting, contingency planning, projection assumptions, and growth strategies to help put your pet care facility in the best position for lending opportunities now and in the future.

Evaluating and Addressing Problem Behaviors in Dogs

Eileen Koval

What is a Problem Behavior? It depends on who you ask! A behavior may be a problem to one person but not another. In this four-hour program, we will look into changing cultural expectations, human selective pressures in breeding, the role of animals in our lives, training and socialization, genetics, neurobiology, stereotypic behavior, medical issues, and other behavior-related topics.

Hour 1) Framework for Identifying and Addressing Problem Behavior

We will begin by identifying how and why problem behaviors manifest and how to address them through the lens of the “The Humane Hierarchy (from Dr. Susan Friedman, PhD)” and the “Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare.” Once we have covered the framework with how we identify and approach behavior issues for evaluation, we will discuss some common issues, including why do they do it, how does it manifest, and how can we address these problems.

Hour 2) Guarding Behavior

Guarding can present for many reasons stemming from fear of losing access to resources to an actual behavior that we bred dogs to perform. Some dogs enjoy guarding! We will take a look at early signs of its manifestation and how to address situations without escalation.

Hour 3) Dominance in Dogs

This is a hot topic that has undergone extensive research in recent decades but it is filled with widespread myths, confusion, and some hidden truths. We will uncover how dominance presents in dogs citing recent scientific research, work with wolf-mix dogs, and studies with free-range dogs. You’ll also learn when dominance is a concern, and how a better understanding of dominance in dogs can improve your communication and interactions with them.

Hour 4) Canine Stress and Anxiety

A major part of addressing canine anxiety and stress is recognizing it is happening. We will uncover body language signs indicating stress and anxiety, when a dog is shut down vs calm, discuss fight/freeze/flight responses, and look at when these are acute problems in reaction to a specific situation vs something bigger like hyperarousal. You will also learn ways to better connect and help these dogs that you encounter in the scope of your professional interactions.

Lessons in Leadership

Phillip Paris

During this fun and interactive four-hour, two-part session, Phillip will motivate and inspire pet industry supervisors to be all they can be and enhance their current knowledge and skillsets involved with managing today's workforce. In addition, he share the secrets to a successful team.

Part 1) Managing Today’s Workforce

This session is perfect for shift leads, supervisors, general managers, facility owners, and future leaders. Everyone will benefit and leave motivated and inspired to be the best they can be. During this session, attendees will learn leadership attributes, effects of great/poor leadership, how to build relationships and manage company culture, what today's workforce wants/needs, managing versus leading, how to develop positive influence, why and how teams fail, and how to deal with workplace drama, gossip(ers) and poor performers.

Part 2) The Secrets to a Successful Team

Have you found yourself frustrated with your team and asking yourself, “What can we do different?” or “What makes other teams so successful and productive?” Well, you’re not alone. Many of us find ourselves asking the same question and seeking real-life solutions that we can implement into our own workplace. In this session, Phillip will share the best practices for maximizing the efforts, morale, and culture of your team.