Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Barber.
Hi Julie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Back in 2015, I adopted a 1-year-old mixed-breed dog from a rescue. He had been found as a stray on the streets of Baltimore City and placed at the local shelter for adoption where he was adopted out and returned…TWICE.
Not for aggression but for just being wild and unmanageable. I had a toy poodle growing up (who was behaved!) so I’m not sure why I thought it would be a fun idea to adopt a 90-pound rambunctious animal and put him in 900 square foot downtown Frederick rowhouse, but I did. Oh boy, did we learn a lot? We enrolled him in group obedience classes which were fun but yielded almost no results outside the actual classroom. Walks quickly became stressful.
He was exploding at other dogs he saw even from across the street. He jumped on anyone who came near us and one day he knocked over a 10-year-old boy. He barked like crazy along the fence line in our backyard. If left out of the crate he would destroy items in our house, get into the trashcans, and pee on furniture. He was an excellent couch cuddler though! I started researching dog training. I thought, there has to be a better way. We tried every method under the sun. Harnesses, clickers, treats, higher value treats, even HIGHER value treats, class, private lessons, nothing worked *when it mattered.*
I immersed myself in training videos on Youtube. In August of 2016, we drove him to Philadelphia for a two-day training seminar and that honestly changed my life. From that point on, I was training. I found methods that worked. Friends and family noticed and started asking me for advice about their dogs. Soon enough I was training other people’s dogs. At the time, I was working at the hospital. I had been working in Radiology for 15 years as an MRI Technologist. One day, I thought, I could make a career out of training dogs. The thought of leaving the only job I’d ever known since I was 19 terrified me. I had great hours, decent pay, amazing health insurance, and a retirement plan they matched. Who would walk away from that?
But once the idea entered my mind, it never left. In October 2017, I went to a 7-day seminar in Providence, RI on dog training for newer trainers. If I thought the first seminar changed my life, this one rocked my world. I left on a mission. The entire 8-hour drive home I planned my next moves. I named my company. I had a checklist: open a business bank account. Open the LLC. Get the zoning permit to run a business out of my rowhouse. And most importantly, GET DOGS! That last part came easy. I started telling friends if they knew anyone who needed help with their dog to send them my way. I was offering free training in exchange for content, experience, and testimonials. In November, I took my first board and train.
I quickly had to start charging, the line was forming and it was LONG. Before I knew it, I was doing two dogs at a time WHILE still working my full-time hospital job. I was waking up at 4 am to train, then going to work, coming home, and training before even changing out of my scrubs. In April 2018, I quit my job at the hospital. I was booked through summer with 5-7 dogs at a time making quadruple what I made at the hospital, and LOVING what I was doing. During this time, I realized that even quitting my job and freeing up all that time that I needed help. I found Josh through a mutual friend. He had a training company in upstate NY but was taking a break to travel. Thank goodness he accepted my offer to come train for May with me in Maryland.
Guess what? He never left. Josh has been training with me since May of 2018 and for 5 years we’ve built the business of our dreams. We now have a 4-year-old boy and are still training and working together full time offering board and train, boarding, pack hikes, pack walks downtown, and virtual help to owners around the world. We are starting to dabble in a new endeavor: real estate investing. We just purchased our second investment property and hope to continue to acquire more each year! Who knew that a badly behaved, rambunctious mutt would lead me to where I am today? Forever thankful to Riggins, the dog behind it all, who has changed my life in every way possible.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a mostly smooth road, with some speed bumps and potholes along the way! I am a firm believer that if you are doing what you truly love and believe in what you do, you can make it through any issue.
I have a passion for training dogs and helping owners, so ultimately that has been a driving force to keep on going even on stressful and tough days.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a dog (and owner!) training and rehabilitation company. We train dogs of all ages and issues with the youngest being a 12-week-old pomsky I did private lessons with, an 11-year-old Husky, and everything in between. We train friendly dogs just needing to learn manners but also rehab aggressive dogs with extensive bite histories to both other dogs and humans…and everything in between. We document the entire journey for owners to watch on social media, from the unruly behavior at drop-off to the amazing behavior at the take-home session, where we train the owner on how to use and maintain the training.
We have become known for our consistent results, YouTube tutorials, LIVE Q&A, and practical DIY training videos which have built us an amazing audience on all platforms. What I am most proud of is our consistency in achieving the same results on every dog no matter the age or the issue. I fully believe in our board and train program and the results it achieves, and one of my favorite parts is keeping in contact with all of our graduates via our client group on Facebook, with almost 600 members who post updates of their successes!
We also meet monthly for group pack walks in downtown Frederick and have been doing that for 4 years now. We have a yearly client BBQ for everyone to come together and enjoy good food, yard games, and each other’s company. What we’ve created is a family with a lifetime of support that I am extremely proud of.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was an easygoing child. I did girl scouts, tried soccer but ultimately ended up playing softball for years, went to summer camps, and played with the neighborhood kids outside until it was dark every night. I was in the band and played the flute, getting “first chair” one year in middle school was a moment I will never forget.
We had a toy poodle growing up and looking back, there are so many things I’d do differently with her having the knowledge I do now! Later on, I developed a passion for travel and explored all over Europe, sometimes going on trips alone which challenged me to get out of my comfort zone.
England, Italy, France, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Germany are just some of the wonderful countries I’ve traveled to over the years.
Pricing:
- $3800 for 3 weeks of board and train
- $1000 for additional weeks
- $65 a night boarding for graduates
- $25 pack hike (14 acres of wooded trails along the river)
- $25 nail dremel
Contact Info:
- Website: www.juliesk9academy.com
- Instagram: @juliesk9academy
- Facebook: facebook.com/juliesk9academy
- Twitter: twitter.com/juliesk9academy
- Youtube: youtube.com/juliesk9academy
