Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Sigel.
Hi Hannah, 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.
OK so long story somewhat shorter is as a child growing up the only thing that I would read was dog encyclopedias. I would have my mom buy me dog encyclopedias as well as have her take me to the store so I could look through the newest additions. I was obsessed and always learning dog facts. Then let’s do two when I was 11. When I was 11 years old, I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. I became very depressed and had always wanted a dog and begged and begged until my mom actually got me a dog this time. In getting a dog we quickly realized we needed some additional support, and we went ahead and hired a dog trainer. The dog trainer was this super awesome independent badass female. The name of her business is K9 Tutors. She saw my interest in dogs and my natural ability to communicate and understand their body language and was very supportive of my abilities. My mom also being a badass female took this opportunity and had me go along and shadow this dog trainer. She would pick me up and I would go with her from client to client and observe the process as well as working directly with the dogs. Then by the age of 16, she gave me my very own client. Now skip ahead an “unrelated” college degree and several careers later (one of which was a music early childhood teacher and community choir, where I became a certified yoga teacher and social-emotional learning facilitator, as well as Psychology first aid/post-traumatic stress management certification among other trainings which helped me practice intentionality and inclusivity. Okay getting off track I feel but then boom, the COVID-19 pandemic, I jumped on the bandwagon of I quit my job. One day I called up my sister and told her how much I had been trying charging for private sessions and she sat down and did the math and told me I needed X amount of private clients a week and I’d be able to afford my lifestyle and start putting money away as savings… So, I took the leap and quit (or put in a month notice cause Idk what I was thinking) and created Boston k9 Tutors. For the past 20+ years, I had always trained dogs on the side, including a couple year spent at Unleashed by Petco and it is such a blessing to be doing it now full-time and working for myself. As a multi-certified dog trainer, I do need to complete a certain amount of continuing education every year and I’m obsessed with it! I can never get enough and find myself always learning and doing my best to stay up to date with the most current scientific consensus and use the least intrusive minimally aversive strategies when training and creating behavior modification plans. Then two years ago my partner’s mom was diagnosed with early-onset dementia. He immediately wanted to move back home which is here Baltimore Maryland. Honestly, at first, I was very selfish, and I was like what my business I can’t leave this I’m doing so well I love it and they quickly dawned on me wow you only get one mom, and my business can thrive anywhere. So, after a lot of talking and planning with my partner we moved to Baltimore Maryland end of August 2022. I still offer virtual sessions and have several clients in Boston. I am also offering in-person private and group classes and run puppy playgroup for my puppy clients on weekends. In addition, I have the opportunity to work at Canine Humane Network located in Clarkesville working with their staff and shelter dogs to promote well-being and adaptability. My connection to Canine Humane Network has connected me to vets such as Dr. Zimmerman at Ruxton Animal Hospital who is a gem. Thanks to her referrals and just getting myself out there things are going pretty well. Oh not to mention I got on Instagram a little over a year ago and that has really helped my business grow. I also find it important to mention that I am a person who is in recovery from using opioids and my own behavior modification and recovery journey has helped me better understand dog behavior modification and how individualized it is and the amount of patience and consistency that it takes. It also fuels my compassion for humans, which my job is truly human-centered.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I have been extremely blessed that being a business owner has been for the most part smooth. I mean tax season aside. Though I’d be remiss to not mention that dog training is an unregulated business and with that comes much conflicts within the industry. Lately, thanks to Zak George, which many of you probably know for his wonderful YouTuber dog content, has brought attention to sexism and how it intertwines with violence against animals. And yes, this issue intertwines with racism, colonialism, ableism, Queer phobia, capitalism, and all of those isms. So as a queer white Jewish female, I’m blessed with many privileges but face the same violence and oppression as many others in any industry; the added kicker is dog training being an unregulated industry. Some other struggles I have faced are supporting folks and their dog(s) after they had been misguided by a “dog trainer” who suggested to use aversive tools and now their dog has more extreme behavioral issues.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Effective, ethical, dog training based in science.
I work on a range of behavior from potty training, loose leash walking to aggression, reactivity, resource guarding, separation anxiety, and more.
Specializing in fear, reactivity & aggression.
I actively work to prioritize impact over intent. I am committed to providing practical, equitable, understandable, and respectful services that are responsive. I encourage feedback and am committed to activities for self-reflection and quality Improvement.
I do not tolerate ableist, ageist, homophobic, racist, sexist, or transphobic voices.
It is essential that evidence-based, reinforcement-focused dog training and behavior services are accessible to all who need them. With this in mind, I have designed a set number of sliding scale enrollments for both in-person and online training options.
The sliding scale structure is not based on income alone, and I do not require any “proof” of need. What a person can afford is related to their finances, but it’s not as simple as how much money they make. To qualify for the sliding scale pricing, someone just needs to tell me they would like to use the sliding scale option.
Payment plan options are also offered.
I believe my intentionality and growth-mindset sets me and my brand, Baltimore k9 Tutors, apart from others.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
The importance of community feels the most important to my success at this moment.
Pricing:
- In-person: 4, 1-hour sessions, with unlimited text and call support between sessions/$599.
- In-person: 6, 1-hour sessions, with unlimited text and call support between sessions/$870.
- Online 1 hr/$125
- Online 4, 1/hr sessions with unlimited text and call support between sessions/$499
- Free phone consultation
Contact Info:
- Website: BaltimoreK9Tutors.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baltimorek9tutors/
