Today we’d like to introduce you to Molli Baker.
Hi Molli, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I fell into dog training completely by accident. I wasn’t even allowed to have dogs growing up. Then in the fall of 2009 I got a job working at a doggy daycare and found that I really loved it. I got my own dog (a Border Collie/Heeler mix I named “Suki”) and found out the hard way why you shouldn’t buy dogs for $25 off of KSL. She ended up being a genetic dumpster fire and had some pretty extreme anxiety issues. That started my journey looking into different trainers, training methodologies and whatever I could find to help work with her. I ended up finding Animal Behavior College, an online certification course that gives you a pretty basic, foundational education in dog training. From there I shadowed multiple other trainers and eventually opened my own dog training business in 2012 (Molli Dogs Training). At that point, I knew I was interested in service dog training but had no idea how to get into it. Then in March of 2013, my aunt approached me and told me that the organization she was working with to get her daughter a service dog for her cerebral palsy was looking for trainers. They hired me on as a finish trainer, so after the dog had gone through puppy raising I would get the dog to finish up public access and then train all of the tasks they would be doing for their disabled handler. I worked with them for 2 years until I eventually developed a lot of my own health issues and became too sick to keep training for them. I was eventually diagnosed with gastroparesis and some other digestive related issues. The CEO of the company knew that I had been wanting a Great Dane for years and around the same time they had 4 Great Dane puppies donated to the program. She offered one to me that I could train as my own service dog. I named him Basil and trained him to alert to oncoming nausea attacks, some mobility assistance and head bracing to help with dizzy spells and nausea, and getting an emergency med bag, among other things. I was pretty sick for several years and he was an absolute lifesaver to me during that time. Eventually I found a health coach that was able to help me figure out exactly what my triggers were and helped me figure out different dietary things to help me manage my illness. I became functional enough that I was able to retire Basil from service work. This really sparked my love of owner training service animals. The focus of my small business is now assisting other disabled individuals to owner train their own service dogs (Molli’s Service Dog Academy).
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Dog training is a hard business to get into and I’m not very good at marketing myself. A lot of it is building up relationships with others and word of mouth. It took me years to build my business up to what it is today. I’m honestly amazed that I’ve made it this far, to the point where I even have a few other trainers working with me now. I’m honestly not sure how I’ve managed to make it this far. I struggle with imposter syndrome a lot.
Things were also pretty tough during the several years I was really sick. I maybe had 30-90 minutes of functional time a day, yet still somehow managed to build up my business and train my own service dog. Basil truly was such a a lifeline to me and is the face of my company now because of it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As stated before, we specialize in assisting disabled individuals to owner train their own service animals. The other trainers working for me have all come from a similar background as well. They all got started owner training their own service dogs for their own disabilities and found a love and passion for it the same way I did. I love that I have been able to create a team who not only have the same passion and love of dog training that I do, but who also understand the ins and outs of owner training a service dog while managing a disability because they have all been their themselves.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Learn how to network and market yourself. That’s always been one of my biggest struggles. Remember that those you may be in competition with could also be your closest allies and support. I have learned and grown so much from reaching out and connecting to other trainers in the community and finding who is strong in the areas I am weak.
Also, never stop learning! We have new information, knowledge, and technology coming out every day. The moment you think you know it all is the moment you will become obsolete in your chosen career field.
Pricing:
- All of our pricing is listed on our website www.mollidogs.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mollidogs.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mollidogs
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mollidogs
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mollidogs
