Meet Brandy Girot of East Valley K9 Services

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandy Girot.

Brandy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was living in Utah, I had a wonderful Lab/Border Collie mix named Riley. I put valuable time into training Riley and one of my goals was to pass the Canine Good Citizens evaluation. The day we passed the test, I experienced a lot of emotions, especially joy and pride. Since then, my interest in learning more about dog training and becoming more involved in the dog world continues to grow.

When I moved to Arizona my expertise in the dog training world began to flourish. I hired a dog trainer who eventually introduced me to different dog sports such as, agility, fly ball and dock diving. I now have 2 dogs and both dogs have taught me a lot about the difference in a dog’s personalities, the difference in their breeds, and how each dog had a unique way of learning. I continue to further my education on dog training so I can offer the most relevant and up to date techniques to my clients. My joy and drive is being a dog trainer and I very much enjoy working with people and helping them with their dogs. Hence, the East Valley K9 was born in 2017.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Of course I’ve had challenges! Challenges and obstacles can present some of the best learning opportunities. Two challenges stand out for me. First, I tend to be introverted, so with time and mentors in the dog world I have learned to overcome this challenge and become more confident.

The second is keeping up with the social media demands. We live in a time that social media is one of the keys to a successful business. Future clients will use social media for information about your business, and the ratings of the company through reviews done by past clients. It is important in any successful business to have a strong knowledge of social media and what works best for your company.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
East Valley K9 is a dog training and pet services company. I instruct dog classes, offer private instruction, board to train, absent owner training and pet sitting.

Currently, I am focusing on creating a successful puppy program. Dr.Ian Dunbar’s Sirius puppy training program is the model I use in my classes. Puppies have to be between 8 and 16 weeks of age and training is ideally done completely off leash. Good social skills and great manners keep family dogs from being placed in a shelter. Puppy socialization is an important factor for a young dog, and yet it is often missed. My goal is to have one of the best puppy socialization programs in Arizona.

I also put effort into customizing my obedience classes in order to address specific issues the students are having with their dog making it more than just sit, stay and down. I put in a lot of time making sure my group classes help each individual client and the group as a whole. It is rewarding when an individual’s light goes on. The moment when that person realizes that training their dog isn’t as hard as they thought it would be and, they are able to resolve any issues they were having with their beloved dog.

One of the most important business aspects to me is to ensure that my group programs are accessible to everyone by keeping the costs reasonable for each services. By keeping my prices reasonable I can reach a larger population of dogs and their humans.

What were you like growing up?
My childhood wasn’t unique and was pretty average. I had strict parents and one of their teachings was to respect people. I suppose my parents would say I was a stubborn and impatient child. I had my view of the world and did not welcome any challenge to that viewpoint. I also wanted results now! I don’t think as a teen I ever had a solid idea of what I wanted to be or do. I did all of the average things kids did. For instance, joining the Girl Scouts, playing soccer and softball. We moved a lot when I was growing up and my introverted personality made it difficult to make new friends although the true relationships I did forge tend to be life-long ones. Age, life experience, raising my 3 children, and being married for 21 years has taught me patience and how to see things from others’ perspective. I started the parenthood journey young so now I have the opportunity to pursue success doing something I love to do. I feel all of my life experiences and upbringing has cultivated into personality traits that help me to be a successful dog trainer and business women. Now I am really loving this part of the journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.eastvalleyk9.com
• Phone: 480-382-0144
• Email: evk9services@gmail.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EastValleyK9Services/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/east-valley-k9-services-chandler

Image Credit:
Gary Michael Flannigan Photography, Elizabeth Girot

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