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THIS WEEK'S TOPICS:

• 🏠 Interview: How BAXTER & Bella help train your dog from home

• 🚨 UPDATE: Anti-aging pills for your dog moves forward

• 🌟 Big Bang Theory star launches pet brand

🏠 How BAXTER & Bella help train your dog from home

Amy Jensen always loved dogs.

And as any kid does, she dreamed of becoming a vet and was determined to make that her career.

Then, she discovered that being a vet also comes with things like blood, surgery, infections, and a number of other unpleasant things (we are right there with Amy 🤢).

With this new insight, Amy pivoted into the world of dog behavior and training.

She started training her own pets and later got into formal dog training which has led her where she is today as the founder of BAXTER & Bella, The Online Puppy (& dog) School.

We were able to sit (good boy!) down with Amy and learn more about her business and the path it took to get where it is today.

The Beginning

Dogs and training had always been a big part of Amy's focus.

Starting with training her own animals and then moving into puppy boarding / training, service dog training, and working for other trainers to help with their business.

While training for another business, she found herself making a lot of content for pet parents to take home so they could help continue their dog's behavioral education.

Things like training checklists, short guides, journals, videos etc that anyone could use.

Her intention was to make things easier on clients but her husband Scott nudged her toward the idea of turning the content into a business.

This fit really well with one of Amy's motivations for getting into training in the first place:

From there, BAXTER & Bella was born!

In the early stages, the product was all the lessons, worksheets, guides, etc printed out and given to families whose puppies they had trained.

Then it evolved into a website to host the content, and word of mouth to help bring in customers.

This period was great to polish and tune their program and to work on how they presented their offering.

A Different Type of Training

As she started to develop BAXTER & Bella, people told Amy it was crazy to try and do online training.

Almost all dog training was done in person. How are you going to train a dog that you can't interact with!?

Unperturbed, she felt that online was the best channel because of its ability to reach more people and be more accessible to people after they received initial training.

So she and Scott developed learning "modules" or programs that separated training into more bite sized sections to make it easier on clients (Basic, Intermediate, Advanced).

Additionally, they started offering live online sessions and recordings of those sessions.

The model was a lifetime membership ($238 one-time cost), which if you ask us, is insane value) that got you access to all the content, the live classes, and a trainer Q&A email.

This helped them get the business up and running and to a comfortable place that made them happy.

And then the pandemic hit.

Almost overnight, the business boomed.

It was the perfect model for the times as dog ownership skyrocketed, but in person everything shrunk.

The challenge was that they went from a comfortable lifestyle business to a growing business that needed to scale.

To deal with rising demand, they hired additional trainers to help cover more classes and answer more questions.

Challenges and Adjustments

Hiring was the part that Amy identifies as the biggest need they experienced.

This had to be done quickly. It was pretty seamless as Amy had amazing colleagues in the training space who were willing to jump on board.

Today they have an amazing team of top professional trainers in the industry.

“We couldn’t do this without them.”

Also, Amy and Scott realized that they needed to divide their areas of focus so they didn't step on each others toes (aka drive each other bonkers).

They settled on Scott managing the office side (signing new partners, approving sales, etc) and Amy overseeing the training (managing trainers, working on content, etc).

One of the key adjustments they made early on in their business was focusing on partnerships.

They partner with breeders, trainers, animal hospitals, vet clinics, rescues, and animal shelters.

These businesses tell their families or clients about them and send them for training. 

This has been a very fruitful strategy as Amy estimates their breakdown of new clients by source as:

• Partnerships - 60%

• Advertising - 20%

• Word of mouth / referral - 20%

A Day in the Life

From Amy:

"Every day is different but weeks are similar.

Mondays are my office days. I answer emails, write podcasts, update the website, etc. Tuesdays - Thursdays I take calls, teach classes and record podcasts. Fridays - Sundays are my play days - i spend more time with my family, kids and dogs doing things we all love.

That said I will teach the occasional Saturday class and still answer emails as needed."

The Future

Right now Amy and Scott are in the midst of upgrading all their content (they call it version 3.0) into behavior specific programs.

So instead of broader curriculum, clients can focus on their dog's specific needs.

For example, a module dedicated just for barking, or just for potty training.

Some other plans they have is to get more into YouTube content to reach more customers and continue to focus on their podcast.

What really stuck out to us was when we asked Amy what plans they had for the next 3 to 5 years.

A lot of entrepreneurs would talk about scaling the business, taking big leaps, working tons of hours, new products, etc.

But for Amy, she and Scott want a business that achieves their goal of helping clients enjoy their dogs AND one that allows them to enjoy their life and family.

For us that resonates a lot because that is the part that is often missing in the go-go industries we are familiar with.

Parting Thoughts

First things first, we had to ask her about her dogs!

She has two:

• Bruno - an 11yr old "schnorkie", who while at 12lbs, is very much a firecracker. He often helped out with the puppies they boarded

• Baxter - the business namesake, and a 2yr old labradoodle (who at 50lbs has some size on his brother). He does therapy work and also often is the "model" for training classes.

We really enjoyed this interview and love the model Amy and Scott have come up with.

It's great to come across the businesses that were born organically instead of economically planned.

And we really like that it's a means to an end for their family to have the freedom to enjoy their lives.

Also, like we said before, they provide a TON of value for a pretty low cost. In person dog training is expensive and valuable.

Online training doesn't sacrifice on value, but does help on cost. And with BAXTER & Bella, it's lifetime access.

In fact, we think they should charge more (so check them out if you need some training before we convince them to up their rates 🤣).

Amy and Scott were kind enough to provide a super secret discount code for our readers!

So if you want to learn more about their services you can head over to their site and use the code "DOGONOMIST":

https://www.baxterandbella.com/learn-more

They also have a nice collection of free resources to check out:

https://www.baxterandbella.com/free-resources

And of course check them out on social media!

• Facebook

• Instagram

• YouTube

 🚨 UPDATE: Anti-aging pills for your dog moves forward

The journey of a pet dog, from its playful beginnings to its later years, is a universally recognized and emotional experience.

If you recall, a few months back we touched on a company, Loyal, whose mission is to give us more time with our best buds via a science-backed pill.

When we wrote about them they were waiting for some form of approval from the FDA to continue to with trials and ultimately a market-ready product.

Well, it seems there's a glimmer of hope, in the world of canine longevity.

The FDA's recent letter to Loyal recognizes the potential of an unnamed drug for "expanded conditional approval." 

This could lead to marketing the drug for canine life extension by 2026, even before comprehensive clinical trials are complete.

Loyal's CEO, Celine Halioua, aims to add at least one year of healthy life to dogs.

Though their drug, LOY-001, shows promise in affecting metabolic aging factors, its life-extending efficacy is yet to be proven.

Canine longevity research is accelerating 📈.

The Dog Aging Project's rapamycin trial, for instance, has shown potential in mice and now focuses on dogs. These efforts underscore the growing feasibility of extending canine lives.

The drugs in development, like rapamycin and LOY-001, target different aging-related pathways.

Early studies indicate potential benefits, such as reduced frailty and improved quality of life, but comprehensive clinical trials are needed for definitive proof.

This research brings hope and raises ethical considerations.

The cost, safety, and moral implications of life-extending drugs are debated among pet owners, researchers, and ethicists.

Dr. Kate Creevy of the Dog Aging Project emphasizes the importance of enhancing life quality, not just length.

Experts recommend maintaining a lean physique, regular exercise, and mental stimulation for healthier aging in dogs.

These practices, alongside veterinary advancements, form a comprehensive strategy to improve pet well-being.

As the field progresses, it highlights the balance between scientific possibility and ethical responsibility.

The goal is to navigate these challenges, keeping the best interests of pets and their owners in mind.

While these developments are promising, they also serve as a reminder of the natural limits of life and the value of the time we share with our beloved pets.

🌟 Big Bang Theory star launches pet brand

You might recognize Kaley Cuoco from tv shows such as Big Bang Theory or the Flight Attendant, but what we just learned is that she is a HUGE dog lover.

So much so that she just launched a company!

That's right, just a few months ago, she and co-founder / CEO Katie Hunt (previously Chief Brand Officer from dating app Hinge) raised $3 million to start Oh Norman! 

The goal for them is to build the Honest Company for pets.

Love of animals

According to interviews, animals have always been a big part of the actresses life.

And as her means grew, so did her flock (seriously, she's got dogs, horses, rabbits, goats, and more).

However one dog, a rescue pit mix named Norman, really stood out.

And so inspired by Norman, Cuoco decided to launch Oh Norman! to provide a stylish but eco and pet friendly brand selling supplements, bowls, placemats, and other accessories.

A modern dog company

We've written about it many times before, but as health and ingredient conscious Millennials become parents and owners, the child and petcare industries have transformed to keep up with shifting consumer desires.

So it's no surprise that we are seeing a rise in more environmental and health focused brands (a few weeks ago we profiled Awoo, who has a similar mission).

It's a nice mix of business opportunity and a better focus on our dogs health and wellness.

Cuoco's partner Hunt will run most of the day to day aspects of the business, but the actress will stay very hands on with product development and testing.

She even ate the calming supplements herself before testing them on her dogs to make sure everything was up to sniff.

Here are a few products that Oh Norman! offers:

• Calm the Eff Down! calming supplement

• Clean the Eff Up! paw wipes

• Ohriginal red bowl

Our thoughts

Sometimes when people see the newest celebrity product there is healthy skepticism, and rightfully so.

But this seems a little different. Cuoco clearly has a long running love of animals, as evidence by her social media accounts.

We believe you can have a positive impact AND run a good business at the same time.

There's no shame in capitalizing on a good opportunity that overlaps with something you love.

The real test will be if they stick to their mission and produce a high quality product.

DOGGYDEX™

Winner 🏆: DOGGYDEX

Proudly introducing the DoggyDex™, an index comprised of 10 publicly traded companies whose primary focus is the dog/pet industry.

List of tickers used can be found at the very bottom of the newsletter.

The yellow line-plot in the chart represents these companies above (DoggyDex™) and their combined performance against both the S&P 500 and Bitcoin on a weekly basis.

Pawformance is measured by % gains & losses.

• 🏆 2023 National Dog Show winner: Stache, the Sealyham Terrier took home Best In Show at this year’s National Dog Show, which has been held annually since 1933.

• 🪞Collie mirrors every owner’s move: Watch this collie slay a mirrored dance number with its’ owner.

• 🏄 Rosie hangs ten: This lab by the name of Rosie, hangs a perfect ten on her longboard riding off into the sunset.

DOGGY B-DAY

• $CHWY - Chewy: E-commerce platform for pet supplies

• $IDXX - Idexx Labs: Vet point of care instruments and vet software

• $FRPT - Fresh Pet: Pet food company

• $PETQ - PetIQ: Pet health products and medicines

• $PETS - PetMeds: Online pet pharmacy

• $ZTS - Zoetis: World's largest producer of meds and vaccines for pets and livestock

• $TRUP - Trupanion: Pet insurance company

• $WOOF - Petco Health & Wellness co.: Pet health & wellness company

• $BARK - BarkBox: Subscription service providing dog products, services, and experiences

• $PET - Wag! Group Co.: Tech platform that allows pet owners to connect with industry professionals for services such as, walking, training, etc.