Clean Run - November 2015 - 65

How much do you charge
for your classes and how
many weeks are they? Do
you charge more for higher
level classes?

My sessions are 8 weeks in
length and my current rate is
$95 per session.
Do you ever give discounts?

I do give a multiple dog/class
discount. The second dog or
class is only $85.
When are class payments
due? What if they are paid
late?

Registration fees are due
before the beginning of the
next session. I do have an
additional $5 charge if they
register late but I rarely have
to enforce it.
Do you ever offer a certain number of classes
with a certain number of
weeks to take them (say 4
classes and 5 weeks to take
them)?

No.
Do you do online registration for classes?

I have my class schedule and
registration form online but
students need to print it out
and mail it in or deliver it to
the facility. I am considering
online registration but I am
not real interested in online
payments (due to the extra
fees) so there is not a real advantage to online registration.
How do you maintain contact between the training
center and the students?

I have a Facebook page and a
Yahoo group to aid in communicating to everyone. Plus, the
more common use of email to
be sure that I reach everyone.

How do you handle classes
cancelled due to weather? Do the students make
them up?

I make a weather-related decision for cancellations and I
do my best to offer a make-up
class. I build extra weeks into
my yearly calendar to allow
time for make-up classes,
particularly in the winter.
Do you observe holidays?
If so, how do they affect
the class schedule?

The only holidays I regularly
observe are Thanksgiving,
Christmas, and New Year's.
All others I leave it to the
students attending the class
on the holiday. Most often
the students want to have
class anyway so it hasn't been
much of an issue for my calendar.
How do you accommodate injured dogs or handlers that will be out for a
month or more? Do you
keep their place in class?
Do they have to pay to
keep the empty spot? Do
you put them on a waiting
list to get back in?

First of all, for handler or dog
injuries I do credit them for
any missed classes they have
paid for. I hold their spot in
that class to the extent possible. It is not usually an issue
but if the absence is long term
then I do my best to accommodate them.
What is your policy on when
a handler misses class due
to vacation, dog show, and
so on?

I do not give credits for general absences. If a student has
been training with me for a
while and knows in advance

of a session that they will miss
certain dates due to vacation,
surgery, etc. I do prorate their
fee for the weeks they will be
in attendance.
How do you compensate
instructors?

I do my best to simply schedule them according to the
availability of my students.
Most privates are offered in
the daytime or late afternoon
before my evening classes get
underway.

When I do use a second instructor, they have been paid
in free classes.

Do you have items for sale
at your facility like treats,
toys, and human food and
drinks?

How do you handle it when
you just don't mesh with a
particular student and you
need to part ways?

I have not had the situation
arise in which I chose to part
ways with someone other
than in a few situations in
which I felt their dog was not
enjoying agility or they simply
could not handle their dog
(aged individual who simply
couldn't handle a running
sport). In those situations,
I recommended other dog
sports for them to try with
nearby trainers. I have not had
a situation in which I couldn't
get along with someone. Some
may have parted ways with me
because they didn't like me but
I'm not sure.
What program do you use
to do your books?

For my accounting I use
Quickbooks. For my registrations I use Excel.
What program do you
use to schedule and book
classes?

Excel.

I offer water and sodas for
sale for the handlers. I try to
have cheese sticks for sale as
well for the times someone
forgets their treats.
How do you feel about instructors running students'
dogs in class to demo concepts, or help a handler
who is struggling either with
their dog, or with their own
technique?

I try not to do this often but
I do it occasionally if I need
to ascertain if the issue is
the dog's inability or unwillingness to do it or simply
the handler's lack of skill or
timing. If I want to demo a
concept I use my own dogs.
I feel there are too many
variables related to the relationship between the handler
and the dog and therefore
their ability to do something
with me is irrelevant. The
needed skill is doing it with
their handler.
Thank you, Sally, for sharing
the inner workings of your
business with Clean Run
readers! D

Do you offer private lessons?

Yes, I offer private lessons. I
used to charge a discounted
rate for current students but
no longer do that. I have a flat
rate for all. My schedule for
private lessons is flexible and

Brenna Fender is a freelance writer and editor who works for Clean Run. She lives in Florida with her husband, two children, a Papillon (Spark), a Beagle (Wrigley), a
Border Collie (Tessa), a Chihuahua (Chase), and a variety of other creatures. Tessa has agility titles, UpDog Challenge disc achievements, and a Trick Dog Champion
Title. Over the years, Brenna's dogs have been titled in conformation, agility, Junior Hunter, Junior Courser, rally, obedience, and Canine Good Citizen. Brenna can be
reached at brennafender@gmail.com and you can read her humor blog at www.laughingattherain.blogspot.com.
November 15 | Clean Run

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http://www.laughingattherain.blogspot.com
Clean Run - November 2015

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