How Stephanie Turns Behavioral Science Into Better Pet Care

Stephanie Garza, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA, CPCN, is a certified dog trainer, behaviorist, and nutritionist who turned her lifelong passion for working with dogs into a thriving business.

As the owner of Pup Pup & Away, Stephanie has created a unique pet care experience with a focus on behavioral training and personalized services.

In this interview, she shares the journey behind starting her business, the importance of tailored care for dogs, and insights for aspiring pet care entrepreneurs.

The Inspiration Behind Pup Pup & Away

Can you tell us about the inspiration behind starting Pup Pup & Away and how the idea evolved?

My dream was to always work with dogs. However, I thought I was going to be a veterinarian. After my sophomore year in college and realizing that chemistry would keep me out of vet school, I pivoted my focus to the hospitality aspect of the pet care industry. I worked at a few boarding and daycare centers, learning so much about what worked well and what didn’t. After moving back home from Houston where I also learned to be a trainer, I felt like I finally had enough knowledge to start something of my own.

Pup Pup & Away was meant to be a place designed to offer an experience and services unique to the pet’s perspective. Our clients trust us to provide what they need for their pet but always keep what is actually benefitting the pet in mind.

Behavioral Training and Its Importance

What role does behavioral training play in your services, and why is it so important? Can you explain the concept of “pet care with a behavioral edge”? What does that mean for your clients?

We offer what traditional daycare and boarding centers do, which is open play and adequate care, but our behavioral edge sets us apart and can take form in many different ways.

For example, in daycare, parents love the idea that their dogs get tired from playing all day. But our expertise helps us realize that all-day, free play is not what many dogs need to thrive. Some dogs need more management in play, some dogs get too stimulated in larger groups, and some dogs need more mental enrichment than just physical. Despite what is normalized by society, traditional group daycare really only serves about 35-40% of dogs well. So that means 60% of dogs need a more tailored socialization program offering them smaller groups or even just one-on-one play and that is something we can offer them.

In boarding, our staff is trained to handle dogs that some other facilities might not be able to accommodate. While we always keep safety in mind and may not be able to handle severe aggression cases in boarding, our small, boutique-style boarding allows our staff to make special accommodations for harder-to-handle dogs and really take our time with them.

Keeping Staff Informed on Canine Behavior

How do you ensure that your staff stays well-informed about canine behavior and training techniques?

Continued education and communication is key! We have lots of communication about behavioral changes we are seeing in some of our dogs and work quickly to accommodate those changes. Monthly staff meetings and incentives for the staff to do approved online training in regards to handling, play body language, or whatever dog topics that interests them are important too.

Addressing Common Behavioral Challenges

What are some common behavioral challenges dogs face, and how do you address them through your programs?

A lot of our doggy clients unfortunately have a hard time dealing with stress and anxiety. As a behaviorist, I have to ask the human client a lot of questions to determine what is going on at home, the behaviors they are seeing and what is causing these behaviors. Through private lessons, we can work with the human client to first bring understanding from the dog’s perspective. If a client can understand the kind of emotional stress that is being put on their dog, they want to work hard to make it better. Sometimes we have to discuss nutrition and figure out if a better diet can help the body deal with stress better. All in all, there is no general answer because every dog is experiencing something different and needs a different approach.

Personalized Care Plans for Dogs

How do you create personalized training or care plans for each dog?

We first start off with trying to get a true understanding of the dog, its history and its circumstances. We also need to get an understanding of the human client’s expectations. Sometimes I have to realign those expectations to something more realistic. We have lots of different services so it really depends also on the client’s budget, availability to work with the dog and how involved they want our team to be with the progress.

Developing Training Classes

Can you describe the process of developing your various training classes, such as the Power Puppy and Canine Sidekick classes?

Our basic manner courses like our Power Puppy and Canine Sidekick classes were actually modeled mostly after the classes I taught at other facilities. Our specialty classes like the Reactive Rover or Adventure Classes were developed based on what our clients were asking for. I first have to think about what the general goal of the class is and develop a generic curriculum that will most likely help every dog in class progress even though they might need some special tweaks, which is why we keep our class sizes small.

The Rewards of Working with Dogs and Owners

What do you think is the most rewarding aspect of working with dogs and their owners?

My favorite thing to do is to work on the understanding the pet parent has of their dog. I once worked with a client who was concerned because their hunting dog wasn’t interested in walks and society tells us you’re a bad dog owner if you don’t give your dog much exercise. They were so concerned because they tried taking their dog on these long walks but the dog would just put the brakes on and stop. Generally, yes, hunting dogs do need lots of exercise but this dog in particular was a Basset Fauve, which is pretty much the French cousin of a Basset Hound. Being able to help the client understand that a dog like her doesn’t like long walks, her short legs have to work a ton to achieve that! But being a Basset, she enjoyed sniffing and following her nose and that would bring her much more fulfillment. This simple shift in expectations helped the client find relief that they were doing a great job of giving their dog what she needed which made their walks much more enjoyable.

Managing Daycare, Boarding, and Training Services

How do you manage the logistics of daycare, boarding, and training services to ensure a smooth experience for both pets and owners?

I have to have an amazing team of managers. Each department has its own manager who keeps an eye on how things are running in their department. Weekly meetings help us continue discussions about what may not be running ideally or what new procedures need to be changed or implemented. My managers are hard working and very passionate about what they do. They want the dogs to succeed as much as I do so we are not afraid to change things up if we need to.

Measuring Program Success and Improving Continuously

How do you measure the success of your programs and ensure continuous improvement?

Like any business owner, it’s important I keep an eye on attendance in services and customer satisfaction. But of course, I look to the dogs to tell me if what we are doing is working. While I thought daycare would be our busiest program, it turns out that more dogs need a more tailored socialization experience which led us to develop our TAILored Play program and it’s actually a goal for this year to get more people trained for that department since that seems to be where the need is. So, we always have to be ready to change and adapt and pivot from our original idea.

Challenges in the Pet Care Industry

What are the biggest challenges you face running a business in the pet care industry?

Hiring staff for sure!! Caring for pets is hard work! We have many different personality types, there is lots of poop to pick up, it’s easy to get kicked or scratched even just because a dog is excited to see you. So finding people who are not afraid of hard work and can deal with the financial limitations a small business experiences is important.

Ensuring Safety and Well-Being for Dogs

What steps do you take to ensure the safety and well-being of the dogs in your care?

First, we have a very extensive Orientation Assessment. While some facilities offer a free day and will spend 15-30 minutes evaluating your dog for group play, we spend FOUR DAYS and even still that isn’t long enough. We evaluate the dog for many different things- can they be contained in a kennel? Can they be handled by all staff, male and female? Are they comfortable in all areas of our facility? After that, we are constantly re-evaluating the dogs and always keeping the pet parent up to date with any changes in behavior we are seeing. For example, after some time, some dogs get really comfortable in daycare and start to play a little too rough for group play, so we may have a conversation with the pet parent about additional training or considering a different socialization program.

Community Response and Customer Feedback

How has the local community responded to your services, and what role does customer feedback play in your operations?

The community is very interested in what we do. We get people who drive by and stop in to inquire. These days, people really love their pets and treat them like family and this is an opportunity to provide that care for them. Listening to our customers is something we do every day. If someone tells us they didn’t enjoy something, we look into what changes could be made if needed. Our biggest traffic of new clients is customer referrals so keeping clients happy and always listening to how they are enjoying their experience is valuable.

Advice for Aspiring Pet Care Entrepreneurs

What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs looking to start a pet care business?

Being in the pet care business has to be something you are passionate about and not something you do simply to make money. You are dealing with different personalities that belong to living beings as well as the people who care about them deeply. This is a personal business that requires love, attention, passion and commitment. If you have that, you’ll do great!