Exploring Life & Business with Megan “Meg” McDonald of BOLD Dog Training

Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan “Meg” McDonald.

Hi Megan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I have loved dogs since I was a kid. I grew up with Golden Retrievers and my dad was always training them, but the training part didn’t become an interest of mine until years and years later. I thought I was going to be a counselor. I got my BA in Psychology and my MA in Mental Health Counseling. When I was in graduate school, I found out quickly that counseling was not for me. I am a very sensitive person and I would take my work home with me.

My anxiety was through the roof! I decided to finish the program but knew that I needed something different professionally. I was basically job-hopping to see what my interests were. I had jobs as a personal trainer, a volleyball coach, a health coach, etc. I was trying to find my passion but kept striking out. Things clicked for me accidentally when I had a co-worker with a husky puppy that was aggressive and attacking her. The dog was only 5 months old. My friend was at her wit’s end and decided euthanasia was the only option for him. My husband and I had another husky at that time and adore the breed, so we offered to take the pup in.

She agreed, and that experience changed my life and career path. The pup was extremely aggressive, but we did everything in our power to help him. In the process, he became my best bud. It was very hard because the puppy did not like my husband and our other husky, so we knew he couldn’t stay in our home long-term. My husband and I hired a dog trainer and I learned so much from that experience regarding my beliefs on dog training. I threw myself into the world of animal behavior so I could help our puppy, and it was so incredibly rewarding for me.

Our foster boy lived with us for 3 months and then we found another family for him to live with long-term. Because of the strong bond, I built with this dog, I knew I wanted to be a dog trainer at that point and sought out different experiences to get me on the right track. I started out training dogs as my part-time passion project. I was training friend’s pups first and then got referrals here and there. I was working full-time at a veterinarian’s office for a few years as I learned more and more about animal behavior. Things continued to take off for me the more I practiced and trained.

I became really passionate about reactive dogs with behavior issues because of my own dogs and because of the dog I had fostered. Covid was actually a really big blessing in disguise for me. We found out I was pregnant right before covid happened and when the whole world shut down, I decided to quit my full-time job and I began studying dog behavior even more while waiting for the arrival of our baby girl. I became a full-time mom for a few months and then put more of my focus into dog training once our baby got to be a bit older.

Things have continued to progress for me as I spend more and more time focused on what I love to do which is train dogs! Even though I thought I was going to be a counselor I still use that skill set often. I am basically a dog counselor now! I absolutely love what I do and cannot wait to continue to expand my business.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My road with dog training has definitely had its ups and downs. As an introvert, I really had a hard time putting myself out there initially. I’ve struggled with anxiety most of my life, so it was really hard for me to feel confident in the beginning. I’ve had to come out of my shell in so many different ways, but it’s something I definitely needed.

My passion for the pups is so strong that it fuels me and pushes me through any anxiety or fears I might have. I have to pinch myself thinking about where I came from. I only had a client or two in the beginning. When things picked up a little more, I was then training on weekends and squeezing as many clients as I could into two days on the weekends while I was also working full time.

I have been consistently expanding and am so thankful for how far I have come.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about BOLD Dog Training?
My business was started because of my aggressive foster puppy. The training we did together changed his life and it changed mine too. We formed the most amazing bond purely because of our time training together. He went from over the top aggressive to having manageable behavior. My mind was blown and I knew I needed to teach people what I was learning.

Once our foster puppy left our home, we got another pup with extreme anxiety and reactivity issues. Due to both experiences, my business specializes in helping reactive fur babies. But we also do basic obedience! Not a lot of trainers like reactivity so it definitely sets us apart in that way. Another thing that BOLD Dog Training really focuses on is having great family dogs. We don’t do any trick training. We don’t do anything super advanced.

Our focus is on having great furry family members and building bonds between furries and humans. We are beyond proud that we can help scared pups become more confident and also teach their owners how to be confident too. It’s really hard owning an aggressive or reactive dog so we are here to help every step of the way. We want readers to know that it’s never too late to help your pup!

We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Most people don’t realize how debilitating my anxiety has been in my past which is why I am so drawn to fearful and anxious dogs. I’ve had to overcome a lot to be where I am today, and I see myself in the dogs that I work with.

I want them to succeed so badly and I won’t quit until they do. There is so much emotion involved in what I do and I deeply care for the pups and their people because of everything I have gone through myself.

Pricing:

• $80 for a single training session.
• $300 for 4 sessions.
• $432 for 6 sessions.
• $552 8 sessions.
• $660 10 sessions.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.bolddogtraining.com
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/bolddogtraining

Image Credits
Whitney Benson Photography