Biz Lounge: The dog whisperers of Nakuru County

He’s soft-spoken but the dog he holds isn’t.

Being afraid of dogs and having been bitten by a German Spitz during this dog festival, I stood behind him to conduct our interview.

He holds a Belgian Malinois, that weighs about 75 pounds, whom he’s named Bella.

Bella stands alert, ears up. Her handler gives a quiet signal. She tenses, ready to act. You can see how well-trained she is. She's quick to respond, but only when her handler tells her to.

Joe Reinhard is his name, an independent dog trainer and breeder, at Nakuru's Ngata area who by day is a white-collar dude and at five pm a dedicated canine whisperer.

With a capital of Sh. 80,000, he started his business in 2022 with two puppies: A German Shepherd and a Belgian Malinois. The latter, he notes, are often favoured for military work.

“Out of interest in animals and passion, I started my business with 2 pups. Now I have a pack of 10 different breeds including the Boar Bell, Great Dane, and a few Chiwawas,” he says.

Reinhard tells Mtaa Wangu that he has bridged knowledge gaps by connecting with other dog owners and enthusiasts. These connections gave him opportunities to learn about breeding, training, and other intricate aspects of dog care.

In only two years, Reinhard’s relentless dedication has transformed the company from a one-man operation into a two-man show and has been able to diversify the business from breeding to training and selling puppies.

“The market is favourable for trained dogs, with an adult Malinois fetching up to Sh. 100,000 while puppies go for about Sh. 40,000. German Shepherds sell for almost similar prices. These breeds are popular because they're intelligent and excel in security work,” he states.

He mentions some of the challenges he’s encountered including the prices of dog food, vaccination, deworming, and grooming, forcing him to learn grooming skills himself.

Additionally, he emphasizes the importance of business stability in terms of providing the basic needs of the dog, which he notes as being essential for anyone wanting to venture into the business.

His counterpart, a man who refers to himself as the 'Dog Guru and trainer of Nakuru', started his venture in 2021.

Drawing from nearly a decade in the security industry, Bethwel Rotich seamlessly applies his skills to dog training, ensuring his canines exhibit discipline, obedience, and reliability.

The Manager and Lead Dog trainer at Mudason Dog Center in Gilgil prides his distinct skill of identifying good breeder dogs and previous skills to the success of the business.

“I used to work for a security firm as a guard and sniffer handler. In 2021, I decided to transition into breeding and training partially. This year, I made the full transition and have been focusing on providing well-trained pets for security to families, as the demand in this niche continues to grow with the rise in insecurity,” he says.

Rotich says started with one German Shepherd puppy, gifted to him, and has grown his pack to Rottweilers and Boar Bells.

Despite having started with breeding, which he stopped, and invested about Sh. 2 million in the business, he tells Mtaa Wangu he had to diversify and include dog training, a dog day care center, a dog park, and offering security services.

“Diversification compliments losses and as such I’m narrowing down my niche based on what many clients have asked for. This has helped the business stay afloat,’ he says reassuringly.

Having undergone numerous trials, his biggest challenge came when a dog that had been booked and was to be sold for about Sh. 70,000 died a day before the transaction.

“Dogs are a man’s best friend yet they turn on each other every so often. I’ve lost about three dogs and whenever a loss like this happens it is very disheartening. If you take into consideration the time and money put into training, it makes you want to close the business down. Despite this, we are here every day and do our best to push forward,” he says.

With challenges like dogs being expensive and convincing clients that dog performances differ, Rotich is optimistic about breaking even this year.

Much of his investments have been directed toward establishing proper infrastructure for the pets.

However, despite these challenges, the prices for the services he offers vary significantly. Training services range from Sh. 20,000 to Sh. 30,000, while day care costs start as low as Sh. 500 and can go up to Sh. 15,000.

He encourages patience if one decides to venture into the business and getting constructive feedback to grow the business in the right direction.

“Collaborate with people and ensure you diversify if you want to make money. The cake is big enough for everyone,” he concludes.