K9 Fit Club - Tricia Montgomery

For all the wonderful things that technology has done for us here. Think of all the negative that it's done for us too. It's made us more lonely, it's made us more isolated. You know, you're sitting behind a computer and you may not leave that computer because all of a sudden, well, I've got a friend, so I've got 565 friends and I got 13 likes. Well, that's not really friendship. So our dogs are making us get out more, and our canine thick clubs are really getting people out that may not normally have ever gotten out and exercised before.

So very interesting. Makes a lot of sense. First, you might be like, wait, what? And then you start listening to uh what she's saying and why it's working and why it's getting traction. It makes a whole lot of sense. So uh there's a lot of ways to get involved in K9 Fit Club, but I think the story behind it, her personal story is very moving and powerful. Um, and just the fact that, hey, maybe dogs and the love that people have for dogs are a great way to get to the huge population of people who aren't being reached by fitness professionals. So I'm just gonna leave that there. Uh, let that marinate as you listen to this uh podcast. And you can always reach out to her or find her at k9fitclub.com. Uh so yeah, great story. And before we get into it, so this episode is brought to you by level5mentors.com, L-E-V-E-L, number five mentors.com. So are you a fitness entrepreneur? Are you an entrepreneur in the fitness, health, and wellness space? Um, or just an entrepreneur in general? Are you stuck? Yeah. Well, sometimes you need a perspective of somebody who's been there before. And that's what level five mentors offer. So if you want to find out if you're stuck and perhaps what area you are stuck in, we have a free assessment on the website. Just go to levelfive mentors.com, take the assessment, uh, and let me know what you think. And I'm happy to get on a call with anybody who takes it and talk about the results and what that means to you. So go to levelfive mentors.com, check it out, and uh you won't be disappointed. Get unstuck. So without further ado, let's get to it. This is episode number 148 with Trisha Montgomery. Enjoy the show. And we're live. Trisha, welcome. Hello. Hi, Eric. How are you? Good. I'm doing really well. I'm I'm very excited to have you on the show. We've uh been trying to get you uh on this show for a while, but you're busy.

I've been super, super busy. Thanks for hanging in there with me and uh giving me uh uh another chance and an opportunity here. I'm super excited to talk to you and your audience today.

Yeah, and you know, we're bringing together two of the things that I really love uh fitness and health, right?

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, both ends of the leash. You got it.

I love that. I love that phrase. So uh we're gonna talk about a lot of things today, I'm sure, you know, um, the relationship between, you know, canines and humans and how that's such a beneficial um thing for health and wellness, right? We're gonna talk a little bit about some of the technology that you guys are coming out with and then the business you've created. But I think everyone always wants to hear a story, right? So give give us a little background, kind of give us your your story and how you got to where you are with canine fitness, and then we'll go from there.

Sure, absolutely. Um, my story, I I went to see my veterinarian years ago and he looked at me and he just said, you know, what turned out to be a normal kind of visit, or I thought it was a normal visit, did not to be so normal after all. And he just said, every time you come in, not only is Louie, who's my dog at that time, gaining weight, he said he's now got the onset of diabetes, but as professional as he could, I'll never forget this. He folded his hands and he looked at me and he goes, Patricia, you're not getting any thinner. And that was it. I mean, I'm like tears streaming down my face. And yeah, he was older though, and keep in mind, and and words mean things, and words when spoken can't be taken back. That's from a famous Pearl Jam song, by the way. So that they can't be taken. And so I like left and I was, you know, devastated and I went home and I binged and I, you know, ate more and ate more. And I think it was probably maybe three weeks after that, after I got out of the at a uh what I call them the coulda shoulda water brothers and their cousin if only, um, you know, you you blame everybody else on everything that has gone wrong in your life and everything that you know that you could blame on everybody instead of looking in that mirror and realizing, you know, that the more that you peel away, the smellier that you get, and you realize that look in the mirror, it's you. And um, that was it. I grabbed what leash I could, um, and we started walking in the dead of nighttime. We really started doing things together. And I didn't want to be made fun of because I'd been made fun of my whole life, you know. And that we started doing things, I began to lose weight, he began to lose weight, and then suddenly um I started to get into a better attitude. My outlook on life changed. Everything that I am today was certainly not what I was at that time at all. Um, and that was that was it. I went back, I we started exercising and I lost weight. Dogs lose weight more slowly, but he began to like more pep in his step. And at that time, um, I went back to Dr. Mayer and I asked him for a job. And he hired me, not knowing anything about the veterinary profession. And I learned front office staff, back office staff, um, understanding really the relationship between, you know, humans and canines and understanding that similar to me, that um other people would walk in and their their dogs or their cats would be very similar to them at that mirror image. And um uh, as my luck would have it, I went on to become public education director for the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association and then went on to become executive director. So during my time there, I learned everything that there was to know about veterinary medicine. I went on to become a certified veterinary technician through Juliet Junior College and all these different opportunities that were afforded to me. But more importantly than that, I was surrounded by amazing veterinarians and this whole incredible profession and practice of people, and met Dr. Ernie Ward, who at that time hadn't even created the Association of Pet OBC Prevention. Um, but I really was writing my business plan for Canine Fit Club at that time. I got involved in fitness because suddenly I've lost 135 pounds. Not suddenly, it took a while, but I lost 135 pounds and I began to change. And so I became a certified trainer through National Academy of Sports Medicine, American Council on Exercising. I became a Power Pilates coach, I believe, you know, Matt 1 and Matt Two, all these different things that I began focusing on me and my health, my nutrition, and the correlation between humans and canines and how important that was. And really, about I would say in about 2010, we began to see the correlation and the trend between humans and canines, that obesity, that that similarities, that their trend in obesity was rising as our trend in health and wellness was rising as well. And that's about the same time that Dr. Marty Becker did the P PET study, um, and then uh Dr. Ernie Ward formed the Association of Pet Obesity Prevention and began looking at these numbers that were crazy. And keep in mind that, especially with dogs, veterinarians don't know how to tell people that their dogs are overweight because for fear of losing the client, for fear of just not saying anything, for fear of offending, you just won't say anything. And um, and then the trend keeps going up and going up. So now, really, flash forward eight, nine years, really is about the time that canine fit club got started. That now you look at that and there's a definite push and a knowledge to understanding that there is an epidemic of obesity in both humans and canines.

Yeah, yeah, it's so interesting. How long how long did it take you to lose 135 pounds?

I lost it in about a year, a year and a half, but I did a little bit of yo-yoing for about the first two years until I got it, kind of got things under like under control with me, um, understanding about what my body needed, what nutritionally was, not going, you know, maybe losing, like maybe getting down to like 150 and then going down again to maybe 130. Um, but it's it's understanding your body and what is a comfortable weight for you and the nutrition that works for you as well. I didn't lose it overnight, though. Absolutely not. Yeah, well, I mean, yeah, that's that's it's a quick fix and it's not a yeah, it's not there's a lot of psychology behind that.

Congratulations. That's that's huge. Thank you. Do you ever pick up like two 70-pound kettlebells and say, oh my god, this is what I used to carry?

I I will I will do that. I'll do 50 pounds, I'll do, you know, looking at just anything like that, and then I'll also do like a like a squat or I'll do an ab exercise with it. And I've also used it on people that are um, even even my son Jonathan, who is overweight, that I got really got weights and also what fat represents. And this is what what what 50 pounds of fat looks like. And it's amazing when you actually pick it up and you feel it, and you're like, I'm carrying that around. I've got that on my body and your knees and your, you know, everything about you that can go, you know, have have have problems because of that.

Yeah, and then the chronic inflammation and the does your mind space and and all that. Yeah.

It does, it does, definitely. So, yeah.

You know, I've I've had um in the in the past, I've had clients who um, you know, struggle with weight, of course. I mean, anybody who's been in the fitness profession is it deals with people who you know are over fat. Um I don't, you know, I I learned a long time ago I don't like to use the term overweight because it it's not what the focus is or over fat, right? And uh so many times I'm like, well, why don't you get a dog?

You know, just get a dog.

Because, and this will segue nicely, is you know, you've mentioned this before in other in other interviews you've done. People will not do it for themselves. But they'll do it but they'll do it for their dog.

And that was me. That was me 100%. Yeah, it was me a hundred percent. I've been, I've been told, you know, lose weight, do this, do I've gone on weight, what I've gone on every diet imaginable. And then it wasn't until that happened, and and you utilize the dog, and it's like, well, I'm not doing it for me, I'm doing it for my dog. But in our in our arena or in our in our canine bit clubs, people will come in and say, you know, well, I'm not doing it for myself, but they'll come in for their dog, and by extension, they're doing it for themselves because the dog, again, what does the dog make you do? That comfort, it eases the embarrassment, it takes away that insecurity and builds the confidence up. And they're always ready to go. They're never gonna have a hangover. You know, all those amazing things that, you know, when you try to get a workout buddy who's a human, it's like, well, you know, I can't make it today. So yeah.

Yeah, it's awesome. I mean, I have, you know, my I I've always been part of a dog family. We've always had dogs. Yeah, I've always had every dog I've ever had has been amazing. Um, and my wife and I, you know, we don't have kids, so our dog gets a lot of attention, right? And people might think we're a little off the wall. I don't care. Right. Yeah. My my dog, my wife will cook more, spend more time cooking for the dog, prepping meals and things like that than we do for ourselves. But you know, the dog just ate really well. Well, what are we gonna eat? I don't know. It's you know, maybe we'll pull something out of the freezer, right?

I share, I share my dinner, you know, whether it's Brussels sprouts and salmon, whether it's broccoli or cauliflower pizza, anything like that. Not pizza pizza, but cauliflower, there you can share that with them because it's a great meal. And if you're single like I am, you're you're able to do that, you know. And it's like if you know, if you've got knowledge, you have a workout partner, you've got somebody to have dinner with.

That's awesome. Uh yeah, dogs are great. So, you know, I I you can probably, if someone Googles like canine fitness, not can the letter canine, but canine fitness, whatever, you're gonna get a lot of crazy stuff out there.

Yep, you are.

You're gonna see a lot of things that are probably gonna be like, eh, that's a gimmick. But what you guys do, you've actually spent the time to to put some science behind it, do some research behind how you how you coach your classes, how you teach your people. Give us some insights on that. What what separates canine, the canine fitness experience from other ones?

Yeah, thank you for mentioning that. I really appreciate it. I mean, uh I want to go back and address those gimmicks and those fads where, you know, whether it's the dog squat challenge and they're looping a dog over their necks, or they're, you know, having the dog with a harness, you know, pulling weights behind him, or they're, you know, doing the squats with their dogs ahead of them. That is unsafe, not only for the human, but for the dog. And most people that are on Instagram and YouTube that are doing these things right now, if you look at their form, their form is incredibly off. And that dog is unsafe. I appreciate the effort. I want more people to work out with their dogs, but let's do it in a manner that is safe. We spent five years perfecting our programs, and it was done with the help of experts, not just me in the back room or our trainers in the back room creating programs. These programs were developed by leaders in the veterinary, fitness, medical, and animal behavior fields. And that is looking at everything from how we move together, human physiology, canine physiology, human anatomy, canine anatomy, veterinary standards from zoonosis, contagious diseases, all of these different things. Think about it. If you, if your form is off and you're you may be out of balance because you're unhealthy and may or may be carrying a few extra pounds, your gait may be off. The dog's gait and his way of walking may be off. So we've been our our our canine fit club trainers have been trained for very extensively on understanding the relationship between a human and a dog and the movement between a human and a dog. We're all certified personal trainers, we're also certified canine fitness trainers as well. Um, and you you have to look at the correlation between how do you hold a leash? How you know, what are you doing when the dog's doing? Is the dog getting more exertion? Is it uh is a large-chested dog, is a small chested dog? Um, is it unsafe for him to be working out in, you know, even in temperatures that are above 80 degrees or or 95 degrees? What about a senior dog and a per senior moving together? We don't just have programs for just the bark and burn crowd, which is a class of ours. We have programs for every level of fitness, that entire bell curve of fitness. And so from sit, stay and get fit, wagon wheelchair, um, bow out boot camp, begging for a beginner, bark and burn, papalates, nama sit stay, those whimsical names really belie the seriousness of what we're doing because people and their dogs are losing thousands of pounds with us. But when we create a program, uh right now we're we're we're working on uh a pup and pause uh which is uh um which is our paddle and pause, which is our version of going out and and supping with your pup on the paddle board. But there's a lot of things right now going on regarding algae in the water and and and and that whole problems with that. So we when we create a program, our team will get together and we'll come up with a with a really a protocol for it. That then goes to Dr. Ernie Ward, that then goes to Dr. David Levine, it then goes to our team of medical. So there's a whole process, and then it comes back to us to make sure it is safe to turn out, and then those people are trained on those programs. Um so we're not just randomly, you know, going out there and and doing things. We want to make sure that it's safe for the person, it's safe for the human, it's an effective workout for the human and the dog, but most importantly, you're having fun. And who cannot have fun with their dog? Who cannot have fun, you know, with their dog and the tail is wagging and you know, licking you and things. But you know, you've got your basic moves that are, you know, you can go into a squat with your dog and they can go to a sit-to-stand. So there's all kinds of different things you can do with your dog.

That's so cool. So it sounds like you do a little bit. I mean, I would imagine just by the nature of the program that you're also training the dog and the dog owner, right? Right. Yeah. How to work better with each elves, how to be more reactive, how to sit and do all those things too, right? It's kind of a double.

By extension, it is dog training. And because remember, we talk about that going up and down the leash, uh, anthropomorphism is its finest. So if I and you could probably hear the dogs in the background right now, I think it's a piece of gore. So if you think about that, your ability to work out with your dog, uh, your ability to kind of um move in correlation with them is is so important on how that works. That also when you think about from a training perspective, if your dog is going into a sit to stay while you're going into a plank pose or you're going into a station work, that it's important that that dog have some type of um of a basic obedience, but they get that by extension. So that that works for us.

Yeah, yeah, that's really cool. I mean, and it just makes so much sense. I think um, and I've said this so many more times than I could probably count, but you know, as the fitness industry, we tend to really refocus on the 10 to 15 to 20 percent of the population that go to a gym or active in gyms because you know, extra market easy to get. You don't have to talk them into a whole lot, right? But what we should be looking at is how do we access the other people?

The other, the other population, that's our focus. I'm not concentrated. We get those people, we get the people that are, you know, the weekend warriors or the you know, the people with the six-pack abs and and their dogs are great runners as well. We get those people, but we're not focused on those. My market and our market is really that other 50, that other 85% of the market from the people who need us desperately the most and that that do have the the dogs and that will say, wow, I can do this. Well, that, you know, I'm sweating, I'm I don't even know that I'm working out and I'm burning calories, and my dog's right beside me. Look at what I've done. Look at look at the strides that I've made. It's unbelievable. Unbelievable.

Yeah. Yeah. And it just it checks all the boxes. I mean, I think there's a couple there there's certain things that we overlook. And as a fitness industry too, we seemingly like to overcomplicate things to make ourselves important. To say that, but it's true. And I've gotten in trouble for saying this, but it's just true, right? Like we need so many, you know, particular like reps, sets, and rests with the you know, the particular tempo and you know, all these moves. But no, people just the the vast majority of people just need to move more and adults need to have fun. I think that's a big thing. You know, no one has who incorporates playtime in their week anymore.

I don't think, you know, exercise work and you know, that that playtime, you know, exercise, train, play. I think we don't do enough of that because we get stuck in these sedent sedentary jobs or these these routines that we do day to day. And so our dogs give us that relief, that the release of being able to go out and do something, doing more with your dog. And by extension, you're having so much fun, the laughter, all those things. And the thing is, when you and your dog start to do things together, even like people are like, oh, my dog would never do that. Yeah, he will. It's you that won't do it. So we've got to educate the pet owner before we educate the dog by extension. And then once they start happening, you know, within 11 to 12 minutes, their dog's like, Wow, I'm moving, I'm doing things. I'm I, you know, and you're not only physically challenging them, you're mentally challenging them as well. And that's that's equally important.

Yeah, and people just need to laugh. They do. I don't laugh at all. I it's uh, you know, I had a class um, well, when I used to coach classes, group classes, I would always try to if I could warm up with something that was a game. If you start to see, like you start to see the adults, like there were mostly adults in the class, almost all. You know, you start they're like doing a game, you know, like whatever is a pizza box game with you know an ad mat where they have to keep or tag or you know, whatever it may be. At first they're just reluctant, and then like three minutes in, you're like, you're laughing, you're smiling, you're having a great time. Like, when does that happen during your day? Yeah. That's that's key to me too with with dogs because I could be having a shitty day, right? But my dog, if I if I get done, he just, you know, he'll come out, he knows when it's time to go for a walk. It's like PM. He's like, dude, we're going. He just comes up and I'm like, I can't be unhappy around you because you're so like they there's just pure joy.

It's unconditional love. It is, they love you no matter what, and they'll wait for you. Because I I find myself working, and then you know, Zeus will look at me and and and it's like, okay, I it's it's time to go, it's time to move. I've got, you know, I'm ready. Okay, okay. One more, one more email. No, you know, like that gentle nudge, you're getting up now. Okay, I'm getting up, I'm getting up. But yeah, and breaking up the day um uh that allows us to just even just do a little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing. And getting up, get up, get out, and get moving. That that I can't say that enough. And even just doing something is better than a whole lot of nothing.

Yeah, yeah, awesome. So, how many? So, what how does it work? Like, how how are you guys formed? Is it a license? Is it a franchise? Like, how how are you guys spreading?

Sure. So similar to a Zumba or a Les Mills, we license our programs as an adjunct into an existing facility, or they can also So build their own facility. Currently, we've got about 70 locations across the US and Canada. We've got another big training session happening in Miami. We train probably six times a year and we bring in groups and then we master train those people. And so those people have their own licenses and they're taught our programs and our methodologies and taught how, you know, for even for the dog, how to get on equipment. We get on, you know, exercise balls. We have exercise equipment for the dog, whether it's a peanut, a pod, a wedge, anything like that, or a canine fitbone, it allows the dog to get the same exercises and that same intensity that we're getting as well. So again, we're a license that goes into an adjunct as an adjunct into an existing facility similar to Les Mills. But we are going to be introducing technology coming up here within the next probably six months. It is canine fit to go. So anyone, anywhere, anytime can have access to Canine Fit Club instructors in our programs whenever they would like to. So we're really excited about that. And so the classes will be taught by our trainers. And then you'll have access to multiple trainers, you'll have access to multiple programs, and then you'll be able to invite your friends along with you into that workout as well. So because canine Fit Club isn't everywhere just yet, but we want to make sure that everybody's got access to those great programs and to do it in the proper way.

Yeah. Well, you're hustling. I know you're out there. I know you're out there. And you know, at uh day, I'm hustling. At 80 licenses or locations, whatever it may be. I mean, it's it it's obviously, you know, that that qualifies as like, well, this needs to be taken seriously, right? This is actual, this is thank you. And I I'm I'm curious too, like, how many times have you had problems with people taking it seriously?

Yes, absolutely. Remember, I we started our programs in 2012. And at that time, working out with your dog was literally unheard of. I mean, people would look at us like we had three heads. Or I remember being on a radio show with Jonathan Brannmeyer in Chicago, the loot, and him saying to me, Well, I don't, you know, I don't know what you guys are doing. I said, you know, come on out. They came on out. I remember being on the Today Show with Maria Schreiber. And she's like, Well, what are you gonna do? I don't see how this works. But once people see how it works, they start to get it. But again, being six years ahead of your time is difficult at best, and finally, the industry is just now starting to catch up with us. And, you know, hanging on to a business that long, an idea, you have got to be incredibly passion. This is my calling. It's got to be a cat, a calling, it's got to be a passion, and that's how you truly stick with it. Um, but yeah, people people don't understand it, or they're like, well, how do you how does this work? Um, and just making sure that there is an education along with that, that it's not for all the fun and games, and nobody winds up in a cone, for all the fun and games that we have, it is important to know this is a workout for you and your dog. The dogs are not off-leash, they're not running around. Um, they're doing a workout, and when they come into that facility, this is not playtime. There's no nose-to-nose contact, there's no off-leash time. Um, they're there to get a workout with their owner and for both of them to do to be doing things together. And in the process, everybody's having fun. But in those classes, Eric, you're gonna have people who are, you know, incredibly fit. They may be working out next to somebody who's, you know, not because everyone starts at the same level because you've got to understand the basic moves to start out with and understanding how that movement flows together and setting up those teams for success.

Yeah, right on. Well, I mean, ultimately you're you're you're meeting people where they're at. And that's the most important thing, right? Is bridging that gap, getting people, you know, finding a common interest that now you can tie into fitness and health and running with it. So whatever that vessel is, I mean, you guys found a great one. I mean, dogs, you know, you find people who love dogs, and there's a lot of us. There's a lot. And uh, you know, it's it's just a great, it's a great way to start conversations that really matter when it comes to health and fitness, right?

I was just gonna say that it's an incredible conversation starter. Think about, you know, when you're out walking with your dog. For people who are lonely or socially isolated, getting out, that ever a dog is a conversation starter. And if you add the health and the wellness into that, it's a natural extension.

Yeah. And you mentioned, so you get everyone in class has their dog on leash.

That's correct.

Yeah. So you know where I'm going with this, right?

I think I know where you're going.

Even in a very professional, controlled environment, dogs are on leash. And I want to tell a story because I I think this is a hot button. So just a couple weeks ago, my wife and I and a couple of friends were at a trailhead in Idaho, and we were about to go on a hike, and um there was a dog, uh, looked like a husky mix, um, full vest, probably about two years old, and was on a uh, what do you call it, the um the extendable leash. And there was probably like a six-year-old child holding the dog. Right? So uh as we go, as we're on the bass, um this dog is obviously just staring at my dog, and then the dog just without any notice, just bolts at at my dog. My dog's 10, right? He's a 45-year-old boxer makes he's 10. Bolts at my dog, the leash extends. When the leash locks, and I'm watching this, it's seemingly slow motion. The the leash locks, and the kid goes flying. The kid is in now in like horizontal to the ground. His shoulder is probably, you know, he gets pulled along. This dog attacks my dog. Um, my wife tries to kick the dog off unsuccessfully. I come in and I know I'm not supposed to do this, but I reach in, I grab the dog by his vest, and I, you know, I throw it. I didn't think I could throw a 45-pound dog that far, but turns out I could. And the dog wanted to come back for it again, and we we stopped the dog. And next thing you know, everything settles down. My wife is upset, obviously.

Oh, of course.

Someone's she's yelling at the other owner, the the kids crying, and all this. And I I know, you know, like they were just stunned that their dog, this this dog didn't.

Oh, but my dog's so friendly. He gets my dog's so friendly, he gets along with everybody. He would never do that. Oh, my dog's okay. No, yeah, it's fine. He's awfully. No. Oh, my goodness gracious. Yeah. It's um retractable leashes are a big sticking point with us. We do not allow retractable leashes in classes. We use harnesses, we use a leash. We don't do the waist cinchers as well because for people who may be a little bit unsteady, it may pull them off, especially if somebody is unhealthy and has not worked out before. Um, it it it it is retractable leashes have caused more injuries and more damage than because those leashes can tangle, they can get in between each other. Sometimes they won't even lock. For uh somebody who's off balance, for a child, um uh you never ever ever know what's gonna happen. And you always and and that way with a harness with a leash with a four-foot to a six-foot lead, you can always have control of your dog and and pull him back. But I would imagine, Eric, even in that situation, if that dog would have had a harness and and and just a a regular a regular leash, that child could not have contained that dog. That because when when that dog wants to go somewhere, I mean, think about the force of that, you know, with a 65-pound husky, you're trying, you know, times that by six, times that by eight, and that's the force coming out at that dog.

That kid didn't stand a chance. No.

Yeah, yeah. And that people don't realize that, you know, because I run into people all the time. Oh, I know I don't like dogs. Well, what can you tell me what happened? Well, here's what happened, and nine times out of ten, it has to do with an incident they they had with their own dog or another dog that that happened with them. So it's just people don't think about that. And it's, you know, and especially parents, you know, um, not good, but retractable ishes are not not a safety item. Uh, you don't have control of them. I know a lot of people use them, especially for smaller dogs, or that they want the dogs to extend, or it might even be somebody who's older, that they're they have to walk on the pavement and their dog will go into the um into the the grass and allows them to get the dog further in there. It's just a big no-in-no.

Big body. And I think people need to relax when when it comes to like it's not a reflection or insult to you or your dog when we say your dog should be unleashed, right? Well, my dog's different, right? My dog's my dogs train, you know, they don't need to be unleashed. Well, it doesn't matter because it it does not a reflection on you or who you are, but you never know if that dog comes running and you say, Oh, it's okay, you know, comes barreling at me and my dog, and they're like, Okay, he's friendly. Well, that's fine, but maybe my dog is scared shitless, right? Yeah, absolutely. You know, some incident that happened to me in my past. It's just it's just good etiquette and selfish.

It's selfish, it's totally selfish. And um, you know, looking at my I have a pit bull named Zeus, and if you look at him and he is reactive around other dogs, he will never come to a canine pit club class just because I got him when he was a rescue, and that's just it. Yeah, I've got him controlled under leash, and but people, when other dogs are walking, they'll have their dogs off leash and their dogs will come. I've been taken down three times by dogs that have been off leash when our dog when we have been totally controlled. But it's just people don't think about and I think it's a very selfish move because and and and they do take it very defensively, like, well, it's you, it's not me, but maybe that's the society we're in. I don't know. I am I have no idea, but I but I agree with you, I totally agree with you. It becomes this whole like you know uh of of being able to to understand that your dog may not in maybe the other person and take that into account.

Yeah, yeah. Well, I want to get that message out there because it's important. It is hey, if you're walking down, just put them on a leash. If there's nobody else around, right? Put them on a leash. That's great. Do you want to do it? Put them on a leash. Just put put the dog on leash. So um let's change the gear a little bit. Let's let's talk about the tech that you are putting into play here. I think it's it's I think it's a great move for you guys. I mean, I I just started taking, uh I was talking about this in another show. I just started taking like some virtual uh training classes um at my gym because I like to go in, you know, when there's no classes, either super early or maybe mid-afternoon. Right. It's been really it's been great. I've been surprised with how good it can be. I mean, it's nothing like that human experience one-on-one. But I think there's a lot, everything's moving that that way. It was actually Les Mills, right? Was it Les Mills? Yeah, it was, it was. And so how are you guys taking advantage of technology? How do you see it playing a part in your future?

So uh it's going to be an application that's gonna be canine fit to go. And so we're gonna be we've all we've been videotaping our classes for a long time now. So we're gonna take our content of classes and put them online for people to access, and it'll be a membership where people will be able to access the membership and then be able to take a class. And again, that anytime, anywhere, uh from you know, at wherever they are, they can access the class, and they may have a favorite instructor that they can go ahead and go online and access that instructor as well. Um, but it's gonna give them an opportunity for people that may be what if you're homebound? What if you want to do something with your dog, whether it's a sit-stay and get fit class? Think about people even for hotels that go and travel with their dogs, uh, and maybe having uh, you know, that adjacent into a hotel, something like that, that's running uh as well. So it just allows a different opportunity for people to have a class they can do with their dog. So whether it's Nama Sit Stay, which is our which is our version of Yoga for Dogs or Papilades or a Bow Wild Boot Camp, Begging for Beginner, any of our classes, they'll be able to take those online with instruction. And we talked about the safety precautions that you get through training. Those safety precautions will always be as you know the start of every class, you know, making sure how to hold the leash, making sure how to move in tandem with your dog, also to make sure that you're cleared for working out. Um, if you have, you know, if there's any issues also with your dog, um, uh, you know, making sure that they're cleared for working out as well. So again, we're just taking our great content, all of our programs, and we're putting those online, so accessing all those programs as well. And we're really excited about that.

Yeah, awesome. It's a lot of content production.

It is. It is, but I think but but the thing about it is we're gonna utilize our canine fit clubs because we've got so many of them. So think about that. You know, you may want to work out with Andrea at uh canine Fit Club Red Deer, you may want to work out with Joni in Wilmington, um, but it also allows a driver for our clubs as well that allows, you know, everybody wants to be featured, everybody wants to be on television, and this allows normal people working out with normal instructors. So, how many times do you do one of those amazing apps and you see the girl out there working out, or maybe a guy and he's got like, you know, and you're like, I could never look like that, and you get like deflated even before you start out, because you're like, Well, I could never look like her, I could never do that, I could never look, you know, Jillian Michaels, whoever it is, you know, I'm never gonna get to that point. But when you're working out with people that look like you, and their dogs are having fun, and a dog may be pulling or whatever, and you're having you're having this whole incredible enjoyful experience, as well as you see the people behind you in the classes working out, that all of a sudden you say, Wow, I I could do this, they're doing that, I can do that. And I think that's the beauty of Canine Fit Club is um it's for everybody. It's not just for people that are fit or are this amazing, you know, uh bodies. It's for everybody, and that's the benefit of Canine Fit Club, and we're excited to really put it out there. And, you know, our our vision is always to be, you know, uh reaching more people and dogs than any other company nationwide. That's always been a vision and a dream of Maime as the founder and a community of people working out together. And I think that this is going to get us there and uh more quickly than I could have ever, that we could have ever built the clubs. So, but also still continuing on with having the physical locations because think about where we are from technology for all the wonderful things that technology has done for us, Eric. Think of all the negative that it's done for us too. It's made us more lonely, it's made us more isolated. You know, you're sitting behind a computer and you may not leave that computer because all of a sudden, well, I've got a friend's, I've got 565 friends and I got 13 likes. Well, that's not really friendship. So our dogs are making us get out more, and our canine thick clubs are really getting people out that may not normally have ever gotten out and exercised before.

Awesome. So when you um I know you guys have a partnership too, right?

With uh We do, we do.

Was it Wolfgang? Wolfgang Bakery, right? Awesome. Um so that's that's one thing, and they have multiple locations. I know you guys are partnering with them. What is that gonna look like or is it looking like?

Yeah, so we're already in right now about 15 locations in Wolfgang Bakery. We'll be going into more of those locations. Um, those are throughout right now the Southeast, and we're just really going in. You're finding those clubs adjacent to Wolfgang Bakeries, or that they're sponsoring things, or within their own locations as well. But yeah, they're a phenomenal company. Um, Paul Allen, who is the uh the president there, has done just such an incredible job. Um they've been in business for about 10 years now, and they're very much focused on client service and and just that boutique and that neighborhood feel as well.

Yeah, awesome. Who else tends to make good partners for you guys? Is it like um box box gyms? Is it health clubs? Like who tends to be good partners?

Goodness gracious, you'll you find canine fit clubs everywhere. You find us in fitness facilities, you'll find us in charter fitness in Chicago, you'll find us in a doggy daycare, you'll find us in um somebody who owns their own studio. You might have us, we have many independent personal trainers that take on canine fit club as an adjunct into you know a bar method class or into the well, I'm I'm a bar instructor, I'm a yoga instructor, and now I'm a canine fit club instructor because that is offered to them as well. We also have a continue, I do want to point out we also have a continue education program. We are our approved partner of NASM, National Academy of Sports Medicine. So we do offer a certificate for if you are a fitness professional, that you can take an online course uh as a continuing education certification in human and canine fitness. And so we just introduce that as well.

Awesome. And if I was gonna start a license with you guys, is what kind of support goes into marketing and getting started, all of that?

Everything, everything. We're return key for you. So say you signed up today and you said, Tricia, I want to become a canine fit club, what you would do is you would take an online certification for course first, and that would be a prerequisite for you coming into a three three-day master training course where you're taught by our instructors, our teachers. It's about we put about 30 hours of learning into that three-day period, and so it's hands-on instruction. You're taught human CPR, you're taught pet CPR, you're taught veterinary procedures and understanding the standards of excellence going along with the veterinary profession because we are overseen by the veterinary profession. That's really important to note in everything that we do. Um, then you go through all of that. Prior to you even coming into master training, though, we would work with you, Eric, on um uh on your website, on social media, on getting you set up so the minute that you left that master training, you're teaching canine fit clubs, can canine fit club classes that very next week or that the next day that you arrive. Uh, from marketing templates to rat cards to postcards to photography and um videos, everything that we've got is accessible to all the canine fit clubs around the country. And everyone has a similar message, and they put their own spin and their own twist on it, but it really allows them to take our brand, our messaging, our programs, our trademarks, and utilize them as their own. And um, it's a relationship. We're small. I mean, I'm in conversations with every one of our trainers, with every one of our licensees. It is we're small enough to still have that beautiful relationship, and and they know that they can have access to our advisory board, whether it's Dr. David Levine from the University of Tennessee, who's the grandfather of canine rehabilitation, or Dr. Ernie Ward, or Mandy Garcia, who's our director of programming. Um, so if there's ever any instances where a phone call, a text, or an email away to get their question answered to them. We also also offer all the forms. So from healthy to participate forms from the dog side to the person side, um, you know, medical clearance forms, all of that, it is really a complete packet and and turnkey for anyone who wanted to become a canine fit club.

Awesome. Yeah, very thorough. So um if if I wanted to get one started or someone is listening, what what type of uh investment am I looking at to get started?

Probably turnkey is about $5,000, and that's it. Yeah. And then it's we do a three-year license, and and every year it's about $1,250 following that. So it allows them to continue. But then with that also comes additional programs. And so they have access to additional programs. So we give them six programs to start out with. That would be Namasit's day, which is our version again for yoga for dogs, uh, butts, guts, and mutts, which is our lower body and abdominal exercises, you know, canine crunches and things like that. Um, just the dog class, which is an amazing class because now a lot of personal trainers have taken this on because it's an exercise class simply for the dogs. And so if you have a client who comes in with their dog and their dog wants extra exercise, we'll provide that just the dog class as well. And that's canine exercises only, but it allows the dog to get more exercise. And think about us for stabilization and our core extra our core muscles. Um, remember that dogs are getting 35% use from their um, uh they're getting the majority, 65% from the front, 35% from the back. And so we want to make sure that we're utilizing those back muscles as well from the stabilization. We both want to live longer, happier, healthier lives. They'll get begging for beginner, bow wow bootcamp, and sit, stay, and get fit. And sit, stay and get fit, we're actually approved by Medicare, and we go into assisted living and independent living homes with our Canine Fit Club programs, and we teach our canine fit club classes with our dogs. And it's so cool. It's absolutely amazing to see us changing lives in the lives of people uh really forgotten of the senior community and these people in the assisted living communities were also approved by uh PureFit, which uh we're approved for medical uh ethnic insurance, Signa Insurance, and I think Soon to be United Healthcare as well. Uh, PureFit's a phenomenal organization and proud to be their partner. And so people who come to canine Fit Club classes and they have are part of that insurance uh of the of those organizations, they receive credits and they insurance companies pay for canine fit club classes, which is super cool because you're working out with your dog and your insurance company is paying for it. I it doesn't get much better than that.

Yeah, that's great. And the way you guys, if you tap into insurance, that's huge. And I love the the senior living um it's it's it's so cool. I mean, my my dad is 82. Um, they still live you know at their home. Um Um, up in uh Truckee, California. But he's got uh his dog, Katie, and it's uh therapy dog. So once a week he takes the dog to, you know, either a hospital or to a senior living center, which is funny because he's 82. But he brings the dog with him just to liven up people's days, right? Right in the it's a hit, like just walking around like the hospital and you know, maybe people are in, you know, well, no one wants to be in a hospital, right? So you know he he just really warms up the day. It's amazing what dogs can do for people from that that angle. And I curiosity too, when you're if you're starting if you're starting one, is it what about like space? Like, do you need a is there any kind of like restrictions on doing classes with dogs?

Yeah, we do. Well, first of all, it has to have the proper zoning. So you would have to make sure any facility that you go into is zoned correctly for that uh for human and canine fitness. Um we both wrote the book and built the built the program for human and canine fitness classes for insurance companies. We have insurance companies that we specifically work with understanding that because when we first started for insurance purposes, nobody knew what we were doing. Well, you're not a dog trainer, well, you're not just a personal trainer. Are the dogs staying overnight? Are they being so it was really confusing? So they had to understand what we were doing specifically. Uh, there are space requirements. So if you're going into a facility, uh we do roughly 150 square feet for dog human team because there is no nose-to-nose contact. All dogs are on leashes, they may be on the left side or the right side, depending upon which class, you know, what class that you're doing. There has to be space requirements related to that and making sure that there is a two to you know, really a between a two and a at maximum four foot lead for that dog.

Awesome. Awesome. So what else? What else do we need to know?

And you know, I'll also mention something else. Um, we're currently working with the VA right now on our PTSD program, and we're really um looking forward to that and seeing where that goes. Um, because if you think about people who need exercise and the therapy the most, that's our soldiers and people that have been uh through uh all these traumas and people on the basis. So we are working specifically with the VA in St. Louis, Missouri, and excited to see what happens from that. There's things that we understand about it and things that we don't understand about it related to specific if you were in Iraq versus if you were in another war, um, from the lighting of the room to the securing of the room to understanding about who can teach a canine for class because it like I wouldn't go in and teach uh a class for a, you know, at a base or military because I'm not military and there's a level of respect that goes into it. So it's all these things we're really understanding more and working on this more. So we've got a lot of irons in the fire right now, but there's so much going on, and we're really excited about that. And really, when you think about the future of fitness and why we're talking here today, I believe and we believe that the future of fitness is involving our dogs and integrating them into because they've gone from the backyard to the to the bedroom to the boardroom to now they're they're our families and you know they're four-legged members of our family. And we want to make sure that when you're working out, that all members of our family are included within that workout.

Yeah, that's all I'm gonna leave it right there. That was great. That was great. I'm inspired. So cool. And um, you know, all the different angles you guys are are are playing into with the veterans and the senior living, all that it just makes an incredible amount of sense. Thank you. Um I hope that people listen today and and I hope they do too inspire to look into it. So, where where do people who want to get involved, where do they go? Where do you send them?

Well, they can go to our website at k9fitclub.com. Simply just go to the website and they can contact us there. There's an email form, they can contact us, or they can email me direct, uh Trisha T-R-I-C-IA at kninefitclub.com, and we're more than happy to talk to them or love to talk to people. And honestly, I find that anybody who wants to become part of our community and our family, I talk to. I want to know what their inspiration is. I want to know what's the reasoning behind it, what's the purpose behind it. Are they just want to make money or they really care about people? And I if that's one thing that I can say about Canine Fit Club, it's gotta be about the money. Of course, you want to make you want to have a revenue driver, but it's more about changing lives, and that's one of our taglines is changing lives one dog at a time. And that's what we do. We're changing lives through being able to include that dog within the workout, and and it works. And it's something that when you see, if you're in a senior sit senior home to see people's hands open up, or when you see somebody who's at 325 pounds that now they've lost 90 because of their dog, or you see somebody who comes in that may have a neurological disorder that all of a sudden their balance is improving because they're on a climb or they're on a piece of equipment and their dog is stabilizing them. No better, no, no better gift, no better um revenue stream than than that for me. So yeah.

Yeah. Awesome. Awesome. Well, Trisha, thank you for coming on. I'm glad we're gonna be able to do that.

Thank you so much. Yeah, absolutely loved it. And remember, working out's not so rough when you include your best friend.

Awesome. Ladies and gentlemen, Trisha Montgomery. Hey Fitness fans, don't leave yet. It's your host, Eric Malzone, and I have a quick favor to ask. Actually, three favors. So, number one, if you're a fan of our show, I ask you to do something that takes under three minutes. Go to iTunes, please, and subscribe to our show. Please, please, please. It means so much to us. It's so important. And then give us a favorable review. We would really, really appreciate it. And uh, I can't tell you how much it means and helps us out. So I know it takes two minutes your day, and uh it means a lot to us. So please do that. Number two, go to our YouTube channel, our Fitness Marketing Alliance, and uh please subscribe to our YouTube channel there. Number three, if you like this episode or any of the episodes that we've released, share it on social. That's huge. That's a big deal for us. And we put a lot of work into these episodes, uh, trying to give you great actionable content uh for the fitness industry. So that would mean a lot. And that's it. So we have some big plans coming up for this show. I'll be talking about that in the next couple episodes. But thank you so much for listening. It means so much. And uh if you have any questions, please reach out to me. I'd love to hear from everybody. Eric, E R I C at Fitness Marketing Alliance.com