About John Van Olden

I’ve spent 35 years building, operating, and growing businesses in the dog training and pet services industry.

My experience ranges from hands-on dog training and trainer development to sales, marketing, operations, and business expansion. I specialize in helping pet service businesses attract customers, develop referral relationships, and grow profitably.

Businesses I’ve Built—and Still Own

Through Reliable Recall, I provide business support and internet marketing for 27 dog training brands that I continue to own. These brands are managed by 17 independent business owners, whose businesses generate an average of $175,000 each in annual revenue.

This ongoing work keeps me involved in the same business challenges my consulting clients face: attracting inquiries, converting leads into clients, building referral relationships, supporting trainers, and managing growth.

In 2010, I founded Canine Trade Group and served as its President. The company eventually owned and managed 34 dog training brands across the United States, generating more than $20 million in cumulative dog training revenue.

The financial results cited here can be substantiated with business records and references, available to prospective consulting clients upon request. These figures describe business revenue, rather than profit or personal income.

Training Experience and Industry Leadership

 My career began as a military police dog trainer, giving me a hands-on foundation in canine training and handling.

I later founded Golden State K9 Training in the San Francisco Bay Area, working with clients ranging from everyday dog owners to professional athletes.

In 1998, I founded K-9 Advantage, one of the first dog training franchises in the United States. The company and my work were featured in Entrepreneur magazine in July 2001.

As founder and president of PAWSitive Solutions, I helped build a California dog training company employing 33 trainers across Northern and Southern California.

Consulting and Developing Trainers

Beyond my own companies, I have provided startup and ongoing business consulting for a dog training company generating seven figures in annual revenue across multiple locations.

I was also an early advisor to Thank Dog! Bootcamp, founded by Jill and Jamie Bowers, and trained both founders to become professional dog trainers. The business combined bootcamp-style workouts for people with simultaneous training and physical exercise for their dogs. The program was later featured in “Anger Management” (Season 9, Episode 6) of Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan.

International Experience

My experience extends beyond the United States. In the Netherlands, I’ve helped one professional dog trainer establish a trainer education program and another enter the dog training business.

In Aruba, I trained a trainer who works with rescued street dogs preparing for adoption in the United States and the Netherlands. She traveled to the United States for her initial training, and members of my training team subsequently traveled to Aruba to work directly with her and the trainers she had trained.

My Approach

Every business is different, but the fundamentals are the same: attract customers, convert inquiries into sales, deliver excellent service, and operate profitably.

I help business owners identify what’s working, what’s not, and where changes will make the biggest difference.

No complicated theories. Just practical solutions based on experience.

Let’s Talk.