Today, we’d like to introduce you to Julie McLean.
Julie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started training dogs when I was 17 years old. The moment I learned it could be a career, I dedicated my life to it. Graduating as the youngest at the dog training school I attended in New York. I took the leap and started my own business right out of school. For about ten years, I did mostly in-home private training and group classes and also started a family. I had hoped to one day open my own facility.
When I moved to Colorado, I saw there was a need for a safe place to take dogs that wouldn’t be detrimental to them behavior-wise or health-wise. Facilities will greatly dictate to owners what they should be doing for the health of their dogs, such as early spay/neutering and certain vaccinations. These are not well thought out and are usually based on old-school information. I have researched both of these subjects for many years and know how to approach them in a safe way that will still give the owner the ability to make the choices that are best for their dog themselves.
We opened in October of 2018, and it has been a heck of a ride. I didn’t have the luxury of being able to build a big fancy facility like many corporate places. I saw an old house and thought it looked like just a place to create a home away from home for dogs. Zen Doggy Den was born. Unfortunately, we were almost put out of business by the covid shutdowns; business slowed drastically with the construction on Wadsworth Blvd, and then again more recently with the canine respiratory scare. When you do this business with your heart and with what is best for the dogs – it’s not quite as lucrative as you’d think! We are still here and still fighting to hopefully one day be able to own our building and build it to be exactly what we dreamed.
We have strived to be a training facility that offers daycare and boarding services in a structured manner that will not contribute to or cause behavior issues. No worrying that your dog will come home with bad habits or be over-exhausted and overstimulated. Dogs can be themselves and open up with us at their own pace to become comfortable. We have so many dogs that started very shy or were kicked out of other facilities, and they have developed and love our place! Over the years, my specialty for training has become shy or anxious dogs and separation anxiety.
We do behavior modification and basic to advanced off-leash obedience and public access. There is nothing like watching a dog change from shut down or unruly into a dog that is obedient and can be free to join their owners for outdoor adventures. One of my long-term employees recently graduated from dog training school and has become my mini-me. Her long-term specialty will be service dogs, and I am excited to have someone I can trust to refer her to this service.
I am looking forward to continuing to grow and hope we can keep helping owners achieve their dog’s potential.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I believe I addressed this a bit in the previous question, but in addition to those struggles, we also had zoning issues. When we opened, we were told we could have a dog daycare in our location, and then it turned out the city thought we were talking about an indoor facility with no outdoor yards! Of course, from a training perspective, I cringe at dogs being forced to go to the bathroom indoors.
It was a grueling process, but with the help of another local trainer friend, we could attend the city council and get them to update the city code to allow for our business in Wheat Ridge. I certainly made my share of mistakes and have learned so much over the years in owning a brick-and-mortar facility. From all of these issues to then trying to find staff I could trust – I am thankful to now be at a place where I have a really good team that shares the Zen Doggy Den Values.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
From crawling around and pretending to be a dog until age 9, it was pretty clear what path I was headed. From the moment I finished high school, I immediately started my career as a dog trainer and became an accredited positive-reinforcement dog trainer. It was a great start and fun, but I didn’t see many behavior changes in dogs. Owners were really needing help, and doing purely positive was greatly limiting the results and the owner’s ability to follow through.
To further my knowledge, I attended and graduated as a Certified Master Dog Trainer through Anthony Jerone’s School of Dog Training in Queens, NY. At the time, I was the youngest student to attend and graduated at the top of my class. This is the only New York dog training school licensed by The New York State Education Department’s Bureau of Proprietary School Supervision. This school taught me how to combine positive reinforcement with fair consequences to get to the root of changing dog behavior.
I then went on to start my business training dogs. During that time, I also worked as a Veterinary Assistant in a conventional hospital and a holistic practice. I have been studying holistic care and nutrition for pets ever since. For those who are receptive, I am always happy to discuss the connection between nutrition and behavior.
Throughout my career of training dogs, I bred and raised litters of Working Line German Shepherds and did rescue and rehabilitation for shelter dogs. Working closely with rescues and the NYC high kill shelter, they would contact me when they had dogs on death row deemed un-adoptable due to behavior. I would take them into my home, rehabilitate them, and find them a new home, which mainly consisted of pit bulls and German shepherds.
Over the years, I found myself gravitating to shy and anxious dogs and helping them overcome their fears. I also enjoy doing basic obedience and high-level public access obedience or advanced off-leash.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Being genuine. I am not the kind of trainer that will make you feel like a bad dog parent. Everyone is unique, and I do my best to adapt what needs to be done for the dog to fit your lifestyle.
There are often multiple options for problems, so there’s no reason not to make it as easy as possible for the owner to follow in order to have success with their dog. Trainers often have ego issues that make them tell owners it has to be done their way with no other option. This is unfair to humans and to dogs.
All dogs are unique, just as people are.
Pricing:
- Private lessons start at $300 for our 2-session minimum (covers more than you’d think!)
- Board and Trains start at $2650 (with lifetime support)
- Day Training Program $2200
- Boarding $55 per night
- Daycare is $30 for a half day and $40 for a full day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://zenmasterdogtraining.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zendoggyden/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZenDoggyDen
