Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Donahue.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Josh. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
When I was 17 years old, I was ecstatic to get a used (but new-to-me) truck. I was ready for my adult freedom and go anywhere I wanted, whenever I wanted… then I quickly realized I needed money to put gas in that truck, so I went hunting for a job.
I’ve always been a bit of a trail blazer and didn’t like the typical fast-food or retail options for kids my age and after searching a little deeper, I found a job at a local demonstration farm cleaning up after goats, sheep, and pigs. Not the most glamour’s job, but I thought it was better than my other options. I spent lots of time with the livestock and my managers took notice. In a very short amount of time, they promoted me to one of the head trainers of their animal husbandry program. I consider myself lucky for finding such an amazing job at such a young age, but I knew livestock wasn’t something I’d do long term.
While I was more interested in working with dogs, I had no real professional experience with them. So I just kept working my job and keeping my ear to the ground. About 5 years later, I found a job working in dog daycare which at the time was still a brand new concept. I had never heard of a bunch of dogs all socializing together in one yard, but I was immediately intrigued.
Fast forward another 5 years and I was quite good at reading dogs and managing large groups. I worked at several different dog daycares over that time and even had the privilege of managing one in New York City. I also spent time mentoring under several pro dog trainers, but felt something was missing. Everyone seemed to be focusing on obedience commands and I kept meeting dogs who were excellent at their commands, but emotionally they were distraught. They were still lunging at the end of their leash, trying to bite people or other dogs, and owners still felt lost after they finished their program. It was the culmination of all these things that led me to start my own company and begin to fill the gap that I saw in the dog training world.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Being an entrepreneur is full of ups and down, but it’s incredibly rewarding! Argos Dogworks is in its 7th year and there are a lot of things I have learned the hard way, but I’m quite blessed that in that time, we’ve never experienced any major fall out. There have been a few different versions of the business and we’ve gone from a one man show, to a full staff, back to a one man show, back to having a small team of excellent people working for us. In my time so far, I think patience is probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned.
As an entrepreneur, you get a good idea and you want to act on it immediately, but sometimes you don’t have the right infrastructure built into your business to execute the idea or you may not have the right people to help you get it off the ground. I’ve forced a couple of things in the past and learned my bite was too big, but I was stuck chewing it anyway. That’s not a mistake I needed to make repeatedly. I’m much better at taking smaller bites now!
Please tell us about Argos Dogworks.
I wanted to start a company that actually worked with dogs who had behavioral issues. So many people struggle with their dogs aggression issues without knowing that most of it can be easily remedied if you have the right relationship with your dog. Dogs don’t want to be aggressive, but they are predators trapped in domestication and they think their options for handling confusing situations are limited. Many dogs attack without realizing there is a human in their life that can help them. Most people see this and they really want to help their dog feel more comfortable, they just don’t know how to do it.
I’ve been on a mission to change that and teach as many people as possible how they can change their dog’s lives by building a trusting and respectful relationship with them. While we are known for working with some of the heaviest cases of dog aggression in Atlanta, once someone actually begins the process, they start to understand how basic their dog actually is and how easy it can be to turn their life around. I feel we’ve made a pretty huge impact here in this city and far fewer dogs are being put down because of us. I’d say I’m most proud of saving these dog’s lives and helping to bring harmony back to so many families.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I’d probably listen more. In the beginning of my career I talked AT people a lot. I knew a lot about dogs and I could walk into almost any situation and fix the problems in front of us, but I didn’t always know how to teach that to people. While a dog may behave badly, there is a lot of direct correlation to the owner and being a dog trainer isn’t so much about dogs as it is about people. I had to learn how to teach people, how to understand what was causing them pain, and how to help them relax in stressful situations. I wasn’t always good at that and it took a lot of mistakes before I understood the greatest skill any dog trainer must develop… You have to be a good listener. If I could go back, I’d spend way more time listening to my clients. I could have helped so many more people.
Contact Info:
- Website: ArgosDogworks.com
- Email: josh@argosdogworks.com
- Instagram: /ArgosDogworks
- Facebook: /ArgosDogworksDogTraining
- Twitter: /ArgosDogworks
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