A Minimum Investment, Maximum Profit Home Business!

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Information file. As I mentioned earlier, the fact that we maintain an animal information file not only leads to various sales commissions, but also keeps us in the know about the pet world in our community. For example, an individual who's presented with a new litter of ten purebred German shepherd pups will likely get a little tired of providing so many babies with round-the-clock care. We might, then, buy three of the puppies for a total price of $175 . . . and, a few weeks later, sell the "educated" youngsters for perhaps as much as $300 each. Our main investment in such an arrangement is simply the time required to feed the pups, housebreak them, and train them in basic obedience.

OTHER POSSIBILITIES

The services outlined above are the mainstays of our "pet biz", but they don't by any means represent the entire list of potential moneymakers. Depending on your location and facilities, you might want to explore the following possibilities.

Dog walking. Many urban canines are cooped up inside all day while their owners are at work . . . so a midday walk will benefit both the animal and the "parent". You can even take several furry clients on a stroll at once, to make a nice profit and get a good workout yourself.

Mobile service. You might want to offer your bathing, grooming, and clipping service only at owners' homes. If so, it's an easy matter to equip a van, small truck, or station wagon for the purpose . . . but be sure to add travel expenses to your usual rates if you try this sort of business.

Training. All forms of animal training—from housebreaking to simple obedience to hunting—can be highly profitable . . . but they do require specific knowledge of the animal, some practical experience, and a good dose of common sense.

First of all, you'll have to understand what a dog is all about—both physically and mentally—before you even consider trying to train one. You can begin your education with McDowell Lyon's The Dog in Action (Howell Book House, 1950, $12.95) and Leon Whitney's Dog Psychology (Howell, 1971, $12.95).

Next, firsthand practice in obedience training is available through classes held by the American Kennel Club in most large cities. If you want to instruct hunting dogs, though, it's probably best to apprentice with a reputable specialist in that field. Don't even consider attack and guard-dog training . . . those animals should be handled only by professionals.

Finally, remember that all your study and practice will be in vain if you don't exercise enough patience and common sense. Dog training is basically accomplished through repetition: Show the animal (as often as necessary) what you want it to do when a certain command is given, be lavish with praise when it performs correctly, and it'll catch on soon enough. Keep in mind, though, that every dog is an individual—just as every person is—and be patient if the beast balks.

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