In a country where dog ownership is often driven by security concerns rather than companionship, a quiet revolution occurs—one bark at a time.
A growing number of Kenyans are turning their love for dogs into lucrative careers, mastering elite training techniques in Dubai, and bringing their expertise back home.
Once seen as an unconventional profession, dog training is proving to be a financially rewarding venture, with clients willing to part with tens of thousands of shillings to have their furry companions disciplined, obedient, or even rehabilitated from aggressive behaviour.
However, how does the business of barks compare between the two countries? And what does it take to train a dog (or its owner)? Meet Samuel Wachogi, 42, who began working as a canine coach in Dubai in 2021, seeking a career change from computer science to one that was more rewarding and had room for growth.
His passion for dogs began when he was about 10 years old, a desire nurtured by his dad. After his dad retired, Samuel imported a female Belgian Shepherd Malinois puppy in 2020 to guard the livestock he kept at home.
“She was eight weeks old and it cost me Sh250,000 then later I imported the male.”
After the successful import, Samuel did some online courses on professional dog trainers and got his first job barely a month after as a kennel attendant working in a breeding company.
Eight months in, Wachogi left for another dog daycare, boarding, and training facility where he found his niche in behaviour modification.
This happens when the dog barks at people, or cars passing by, maybe it doesn’t want to see you do something, or when you dress in a certain way, it starts being aggressive.
So, how do you unteach that?
“There’s something that we call desensitisation, and a trigger. A trigger is a thing that causes the dog to behave in a certain way. So, if a car passes by and the dog starts barking at the car, that is the trigger. So, I know the cause of it. The next thing, I have to check is why the dog is doing that. Is it out of fear or trauma? Is it because it has some kind of misunderstanding? Then I have to make sure that he feels comfortable when cars are passing by and it should be normal,” he says.
Additionally, Wachogi shares that a dog’s body language tells a lot about how it behaves.
“For instance, there was this dog that was pre-owned by Arabs and they had cut its paws to make him aggressive. So, the dog was biting anyone who passed by. When he came to our facility, I would walk him around, pet him, and spend time with him. So, we formed a strong bond and I started teaching him obstacle manoeuvres. When we would be moving around and we see people, we would take another direction so that it knows it can live with people without necessarily biting or confronting them.”
Untraining a dog, Wachogu shares takes a lot of time even up to six months, depending on the personality of the dog, learning capability, and the owner. When training dogs, he says, the challenges stem from meeting difficult owners who treat their dogs like babies.
“Another thing...it is costly to train dogs and lastly I encounter people with trust issues on my capabilities owing to my race,” he adds.
Why is it wrong to treat dogs like babies? “So, a dog will always be one, especially when it comes to some issues that we have to correct. Like maybe he’s barking at someone who’s coming to your house and you’re telling him, ‘No, it’s okay.’
Samuel Wachogi, a canine coach with a Dutch Shepherd during its training session in Dubai.
Photo credit: Pool
The dog will understand that barking at a person is okay. But if you have a leash on its neck and every time it barks you pull it a little backwards and tell him, ‘No’ he will understand because I spoke his language.”
According to Wachogi, the most rewarding aspect of his career is how dogs are non-racial and the remuneration.
“Per session, that is an hour-and-a-half, I get paid between 300 and 400 dirhams (Sh10,000 and Sh15,000). Also, the other benefit of being a trainer is that I can determine the outcome.”
Currently, in Dubai, he says the most common issues dog owners seek help with are basic and advanced obedience and behaviour modification.
To Wachogi, the biggest misconception people have about dogs is that tail wagging means the dog is happy.
“It can mean it is ready to bite, dominant, alert, and happy. It is similar to humans smiling. When you smile it does not mean you accept what I’m saying, are happy...it can mean anything,” he says.
While dogs are unique and their personalities differ, Wachogi points out that a common mistake dog trainers make is addressing a situation as they did with another dog.
On his career progression, he shares he plans to go to South Africa later in the year for an international certification at the South Africa Dog Training College.
Language of dogs
Like Wachogi, Winnie Mutaki, 43, started her career as a canine coach during Covid-19 while in Dubai. When looking for some online jobs, Mutaki got an interview request to be a pet sitter for a puppy.
“When I arrived at his place, he came downstairs holding his puppy and when he came to the reception, I was ready to embrace the puppy. In turn, it raised his ears and immediately we connected,” she recalls.
During the interview session, Mutaki’s employer wanted someone conversant with babies, a teacher, and one who could give the puppy a motherly love.
Before job hunting, she says she used to work as a housekeeper but her pet-sitter job earned her thrice her previous salary. “I was getting 3,000 to 3,500 Dirhams (Sh105,451 to Sh123,027) but that was a private individual, not a company.”
To Mutaki, her job description entailed cooking and feeding him, walking, playing with him, potty training, and teaching him basic obedience.
“My bond with the dog made me attract some side hustles and I would get from 50-100 Dirhams (Sh1,757-Sh3,515) per hour or 30 Dirhams (Sh1,054) for 30 minutes,” she says.
These side hustles and her pet-sitting job made her learn more about dogs and even did an online class with Ceaser Milan, a renowned ‘dog whisperer.’
“He teaches you how to be a good human being to a dog so that it can learn from you. For instance, when I enter the house and there’s a dog, I call it by its name. Let’s say its name is Tommy so I will be like, ‘Hi Tommy, how are you? How was your day like? Did you eat? Did you drink some water?’ That dog will come to where I am and then within five minutes, it will cool down and you will see how comfortable it is with you,” she says.
Additionally, being a good dog parent means knowing when to take your dog for a walk and establishing a bathing schedule—either weekly or twice a month, depending on the breed. If your dog has a thick coat, brush it daily. Also, ensure proper feeding and deworming every three months.
Three years later, in December 2022, Mutaki got sick and came back to Kenya. When she relocated, she started advertising her training sessions with her employer’s dog on her socials.
“I was getting Sh500 per hour and although it was disappointing, I gave myself time to grow. So, every month, I could get one dog for aggression training and several dogs for walks which is Sh1,000 per hour.”
To train a dog, Mutaki starts with an assessment, which is Sh5,000. This depends on how receptive the dog is with her which can take as early as five minutes to even an hour. For her, the most rewarding aspect of her coaching is the client’s satisfaction with the training or grooming services she offers which she charges Sh3,500.
“The payment by clients is the most challenging part of my job currently. You will find a client paying a downpayment and after you’ve done your training, he/she refuses to honour their side of the bargain,” she cites this, saying she has never faced challenges training dogs.
According to Mutaku, the biggest mistake people make when training dogs is not listening to them and shouting at them. Though there are days you need to have a firm ‘No,’ it should not be every day.
“Every dog is trainable all over the world because basic commands are the same it’s only the language that differs. I can even train a stray dog so long as I start when it is about three months,” she says.
Zachary Mundia, 47, also got his training on dogs in Dubai before relocating to Kenya. He says growing up in Ol Kalou, Nyandarua, his Catholic father gifted him a dog after seeing his passion with his dog. In his homestead, Mundia would link up with his friends and take their dogs for hunting. When he joined the University of Nairobi to study for a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, he specialised in animal protection in third year.
After completing his studies, Zachary lived with his aunt who had a German Shepherd that needed basic obedience and aggression training. Her neighbours would also entrust him with their dogs for Sh500 a day.
Then, Mundia was not conversant with the charges and quit until he left for Dubai during the Covid-19 period.
“I joined a Facebook group UAE Dog Lovers and I got a job in a pet hotel. Even though I did not have any evidence of my work I was employed because of my passion for dogs,” he says with a smile.
When the job was picked, Mundia was influenced to start training dogs by a Philippines colleague. Learning on the job, he would be the assistant training on how to modify behaviours and aggress the dog.
“I would source my clients and charge 200 Dirham (Sh7,030) per 60 minutes depending on the customer needs.”
Zachary Mundia, a canine coach with a Pomapoo dog breed during its training session in Nairobi.
Photo credit: Pool
However, to enhance his marketability, he took online courses such as dog psychology and joined the International Organisation of Animal Behaviour Consultants, which sponsored his course, professional dog training science and techniques.
Comparing Dubai and Kenya, Zachary says the former treat the dogs as pets, unlike Kenya. Why? “We do not consider why you need the dog. The space you are living in? Do you have any allergic reactions? Do you love animals? What is the temperament of the dog you want? Cost...because having dogs is not a cheap affair.”
Among the challenges Zachary faces is the lack of knowledge of breeds by customers.
“For instance, you had an original German Shepherd but you did not factor in getting a male when is on heat so it gets its own mate which is not a German Shepherd. It breeds and now you want the puppies to be trained on how to be aggressive. You are convinced you have a German Shepherd and if I tell you otherwise, it offends you,” he says.
While training, Zachary says the best time to train a puppy is from six months although there are behaviours it will acquire along the way. However, every dog can be trained regardless of its age and it will need like five sessions.
To keep the dog motivated, Zachary shares giving it treats or petting it will make the behaviour stick. However, the biggest misconception people have about dogs is that the bigger it is the more protective it will be.
While he has been bitten once by a dog, Zachary shares that before a dog attack it shows signs. “The first signal will be through his teeth then it will charge at you and growl...if you see these signs be alert.”
Is dog training lucrative? “Yes. For a starter package, I charge Sh35,000 for 30 days if you are in Nairobi and pass on the accommodation and transport charges to the client if they are outside Nairobi.”
He explains that this package entails basic commands, aggression, resource guarding, and behaviour modification, such as eating chickens.
