The Easiest Ways to Start a Side Hustle in NZ (Even If You Have a Full-Time Job) - Pet Training

Pet training is booming in New Zealand, and more Kiwi trainers are starting successful side hustles-sometimes after hours, sometimes at weekends, and often alongside a full-time job. This guide lays out practical, locally focused tips specifically for pet training professionals, helping you attract more clients and tackle the real-world challenges unique to this business.

Here are some tips that you might find interesting:

1. Tap Into Local Community Needs

Many Kiwi pet owners need help with basic obedience, puppy socialisation or tricky behaviour issues, and often look for flexible, relatable trainers rather than big-name franchises.

Offer practical services tailored to local demands, such as group puppy classes at the local reserve, home visits for busy clients in Auckland’s outer suburbs, or even Saturday morning dog socials at a nearby park.

Think of it as making yourself the ‘go-to’ trainer for pet owners looking for hands-on help close to home.

2. Get Listed Where Kiwis Look

Most NZ clients search online first, so get listed on TradeMe Services, Bark Busters, NoCowboys, and Yada-which is free for specialists and has zero lead or success fees. That’s a win for your wallet and your clients!

Yada’s ratings-based system means providing great service quickly leads to more visibility and better matches. The mobile-friendly design also lets you chat with potential clients discreetly any time.

Listing on sites like Bark Busters connects you to owners who want private or group training and see testimonials before contacting you.

3. Find Your Niche and Stand Out

The pet training field is diverse in NZ, from basic obedience and puppy care to solving advanced behaviour challenges or offering agility training. Find out what you do best (and love most), then build your brand around it.

If you’re great with anxious or reactive dogs, promote this specialty and share positive client outcomes. There’s demand for trainers who work with rescue dogs or offer rural puppy training.

Weirdly enough, small towns and rural areas often struggle to find behaviour specialists. Setting yourself apart helps you attract work others can’t.

4. Lean Into Word-Of-Mouth and Reviews

Positive word-of-mouth spreads fast in NZ, especially for trusted pet professionals. After each training job, ask clients for a Google or Facebook review-most are happy to help if you make it easy.

Client stories and testimonials sell your work better than any ad can. Trainers like Grace from Best Mate Dog Training grew quickly by sharing client feedback and before-and-after stories.

Consider offering a little incentive, like a free tip sheet or first follow-up session, for reviews or referrals.

5. Offer Flexible, Realistic Service Packages

Since many pet owners juggle their own jobs, design flexible service packages-think ‘Evening Puppy Basics’, pop-in sessions for busy professionals, or short Saturday intensives.

Online training (live or pre-recorded), phone consultations, and tailored training plans are increasingly popular in NZ.

Making your services accessible means more repeat business from working Kiwis who need help outside regular hours.

6. Build Partnerships with Pet Businesses

Form friendly relationships with local vets, groomers, dog walkers, and pet stores. Offer to leave flyers, provide tips for their clients, or run short intro sessions jointly.

Example: Partnering with a Pakuranga vet, one trainer started a ‘puppy health + behaviour’ package for new dog owners-both businesses benefited!

Complementary partnerships boost your visibility and reputation in the local pet-owner community.

7. Use Social Media for Simple, Helpful Sharing

Keep things low-key and practical online-share real tips Kiwis can use, like “easy recall games for Wellington pups” or “fixing jumping with five-minute routines”.

People love seeing progress photos, quick advice videos, or even fun pet fails-as long as the vibe stays friendly and useful.

Instagram, Facebook, and Neighbourly have active NZ pet communities hungry for actionable content.

8. Tackle Common Business Challenges Head-On

Pet training in NZ brings unique hurdles: managing difficult canine behaviours, balancing admin and sessions, preventing burnout, and keeping up with regulations.

Set clear policies around bookings, cancellations and payments upfront. Use tech (like Yada’s internal chat and booking tools) to streamline admin and spend more time actually training.

Joining professional groups or taking short business courses is a practical way to stay on top of changes and industry best practice.

9. Keep Your Costs Lean and Smart

Launching a side hustle doesn’t need big spends-use free business listings, make a one-page website (Google Sites or Wix) and create basic flyers for community noticeboards.

For accounting, a simple spreadsheet or Xero starter plan is plenty for most trainers. Yada makes budgeting easy since you don’t pay lead fees or commissions.

Think of it as building steady growth, not splashing out upfront-most successful trainers started small and scaled with demand.

10. Keep Learning and Networking Locally

The most successful pet trainers in NZ regularly upskill through courses, attend dog training seminars, and connect at local meetups-both online and in person.

Courses like the Dog Training Business Pathway (Career Academy), live webinars with Bark Busters, or just joining a neighbourhood Facebook group are practical ways to keep improving and meeting clients.

Weirdly enough, networking with other trainers helps you find overflow work, referrals-or a friendly chat when the week’s been a bit ruff!