Today’s blog post is about pet blogging. One of my favorite things to do as a trainer and a blogger is outreach. In other words, connecting and collaborating with other people in my niche. No two dog trainers or bloggers think alike, and that, if you ask me, is one of the best aspects of this field. The learning never stops.
One of the top dog blogs, Puppy in Training, has hosted a “Pet Bloggers Journey” where several pet bloggers answer the 10 questions about their blogging goals and overcoming struggles. This year, when I came to know about it, I didn’t wait even a second to participate in it.
Make sure you visit other blogs on the Pet Bloggers Journey and leave comments sharing your wisdom and encouragement. This post published by Puppy in Training explains how to participate in Pet Bloggers journey 2021 and also lists out bloggers that have participated in it. Here is my response to the questions –
When did you begin your blog and what do you currently write about on your blog?
I started my blog, wagabonding.com, in October 2020. I’m a certified dog training and behaviourist and my blog is an extension of me. It contains articles and posts on dog training and behvavior. My primary aim is to help pet parents establish a deeper understanding of their dogs so they can share a fulfilling bond with them. Every post that I publish on dog training tips not only aims at problem-solving but also focuses on early recognition and prevention of these problems.
Name one thing about your blog, or one blogging goal that you accomplished during 2020, that made you most proud.
I have been procrastinating about starting a blog since forever. So, I’d say my biggest accomplishment is to just go for it and launch the blog.
Starting a website on dog training is intimidating. Writing, promoting, building an email list, being active on social media and doing Blogger Outreach can take a toll. But I learned quickly to prioritize and be a master of One rather than trying to be a jack of all trades. I’m proud of myself for not getting stuck in a rut and figuring what works best for me early on.
Which of your 2020 posts was most popular with your audience? Why do you think it does so well?
My post on Crate Training a puppy and a round-up post on Puppy Training tips put together by experts did better than other articles of my blog.
One of my Crate training pins went viral on Pinterest that resulted in concentrated traffic on that page. Also, I published that post in early November, well in time for it to be visible by the time people started to get their Christmas puppies in.
As for my other article that gained traction, it was a round-up post where I quoted multiple bloggers and trainers along with a link to their website/ social media. This post was shared widely by these bloggers which multiplied my traffic.
What was the biggest blogging challenge you faced in 2020, and how did you tackle it?
To focus on Blogging more, I decided to convert my full-time job as a Petsmart trainer into part-time. And I took this call when I just started my blog, not knowing whether the decision makes sense and not knowing if the returns will pay off. I took this call during the lockdown when so many people around me were losing jobs. That was one of the biggest challenges of the year.
Tell us one thing you learned in 2020 that can help us all become better bloggers.
Starting and maintaining a blog can be exhausting because of the amount of work it entails. Especially in the start, we new bloggers have no idea where to focus, in what direction should we put our efforts and whether or not all this effort will even pay off. While these thoughts can be overwhelming, it can also lead to enormous wastage of time in procrastination.
My advice – Take baby steps. For you, it might be a small insignificant step, but if you do it regularly, IT WILL PAY OFF. Keep trying new things and see what works for you.
What are your top three goals for 2021?
- Venture into video creation to improve my internet presence and credibility.
- To be able to focus on blogging full time by the year-end
- Help train shelter animals to make them more adoptable and help them find the right homes
In the perfect world, where do you see yourself and your blog 1 year from now?
In an ideal scenario, a year from now, I see my blog as a go-to resource for pet parents when it comes to puppy training tips and living a fulfilling life with dogs. That means increased traffic, multi-media presence and a credible name in the blogging world.
If you had a $1,000 to spend on your blog how would you spend it?
I would spend it on getting technical equipment for creating video content and some paid social media promotion for my blog.
What is one skill you’d like to learn or improve in 2021?
When it comes to dog training, people want to see who’s behind all the words. So I’d want to work on my camera presence – knowing what to talk, how much to talk and the most engaging way to present dog training content.
I’d also like to improve on my SEO skills for my website.
If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one challenge you’re having with your blog, what would it be?
I’m a huge fan of making connections. Dog blogging is such a dynamic field, every blogger has something exciting to offer. I’d LOVE to reach out to as many pet bloggers as possible and make as many acquaintances and do as many collaborations as I possibly can on this journey.
If you’re a pet blogger and if you’re reading this, I want to know more about you and your work. PLEASE reach out to me on the “Say Hi” section on my website. You can also comment on this post below.
Welcome to the newbie pet blogging world! Your site is really great! And I loved reading about your Journey! I am only a young blog myself and I can relate to so many of your answers. As for your question, I would love to collaborate anytime if you like. I can’t imagine how hard it was to navigate through the pandemic and it was nice to see you be so innovative and keep doing what you love. With the adoption rate being higher, your story is very inspiring to others in the same circumstance. With the pet industry growing this year you have a lot you can offer, I cannot wait to see what the new year will bring you! Don’t hesitate to reach out anytime I would be more than happy to answer any questions on SEO or SERP you may have. 🙂
Hi, thanks a lot for reaching out. I will definitely reach out to you for SEO tips. As for collaboration, I’m gonna brainstorm and get back to you soon with ideas. 🙂 In these cutthroat competitive times, collaboration is the need of the hour… Don’t you think?! I went through your blog. Most of your articles have really catchy headlines. I’ve followed you on Facebook and Pinterest as that’s where I’m currently active. Look forward to connecting and working together. 🙂
[…] Wag A Bond […]
Thanks for joining the Pet Bloggers Journey! I’m with you and need to up my video game. I jumped on the video bandwagon early when I did monthly updates with my guide dog puppy over 10 years ago, but I haven’t posted much recently. Hopefully I can produce more video content this year.
Regarding your question: I’ve been writing to my blog for over 13 years about raising and training guide and service dog puppies. More recently I’ve been raising Golden Retriever litters and donating puppies to service dog schools. Raven just had her fourth and final litter the end of last year and we got all the puppies to their new homes a few days before Christmas.
I’m glad you were able to join us on this journey. I hope you have a great 2021!
Hi Colby, THANK YOU for letting me be a part of it. 🙂 I’ve assisted seasoned trainers in service dog training a few years ago when I just started off as a dog trainer. I would call that one of the most enriching experiences of my life! You’re doing some amazing and really inspiring work with your puppies. I’d really like to meet you in person someday. If I could contribute in any way as a trainer or a blogger, I’d be more than happy to do so.
Thanks for the offer. I’ll keep you in mind. When things start opening up again I usually go to a few conferences a year about blogging or dogs/training. The year before everything shutdown I went to Superzoo, Mediavine Conference, and Clicker Expo. If we ever attend the same conference let me know and we can meet up.
Welcome to the world of blogging! As a trainer, you have so much expertise to share, so I’m sure your blog will be successful. I recommend joining the Facebook group “Dog Blogger Society” to meet more people, and reading all of the Pet Blogger’s Journey posts. Best of luck, it sounds like you are well on your way!
Hi Candy, I am a part of that group and I love interacting there. It’s nice to be surrounded by like-minded people who share the same ethics and are on a similar journey. I’ve subscribed to your email list as I plan on traveling a lot (once I can) with my dog and your blog has some really cool tips!
Wow, congrats on all you have done in such a short amount of time. I’ll head over and follow you on Pinterest and pin some of your articles. I also signed up for your email list. Best of luck with everything going forward and I hope that in a year you are a full-time blogger!
Hi Lindsay, coming that from you, it means a lot!! Followed you right back at every platform.. 🙂 I’d love to do collaborate with you in any way I can. I’m a huge fan of authenticity and your website has nothing but that! 🙂
Great to meet you. Sounds like you have done some great work in a very short amount of time. You are absolutely right on focus. You can only do so much at one time, and after 10 years of blogging (not so regularly in the past few years) I am ready to go to another step. I write about cats, and while they are pets, we don’t have the same numbers as dogs, even though people own more cats than dogs. I’d like to hear more about your video journey. Good luck and have a great blogging year.
Thank you so much for the sweet words. 🙂 About cat bloggers not getting the same numbers as dog bloggers, I guess it’s because cats are so chilled out and aren’t really troublemakers. I have a cat and I rarely google any behavioral issues when it comes to her. Although, I love reading about cat health and behavior and why they do certain things they do. I’d absolutely love to check your blog out. Plz do reply back with a link. I’m working on my video content as we speak. Do stay in touch to see what Wag a Bond is up to. 🙂
I hope you achieve a lot of success with your new blog. Someone told me it takes a while to get established and to make SEO work for you but that patience will win out especially as your content looks so great.
Good luck
Thank you so much! Yes, SEO does take a lot of time and consistency. It can get frustrating especially after putting in so many hours and not knowing if it’ll ever yield results!
Thanks for sharing your blog and welcome to the pet blogging community. I love your advice on taking baby steps. It’s so easy to become over-eager and try and tackle everyone all at once. I’ve fallen for that one many times and it never works well for me.
I write about raw feeding and raising dogs naturally from the perspective of someone raising four dogs on a raw diet. I started my blog in Winter 2011 and have created a great side business within this niche.
I wish you all the best in your blogging and vlogging ventures.
Hey Kimberly, just browsed through your blog. Must say, it looks amazing and you’ve generously shared information on so many subjects. Procuring and feeding raw food can be a hell of a task. There is just so much to know and be cautious about! I’ll definitely reach out to you for tips on building my blog and for content collaboration in future. Do let me know if you’d be open to that. 🙂
Good luck on your blogging adventures too!
Welcome to the pet blogging world! I’m also relatively new to this corner of the internet (launched my blog Feb 2020), so I remember quite well just how hard it can be to pull the trigger and get started. That being said, getting started is arguably the hardest step of the whole process!
I think you’re starting at the perfect time! With so many people bringing home new pups during lockdown, I’m sure that the demand for effective dog training information is more in demand than ever before. I know that I’ve been fielding more questions this year from friends and family than I have in previous years. I can’t wait to see where you go from here!
You’re so right! As a trainer, my inbox is swamped with dog training and puppy raising questions during this period. That’s when I thought of starting a blog which would be an extension of me and be readily available to my clients and other dog owners who’re looking for advice.
Considering you started your blog just a year ago, your website has a plethora of content to offer. Way to go on that. I hope 2021 is everything you imagine it to be and beyond. Good luck!
Hi there! My heart beats dog® so very much that I trademarked that and wear it permanently on my left bicep. I am Carol Bryant and founded FidoseofReality.com about a decade or so ago. I’ve been learning, growing, blogging for myself and others and love Cocker Spaniels and dogs in general.
I love that you are sharing so openly and have a vision of what to do. If I can help in any way, feel free to give me a shout out. I co-authored a book on the topic of pet blogging, so if you are interested let me know. Nice to cyber meet you!