You could make a change for the better and turn your pooch-passion into a worthwhile business.

If you fancy yourself as a bit of a Dr Doolittle with a love for animals, then read on. You could find yourself the next dog whisperer, not just calming the family’s troubled hound but creating a business out of helping others.

The original Aussie Dog Whisperer was John Richardson and he developed the Whisper Wise program, a formula for understanding canine behaviour that formed the basis for the organisation he founded, DogTech International.

A well-established business for more than 20 years, DogTech has recently entered a new chapter following the death of John Richardson.

The business has had a revamp and the six existing franchisees will be joined by six new franchisees before Christmas.

That’s the plan of the new franchisor and CEO, Richard McDonald, a former franchisee who has experienced the benefits of this behavioural program.

“There’s a big difference between obedience and behaviour,” he says. “A lot of trainers work on obedience principles which are very different from what we do.

“This is dog psychology, understanding their thinking and how they are behaving.”

It’s literally a life-saving program.

The process of assessing a pooch’s pattern of behaviour and finding ways to re-train it saves about 15000 dogs from being put down every year.

Troubled or hard-to-control dogs can become part of the family’s social life once they have been through the program, McDonald explains.

“It’s a great business but such a rewarding industry too. Our customers invite us into their homes to help with their troubled pooch and it is nice to feel welcomed.”

Of course a franchisee needs to be a dog lover, but he or she needs to be good with people too.

Franchisees accepted into the network should be running their businesses within four to six weeks of signing the agreement. The pre-start up process includes a week’s practical training and learning about the franchise system.

“Training is tailored to the individual,” says McDonald.

Once up and running, a franchisee will be able to conduct puppy schools, group classes and provide two-hour training sessions for individual clients.

Three to six sessions are typical for the program to achieve results, says McDonald.

Franchisees are expected to work a minimum of 35 hours a week, and build up referral networks with local vets, groomers and pet stores.

The cost of a DogTech franchise is $50,000. It is territory based with lead generation handled centrally and sent by email or SMS to the franchisee.

• Find out more about DogTech