Financing & Integrity: Why We Stopped Offering In-House Financing for Board & Train Clients

As a business owner, I understand the appeal of offering financing options for dog training programs. It allows clients to get the training they need while ensuring that I get paid for the services I provide. However, both personally and professionally, I do not believe it is wise to finance a dog training program. If you cannot afford a program and are considering financing, I would much rather you explore our more affordable option—the Do-It-Yourself Board & Train course. I’ve put in significant effort to capture every moment of a board and train, documenting everything in videos so that those who can't afford a higher-end program can still access the same information and achieve the same results at home. This post is not intended as an attack on anyone, but rather to explain why we operate the way we do, why we offer financing, and my personal stance on financing options despite offering them as a means of payment for our higher-end training programs. At Sunshine K9 Training, we know that dog training is an investment—one that requires both time and money. We are not the cheapest trainer in the area, nor do we aim to be. When a dog enters our licensed home for training, they become part of our family. We don’t just board dogs and run them through a routine—we live with them, train them daily, and track everything down to their bowel movements. We have detailed emergency plans, structured training systems, and a commitment to quality care that goes beyond the industry standard.

That level of care comes at a cost, and we’ve always been upfront about our pricing. But recently, our third-party financing provider introduced a policy change that forced us to make a tough decision.

The New Financing Policy That Changed Everything

We used to offer third-party financing to help clients afford our board & train programs. The way it worked was simple:

A client would apply for financing and, if approved, we would receive our full payment upfront.
The client would then make monthly payments to the financing provider.

That seemed like a great way to make training more accessible—until the terms changed.

Now, if a client fails to make their first loan payment within 15 days of the due date, we get charged back the entire amount—even if we’ve already completed weeks of training and care for their dog.

What does this mean for us? It means that if someone defaults on their payments, we’ve worked for free.

This is exactly why we no longer offer in-house financing—because as a small business, we simply can’t afford to take that risk.

And with the changes our third-party financing company has made, financing a program with us means that you'll now have to wait until you've already made your payments to the company in order to send your dog to train with us, something that limits those who are actually committed and financially responsible enough to make timely payments as agreed upon.

Why This Hurts Small Businesses Like Ours

Chargebacks aren’t just frustrating—they’re devastating. Here’s why:

1. It’s a Betrayal of Integrity

When you agree to financing, you’re making a commitment—to us, to the finance provider, and most importantly, to your dog. Backing out of that commitment means breaking your word. Our word used to mean something, but these days, it means less and less.

We carefully select our clients because we want to work with dedicated dog owners. So when someone defaults on a loan after their dog has already completed training, it’s disheartening to realize that they never intended to honor their agreement in the first place.

2. We Try to Screen for Integrity, But We’re Not Perfect

We take time to ensure our clients are committed before they enroll. We have onboarding calls, discussions about goals, and clear expectations for payment and training.

But when a client defaults, it means we missed a red flag somewhere along the way. That’s a tough pill to swallow because we want to work with people who genuinely care about their dog’s success—not those looking for a free ride.

3. It Hurts Our Ability to Keep Our Business Running

We currently only take on three to five dogs per month. Sometimes these are boarding dogs that aren't paying training fees. And sometimes we're fostering for free to keep dogs out of the shelter. That means every training spot is valuable. When someone books a spot, we stop trying to fill it with another client because we believe that quality care is limited with increased quantity. If they then default on their financing, we’ve lost a huge portion of our expected income for the month—income we rely on to keep our doors open so we can continue to serve those in need of quality training.

I'm not just a girl who trains dogs out of her house. This is a business. We cater to clients globally, are constantly continuing education, and assuring that we provide quality services to every client, whether they're boarding their dog while on vacation, enrolled in private lessons, taking an online course, or have invested in an immersive doggy boot camp program. While I definitely started out that way years ago, we've transformed Sunshine K9 Training into a beacon of hope for the untrainable around the world.

4. We’ve Already Reinvested That Money into the Business

Dog training is not just about the time spent working with dogs—it’s about years of experience, education, and development that go into creating successful training programs.

When we receive payment for training, that money gets reinvested into the business—for equipment, facility improvements, continued education, and daily operations.

A chargeback means that instead of getting paid for our expertise, we’ve actually lost money training someone’s dog for free.

5. Cheating the System Hurts Everyone—Including Your Dog

At the end of the day, gaming the system doesn’t benefit anyone. If you take advantage of a small business, you may feel like you’ve "won," but in reality, you’ve failed your dog.

Because let’s be honest—if you’re willing to scam a small business, you probably don’t actually care about following through with your dog’s training either.

And that’s the real loss.

Not just that your dog misses out on the structure, leadership, and training that could have changed their life, but that you’ve lost the opportunity to create the life you wanted with them—because you didn’t care enough to follow through.

We also believe that everyone is accountable for their actions—both in this life and the next. One way or another, cheating always catches up with you.

Final Thoughts: Integrity Matters in Life & Dog Training

Training a dog takes commitment. So does running a business.

We’ll always be transparent about our pricing, and we won’t apologize for charging what our services are worth. We don’t believe in selling a dream to people who can’t afford it, which is why we offer affordable alternatives like private lessons and online courses for those who are willing to put in the work themselves.

So, if you’re considering training with us, here’s our honest advice:

💡 If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it.

💡 If you’re committed, there’s always a way to train your dog—financing or not.

💡 And if you value integrity, you’ll honor your commitments—because that’s what responsible dog owners do.

At Sunshine K9 Training, we want to work with dedicated clients who truly want the best for their dogs. If that’s you, we can’t wait to help you on your training journey.

But if you’re just looking for a way to get something for nothing?

We’re not the trainers for you.

P.S.

Every time a phone consultation ends with a dog owner saying they can’t afford training, I always ask: Would you be willing to do the work if you had the right information? Almost everyone says yes.

Yet, as of today (March 25, 2025), not a single person who has been given FREE access to our training courses and private online community has actually used it. Not one.

So, I’ve learned that giving out free resources is usually a waste of time.

But… if you’re different—if you genuinely want help and are willing to put in the work—I’ll give you access to our Do It Yourself Board & Train course for free.

Here’s the deal: If you don’t log in and start the course within 7 days, you’ll be removed, and I’ll know exactly where you stand when it comes to commitment and honesty.

If you’re serious, send me an email. Let’s see if you actually mean what you say. There are no excuses anymore. The information is so readily available, you need only put in the effort. sunshinek9training@gmail.com If you’d like to purchase the Do It Yourself Board & Train Course, you can do so here. We've set the price at $167 to cover the cost of the platform (which costs our company approximately $2000/year), although the information is the same information we give in our board and train programs with an average value of $3200. But honestly, just send me an email, and I’ll give you access for free. It's been a dream of mine to be able to help people for free and this is how I aim to do it. Ask and you shall receive... (An online course that walks you through every step of the training process).

Thanks for supporting a small business—but more importantly, thank you for taking the time to learn how to communicate with your dog in a way that’s fair and effective.