Pet services
Books and taxes for dog trainers.
Private lesson packages, group class fees, virtual consults, and mileage between client homes. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May came in at $8,600. Your CPDT-KA renewal landed this month, so I logged it as continuing education, not a random fee.
- Acuity Scheduling payoutPrivate lessons
- Venmo, puppy class feesGroup classes
- City parks dept permitFacility rental
- Chewy treats orderTraining treats and gear
- Meta adsMarketing
Why your books are different
A dog trainer's books go wrong in the same five places.
A generalist sees deposits and a few purchases. Your business is packages sold ahead of the work, classes run in rented space, and hours spent driving between homes. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies to you.
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1
Package sessions get counted all at once
A client pays $480 for six private lessons up front. Book the whole thing as May income and June, when you actually teach half those sessions, looks empty by comparison.
What we doCounts sessions as you deliver them, so a package sale does not inflate one month and starve the next. -
2
Private lessons and group classes blur together
One deposit line for everything hides which service actually pays. Group classes might fill your calendar while private lessons quietly earn more per hour, and you cannot tell without the split.
What we doKeeps private lessons and group or puppy classes on separate lines, so you can see what each one is really worth. -
3
Mileage between client homes goes untracked
Driving to nine backyards in a week adds up fast, but without a log it never turns into a deduction. Owners guess at year end and leave real money on the table.
What we doAsks for your miles each month and totals them, so the deduction is there when the return gets filed. -
4
Training gear gets bought on a personal card
You grab clickers, long lines, or a remote collar at the pet store on your own card because it is faster than switching wallets. That purchase never shows up in the business books at all.
What we doAsks about personal-card business buys each month and gets them logged as training gear, not lost. -
5
Certification renewals land as a random fee
A CPDT-KA or CCPDT renewal fee hits the account once a year and gets lumped in with software subscriptions or ignored entirely.
What we doFlags certification and continuing education fees the month they hit, so they are counted where they belong.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a dog trainer.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Private lesson packagesIn-home and one-on-one sessions, counted as they are delivered.
- Group and puppy classesSeries enrollment paid through Acuity or a similar booking tool.
- Virtual consultsVideo sessions billed separately from in-person work.
- Gift certificates and referralsPrepaid gifts and any referral fee from a shelter or breeder.
Money out
- Training treats and gearClickers, target sticks, long lines, and reward treats.
- Remote and e-collar equipmentKept separate from consumable treats and toys.
- Facility and park rentalSpace rented for group classes by the week or the season.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for working with client dogs on their property.
- Vehicle mileage and fuelDriving between client homes and rented class space.
- Certification and continuing edCPDT-KA or CCPDT renewals and course fees.
- MarketingMeta and Google ads, flyers, and referral cards.
What we watch for you
- Package balance
Sessions clients paid for but have not used yet, so you know what work is still owed.
- Marketing cost
What each ad run costs against the new packages it brings in.
- Mileage total
Miles between client homes, tracked so the deduction is not left on the table.
- Facility rental share
What park and space rental eats out of group class income each month.
Ask Gus
Things dog trainers ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Only what you deliver. I count sessions as they happen, so May shows what you actually taught, not the whole package at once.
Yes, log the miles. At 72.5 cents through June and 76 cents after, home visits usually add up to a real deduction.
That one is above my pay grade to call alone. Someone teaching your classes on your schedule usually looks like an employee, but the accountant should weigh in before you set it up.
The tax side
The tax side of a dog training business.
Most of what matters here is timing and mileage. Package income counted right, miles logged as they happen, and a clear line between a contractor and an employee.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Mileage between client homesDriving to private lessons in different homes usually qualifies for the mileage deduction, 72.5 cents a mile through June 2026 and 76 cents after. Gus totals the miles you log each month.
- Employee or contractorA trainer who teaches your classes on your schedule with your curriculum usually looks like an employee, not a contractor. Getting this wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
- Package income counted as deliveredA prepaid session package is not fully earned the day it sells. Gus tracks what is owed so the monthly number, and the year the accountant sees, reflect real work done.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books separate real profit from personal spending all year.
Deductions dog trainers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Training treats and rewards
- Clickers and target sticks
- Remote and e-collar gear
- Leashes and long lines
- Liability insurance
- Park and facility rental
- CPDT-KA renewal fees
- Printed handouts and certificates
- Vehicle mileage to client homes
- Phone plan for scheduling
- Meta and Google ads
- Continuing education courses
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A dog training year, kept every month.
New dogs and New Year resolutions fill your January calendar. Your taxes come on a schedule of their own. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
New Year rush
Enrollment jumps as new dogs settle in over the holidays. Last year's return gets started and a monthly set-aside is planned.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Midyear check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring puppy season changed the number.
- October
Before the slow stretch
Class enrollment usually cools before the holidays. Gus looks at gear worth buying and moves worth making before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for dog trainers. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions dog trainers ask first.
I teach both private lessons and group classes. Does Gus separate them?
Yes. Private lessons and group or puppy classes stay on their own lines, so you can see which one actually pays better per hour, not just which fills more of your calendar.
Can I deduct mileage if I train dogs in their own backyards?
Usually yes. Driving between client homes for private lessons typically qualifies for the mileage deduction. Log the miles and Gus totals them each month so nothing gets lost by April.
I sell six-session packages. When does that count as income?
As you deliver the sessions, not the day the client pays. That keeps a big package sale from making one month look great and the next one look thin.
My books are a mess from doing this myself for two years.
That is fine. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
I'm thinking about adding a part-time trainer. What happens at tax time?
It depends on how the work is structured. Someone running your classes on your schedule usually looks like an employee, and Gus flags that before it becomes a costly habit.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever