Inspiring Conversations with Lindsay Stamper of Taking The Lead

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Stamper.

Hi Lindsay, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Animals have always been a huge part of my life. My dad is a veterinarian, and I helped care for the clinic’s pet patients my entire childhood. Growing up I always wanted to be a dolphin trainer. The hard part was I grew up in Minnesota, with a distinct lack of oceans and warm weather. I have the most support parents that encouraged me to follow my passion, so I got a degree in Marine Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. During the summers I would intern at zoos and aquariums to gain experience working with marine mammals. My senior year of college I studied abroad in Australia for a year. When I returned state side, I accepted a job at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium as an exotic animal trainer and performer for the Animals on Safari show. I loved training fifteen different species of animals and performing educational shows for visitors. While I was working at the zoo, I came to the realization that I wasn’t going to be able to keep up with physical demand of a zookeeping job for long because of my scoliosis and fused spine. I then switched to dog training. I worked for two years at a guide dog school for blind people. It was really rewarding nurturing the bond between humans and dogs. A few years after being an apprentice trainer, I began working with a dog boarding and daycare facility. At the time they didn’t have a training program, so I helped them build one from scratch. While I was at the boarding facility, I met a dog named BooBerry. She was a very reactive pitbull that a local rescue sent me to work with. Even after her training was complete, no one wanted to adopt her because of her breed and previous issues meeting men. We formed a really deep bond during training, so I adopted her! The reactivity issues I worked through with BooBerry drove me to start my own training company that focuses on helping dog just like her. Taking the Lead was born. In 2021 I started as a one woman show and drove around the city of Columbus helping owners with reactive dogs just like BooBerry. Over the years my team grew. It 2023 we opened up our first training facility at 2032 Circle Drive. Our team now has 8 trainers and 4 office staff members. My team works with puppies to senior dogs, small dogs to big dogs, and everything in between. Last year we helped over 200 pet owners get to a healthier and happier life with their dogs. We specialize in reactivity, separation anxiety, and aggression.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the hardest moments during my career was accepting the fact that my dream to train exotic animals was coming to close at age 24 due to my back issues. I could already feel the toll all the lifting and scrubbing was taking on my spine. If I didn’t pivot my career path, I was going to have serious issues as I got older.

Starting Taking The Lead has been an eye opening journey. When I started out, I was a dog trainer with a vision to help dog owners. Running a business required a huge skill set I didn’t have at the time. I had to learn how to advertise, market, hire the right people, payroll, HR, balance work and my personal life, and how to have tough conversations with clients and employees. Over the years I’ve made many mistakes and bad calls. But each one has taught me a new lesson, and I continue to grow.

Dog training has a busy season in the summer and a slow season during the winter. I opened our facility in February of 2023. The first year was a lot of hiring the wrong people and learning how to spot rockstars in interviews. We had a busy summer, but I did not plan for the season slump during the winter. Our first January since opening I was able to pay my renovation loan and rent, and I literally didn’t have enough in my bank account for payroll that Friday. I stayed late every night that week working on sales and meeting new potential clients. It was literally make or break for me. That month we went on to have a record January is sales! That first year was brutal. Being an entrepreneur isn’t an easy career. For me it was 14 hour days, early mornings, sleepless nights, and missed time with my family and friends. But I would see the vision. I could see how this would start coming together. If I was willing to endure discomfort now, I had so many great things to look forward to in the future.

As you know, we’re big fans of Taking The Lead. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Taking The Lead is my dog training company that specializes in reactivity, separation anxiety, and aggression. We had all sizes, breeds, and ages of dogs get into a healthier, happier life with their owners. We are located at 2032 Circle Drive, right off 315 and Bethel Road. We offer free evaluations for anyone who needs help with their dog. We do a unique day train program that is a blend of private one on one lessons and a board and train. Clients drop their dogs off with our training team in the morning. We do 6-8 training sessions with their dogs throughout the day. When owners pick their dog up, they get a one on one private lesson with the trainer that worked their dog all day. Owners will get to practice all the training skills their dog learned during the day, and the trainers will give them homework for the week. The following week, owners will drop off for another full day of training at the facility. Our day train is the newest style of training program on the market. It provides the perfect blend between dogs getting a full day of training, and owners getting an individual lesson with professional trainers.

A typical day at our facility starts with a trip through our obstacle course to building confidence. All dogs 1-9 years of age will get a 20 minute run on our treadmills to burn energy and get exercise. We do interval sessions for our training lessons. That means 20 minutes of training and 30 minutes of crate rest to allow latent learning for the dogs, rise and repeat. We also take a pack walk around the neighborhood every morning. Every trainer grabs a dog, and we practice heeling in as a large group. At noon any dogs at the half way point of their program get to go on a field trip. Each trainer will take a dog off site to train in Home Depot, Lowe’s, Track Supply, Park of Roses, or Antrim Park. The dogs get to practice their obedience work in real world experiences. Right before lunch, all of our social dogs get to have an off leash puppy play date with other dogs. During lunch the dogs get to eat and rest. After lunch we do another round of interval training sessions. Clients arrive to pick up their pets in the evening and do their one on one lessons with our trainers. Our day train program is packed with learning and real world adventures for dogs!

Our training team is my proudest aspect of Taking The Lead. We have the best team of trainers in the city! Each trainer has been hand selected and personal trained by me. I also deeply believe in continuously educating and building up my team. Every year we shut down the whole facility for a week so our trainers can travel across the country to learn from the best trainers in the world. The better our training team is, the better service we can provide our clients.

Every Taking The Lead program is customized to the owner’s goals and the dog’s needs. We offer commitment-free evaluations for any pet owner considering professional dog training. This allows our head trainer to evaluate the dog’s behavioral issues and build the best suited program for our clients. We also demonstrate our training style live with dog owners, so they can see first hand how our program can help their dog.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Anyone interested in our free evaluations can text us at 614-820-1628. We encourage people to follow our success stories on on Facebook and Instagram @takingtheleadohio. We also offer educational seminars for vet clinics, rescues, and shelters about safety techniques and handling exercises for dogs.

Pricing:

• Free Evaluations

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.takingtheleadohio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/takingtheleadohio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TakingTheLeadOhio
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lindsaysummers1126
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/taking-the-lead-columbus?osq=taking+the+lead
• Other: https://takingtheleadllc.com/ig?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnn7J2g1gCQHIiC55GcaXOd6MaTRzMHq1QyDBoNKNwenw18W7ZfWqUlw9qyBI_aem_x09vZi2KguJJfzGufHu4Tg