Business Insurance for Dog Trainers

Your work as a dog trainer has the major perk of spending all day with animals, but it’s not without risk. Here’s what you need to know to protect your business and services with dog trainer insurance.

Best Dog Trainer Insurance

Not all dog trainers insurance is created equally. It’s always a good idea to research your options before you choose an insurance company and insurance policies. 

Fortunately, you can make this process easier by getting a free customized quote. Here are some of the best insurance companies to get you started.

Types of Dog Trainer Insurance

There are several types of insurance that you may want to consider to fully cover your business against all of the risks it faces. Understanding the types of coverage you need and how to get it may help your business avoid costly legal expenses in the future.

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance is the 1st stop for most business insurance coverage. It offers a broad range of financial and legal protection against claims that can come from 3rd parties. 

Do you offer training classes in a building that you rent or own? If so, your general liability insurance can help protect your business if a non-employee is injured on your property. It can also offer protection if your customer’s property is damaged by your business practices or employees.

Additionally, general liability insurance can offer protection against lawsuits accusing your business of libel, slander or copyright infringement.

Commercial Auto Insurance

Most dog trainers use a vehicle to perform some portion of their business. For example, if your business offers transport to a training session, you’re using your vehicle for business. 

Business vehicle usage may need commercial auto insurance. This type of insurance is similar to your personal auto insurance policy. It offers liability coverage and property damage coverage for the vehicles insured by the commercial auto insurance policy, 

Commercial Property Insurance

Commercial property is an important protection option for your business’s building or other business property. It offers coverage that is similar to homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policies. 

If your business’s building or property is damaged by natural causes, your commercial property insurance policy can help pay for the cost of repairing or replacing the damaged property.

This type of insurance can offer coverage for buildings, training equipment, training tools and furniture used for your business. If you sell products, you can also rest assured knowing that your inventory will also be covered by your commercial property insurance policy. 

Before moving forward, you should understand that this type of insurance coverage only applies if certain events cause the damages. The following examples are some events that are typically covered by commercial property insurance policies:

• Theft
• Vandalism
• Fire
• Hail
• Windstorms
• Explosions

Workers’ compensation is crucial for businesses that have one or more employees. In some states, you may also be able to use workers compensation insurance for yourself and for independent contractors. 

If an employee or another individual covered by your policy is injured on the job, your workers’ compensation policy may be able to help them out. It can pay for the employee’s medical expenses as they seek treatment for the injury. 

For example, if a dog in your pet training program bites your employee, your workers’ compensation policy should cover the cost of their trip to the doctor to receive the necessary treatment. 

Workers’ compensation insurance also covers work-related illnesses for employees. If an employee contracts rabies from an unvaccinated dog in your program, that employee’s medical expenses for diagnosis and treatment should be covered by your workers’ compensation policy.

If a work-related injury or illness prevents your employee from returning to work, they may be able to receive coverage for their lost wages from your workers’ compensation policy. This is also true if your employee is unable to return to their normal job. 

For example, if the injured employee typically makes $30 per hour as a pet trainer but injury prevents them from training, the employee may be able to return to work as a receptionist instead. If the receptionist position pays less than their training position, the employee may be able to receive compensation for the lost wages from your workers’ comp policy.

As a business owner, you’ll also benefit from this policy. If an injured employee or their family sues you, you’ll receive coverage for your legal costs as you defend your business against the lawsuit.

Employment Practices Liability Insurance

This type of insurance handles other employee-related claims. For example, if an employee accuses your business of wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation or workplace harassment, these would fall under this type of coverage. 

If your business faces any of these claims, you can use your employment practices liability insurance coverage to help offset the legal defense costs and other damages to your business. 

Care, Custody or Control

This is a unique type of coverage for animal care professionals. It provides coverage for your client’s pets and personal property while they are in your care, custody or control. The coverage applies to anyone involved with your business, whether they are an employee, an independent contractor or even a volunteer. 

This type of policy covers pets even if they’re in transport in a vehicle, pet taxi or by other means. If a dog is injured while in your care, their veterinary expenses are included under this type of coverage. The policy should pay the claims regardless of negligence or fault if the pet is injured accidentally. 

Cost of Dog Trainer Insurance

It can be difficult to determine the cost of dog trainer insurance. Fortunately, getting a quote makes it quick and easy. All you need to do is enter your ZIP code to get a free quote based on your location. 

There are a number of factors that can influence the cost of your dog training insurance. These factors include:

• How many years of dog training experience you have
• The length of time your business has existed
• The physical location of your business location(s)
• The size of your business
• The number of employees you have, if any
• Your business’s annual payroll
• Your business’s past history of insurance claims
• The coverage limits that you select for your policy

An important thing to remember is that there are some ways to change the cost of your insurance policies. Each policy has a coverage limit that you may be able to alter. The coverage limit is the maximum amount that your insurance policy will payout for qualifying claims throughout your policy year.

Some business insurers may also offer the ability to bundle multiple coverage options into a single insurance policy. An example of this is a business owner’s policy (BOP), which combines general liability and commercial property insurance into a single policy. Bundling your coverages can help you save money on your insurance policies and make it easier to manage your policies. 

In some cases, insurance companies may offer examples of the average cost of an insurance policy on its website. Progressive reported the average annual cost for its 2019 insurance policies through the Progressive Advantage Business Program were:

• $636 for general liability insurance
• $840 for workers’ compensation insurance

How Dog Trainer Insurance Works

The truth is that no two dog trainer businesses are exactly the same, so the insurance policies shouldn’t be the same either. Luckily, insurance providers offer plenty of coverage options, so you can select exactly what you need. While some companies may offer suggestions, it’s important to do your own research. 

After you get a quote, you can compare insurance companies and coverage options. Consider the factors that make up your business, such as whether you have employees, the amount of business property you own and the services your business offers. 

This can help you determine the risks that your business faces and which types of coverage you’ll need to protect your business against each risk. An experienced insurance company and an insurance agent can be an asset in helping you navigate your options and what your business needs.

When you’ve purchased your dog trainer insurance policies, you should keep your policy documents and contact information easily accessible. If you need to make an insurance claim for your business, you’ll follow the directions listed on your policy documents. You may also be able to visit your insurance company’s website or contact your insurance agent for further assistance. If the insurance company accepts your claim, it will pay out the appropriate amount until you’ve hit the policy limits. 

Next Steps to Coverage

Your next step is to get a fast, free quote for your dog training business insurance. No matter its size, your business will benefit from the right insurance coverage. 

By reviewing and comparing the options in your quote, you can pick out the insurance company and types that are best for your pet training business. 

Frequently Asked Questions