Where did the conference take place? Florida, Cleawater Beach
How many dealers attended? 160 people, representing 80 dealers (out of 200 dealers) – including UK
Did any dealers give presentations? Chris Burns, Fort Point Design – website optimization, website marketing
DogWatch staff and Shawn Bader from Mount Kisco, NY about remote trainer product BigLeash – upgraded with new features, released in March
Closest dealers/farthest away dealers? UK, California, Alaska, Florida
Where can I find the photos?
Dealer Fair – dealers shared information about their business with each other – learn from each other’s experience
Sat. Evening – Annual Awards Dinner for 2010 – Demie will e-mail key winners
Super Bowl party – Green Bay and Pittsburgh dealer

In addition to Super Bowl XLV, last weekend also marked the annual DogWatch Hidden Fences Dealer Conference. 180 people, representing 75 Dealerships, traveled to Clearwater Beach, Florida for the two-day conference. The group included DogWatch Dealers from as far away as California, Alaska, and even the United Kingdom. This week in Dog Tails, we wanted to share with you a few of the highlights of our biggest annual gathering, and celebrate the accomplishments of some of our amazing Dealers.

R7MiniThe conference kicked off on Saturday, with a number of exciting presentations. DogWatch Dealer Shawn Bader of Mount Kisco, NY discussed the BigLeash, DogWatch’s remote trainer product. He highlighted some of the exciting new features that will be available starting this March.

DogWatch staff also introduced our newest, smallest receiver collar – The R7mini. (See image at right.) A perfect solution for small dogs and cats, the R7mini has all the same great features you have come to expect from DogWatch. Weighing in at only 1.1 ounces (including the battery!), it is the smallest receiver collar available for hidden fences. To find out more about these new products and features, contact your local DogWatch Dealer.

Other presenters included Chris Burns of Fort Point Design, who discussed website optimization, and Catherine Weber of Weber Media Partners, who discussed social media marketing. That evening, we held our annual awards dinner, honoring the achievements of our Dealers in 2010. A complete list of award winners is included after the jump.

On Sunday afternoon, we held a Dealer Fair where Dealers shared information with each other about their businesses and learned from each other’s varied experiences. Of course, the Dealers also shared a lot of their own dog stories and training advice – after all, it’s all about the pets!  At the end of this productive day, everyone gathered together for a Super Bowl viewing party. Our Green Bay and Pittsburgh dealers were there to cheer on their home teams along with the DogWatch team.

All in all, it was fantastic weekend. Congrats to all of the awards winners, and a big thanks to the all of the dealers who attended. To see photos of the event, check our Facebook page next week. We hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into our event, and we encourage you to contact your local Dealer to learn more about our new products. We can’t wait to tell you about them!

2010 Dealer Awards

Top Dogs: The Top 10 Dealers in 2010

  1. Samantha & Ward Chapman, DogWatch by DogFence UK (United Kingdom)
  2. Sue & Bruce Thompson, DogWatch by C No Pet Fence (IL)
  3. Shannon & Brent Potvin, DogWatch of Metro Atlanta
  4. William Coden, Fido’s Fences (NY)
  5. Liz & Jack Goetz, DogWatch of Greater Pittsburgh
  6. Kathi-Ann & Leddy Smith, DogWatch Systems (MA)
  7. Shawn Bader, DogWatch by Petworks (NY)
  8. Sue Marks & Mark Bridschge, DogWatch of Central CT
  9. John Lipscomb, DogWatch of St. Louis
  10. Lynne & Bob Leed, DogWatch of Susquehanna Valley (PA)

Sales Achievement Awards: More than 20% Growth in 2010

Mary & Chuck Bednarczyk, DogWatch of the Capitol Region (NY)

Kristi & Joe Etherson, DogWatch of SW Florida

John Wasilishen, DogWatch By ProDog (NJ)

Samantha & Ward Chapman, DogWatch by DogFence UK

Otto Hudra, DogWatch of Hungary

Beth & Travis Canty, DogWatch of the Triangle (NC)

Shane Brzezinski, DogWatch of Central Wisconsin

Katie & Richard Gainey, DogWatch of North Florida

Holly & Randy Hoyt, DogWatch of Cape Cod

David Smith & Tom Gray, DogWatch of South Florida

Jan Van De Kamp, DogWatch of the Netherlands

Jenny & George Richardson, DogWatch of SW Virginia

Joyce & Randy Perry, DogWatch by Perry Fence (PA)

Julie & Wade McCormick, DogWatch of Utah

Pete Harvey, DogWatch of SE Wisconsin

Rookie of the Year: 2010 is First Full Year

Dave Spain, Triad DogWatch (NC)

Service Excellence Award:

Jamie Young, Palmetto DogWatch (SC)

Dealer of the Year:

Samantha & Ward Chapman, DogWatch by DogFence UK