March 30, 2025

How to Pay for Dog Training with Bitcoin

Andy Moyle
All-Breed Dog Obedience Instructor
AMPSK9.com

Bitcoin is a decentralized peer-to-peer electronic cash network that allows users to send funds directly to one another with no middle-man. With a fixed cap of only 21 million BTC that will ever be produced and a timely final-settlement mechanism that operates on nights, weekends, and bank holidays, it’s no wonder that many small businesses like dog trainers are turning to Bitcoin as their preferred method of receiving payments. Bitcoin’s zero counterparty-risk, healthy compounding annual growth rate, and ability for users to be their own banks make it an excellent choice for dog owners and trainers alike who want to preserve their money’s purchasing power at a time when fiat monetary policy keeps inflating prices at the grocery store, gas pump, and pet supply depot. Like the Gold-Standard was in times gone-by, Bitcoin is sound money for the Digital Age!

Disclaimer: The author is a dog trainer, not a financial advisor, and this blog post is for informational purposes only. Digital assets such as Bitcoin carry risks, and prices can be volatile. Please conduct your own research and consider consulting a professional before making any financial decisions related to Bitcoin or other digital assets.

Does Your Dog Trainer Accept Bitcoin?

Studies show that upwards of 30% of small businesses already accept Bitcoin payments¹, and that as much as 75% plan to do so soon.² There’s a solid chance that your dog trainer already accepts Bitcoin to pay for dog training. Many retailers even offer an attractive discount for customers who pay with Bitcoin, so you may be pleasantly surprised to find that paying with your dog trainer’s preferred money is an affordable way to get your dog trained that benefits everyone involved!³ Some businesses that accept Bitcoin don’t widely announce the fact, so even if your dog trainer doesn’t list Bitcoin as a method of payment on her website, if you just ask there is a good chance she does!

Pros and Cons of Paying for Dog Training with Bitcoin

Pros

Affordability: Bitcoin payments sent via the Lightning Network oftentimes have no fees, and payments sent via the main blockchain can be arranged with fees that are a mere fraction of the 3-5% charged by credit card processors.
Security: Bitcoin payments have to be signed by your cryptographically-secured private key that only you can access, so there’s no risk of unexpected or fraudulent future charges like with your credit cards kept on-file in your dog trainer’s database.
Value-for-Value: By paying your dog trainer with an appreciating asset, you are compensating his valuable training with something very valuable in return, ensuring that his business can remain solvent and he can continue to provide you with value in the future. As Parker Lewis says, “Paying your valued vendors in bitcoin is the opposite of mutually assured destruction–it’s mutually assured survival…If he wants bitcoin, I’ll pay him in bitcoin because I want him to be around tomorrow, the next day, and the months and years to come.”⁴

Cons

Responsibility: Bitcoin is a bearer asset like physical cash, so once it has been given, it cannot be recovered unless the recipient agrees to send a refund. There is no such thing as a “chargeback” on the Bitcoin Network, so you are fully responsible for researching your dog trainer to ensure that she will provide you with the results you are seeking. This means that if you want to pay your dog trainer with Bitcoin, you will have to be very discerning when choosing a dog trainer, and the dog trainers who want to be paid in Bitcoin will have to be very good at demonstrating the quality of their training to you. Perhaps this isn’t so much of a “Con” as it first seemed…
Ease of Use: While you are probably already set up to pay for dog training with cash or credit, you might not already be set up to pay for dog training with Bitcoin. The good news is, it’s very easy to get started, the rest of this article will show you how!

Paying for Dog Training with Bitcoin

Step 1: Set up your Bitcoin Wallet

A Bitcoin wallet is a software program that stores the private keys you need to send Bitcoin payments. Here are a few examples of Bitcoin wallets I like:

Simple Start: Cash App

Many dog owners already use Cash App, making this a great choice to get started. If you don’t have it already, you can even receive $5 if you use my referral code (R4HJN91) when signing up.

Download: https://cash.app/app/R4HJN91

Pros

Free to Download
Simple User Interface
Lightning Network Capable: Think of Bitcoin on the Lightning Network like your checking account. Instant payments, low fees.
In-app Exchanges: Cash App has a built-in Bitcoin exchange you can use to instantly buy and sell Bitcoin.
Low Fees: 1-3% Buying/Selling Bitcoin, free Lightning transfers, free Withdrawals over 100,000 sats.

Cons

Custodial Wallet: Your private Bitcoin keys are stored by Block Inc. meaning that they theoretically could block you from accessing your Bitcoin.
Some Limits: Cash App has limits on how much Bitcoin you can buy, deposit, withdraw, and transfer per day and per week.
Closed Source: The Cash App software is closed-source meaning that it cannot be audited for vulnerabilities and malicious programming..

Power User: Bitkit Wallet

Dog owners who want to take full-advantage of Bitcoin’s financial superpowers are encouraged to use a self-custodial wallet such as Bitkit.

Download: https://bitkit.to/

Pros

Free to Download
Self-Custodial Wallet: Your private Bitcoin keys are stored directly on your phone so nobody can block you from accessing your Bitcoin. This also means that if you lose your phone, you could lose access to your private Bitcoin keys. Therefore, it is imperative that you make a physical copy of your self-custodial wallet’s backup phrase so that you can recover your private Bitcoin keys if you lose your phone. Do not store your copy of your backup phrase digitally or it could be hacked!
Open-Source: Bitkit’s software is open-source meaning it can be audited by anyone for vulnerabilities and malicious programming.
Lightning Network Capable: Bitkit easily shows how much Bitcoin you have available for Saving (on-chain) and for Spending (Lightning Network).

Cons

Hot Wallet: Your private Bitcoin keys are stored on an Internet-connected device, meaning they are potentially vulnerable to malicious actors who gain digital or physical access to your phone.
No In-App Exchange: You must purchase Bitcoin elsewhere and then send it to your Bitkey wallet.

Cybertech Wizards: Trezor Wallet

For dog owners who value ultimate security and control, a hardware wallet such as Trezor wallet is the best choice for the tech savvy.

Purchase: https://trezor.io/

IMPORTANT: You should only buy hardware wallets from either the manufacturer themselves or from an authorized retailer to prevent your wallet from being intercepted and tampered with!

Pros

Cold Storage: Your private Bitcoin keys are secured on the physical, non-Internet-connected hardware wallet. Nobody except someone with physical access to the Trezor wallet or its backup phrase (which you should never store digitally!) can access the keys. For extra security, you should lock your Trezor wallet with a PIN that only you know.
Open Source: The Trezor wallet software is open-source meaning it can be audited by anyone for vulnerabilities and malicious programming.
In-App Exchange: The Trezor Suite software that you use to connect to your Trezor wallet has a built-in Bitcoin exchange you can use to instantly buy and sell Bitcoin.

Cons

Cost: The Trezor wallet is a physical device, so you do have to pay to get one:
Not Lightning Network Capable: You must send Bitcoin from your Trezor wallet to a Lightning Network capable wallet in order to pay for dog training with Bitcoin over the Lightning Network.
No On-The-Go Transactions: Your Trezor wallet must be physically connected to your computer to send a Bitcoin payment, so unless you bring your laptop with you to your dog training session, you will not be able to pay for dog training with Bitcoin until you return to your computer.

Step 2: Acquire some Bitcoin

Now that your wallet is set up, you need to load it with some Bitcoin. Here’s how to get some Bitcoin you can use to pay for dog training:

Exchange your time or resources for Bitcoin

This is how your dog trainer gets her Bitcoin – if you have a valuable skill, you can ask people who need your skill to pay you with Bitcoin. Or, maybe you have some items lying around you can sell for Bitcoin – websites like https://satstash.io/ offer an Ebay-like experience for you to de-clutter your garage while earning Bitcoin.

Buy Bitcoin with Fiat Currency

If you have some inflationary fiat currency such as the U.S. Dollar, you can exchange that depreciating asset for an appreciating one such as Bitcoin. Here are the usual methods of buying Bitcoin with fiat:

Find someone who will sell you Bitcoin

Do you know a Bitcoiner already? Perhaps they will send you some Bitcoin in a fully private, person-to-person sale.
Note on Risks: You might encounter scammers, unreliable sellers, or prices well above market rates. Since Bitcoin transactions are final, there’s no safety net if the deal goes sour. Always verify the seller’s trustworthiness and triple-check the wallet address to avoid losing your funds.

Use a Bitcoin Exchange

Exchanges such as Strike (https://strike.me/), and Bisq (https://bisq.network/) allow you to purchase Bitcoin via debit/credit, bank transfer, and other methods of sending fiat currency.
Bitcoin Exchanges usually charge a small fee on top of the Bitcoin spot-price, and you may be asked to provide personal identifying information to the exchange.

Use a Bitcoin ATM

If you have physical cash, you can deposit it at a Bitcoin ATM and receive Bitcoin in your wallet.
Bitcoin ATMs usually charge a larger fee on top of the Bitcoin spot-price, and you may be asked to provide personal identifying information to the Bitcoin ATM.
Locate a Bitcoin ATM: https://coinatmradar.com/bitcoin-atm-near-me/
Note on Risks: Double-check the wallet address you send to, as errors are irreversible.

Our Choice: Fold

Fold is a unique service that allows you to set up a checking account with an associated Visa debit card that you can use to buy Bitcoin with low or no-fees. You can also instantly convert your Bitcoin back into U.S. Dollars to fund your checking account. What in my view makes Fold rise above the rest is the fact that they offer rewards for purchases made with the Visa debit card, however instead of rewarding you with cashback or Skymiles, Fold rewards you with Bitcoin!

If you use my referral link, you can even get $10 in free Bitcoin when you sign up and activate your debit card: https://use.foldapp.com/r/NJHCXATP

Step 3: Find out, how much does dog training cost in Bitcoin?

Bitcoin priced in fiat currency has some short-term volatility, so how much Bitcoin you should pay for dog training may fluctuate from day to day. Make sure you ask your dog trainer what his Bitcoin price is on the day that you want to pay for dog training with Bitcoin, and understand that it may change.

Bitcoin prices may seem confusing at first, but they are simple when you understand the notation used to express them.

Bitcoin prices are expressed in two denominations, BTC and Sats:

BTC

“BTC” means Bitcoin: 1 BTC=1 Bitcoin, like how 1 USD=1 Dollar. There will only be 21 million BTC ever made, so this is a very large denomination. When expressed in BTC, the price of dog training paid with Bitcoin can be written as a decimal place. For example, 0.01 BTC means 1/100th of a Bitcoin.
BTC is also represented using the ₿ symbol, so 0.01 BTC can also be shown as ₿0.01.

Sats

Just like U.S. Dollars can be divided into cents, Bitcoins can also be divided into a smaller unit. Whereas the smallest unit of the U.S. Dollar is the cent, the smallest unit of the Bitcoin is the “satoshi.” But while there are only 100 cents per dollar, there are 100,000,000 satoshis or “sats” per Bitcoin.
Denominating dog training prices in sats rather than BTC can be easier on the eye than decimal places, so some dog trainers may list their prices in sats. For example, your dog trainer might quote you a price of 1,000,000 sats which is the same as ₿0.01 or 1/100th of a Bitcoin.

Make sure to add in transaction fees

Paying for dog training with Bitcoin may require a transaction fee, so make sure you factor that into your payment. Here’s how to account for fees when paying for dog training with Bitcoin.

Lightning Network Payments: The Lightning Network is a payment routing system that operates on top of the main Bitcoin blockchain. Payments made over the Lightning Network are nearly instant and they typically have very low or no-fees. However, routing large payments through the network can be tricky. For smaller payments, such as paying for individual private lessons, this is probably your dog trainer’s preferred method.

On-Chain Payments: Sending payments on the main Bitcoin Network blockchain is slower and typically has higher fees than sending payments over the Lightning Network. On the main Bitcoin Network blockchain you can send a transaction of any size as long as you have enough funds in your wallet, so for large payments such as paying for Board and Train, your dog trainer may ask you to make an on-chain payment.

Since the Bitcoin Network is decentralized, users wishing to send payments on-chain are able to select whatever fee they wish to pay. On the blockchain, a new batch of payments is settled roughly every 10 minutes, and the computers that add the payments to the batch will do so based on the fee that is offered alongside each payment. Sites like https://mempool.space/ show statistics about the Bitcoin Network traffic and the fees that people are offering to include their payments in the batch, so you can see what the current average rates are. If you want to make sure your dog training payment is included in the next batch, you will want to offer a fee that matches or exceeds the “High Priority” fee rate, but if you don’t mind waiting a bit then you can select a lower fee. However, if you don’t select a high enough fee it may take hours or even days for your dog training payment to settle and your dog trainer may not be happy about that! If your fee is too low for your payment to be included in a batch within 2 weeks it will be deleted and you will have to re-send the dog training payment (don’t worry, you won’t lose your funds).

Step 4: Pay for dog training with Bitcoin

When you have an adequate amount of Bitcoin in your wallet, it’s time to pay your dog trainer! Here’s how:

1.) Receive your dog trainer’s Bitcoin wallet address.

Your dog trainer will provide you with either a QR code or a long string of characters that directs payments to her Bitcoin wallet

2.) Scan/copy+paste your dog trainer’s Bitcoin wallet address into your Bitcoin wallet’s “Send” field.

IMPORTANT: You must make sure that your dog trainer’s Bitcoin wallet address exactly matches what you enter into the “Send” field of your Bitcoin wallet. If it is off by even one digit you will permanently lose the Bitcoin you try to send. Remember, with Bitcoin you are fully responsible for what happens to your money, and if you make a mistake there are no “chargebacks” and nobody to cry-help to.

3.) Enter the amount of Bitcoin you wish to send.

Be sure to include enough Bitcoin to cover the transaction fee. Your wallet may manage this automatically for you.

4.) Double check EVERYTHING.

Are you absolutely sure you want to pay this dog trainer?
Did you include the right amount of Bitcoin?
Does the wallet address your dog trainer sent you exactly match the one you entered into your Bitcoin wallet?
If you are using a hardware wallet, does the wallet address on your hardware wallet’s screen exactly match what is shown on the device you are using to broadcast the transaction?

5.) Send the payment.

Hit the “Submit” button in your wallet to send the Bitcoin to your dog trainer.

6.) Wait for confirmation.

Your wallet software will inform you when the payment has fully processed. If you routed the payment through the Lightning Network, this usually occurs within a few seconds. If you sent an on-chain transaction, the time for your payment to be published on the blockchain will depend on the fee you provided.
This can be nerve-wracking your first time, especially if it is a large payment. I suggest testing it out a few times first, sending small payments to yourself or your family/friends to get the hang of sending and receiving Bitcoin before sending any substantial payments to your dog trainer.

Congratulations, you have paid for dog training with Bitcoin! That wasn’t so difficult, was it? I hope not, and I hope this guide has been helpful for you to figure out whether paying your dog trainer with Bitcoin is a good choice for your situation. Bitcoin is the best money humanity has ever discovered, and I think that as time goes on, more dog owners and trainers will inevitably choose to switch to Bitcoin. Dog owners and trainers alike value responsibility, security, and freedom – everything that makes Bitcoin great. After all, dog training is a celebration of what is of value in the special bond between our two species, and training your dog is the best thing you can do for your relationship with him. Your dog trainer helps bring out the best between you and your dog, so why not compensate him with the best money that dog training can buy?

If this article has been helpful for you, I hope you will share it with others. The steps I have listed here don’t just apply to dog training, you can also use them to pay for anything you want with Bitcoin. If you are a dog trainer (or any other sort of business owner) who hopes that your clients will pay you with Bitcoin, by all means, feel free to re-publish this on your own site, I just ask that you please leave my links and attribution intact.

Happy training, I’m looking forward to seeing you in the bright future Bitcoin is building for us all.

1 Skynova. (2021). Accepting Bitcoin. Retrieved from: https://web.archive.org/web/20211104001520/https://www.skynova.com/blog/accepting-bitcoin

2 Deloitte. (2022). Merchants getting ready for crypto: Merchant Adoption of Digital Currency Payments Survey. Retrieved from: https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/technology/us-cons-merchant-getting-ready-for-crypto.pdf

3 Lewis, Parker. (2023). Pay Me In Bitcoin Theory. Retrieved from: https://graduallythensuddenly.xyz/pay-me-in-bitcoin-theory/

4 Ibid.

I’m not affiliated with any of the products or services discussed here. I’m recommending them because I have experience using them and I like them, and other than if you use my generic referral codes which are available to all users of these services, I haven’t and won’t receive any compensation for recommending them.