How to use Canva for dog trainers

Running a dog focused business isn’t just about working with dogs - it’s also about marketing your services, creating client handouts, and keeping everything organised.

For many dog trainers, that means doing their own marketing while juggling client work.

Canva is brilliant for this, but many trainers don’t realise its full potential. With new features constantly being added - including AI tools and advanced photo editing - Canva can save you time, keep your designs consistent, and help you feel more organised, without having to open a dozen tabs or hire a designer.

Read on to discover 10 Canva features that’ll save you time AND make your designs look more professional.

Why Canva is great for dog trainers

Canva is a versatile tool that can help create professional-looking designs without any design experience. Here’s why it works so well:

• DIY-friendly: Even if you’re not a designer, Canva makes it easy to create beautiful social media posts, flyers, handouts, and more.

• Time-saving: Keep all your design assets in one place and reuse layouts with just a few clicks.

• Affordable: Canva Pro is just £10.99/month (or less with an annual plan) — a small investment for the time you save.

• Templates: There are thousands of ready-made templates you can personalise, from social posts to posters.

• Brand consistency: Keep colours, fonts, and logos consistent across all your marketing.

• Social media scheduling: Post directly to social media without leaving Canva.

• Photo editing: Remove backgrounds, erase distractions, and polish your dog photos to look professional.

Even if you enjoy designing, Canva makes the process faster and more organised, which means you can spend more time with clients and less time fussing with graphics.

10 Canva features you’ll wish you knew sooner

Here are some time-saving Canva features, perfect for dog trainers, including whether they are Free or Pro:

1. Magic Resize

What it does: Instantly reformat a design into multiple sizes (e.g., turn an Instagram post into a flyer or Facebook banner). 

Version: Pro 

Where to find it: Menu bar, top left

2. Brand Kit

What it does: Upload your colours, fonts, and logo so all your designs stay consistent. 

Version: Pro 

Where to find it: Menu bar, left side

3. Background Remover

What it does: Cut a dog out of a busy background in one click. 

Version: Pro 

Where to find it: Click your photo → Edit → Background Remover

4. Magic Eraser

What it does: Remove distracting items from photos (like leads, people, or lampposts). Canva fills in the space for you automatically. 

Version: Pro 

Where to find it: Click your photo → Edit → Magic Studio → Magic Eraser

5. Select specific pages to download

What it does: Download only certain pages of a multi-page design (e.g., just one page from a social media carousel). 

Version: Free 

Where to find it: Click Share → Download → Select Pages

6. Content Planner

What it does: Schedule your Canva designs directly to social media. 

Version: Free to post immediately, Pro for future scheduling 

Where to find it: Home screen → Apps → Content Planner

7. QR Codes

What it does: Generate scannable codes that link to booking forms, websites, or social media — perfect for posters, stickers, or handouts. 

Version: Free 

Where to find it: Home screen → Apps → QR Code

8. Folders & projects

What it does: Organise all your designs neatly so you can find them faster. 

Version: Free 

Where to find it: Home screen → Projects → Add New - create a new folder

9. Video editing

What it does: Lets you create and edit videos directly in Canva. You can trim clips, add transitions, overlay text, include music or voiceovers, and animate elements. Perfect for social media videos, training tutorials, or marketing content.

Version: Free (basic editing), Pro recommended for advanced features like background remover in video, premium stock footage, and longer video exports

Where to find it: Home screen → click Create a design → select Video (or start from a video template) → use the Timeline Editor at the bottom of your screen to trim, split, add audio, and animate.

10. Presentations & video recordings

What it does: Create and deliver presentations directly in Canva. You can present live, record yourself presenting for video content, or export your slides as a video or PDF to share with clients. Perfect for online courses, webinars, or training videos.

Version: Free (live presentations), Pro recommended for recording and advanced features

Where to find it: Open your design → click Present in the top right corner. For recording, click the dropdown next to Present → Record Presentation → follow the prompts to capture your video.

Bonus hack: Keep your branding consistent with the free version

What it does: Lets you quickly reuse existing designs without needing Canva Pro. Simply copy a page within a design, swap the text and images, and download just that new page. Perfect for recurring designs like blog headers, social media posts, or client handouts.

Version: Free

Where to find it: Open your design → navigate to the page you want to copy → click Duplicate page → edit text/images → download the new page (see tip no 5)

Ideas for what you can create in Canva

Once you know the features, here’s a list of ideas trainers can use Canva for:

• Social media posts – tips, client success stories, class announcements (Perfect opportunity to use the Magic Resize function AND the Content Planner!)

• Flyers & posters – puppy classes, 1-to-1 training, events (add a QR code!)

• Client handouts – exercises, homework trackers, progress sheets (store them neatly in Folders for easy access)

• Course workbooks & lead magnets – for online courses or free downloads

• Business cards & stickers – shareable and branded

• Edited photos – remove backgrounds, distractions, and polish shots

• Website graphics – blog headers, banners, and buttons

• Brand kit assets – keep colours, fonts, and logos consistent

• Presentations - for conferences, summits or online courses

Ready to put Canva to work?

Canva is a powerhouse tool for dog trainers, whether you’re creating social media content, client handouts, or marketing materials. By mastering a few hidden features -from Magic Resize to QR codes - you can save time, stay organised, and make your designs look professional without hiring a designer.

Combine these tips with reusable layouts or free templates, and you’ll free up more time to focus on what really matters: working with dogs and helping your clients succeed.

Comment below your favourite Canva features, or any time-saving hacks you use.

Save time with expert formatting

If you have a big document or project, like a multi-page workbook, training plan, or conference presentation, and you don’t have the time or patience to fiddle with formatting in Canva, I can help.

I’ll make sure your designs:

• Look professional and polished

• Maintain consistent branding

• Are easy to update and use

• Are ready to share or print

Let me handle the formatting so you can focus on training dogs and helping clients, not fighting with text boxes and page layouts.

Drop me a line to find out more.