Therapy Dog Trainers on Square pay $29/month — $348/year. Over three years, that's $1,168. Nexa is $279 once. Break-even runs about 9.6 months. The median Therapy Dog Trainer earns $32,000/year, so Square's annual cost is roughly 1.1% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
That's $1,168 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Therapy Dog Trainers face unique challenges: A therapy dog must be bombproof gentle around walkers, IV poles, and grabbing hands, and many sweet dogs simply never reach that temperament bar. Registration and facility visits require specific evaluations, insurance, and titer/health paperwork that overwhelm well-meaning handlers. It's the handler as much as the dog that must pass, so half the coaching is teaching people to read stress and advocate for their dog. Hospitals, schools, and care homes book visits in clusters around events and holidays, so the calendar lurches. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Therapy Dog Trainer earns $32,000/year. Software at $348/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Therapy-dog evaluation checklist (AKC CGC / TDI-style) is yours. You bought it once. Nexa works the same way — $279 once for invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, and full accounting. All connected. All offline-capable. You own it like you own your tools.
Square is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?
Want this breakdown emailed to you?
Your exact Square cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.
| Feature | Square | Nexa |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| CRM | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Full Accounting | ✗ | ✓ (SIMPL) |
| Task Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Price | $29/mo forever | $279 once or 3 × $99 |
| 3-Year Cost | $1,168 | $279 |
| Stop paying? | Lose everything | Keep everything forever |
Most therapy dog trainers are fully switched before the weekend.
Go to Square Dashboard → Customers → Export. Also export transactions and item library.
15-minute setup. Import your customer list and service/product catalog.
Run both for 1-2 weeks. Test invoicing and booking through Nexa.
Cancel paid subscriptions. Keep free account for records access.
The morning is a prep class for the therapy evaluation, where the trainer rolls out a walker, drops a metal tray, and has a volunteer reach clumsily for the dog's face, watching not for tricks but for soft eyes and a tail that stays loose. The whole curriculum is gentleness under chaos: a dog that leans in for a hug from a stranger in a wheelchair and disengages politely when it's done. Mid-day is a one-on-one with a handler whose dog is lovely at home but freezes in a tile hallway that echoes, so they work hospital-like environments on purpose. The trainer coaches the human hard, because reading a yawn or a lip-lick and pulling the dog out before it's overwhelmed is the handler's real job. Afternoon is logistics: which facility needs current insurance, whose health paperwork is expiring, scheduling a mock visit at a care home that agreed to a practice run. Between everything are messages from handlers asking if their dog is ready and being gently told temperament can't be rushed. Evening is paperwork: evaluation checklists, visit logs, matching pairs to the right kind of facility, knowing a school reading program needs a different dog than a memory-care unit.
Real therapy dog trainers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a therapy dog trainer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every therapy dog trainer on Nexa →
For solo operators and small teams (1-5), yes. Nexa includes invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting. Square may be better if you have a large team (10+) or need enterprise-specific features.
It's $7.75/month over 3 years. Square is $29/month — that's $1,168 over 3 years. Which is more? And if you'd rather split it, Nexa is also available as 3 payments of $99.
Yes. Nexa is $279 as a one-time payment, or 3 payments of $99 ($297 total). Either way it's a one-time purchase — no subscription, no recurring fees ever.
30-day money-back guarantee. Full refund. If Nexa doesn't save you $500 in year one, you get every penny back.
Export your data from Square as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.
The average solo operator there spends about $1,900/year on software — and Therapy Dog Trainer face their own version of that math. Missouri income tax up to 4.8%. St. Louis City imposes a 1% earnings tax on all workers. Illinois side has separate 4.95% state tax. St. Louis City and County are separate jurisdictions with different licensing. Missouri contractors need registration for projects over $5,000.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the St. Louis metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Therapy Dog Trainers run into with Square, and what Nexa does instead.
$1,168 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.
Get Nexa — $279 Once