Posts Tagged ‘dog walking’

Professional pet sitters are experienced, insured and full time pet care providers. There are many reasons to hire a professional pet sitter or dog walker.

Instead of dropping your dog off at the local kennel or at the veterinarian’s office, a professional pet sitter comes to your house and cares for your pet in the environment that they are most comfortable in. Some pet sitters also provide boarding in their homes. Terry Albert of Poway Pet Care is a perfect example of this. She provides in your home pet sitting, and in her home pet boarding.

Most professional pet sitters also provide dog walking services. This is great for people who work long hours, have an appointment after work, or just want their dog to get some extra exercise.

There are many benefits for you and your pet to hiring a professional pet sitter and dog walker.

• Your pets gets to stay in familiar surroundings with all of the smells and comforts that they are accustomed to
• Your pets get to keep their eating, exercising and bathroom routines, there is no risk of someone feeding your pet the wrong food
• Your pets get one on one play time, snuggle time and quality time
• Your pets’ health, happiness and well being will be monitored closely
• Professional pet sitters can administer medications and injections that your pet may need and there is no worry that your pet will get the wrong medicine, too much or too little of their medicine, or the wrong pet’s medicine
• No exposure to other animal’s illnesses (kennel cough, parvo) or parasites (fleas, worms, etc)
• No travel time or trauma (not all pets travel well)
• Having your home being cared for while you’re away; burglars are less likely to target a home with a person coming in and out
• Pet sitters can water your plants and lawn, bring in your newspapers and mail, bring in packages, check doors and windows to be sure everything is secure, alternate opening blinds and turning on lights to give your home a lived in look, and many other functions
• Having the confidence that your pets are in professional hands and can handle any issue that may arise calmly, efficiently and assertively
• And last but not least, you don’t have to feel as if you are imposing on neighbors, friends and relatives

Before You Hire A Pet Sitter:

There are a lot of resources where you can find professional pet sitters in your area. A great one in Georgia is Georgia Network of Professional Pet Sitters (GNPP) . You can use their zip code or city finder and find a great professional in your area.

Make sure you get a warm and fuzzy feeling from your sitter. If the person doesn’t insist upon meeting you and your pets before your trip, this is a big red flag. Professional pet sitters want to meet and get to know you and your pets before agreeing on service. When you meet, the sitter should be very interested in your pets, interacting with them and asking questions about your pets.

A professional pet sitter will be able to provide you with a copy of their insurance policy and a list of references. They will have informational sheets about you and your pets for you to fill out and also a contract of service.

When you’re telling the sitter about your pets and their routine, eating habits, etc., watch to see if they are engaged in what you’re saying and paying attention. During this “meet and greet,” make sure to tell the pet sitter about any special needs you pet may have, such as medications, illnesses or conditions or special dietary needs.

Please look into all avenues before deciding what to do with your pet while you’re out of town or working all day. It depends on your pet’s personality where they’ll be happiest. If you decide on a doggy daycare or boarding kennel, please stop in there randomly and ask to see the back where the dogs are. If they won’t let you, that’s a red flag. In my humble opinion, pets are happiest at home.

The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.  – Maya Angelou

As a professional pet sitter and dog walker, I run across quite a lot of dogs who pull as hard as they can when we go for walks. I don’t enjoy walks when being pulled (even when it’s a small dog), and I honestly think the dogs get a lot more out of a controlled walk than just going dog wild (haha). A walk should be enjoyable for all parties involved, and it’s possible with the right tools and understanding of the dog or dogs that are being walked.

What will work for one dog doesn’t  necessarily work for another. You should never put any sort of tightening collar on dogs like shih tzus, as you can cause a lot of permanent and painful damage to their trachea. In fact, any tightening collars (martingales, chain choke collars, pinch collars, etc), need to stay off of the mid-throat area, and stay under the chin and close to the ears. This gives the walker more control over the head of the dog, and keeps the excited dog from choking himself on the collar and causing throat damage.

There are so many choices of harnesses, collars and other tools that you can choose from, the list goes on and on. Listed below are some of the tools that I have used or have seen being used. If you have any experiences, good or bad, with any of these or have something to add, please leave a comment.

Cesar Millan’s (The Dog Whisperer) Illusion Collar- This collar just arrived at our home yesterday and we tried it out on Josie, our golden retriever/shepherd mix who is “in training.” She does pretty well on walks for a lot of the time, but when we first set out to walk, she likes to pull. If she sees another dog, or sometimes a kid, she jumps around and goes nuts! This collar seems to be working very well. I’m in total control while walking her (along my other two dogs on their leashes), she walks right beside me, and there is no worry that the collar is hurting her neck. Below is a picture of her wearing the collar.

The Illusion collar isn’t for everyone. Here is the warning on Cesar’s website:

WARNING: If your dog’s neck measures less than 13 inches at the base, or your dog weighs less than 18 lbs, you should NOT use the collar. The Illusion collar is not intended for puppies under one year of age. Dogs with any breathing problems, such as “pushed-in faces” that restrict breathing; dogs with trachea or throat problems, such as Pomeranians; and dogs with elongated, overly slender necks, such as Greyhounds, should NOT use the collar. Consult your local professional for further advice.

The Gentle Leader- When we fostered a very rambunctious wire haired terrier mix named Dixon, we knew immediately that he had issues on the leash. He was out of control, jumping every where, biting at the leash and our legs, trying to get anything that moved….we needed some help! We tried a regular harness and a slip lead, but neither really helped. The only way we got him even halfway under control was the Gentle Leader. This is a collar that goes around the actual head of the dog and loops around their mouths, and the leash attaches under the chin on a loop. Sounds uncomfortable, and it does take some dogs longer than others to get used to it, but it helped us teach Dixon what we wanted him to do. I don’t have a picture of Dixon on his Gentle Leader, but I found a random picture to share.

Here is what the Gentle Leader website says about the head collar:

Millions of dog owners today enjoy the benefits of stress-free walks thanks to the Gentle Leader Headcollar. Designed so that owners can communicate with their pet in a way they instinctively understand, the Gentle Leader painlessly and effectively removes the dog’s natural tendency to pull by placing gentle pressure on calming points and eliminating uncomfortable pressure on the throat. In addition to reducing a dog’s desire to pull away, the Gentle Leader is also a very effective tool in combating lunging, jumping, excessive barking and helping to calm an aggressive and/or anxious animal.

Easy Walk Harness- I don’t have much experience with these harnesses, but I’ve seen them work with other people walking their dogs. When the dog tries to pull, this harness makes them feel like they’re turning back around, so they stop pulling to stop themselves from turning. Here’s what the Easy Walk Harness says about their harnesses:

Traditional harnesses can actually encourage dogs to pull harder because of the “opposition reflex.”  That’s the reflex that makes sled dogs do what they do. The Easy Walk Harness’ unique front-chest leash attachment stops pulling by tightening slightly across your dog’s chest and shoulder blades. The gentle pressure steers your dog to the side and redirecting his attention back towards you. The Easy Walk Harness never causes coughing, gagging, or choking because the chest strap rests low across the breastbone, not on the delicate tracheal area.

These are just three of the many tools to choose from. I don’t choose to talk about pinch or prong collars or choke chain collars, but they are an option out there for the right dog, if and only if they are used in the correct way. Never yank or pull your dog by the neck, or really at all. There are always positive things that you can do to train your dog. Remember that food is the way to a lot of dogs’ hearts. Feed them a little less at meals if you use treats for training (so they don’t get overweight), and while training give them a delicious treat that they only get at training times. Cooked chicken or little bits of hot dog always work well for me.

Your dog wants to please you, his master, but we need to try to understand that the dog is a DOG trying to live in the human world. With patience and understanding, the sky is the limit for your dog. It’s in you to help your dog understand what you want. You just have to find your groove.

Always be a little kinder than necessary.  ~James M. Barrie

You might say, “My dog has a huge, fenced-in backyard to run around in all day, he gets plenty of exercise!” Did you know that dogs have a deeply ingrained, instinctual need to migrate with a pack and that there are breed specific activities that you can play to give your dog the balance she needs?

A well-balanced dog has all of her instinctual needs fulfilled, such as walking with their pack, and also exercises that fulfill the type of breed your dog is.

For instance, if you have a high energy dog, you may take him on two or three 30 minute to an hour brisk walks or jogs per day, in addition to some agility course training to satisfy their energetic nature.
If you have a medium energy dog, one or two 15-30 minute walks, plus some fetch in the backyard may suffice.

You might have a couch potato dog. Even if they appear disinterested in walking, you will find that they truly enjoy walking with you, their pack leader, and you might even see a new, more energetic side of your low energy dog.

Confining your dog to the backyard without a walk is comparable to confining a fish to a fish bowl. The world is you and your dog’s ocean. Explore it!

Well exercised dogs are balanced, less destructive and less rambunctious. Walking with your dog also creates a close bond between the two (or more) of you and can reinforce or establish your role as the dog’s pack leader.

If you are having issues with your dog, start simple. Take them for a few short walks a day to start out and see if that helps. They may need to be more challenged, and if that’s the case, you can find all kinds of games and puzzle-type toys for your dog. These can be homemade games and toys; no need to spend a ton of cash. It could be hiding a favorite toy in a sandbox, placing treats throughout the yard or house for your dog to find, or just a Kong toy filled with hard to reach treats.

I suggest checking out Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer and his books and website. He truly understands the nature of dogs and is easy to read and understand. Here is a link: www.cesarmillaninc.com

Dogs are great companions, especially well balanced and happy dogs. Make sure you do your homework on breeds before you go and get your new dog. Remember, your dog is not “human” and is quite happy being “just a dog.” Once you accept that, you are on your way to a strong and healthy relationship with your dog.

“In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn’t merely try to train him to be semi human. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog.” –Edward Hoagland