Sunshine the cat

Sunshine is Chloe and Leonidas' sister, She has FIV and must be quarantined. She has always had her guard up and is usually not very friendly. Recently I was able to convince her that we could be friends. She is still very unsure but is feeling more confident with me the more I visit.

Chloe and Leonidas loved to be brushes

When our visits began, Chloe(the calico)would hide at the top of the stairs. Her brother Leonidas was always very friendly. One day after brushing the dog Chloe just happened to be in reach, so I ran the brush down her back a time or two. Soon she began to absolutley love it and now has convinced her brother to join in.

Daisy and Winnie the Bichons

I met two new friends this weekend. 2 yr old Daisy and 10 week old Winnie.
They had such a great time entertaining each other that I felt other than a potty break and feedings that they really didn't care if I was there or not.
Ya gotta love a puppy .....and two is twice as fun!!!

Duke learns how to shake

I met Duke Friday afternoon. He is a loner type dog and I wanted to try to draw him out of his shell. After asking him to wait and not lunge at an open door and having him comply I realized this is a very smart dog. On my first visit Saturday I began working with him to teach him how to shake. Here he is one day later on Sunday afternoon shaking with convidence and enjoyment. Duke is a great dog to pet sit for.

Tink and Harley

Visiting with Tink and Harley on a Wednesday afternoon.

Traveller and the Toy

Training Tip #2

Dogs CAN learn English, but only if it is taught to them one word at a time. When you were taught a foreign language in school you were basically given a list of words and their meanings. You would study and learn one word at a time. Eventually you learned that "Hola" meant hello and "Adios" meant goodbye. Dogs learn in much the same way, with repetition and consistency. Think about the easy things dogs are taught, they are all one word: Sit, Stay, Come, Fetch.... with enough repetition you can teach your dog any word. Eventually you can even form a full sentence with the one key word the dog has learned and he will completely understand.
For instance teach your dog the word "walk". In time you can say "Gus do you want to go for a WALK?". He will understand that sentence due to that one key word.

Had the pleasure of meeting the neighbors new dog up close and personal tonight. He is a cute little guy about 2. He needs a little training but he is a very smart dog. He will learn quickly. Traveller(my dog) has been obsessed with him through the fence for a few months now. He was finally able to play with him and they had a great time. Gus (the new dog) gave me the idea to blog about training tips.
So here goes: These are tips I have learned myself through my day to day observations of the dogs I care for.
Tip 1 - Dogs learn through consistency and repetition. Example: If you are teaching your dog to get OFF the couch. Consistently remind him every time he gets on the couch to get OFF. Consistently use the same word OFF. Do not mix it with other words such as : Gus get OFF the couch. The word OFF will get lost in the mumble jumble of the human language. Simply walk over to him and say "OFF". If he doesn't get off the couch gently assist him but do not pull him off the couch. Assist him so he can make the decision himself to get off the couch. With repetition you will soon be able to get him off the couch with a friendly reminder from across the room.

My visits with the little cavalier are going great. I think he is starting to feel better or maybe he is just feeling better about me. Either way it's good to see him a little more active. I had a very very busy day today but it was worth the drive to get to every pet and have them be as thrilled to see me as I am them. 3 years in business and I am still learning and loving evrything about dogs!!

Spending the weekend pet sitting a very sick King Charles Cavalier. He could not be kenneled so we were contracted to assist him while his family went out of town. He is doing pretty good considering he doesn't feel good. His little tail wags every time he sees me and he loves to take his medicine with peanut butter. He is such a sweet little guy. I just want to stay all day and cuddle him.
I also had the opportunity to board one of my favorite dog walking doggies this weekend. It is so enjoyable to get to know these dogs on a whole new level. Gracie has the same disposition as my dog. They got along so well, it was like they had been friends for years.
I also had my sons huskies this weekend too. There is never a dull moment with two huskies that are sisters and under two.
It was a great weekend!!!!

Another easy day, 4 doggie walks and 4 visits/let outs. Tomorrow two doggie day care friends will be spending the day with me. My sons Huskies will be here by tomorrow evening for the weekend and Gracie my Bichon client will be hangin' out here too! I just can't seem to ever tire of canines. Bring em' on. :-)

Sallie B and Da Bird

Kind of a slow pet sitting week. I walked Aiko and Mia and Nala, and visited Max a few times today. That was it. The rest of the week is pretty much the same. I am enjoying the downtime, next week will be crazy. Get to see my buddy Henry at the end of the week. Really looking forward to our visits. He can be a little challenging but I always learn from him and he is always willing to learn from me too!