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3 Best Dog Collars for Pulling

nikki@thecollarclub.com (Nikki Musko) — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 01:39:00 GMT

3 Best Dog Collars for Pulling

Helena hit send on an email to her team and smiled. For once more work was being completed than new projects were coming in.

She might actually leave on time today. If she did, she’d head home and pick up her husband Kevin and dog Cliff and go to dinner somewhere with a patio where Cliff could sit with them.

Her cell phone rang. As she answered, Kevin said, voice breaking, “Helena, something’s happened.”

This was bad. “What is it?”

“I came home at lunch to take Cliff on his walk. He went after the Petersons’ dog again. He got away from me. He was hit by a car.”

Helena closed her eyes. “Is he okay?”

“No.I brought him to the vet as fast as I could, but the vet is saying we need to put him to sleep.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Helena said, standing and reaching for her purse. It didn’t end there.

Two weeks later Helena came home to the empty house. As she flipped through the mail, an official-looking envelope caught her eye. Ripping it open, she pulled out the letter and read.

The owner of the car that had hit Cliff was suing her and Kevin for damage to his vehicle.

The Appropriate Collar Keeps You and Your Dog Safe

Hopefully, you’ve never experienced something this terrible. But you probably have had your dog slip free of his collar at the worst possible moment. And now you live like this:

You’re embarrassed to be seen with your dog dragging you down the sidewalk, so you walk super early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid other people.

If you see certain the man who just moved in, the stray gray cat, or the garbage cans out at the house four doors down, you just take your dog to the backyard instead of going for a walk because you know your dog will go crazy when he sees them.

Your neighbors bring their own pets and even their children inside when they see you out with your dog.

The woman down the street has threatened to call animal control if she sees your dog loose one more time.

The only way to truly fix the problem is to work with a dog trainer. However, using a properly-fitted collar will help keep you and your dog safe from escape during walks.

Is a Collar or Harness Better for Walking Your Dog?

Some say harnesses help train your dog not to pull. Others say harnesses encourage pulling and you need to use a collar. There are people who will never use a collar because they believe collars damage a dog’s trachea. And those who use collars may favor a wide band or a narrow one.

But it comes down to what is best for you and your dog. Some dogs walk better in a harness. Some in a collar. Some need something a little stronger. You may want to experiment with several different types of collars and harnesses to find what makes walking your dog easiest.

How to Fit a Collar or Harness to Your Dog

In most cases, the manufacturer has placed instructions for fitting your dog’s new collar or harness on the packaging. If not there, check their website. If you’re buying a new collar and able to bring your dog with you to the store, an employee should be able to help you with fitting.

Are you adjusting a collar or harness you already own? Generally, you should be able to fit one to two fingers between the material and your dog’s skin. Be sure your fingers are between the collar and skin – sometimes our fluffier companions can fool us with all of their fur!

Remember: you want the collar tight enough that your dog can’t pull the collar over her head. What you worry is too tight may be just right.

Our Top 3 Collars for Dogs who Pull

Freedom No-Pull Harness

The PetSafe Easy Walk Harness is great for dog owners who want to use a harness on their dog instead of a collar when walking. We prefer this one because you clip the leash to the front of the dog’s chest rather than on their back like you see in most harnesses.

A harness with a clip in the back was originally made for working dogs (think Siberian Huskies for sledding) to both train them to pull and allow them the most strength when pulling. Then this particular harness became a fashion statement but dog owners weren’t educated on the harnesses use. If you want to avoid your dog pulling while walking, the Freedom No-Pull Harness is the correct type of a harness to use.

No-Slip Collars

If your dog sees something on a walk he wants to chase, he will find a way to get out of a regular buckle collar. We’ve even seen dogs loosen their collars while walking. We always prefer a no-slip collar (also called a martingale collar) when walking a dog. This way if a dog decides to pump the brakes and squeeze out of their collar, they won’t be in danger of getting loose. But, as soon as your dog stops pulling, the collar loosens.

Our favorite no-slip collar is the No! Slip Adjustable Collar by 2 Hounds Design. It’s adjustable to help you get the best fit and all nylon so it’s sturdy.

Prong Collar

The idea of using a prong collar may intimidate you. We recommend this as a last resort for dogs who will not stop trying to pull away from you while using any other collar. This NEW prong collar is designed to communicate with dogs in a way they understand.

Prong collars do have their problems, though. Which is why we like the Herm Sprenger Training Collar with a Click-Lock Buckle and Nylon Loop . The buckle makes it easy to put on and take off your pet. Also, if your dog were to get loose with this collar on, your dog would be able to snap the buckle if she got stuck on something.

Choosing the Best Collar to Walk Your Dog

Walks are supposed to be a time for bonding with your dog. You can’t do that if you’re always worried your dog is going to pull away from you and get hurt or hurt someone else. Try our three suggestions. Let us know in the comments below if they work out!

When is the Best Time to Walk Your Dog?

nikki@thecollarclub.com (Nikki Musko) — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 01:38:58 GMT

When is the Best Time to Walk Your Dog?

Before you take your dog for a walk, have you ever wondered when is the best time to walk your dog ? Here are some helpful tips:

How many times should I walk my dog per day?

If you own a puppy it’s best to wait for a puppy to have all their vaccinations prior before going for a neighborhood stroll. It’s still important for you to socialize your puppy to get them used to different sounds. Once I settled in with my puppy at home I would drive places and sit in my car and let my puppy to see and hear the different sounds. For example, I took my puppy to see the waves crashing onto the beach and hear kids splashing around in the water.

Once your puppy is grown and is able to go on walks with you, one long walk a day is plenty for a dog. I recommend at least 45-60 minutes. You never want to force or push your dog to go on a walk. If your dog is pumping the breaks and not wanting to go on a walk, try to lure your dog with food or treats. If you are able to walk several yards with a fearful dog that’s great! Turn around and try to go a little further tomorrow.

If you have a senior dog, pay attention to their health on your walk. Walks are great for seniors. A walk is healthy and helps build muscles around their bones and keeps their heart rate up. If you start to notice your senior dog is struggling on your walk such as slowing down, lifting a foot I recommend turning around and head home.

What time should I take my dog out at night for a walk?

If you are unable to walk your dog when it’s light outside, I recommend doing as early as the sun starts to go down than when it’s completely dark outside. It’s dangerous to walk your dog at night time. You are unable to see what’s around such as coyotes, snakes, raccoons, skunks, cougars, scorpions, porcupines.

If you have no other choice other than to walk your dog in the dark be sure to wear reflective gear and take a flashlight with you.

What is the best time to walk your dog during hot weather?

Some times the weather can get hot including the concrete, gravel or grass can get sharp and poke your dog’s feet when the grass is too dry. I like to be done with a dog walk before 10 am or if I walk my dog in the evening I wait for the temperature to drop and prefer to walk as the sunsets.

Is it best to walk the dog before or after eating?

Some dogs are built with deeper chests than other breeds; a few examples would be a Boxer, Rottweiler, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Great Dane. If you possibly have a mixed breed that could possibly have a deep chest you want to wait a minimum one hour before and after eating their food. If you are on the more conservative side or you know there is bloat in your dog’s bloodline (such as a parent had bloat in the past) it’s best to wait two hours before and after eating to take them on a walk.

If your dog does not have a deep chest, I would wait at least one hour to feed your dog after your walk or wait thirty minutes if you already fed your dog their food before you go on a walk.

Here’s a dog walking schedule for you!

Life can get busy so making sure you plan your furry friend into your schedule doesn’t fall by the wayside here create a daily/weekly calendar for you and your dog. Your dog’s physical and mental health is just as important as your family! If you can create a pattern in your schedule. It’s much easier to remember and follow.

For example, if you know you go into work earlier on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday’s plan to take your dog for a walk after dinner or even treat yourself and go watch the sunset at a local park.

If you go into work later on Tuesdays and Thursdays take your dog for a walk before or after your workout at the gym, feed your dog breakfast, grab yourself a cup of coffee and relax before you go into work or catch up on those emails before heading into the office. You can make your dog’s walk also a time for you to relax. Make it your walk too not just your dog’s walk!

Dog Food Calculator

nikki@thecollarclub.com (Nikki Musko) — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 01:38:54 GMT

Searching for a Custom Dog Food Calculator?

The Collar Club is at the forefront of dog walking and pet sitting in Northeast Ohio. Not only do we staff local full-time dog walkers unlike the “major” sites, but we have an extensive training program so our pet sitters and dog walkers can take care of your pets in a crisis. If our professional staff is sent to your home in an emergency or you do not know how much to feed your dog, then we rely on this handy dog food calculator to determine the BEST amount of food to feed your dog!

Dog Feeding Calculator for All Size Dogs

So, you’ve got yourself a cute dog and are wondering how to keep it healthy? Well, treating your dog to a balanced diet guarantees it the nutrients needed for daily routines – be it a hunting dog, guard dog, or just a lap companion.

But how do you know what amount of food is right? Less than the required calories will undoubtedly lead to an emaciated dog with health complications or even make it stray away in search for top-ups. More than required calories, on the other hand, will surely turn your favorite dog into a useless fat mess.

The calories also depend on other factors such as the breed, the dog’s current weight, any condition such as arthritis, and more. Doing all these mathematical equations in your head can, however, get messy unless you’re some math wizard. That’s why you need a dog feeding calculator like the Nikki’s Collar Club Dog Feeding Calculator.

The Collar Club Dog Feeding Calculator

When it comes to being there for dog owners Northeast of Ohio, Nikki’s Collar Club is at the forefront. We staff all-round dog walkers and sitters. In case you’re in a crisis, either you need someone to look after your dog when you’re away or don’t know how much to feed your dog, our experts will give you the fix by relying on our dog feeding calculator.

Our calculator makes your dog feeding requirements a piece of cake. All you need is to describe the following:

•Your dog’s weight
•Your dog’s age
•Your dog’s activity

Here’s our feeding guide for your various dog varieties with a standard 8-ounce measuring cup.

• Toy Dog (3-6lbs)

Depending on the dog’s age and how active it is, the food requirement ranges from 0.05 – 0.36lb meaning 1/3 to of a standard 8-ounce cup per day will do the trick. Puppies, of course, will feed 2-3 times more than the adult. An old 3-pound 1-year old couch potato dog, for example, could sustain itself on 175 calories per day.

An 8-week-old of the same kind, on the other hand, needs 1050 calories. Just keep the proteins at 30% of the diet.

• Small dog (10-20lbs)

This body type goes from the skinny with visible rib cage to the normal with a clear waistline. If your dog is in this category, it needs 1-2 pounds of food per day, depending on how active it is. 3/4-4/3 cups of food per day will do the trick. Puppies, of course, will feed 2-3 times more.

If the ribs are readily visible, consider upping the protein percentage in the diet to about 50%. If you look down from above at a healthy dog, you’ll notice an hourglass figure with the narrower abdomen and larger chest and hips. If your dog lacks this figure, feed it more lest it gets into health complications.

• Medium dog(30-50lbs)

The body type is from normal to husky such that you can’t feel the dog’s ribs. Here, you’ve got to watch out not to overfeed your dog and make it obese. 0.45-5 pounds of food will supply the calories needed to sustain your dog through its activities. 1 – 2 2/3 cups of food will do the trick!

Supply your dog with a well-balanced diet, meat, and vegetable-based products, and with plenty of water. Just keep the protein content between 20-30% of the diet.

• Large dog (60lbs and above)

Dogs with these body types require 0.90-10lbs of food per day to carry out normal activities. These are muscular high energy level dogs such as the German Shepherds or Golden Retrievers. They’ve got a healthy appetite, and you need to supply them with high-quality, balanced diets. Otherwise, your dog is going to experience health complications. The protein content in the diet should be above 30 %.

Older dogs will make do with 0.90-5 pounds of food while 6-10 pounds of food per day will supply the calories needed by active dogs. 3-5 cups of food per day will do the trick. If your dog is however immobilized much by conditions such as arthritis, cut down on the calories so it cannot gain weight which would otherwise put much pressure on the sick leg.

How much treat to give your dog:

Other factors to take into account are the number of treats you provide your dog with each day. It’s recommended that treats should be less than 10% of your dog’s daily caloric intake.

In retrospect, when it comes to feeding your dog, you’ve got to keep up with various variables. Otherwise, bang goes any fond hopes of you bonding with a healthy pet. Stay ahead of the game with Nikki’s Collar Club Dog Feeding Calculator then, won’t you?

Did you find this article fun and useful? Then we have another treat for you! Check out this article by Woofster. It’s a fun quiz that tests your knowledge of dogs and the different breeds out there! Can you score 100% on this quiz?

** All information is based on research and is not meant to be taken above what your professional Veterinarian recommends. This is for informational purposes only and we recommend consulting your Veterinarian!

Free Dog Walking App for All Clients!

nikki@thecollarclub.com (Nikki Musko) — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 01:38:50 GMT

Free Dog Walking App for all C ollar Club Clients!

Hi Everyone! Nikki Musko here with The Collar Club. I would like to talk to you today about an important feature…Our software!! When you are a client of The Collar Club, we provide you with a free dog walking app ! Seriously, it’s the coolest thing and in this blog I divulge all the information.

As a TCC client, you already love the service we provide your fur family, but our technology also helps you love the experience too! Our software allows you to update your information, request services and we take care of the billing for you by accepting debit or credit cards. You will also receive real-time updates, pictures and report cards after each visit sent directly to your cell phone through our business text message (which we will talk about this awesome feature in a moment) or if you would prefer not to be bothered, we can send them in email.

Something that’s really cool and important for you to know is that all data is protected using the same 128 bit level encryption your bank uses.

NOW… Let’s talk about something that I love as the company grows. Since we do not have a facility for employees to work such as a doggie daycare center, the big question is …well… how do we know the dog walkers are doing what they’re asked to do by the client since walkers are not monitored like a company at 1 designated location?

Let me tell you how we solved this problem. Our dog walkers must clock-in and clock-out of each visit which is tracked by a GPS. Something we (which “WE” means our back office) does not mention to the walkers that we have a GPS tracker that drops a pin every single minute once the walker clocks-in which allows us to see their route and their speed.

So for an example, if something were to go wrong (which so far this has never happened with us) you have a 20 minute time slot and 10 of the minutes a walker is standing on the corner of a street & talking on the phone or something. ALL of those pins within the 10 minutes will be grouped in 1 spot. Which obviously tells us something has gone horribly wrong.

Another great example (which also has not happened with us), is if a walker wanted to use their car instead of walking your dog, the tracker tells us their speed which would be an immediate red flag.

One last piece, that I promised I would talk about is our business group text message feature. You, our manager, your primary walker, and secondary walker are all included on a group message. This way nothing is missed and all of us are in communication. I love this! It keeps everyone in the loop.

One more thing I’d like to cover. Once a walker completes a visit at your home and sends your report card to you, ALL of your information disappears.

And I’d like to mention again, our dog walking app is FREE just for being our client!

If you would like to learn more about our collar club and become a member, check us out online or call us at 216-279-7553. We would love to hear from you !

How to Protect Your Dog From the Summer Heat and Sun During Walks

nikki@thecollarclub.com (Nikki Musko) — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 01:38:48 GMT

How to Protect Your Dog From the Summer Heat and Sun During Walks

It’s hot. Currently, sweat-inducing activities include:

Walking to your car
Opening the front door
Breathing

If it’s this miserable for you, how awful must it be for your dog?

Consider this: dogs don’t sweat to cool themselves down like we do. Instead, they pant to release heat. (They do sweat a little, but only on their paw pads.)

But it’s not a perfect system. According to the Noah’s Ark Veterinary Hospital blog , “Because dogs primarily pant rather than sweat, they are much more sensitive to heat than humans are.”

But our dog walkers have compiled some of their best (practical – no doggy umbrellas here) tips to help you and your pooch avoid the worst effects of summer weather.

Protect Your Dog from the Sun and Heat

Have you ever tried to walk barefoot down your driveway in the middle of summer? It’s not fun. You look like you’re impersonating a kangaroo as you jump around to salvage the soles of your feet.

But that’s what it’s like for your dog every time you put a leash on them and go for a walk down the street or on the sidewalk.

Don’t worry, though: there’s an easy fix.

Just cover your dog’s paws with boots or a paw balm/cream. (If it’s so hot you can’t stand on concrete barefoot without worrying about burns, paw balm won’t be enough. Definitely go for the boots.)

That’s it, right? Your dog has fur everywhere else.

Not so fast. If your dog has thin hair or has been shaved (especially if he has pink skin under white fur anywhere), there’s no barrier between his skin and the sun. You’ll need to apply some sunscreen.

The sunscreen you use on yourself and your family might not be safe. Check the label to see if the sunscreen is appropriate for use on dogs.

Stay Out of Direct Sunlight

Even something as simple as avoiding the sun helps your dog stay cool.

You probably already walk early in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the hottest parts of the day. But the dogs need to go out between then, too.

When going for a mid-day walk, choose a route you know is protected from the sun by trees or tall buildings and fence lines.

Keep Walks Short

Long walks help dogs work out the energy from being inside while you’re away.

But on especially hot days, long walks might lead to heat exhaustion. A better option is to do what our dog walkers do when the temperatures shoot up: take your dog out just long enough to potty, then spend the rest of the walking time inside playing with toys or working on training commands.

And be sure to take a bowl and water with you and provide plenty once you return. Drinking cool (not cold) water helps hot dogs cool down.

Monitor Your Dog Closely

No matter how hot (or not) the day feels, keep an eye on your dog. Heat exhaustion can sneak up on our four-legged friends quickly.

Symptoms include panting more or harder than normal; lots of drool (the drool may even appear thicker than normal); vomiting or diarrhea; and lethargy. For more symptoms, refer to the blog post mentioned above.

Help Your Dog Keep Her Cool

Stick to the shade, keep water available, and take short walks only during mid-day – if you follow these tips, summer heat shouldn’t be a problem.

Just remember: heat exhaustion happens quickly. If you’re worried even a little about your dog, contact your veterinarian.

Can you Leave your Cat Alone for a Week?

nikki@thecollarclub.com (Nikki Musko) — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 01:38:44 GMT

Can you Le ave your Cat Alone for a Week?

We talk a lot about dogs here. But we have plenty of cat clients, too.

You’re probably wondering why. “Why spend all that money for a sitter for the cat? We’ll just clean his litterbox before we go, leave out some food and water, and he’ll be fine. It’s not like cats need to be let outside like dogs. I can just ask the neighbor to look in once or twice while we’re gone.”

In theory, that works. But here are some reasons it may not work out that way.

Cats are Sneaky (And You Have a Lot to Do Before You Leave)

We were hired to visit a cat while the owner was on vacation.

Everything seemed to be going according to plan. The owner had left town. Our visits were scheduled.

But when our sitter got to the house, she couldn’t find the cat. A neighbor might have said, “Oh, the cat’s just hiding. I have to go pick up the kids from school and bring them to softball practice, so I’ll leave some food and water and come back later.” Where later might mean in a day or two.

But for a pet sitter, part of the job (and the passion) is to find your cat and make sure she’s okay. Even if she’s plastered herself to the back corner under your bed.

So our NCC sitter set out to find the cat. It’s a good thing she did, too.

The cat was stuck in a closet.

Maybe the owner hadn’t noticed the cat slipping in as the door was shut. Or maybe the cat did what cats do and managed to finagle the door open just enough to go explore – only to have it swing shut behind him.

It Could Have Been Bad

Now imagine if the owner had just left out some food and water because “it’s only a few days.” Or if the neighbor had stopped by, but decided not to take the time to look for the cat.

At 2-3 days away, the cat would have been dehydrated and hungry. Possibly sick from eating something stored in the closet. And most of the items inside would have been ruined from the smell of cat urine.

Stuck in the closet for a week? The situation would be far worse.

Cats With Medical Issues

If your cat has kidney troubles, diabetes, or any other medical issues, a cat sitter is a necessity.

Even if your cat doesn’t receive medication, you’ll want someone to check on how your cat is feeling and to make sure he eats and drinks. If your cat needs to be rushed to the veterinarian, your cat sitter will do that.

The same applies for a senior cat.

Healthy Cats Need Care, Too

Life happens, right? Getting stuck in a closet (or cabinet) is only one potentially bad situation for your cat. Others include:

Digestive upsets (imagine a hairball sitting on your rug for a week – eww)

An exterior door that wasn’t shut all the way

Those little bags of silicon beads that continue to fall out of your luggage (no matter how many you’ve thrown away) and become tempting toys to chew on

More importantly, think about the cold shoulder treatment you usually get from your cat when you leave for a couple of days. Attention from the cat sitter means your cat will be more likely to forgive you when you get home. (Though we can’t make any promises here – we are talking about cats, after all.)

The Other Things Cat Sitters Do

Check that all lights are out and doors are locked. Bring in mail. Water plants. Make sure nothing shorted during that last bad thunderstorm.

These are the types of tasks our pet sitters handle in addition to feeding your cat, cleaning her litterbox, and giving her some attention.

And if you get a tracking update letting you know the package that was supposed to arrive three days before your trip has finally been dropped off, you can ask your cat sitter to check for it and bring it into the house.

A Cat Sitter Means Peace of Mind

Even if you ask a neighbor or a friend to drop by, you still worry. Did you turn off the lamp in your bedroom? Did you really leave enough food out? What if the litter box needs to be cleaned before you come home?

When you hire a professional cat sitter, you get a responsible adult who has scheduled time into their day to spend checking over your home and your companion. These visits come complete with updates so all those nagging worries go away and you get to enjoy your vacation.

Check out our pet sitting services here .

9 Things Your Dog Walker Needs from You for a Successful Walk

nikki@thecollarclub.com (Nikki Musko) — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 01:38:41 GMT

9 Things Your Dog Walker Needs from You for a Successful Walk

Okay, yes, you hired your dog walker to make life easier for yourself.

And most professional dog walkers work hard to set up a great relationship with you and your dog. (Such as setting up a meet-and-greet before the first appointment.)

But sometimes a topic just doesn’t come up in conversation (and sometimes you think about it, then get to talking about something else and forget). Or things change after your walker has been visiting your dog for a while.

The following is what your dog walker needs to know to ensure a safe and enjoyable walk.

1. Share Your Dog’s Quirks

Does your dog get unusually excited by squirrels? As in, pull away from you and run out into traffic to chase squirrels? That’s something your dog walker needs to know.

Same thing if your dog is particularly scared of motorcycles. Or tries to eat the neighbor’s cat. (Even though he’s fine around all other cats.)

2. Advise the Walker if Your Dog Should Be Walked in a Specific Collar

Many dogs are perfectly okay to lounge around the house in a normal collar (or no collar at all).

But if your dog wears a certain harness because she pulls out of her collar (and every other type of harness except this one)…or must walk in a martingale collar…or has a wide collar to prevent gagging, your dog walker needs to know.

Keep this equipment exactly where you’ve told your dog walker it can be found so they can use it on walks.

3. Keep All Supplies Where Your Dog Walker Can Find Them

Let’s say your dog needs booties while walking on ice or hot pavement (or because you want to keep her paws clean). Your dog walker needs to be able to find them.

So if you decide to move the booties from the basket by the mudroom door to a cubby under your coat rack? Update your dog walker.

Same goes for sunscreen, bug spray, or anything else you want your walker to use to keep your dog comfortable during the walk.

4. Tell Your Walker Where Your Dog Can, and Can’t, Go Potty

Your dog walker may be familiar with your city’s ordinances for dog walking and poop disposal. She probably doesn’t know about your neighborhood, though.

So let them know where it’s safe to stop and where it’s not allowed. (And especially let them know if there are any neighbors to avoid.)

5. Where Should Your Walker Dispose of Poop Bags?

We all know how, ahem, awful dog poop smells. You definitely don’t want that in your kitchen garbage.

But where is it safe to dispose of the poop bags once your dog has been walked? Are there disposal canisters around your neighborhood? Should your walker drop them in your big can?

6. Let Your Dog Walker Know What You’re Working on Training-Wise

Has your dog become – we’ll say disrespectful – about waiting for you to attach the leash? Let your dog walker know what you’re doing to correct the behavior so they can do it, too. This also applies to anything else you might be training your dog to do.

7. Give Plenty of Advance Notice When Something Changes

Your dog walker likely has a full schedule of people before and after your appointment. If you wait until your walker comes through the door before letting them know you took the day off work because the cable guy is coming so your dog doesn’t need a walk, then you’ve wasted your walker’s time and the gas to drive over to you.

Not to mention, you’ll be charged a cancellation fee (or at the very least, you’ll still have to pay for the walk).

8. Have a Well-Trained Dog

Things happen. And no dog is perfect.

But no dog walker likes to go into a situation where something is waiting to go wrong. Before you hire a dog walker, make the investment into at least basic obedience training. (Plus, you’ll enjoy your dog more she sits when you tell her to – such as when you have a guest coming through the door.)

9. Inform Your Walker of Your Dog’s Medical Issues

Dog walkers notice things. They see that your dog’s poop is a little runnier than normal – or an odd color. Or that your normally chipper dog who trots along the sidewalk gleefully is suddenly plodding along as though he would rather not be walking.

Most likely your dog walker will pass on these observations to you anyway. But if they know to look for signs of stomach upset because your dog is on a new medication, they can be even more vigilant than normal.

How to Prepare Your Pets for Your Vacation

nikki@thecollarclub.com (Nikki Musko) — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 01:38:37 GMT

How to Prepare Your Pets for Your Vacati on

We just can’t take our pets everywhere with us. (As much as we would like to.)

Many hotels still aren’t pet friendly. And you don’t want to leave your pet stuck in the hotel room while you’re out and about, anyway. Not to mention – some pets just don’t travel well. Especially cats.

You’ve found a great pet sitter. (If you haven’t, we have a list of tips here to help you search for someone . The linked article is about dog walkers, but most of the tips apply just as well to pet sitters.)

But how do you prepare to leave your dog or cat alone for the first time while you go on vacation or a work trip?

We’ve put together our tips in order of when you should start planning, starting from weeks before your trip to how you should handle your depature as you’re walking out of the door.

At Least One Month Before You Leave

Get Your Dog Trained

Wait, this is an article about pet sitting. Why are we talking about dog training?

Because a well-trained dog makes everyone happier. You’ll have an easier time finding a pet sitter willing to take you on as a client. Your dog will get to enjoy longer walks if the pet sitter isn’t worried about your dog pulling away . And your house is less likely to be destroyed in between pet sitter visits.

Check With Your Veterinarian

Make sure your pet’s vaccinations are up-to-date in case an emergency comes up and your pet sitter needs to take your pet somewhere.

However, don’t get your pet’s vaccinations done just before your trip. Your pet may develop a reaction to the vaccine either right before you leave or while you’re gone. Yes, this can happen even if your pet has never had an issue before.

1 – 2 Weeks Before Your Trip

Schedule a Meet-and-Greet

A professional pet sitter will want to meet you and your pets before your trip begins.

This meet-and-greet is the perfect time to discuss your pet’s daily routine and any peculiarities – and to make sure your pet gets along with the sitter.

Prepare Detailed Instructions

Let your pet sitter know exactly what your dog or cat’s day is like. Even though you may have already gone over these instructions with your pet sitter during the meet-and-greet, you’ll want to leave them in writing, too.

How much (and what) food your pet eats
Any allergies or sensitivities
When you feed your pet
When and how often you walk your dogs
What collar or leash your dog wears for walks
Where you store booties or paw protection for walks on snow/ice or hot pavement
Where you walk your dog and what places you avoid
Where you keep medications and how to give them
If your pet has any fears (such as storms, fireworks, or police sirens)

Complicated Feeding Instructions? Try This

If your dog or cat gets multiple foods each feeding, needs a lot of pills, or is overweight and on a very specific diet, you can make sure your pet gets exactly what they need while they’re gone by pre-measuring food for the days you’re gone.

Just take plastic baggies or food storage containers, fill them with the appropriate meals, and label the containers with the days and times the meals are to be fed.

Buy Plenty of Food

Stock your pet’s food and treats (with plenty extra in case your trip is delayed). This includes litter if you have a cat.

Don’t change your pet’s food right before your trip – this combined with anxiety over your leaving may result in serious stomach upsets.

Other items you should consider having extra around include:

Leash and collar – you never know when your dog is going to chew through his current one.

Medications or supplements if your pet takes them. Again, if your trip takes longer than you planned, you won’t have to panic over whether or not your current supply can last until you get back – it’s bad enough you have to worry about fresh underwear for your whole trip.

Extra water – you want your pet to have plenty of fresh water while no one is home. Your pet sitter will be refilling the water during visits, but the extra water will be helpful if somehow your sitter is delayed.

Have Updated Tags

If somehow your dog or cat gets away from your pet sitter, proper identification will help you get them back.

Many people think cats don’t need collars, but this is exactly the reason why your cat should wear one. (It also helps people who see your cat know that she is a pet.)

A collar tag or plate is the bare minimum you need for your pets, but you should consider microchipping, too.

If your pets are already tagged and/or microchipped, make sure all of the information is up-to-date before you leave town.

The Day Before/Day You Leave

Leave a T-Shirt for Your Pet to Snuggle With

Even if your pet is staying at home with a pet sitter, they might feel more comfortable if they have an old t-shirt or other clothing item of yours around. You can leave the shirt on their bedding so your scent is right there with them.

Let There Be Sound

Is your household active and loud? Then you might want to leave a TV or some music on to give your pet background noise while you’re away.

(Be sure to let your pet sitter know, either in your written instructions or a quick text message, to keep the device on – that it wasn’t something you forgot to turn off.)

Walk Away Quietly

Your pet is used to your leaving. You go to work every day. Or at least take the kids to school or head out to run errands.

Act like this trip is every other day-to-day activity you walk out the door to do. Don’t get your pet excited. That will just leave your dog or cat feeling anxious once your gone.

Now Enjoy Your Trip!

Your pet and your pet sitter are as prepared as they can be. Go out and have fun.

How Your Love for Pets is Causing the Pet Obesity Epidemic

nikki@thecollarclub.com (Nikki Musko) — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 01:38:34 GMT

How Your Love for Pets is Causing the Pet Obesity Epidemic

A friend stops by your house. When you open the door, she bends down to pet your dog and comments, “Has he gained some weight?”

Of course not, you think. He gets the same amount of food he’s always gotten.

But when you take him for a quick spin around the yard before heading out, you notice he seems to pant a little harder as you bring him back inside.

A week later you load him up for his annual wellness check-up at the vet clinic. He struggles a little more than usual to get into your car. “He is getting older,” you think. “His joints probably hurt.”

But, as your veterinarian is running her hands over your dog in the exam room, she looks you in the eye and says, “We need to talk about Chip’s weight.”

How Many Pets are Obese?

Every year the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) surveys veterinarians and pet parents to find out the state of pet obesity in the United States.

In 2017, APOP reported 56% of dogs and 60% of cats are overweight or obese. The numbers are increasing, too: in 2016, 54% of dogs and 59% of cats fell into the overweight or obese category.

This isn’t just a problem in the US. In 2016 and 2017, a team of veterinary nurses visited five pet shows throughout the United Kingdom and assessed over 1600 dogs. They found 74% of the attending dogs to be overweight or obese.

The Problem is We Don’t Know What Obesity Looks Like

It’s easy to point to overfeeding and under-exercising as the culprit for pet obesity. After all, we know too much food and too many hours sitting are the primary reasons for the obesity epidemic in people.

But there’s an underlying issue: we don’t know what a healthy weight looks like.

In fact, if your dog is at a healthy weight, you may have had people accusing you of your dog being too skinny!

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) says , “Over the years, our idea of a normal weight has changed. As the waistlines of both pets and humans have expanded, we’ve become accustomed to weighing more. What was once an animal of average weight today may seem to be underweight because our perception has evolved. The problem is, this new ‘normal’ isn’t healthy.”

APOP’s data backs this up , finding that 90% of cat owners and 95% of dog owners thought their overweight pets were at a normal and healthy weight when asked this question in 2014.

What Happens When Your Dog is Overweight

We like to show our love with treats and lots of food. But this kind of love is giving our pets plenty of unhappiness.

A study published in 2012 compared quality of life for dogs who went through a weight loss program. The study measured vitality, emotional disturbance, and pain responses both before and after weight loss. Overall, the dogs who lost weight improved their vitality scores while their emotional disturbance and pain scores lowered.

Problems can develop in these areas of your overweight dog’s body:

Joints
Soft tissues (especially the cranial cruciate ligament – basically, your dog’s ACL)
Skin
Thyroid
Heart
Respiratory system
Kidneys

Obesity can even cause type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, seizures, and some types of cancer – pretty much everything an overweight person can develop. But that’s not the worst part.

The worst part is obesity shortens your pet’s lifespan. By as much as 2.5 years.

How to Find Out if Your Dog is Overweight

Are you worried your dog is overweight and you can’t get in to see your veterinarian immediately?

You could weigh your dog or cat yourself. But ten pounds might be perfect on one pet, obese for another, and far too thin for a third. How do you know?

You can easily get an idea for your pet’s weight using Body Condition Scoring (BCS). The BCS rates pets from emaciated to obese based on several factors. All you need is a few minutes to touch different areas on your pet’s body to evaluate their condition.

How Do You Help Your Dog Shed the Pounds?

So now you want to help your pets lose weight and get healthy again. Should you cut back on food and get them out to exercise more? Not so fast.

First you should talk to your veterinarian. Cutting back on food too fast may actually cause liver disease in cats – and it won’t make your dog happy, either.

Your veterinarian will help you figure out how much food to cut out of your pet’s diet. They may also suggest a new diet for your pet, such as a restricted calorie or prescription food.

And, just like with people, you don’t want to start out running a marathon. If your pet’s exercise has just been a short walk around the block or a few minutes wandering around your yard, your veterinarian will need to help you develop a conditioning program for your pet.

But What if You Can’t Do It Yourself?

You barely have time to get your children to their soccer games or yourself to the gym, much less get your dog out for a long walk.

You’re not alone. When APOP asked what challenges people face when it comes to exercising their dogs , the answer was “too busy” for 25% of respondents.

The good news is, for the vast majority of dogs, a walk is enough exercise for the day.

We can’t help you find more hours in the day (we wish we could). But we can help you make sure your dog gets enough exercise to slim down and maintain a healthy weight.

Find out how our dog walking services work (and how we can customize your dog’s walk to fit her level of fitness) here.

Why Can't I Potty Train my Stubborn Puppy?

nikki@thecollarclub.com (Nikki Musko) — Sat, 12 Sep 2020 00:37:20 GMT

Why Can't I Potty Train my Stubborn Puppy?

If you've got a very stubborn puppy at home that can't be potty trained, don't be discouraged! House training can be difficult, so it's important to really get to know your puppy and their behavior, while establishing a routine of regular breaks and positive reinforcement for good behavior. Any change to your dog's routine during the house training process could affect how long it takes them to become housebroken. In this article, we'll focus on the key points that are vital to your puppy's success in their potty training journey.

Do you take your puppy out for regular potty breaks?

It is highly recommended that you take your puppy out for potty breaks at least every one to two hours. It even helps to set a timer to ensure that you are taking potty breaks at the right times. These frequent trips will only be necessary until both you and your dog establish a routine. Frequent potty breaks are important for house training for several reasons.

First, puppies naturally have smaller bladders than adult dogs and will need more frequent breaks until they reach adulthood. Second, your puppy, just like you, is getting to know the signs for when they have to go to the bathroom. Older dogs get to know when they have to go to the bathroom, but puppies are still learning. By providing frequent potty breaks, your puppy will have less accidents inside the house and more opportunities for them to go to the bathroom in the correct area and be rewarded for their good behavior. It's a win-win situation all around!

Have you chosen a comfortable spot outdoors for your puppy?

Pick a regular spot in your yard (or wherever your outdoor space is) to assign as your puppy’s toilet area. You want them to get used to the same spot so that they always know to use the correct place. Bring your puppy there every time you are on a potty break. Use a leash to ensure that you are able to bring them to the same spot every time. If you have a dog walker, make sure to be very specific or even show them where this spot is to ensure the training process is seamless.

Do you reward your puppy for good behavior?

After your dog has done their business, make sure to provide positive reinforcement and lots of praise. Small treats are great for this! We recommend having a small pouch or fanny pack with you with treats ready. Try to be desecreate with your pouch or fanny pack. You don't want your puppy to anticipate food or treats.

Also, don't wait for them to come back inside to give them their treats and praise. You want to make sure to reward them a few seconds after they do their business so they associate the positive feedback with their good behavior. Don't be shy with the praise here! Lots of praise will only reinforce the correct behavior and encourage your pup to repeat it regularly. Just make sure they are finished with their business before you start praising! Sometimes if you provide treats and praise before they are done, they will get excited, stop, and then finish what they started inside your house.

Do you watch your puppy between potty breaks?

The more time you spend with your puppy, the more you will be able to read and understand their behavior. It is important to pay close attention to your puppy during the potty training process so that you can learn what they do when they have to go to the bathroom. Sometimes their behavior will be a clear indicator that it is time for them to go outside. Some of the common signs include:

Squatting or curving their lower body towards the ground
Circling and pacing
Standing by the door or near a surface where they have gone before
Sniffing the ground
Barking and whining

Each of these behaviors are instinctual and natural to your puppy when they need to do their business. If your puppy seems fidgety and distracted, chances are they have to go to the toilet. Every puppy is different, so we can't stress enough how important it is to spend lots of time with your pup to get to know their unique signals.

In addition to these signals, there are also certain times when your puppy may have to go, including after naps, mealtime, or when they have been alone for a long period of time. Lots of puppies are especially prone to peeing after or during playtime or when they are very excited. It may benefit you to watch your pooch closely during playtime or even get in the habit of encouraging them to go to the bathroom beforehand.

Keep an eye out for the signs mentioned above and take your dog out as soon as you see any signs. If you think your dog has to go outside, you are probably right. This is why it is very important to keep your dog with you at all times during the toilet training process.

Do you clean up accidents promptly?

Dogs use their noses to show them where to go potty, so when they smell residual urine odors, they think that is where they should go. I see people take a potty accident to the dog's outdoor spot and leave it there to show your pup that this is where they should be going. We highly advise against this tactic. It's completely unnecessary and can be gross if your puppy decides they want to play with the paper towel or rip it up. It can turn into a bigger mess than the original accident.

Before allowing the dog back in the room, always make sure to clean the floor promptly and thoroughly with a cleaning product or an odor-neutralizing spray for pet odors. Not all pet odor-neutralizing sprays are pet-friendly, so make sure to check your labels before purchasing. Anything with chlorine or hazardous propellants is bad for your puppy.

Make sure to also avoid any cleaners with ammonia as its scent can mimic the scent of urine. Cleaning thoroughly and quickly with a natural, pet-friendly odor-neutralizing spray will not remove any association of the spot as a toilet area. For carpets and furniture, you could use an enzymatic cleaner to try to completely break down and eliminate the scent of urine and feces for your puppy, however not a single one of these products work. You can spend a lot of money on them and we have tried so many of these type of products and still have not found one product that works.

Do you crate train your puppy?

Crate training is one of the best things you can do for your new puppy when you are starting to potty train. It is a good idea to get your puppy's crate before you bring a puppy home. Consider crate training your new puppy. This is especially useful at night. A puppy's mother would have taught them not to soil their sleeping area. Using a crate encourages your puppy to hold on a little longer, but it is important to make sure they aren't caught short or left to be uncomfortable.

A good rule to follow for how long a puppy should be in a crate is this: an 8-week old puppy should not be left alone in a crate for longer than 2 hours, while a 12-week old puppy can be left for 3 hours. Essentially the puppy can be left for 1 hour for every month in age they have, up to 4 hours. Dog crates are not designed to be used for long periods of time, but can be helpful during the training process.

If a crate is used correctly, it should be a source of comfort and a place of relaxation for your puppy and not used for punishment. If your puppy continues to have accidents in the same areas, consider using baby gates to block them off to keep them away from that particular spot.

During the potty training process, confined space where the puppy spends its time is best. Instinctively a dog will not want to eliminate close to where they spend most of their time, so reducing the size of their living space should reduce the frequency of accidents. It's a good idea to limit the puppy's space to an area that does not have carpeting.

What are puppy pads and can I use them for house training?

When you have a new puppy, accidents can and will happen. Training pads can be a hazard to safety and we do not recommend them. Not only can they delay the training process, but if your puppy doesn't already find these pads fun to tear up and possibly swallow pieces of the pad they also run the risk of confusing your new puppy about where they should be doing their business. Young puppies are easily confused and the last thing you need is for them to think your kitchen is their toilet area.

Some companies have started making and shipping real grass pads right to your door. Grass is a natural attractant and odor neutralizer. These pads are great if your living situation doesn't allow quick and easy access to real grass such as if you live on the second floor of a duplex or in a high rise. Grass pads provide a more real, outdoor experience for your puppy to enjoy. If you must use training pads, using real grass pads will make it less confusing for your dog as they learn to eliminate outside.

Consistency is Key

Every dog is different, so what works for one puppy may not work for another. Some dogs are notorious for being stubborn when housebreaking. If you have trouble, you must be consistent with the dog’s sleeping, eating and potty break schedule. Just one slip-up can set you back to square one. Consistency is key when it comes to house training.

Puppies learn best with regular, repeated actions and rewards. Establish a routine in the early stages of training so that your pup understands where and when to do their business. The success and speed of your puppy's training is dependent on how closely you follow a routine. Depending on how fast your puppy learns, this can take weeks or up to a month.

A consistent routine with lots of praise, no matter how long it takes, is the best house training you can provide for your puppy, helping them to lead their healthiest and happiest life!

Dog Training for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know

nikki@thecollarclub.com (Nikki Musko) — Sat, 05 Sep 2020 14:27:10 GMT

Dog Training For Beginners: Everything You Need to Know

If you have recently purchased or adopted a puppy, you may think to yourself that you need to start getting in the habit of training your four-legged friend to teach them how to remain obedient. We have been taught that our dog needs to learn potty training, how to respond to common commands, and much more. What if I told you we have been doing it wrong all of these years?

What if I suggested changing our mindset and the way we see our dog? Don’t get me wrong, all pet parents have the right intention. All of us want what’s best for our family. The question is, where or how did we go wrong? It is still our responsibility in society to have a well trained and obedient dog. It is also our responsibility to have a happy and healthy dog. In the beginning, this may seem like an impossible task. However, you can begin building a good relationship with your dog while training the puppy each day.

Having a new puppy is exciting, but there are times your new pup may frustrate you, especially during the potty training process and possibly even chewing different items in your home. If you follow these simple dog training tips, you and your dog can have success together. Follow this simple step-by-step guide on training a dog as a new pet owner.

Do We Start With the Basic Commands?

When you first start training your dog, you probably think to yourself that you need to focus on basic commands. Maybe your friends are telling you the best commands for you to begin with when you want to enforce good behavior and proper training is to include: sit, heel, come, stay.

The reason you do not want to start with these commands during the beginning stages of a training session is that you need to build trust with your dog through engagement. You want to be your dog’s source of the most fun and joy in their life. There are very few effective techniques currently being used to form proper engagement and the techniques will vary based on your dog. For example, you may have a dog that has more drive than say your neighbor’s dog that has little to no drive.

There are a variety of different levels of energy and motivating factors for each dog as well as how we are to interact with them. The activity of a dog is not measured by a dog’s drive. Some dogs can have a high nervous system but that does not always mean they have prey drive or care about a ball or food. Understanding what motivates your dog can help you to provide appropriate reinforcement and begin to incorporate basic commands in their training. Once you know what your dog needs, you may then build trust through proper methods of engagement.

Once you have established a good relationship with your dog and understand who they are, when teaching the basics, it helps to have plenty of food available. If you want the dog to sit, you are not going to hold a treat in the air and say the dog's name. It may initially attempt the dog to jump for the food. Instead, there a couple of ways to teach your dog to sit based on their drive level.

One way is to first teach the dog a target and once they sit then you open your hand and give them food. You want to solidify the command with your dog, so make sure you practice and get several in a row correct. It is a great way to provide positive reinforcement during the training process.

If you want your dog to stay put for a specific amount of time, get the puppy to sit or stand, and then say the word. You want to keep it simple to avoid causing any confusion. When you first begin working with your puppy, you do not need to use any words to communicate with your dog until you have solidified the position. At that point, you can begin to introduce the command. If you are saying too many words at once, your dog might not understand what you want it to do, and that could result in more issues with getting the puppy to listen to those basic commands.

Do Research on Training Method Options

There are different types of training methods available such as positive reinforcement, clicker training, and alpha dog training. In today’s society, it is common practice as trainers and pet parents to force a few commands on our dog, no matter what training method you choose. In most types of training methods, we become our dog’s #1 enemy. Wait? What? We just told our best friend what they must do, but never listened to what they had to say!?

Dog trainers base training styles from classical and operant conditioning. Classical and operant conditioning has a wide scale of methods and techniques. Positive reinforcement is also known as purely positive and it is generally accompanied with clicker training. Clicker training is a form of operant conditioning. This style of training is successful only in an ideal or very specific situation.

For example, the command “place” or “On Your Spot” is a designated area where you would like your dog to stay such as on a mat, dog bed, or a place board. You may have seen the place board used in agility courses. The place board is used when a dog needs to go to a designated area for an obstacle or an A-Frame. The A-Frame is a frame in the shape of a capital A that dogs run up and then back down. The reason the dog goes to a designated place is during training they come to you for a reward. The same thing gets used for a dog in the household when you have the place board, dog bed, or mat in the house. You ask or send your dog to their spot or place. You now have conditioned your dog for a specific place or for a crate.

Now, let’s discuss the untold truth about clicker training. Once the dog is fed and loses the desire for food, you no longer can gain a dog’s interest. As important positive reinforcement is, it is also important to understand the entire spectrum of what operant conditioning is, which also includes negative reinforcement.

Another form of training is called Alpha dog. This style of training is about understanding the hierarchy in the position of the house. It is nothing but a dog understanding their position of the hierarchy in a pack of wolves. Animals in the world operate and understand the world through consequences through good or bad, just like us humans. If we do something good in a job, we receive a promotion. If we do something bad, we get demoted. We live in a world with consequences. This is not about alpha, this is about operant conditioning. Part of operant conditioning is a combination of positive and negative punishments.

It is not about what method you choose, but rather where to apply the method. It is also about when it is the appropriate time to use different methods. The goal with our dog is to teach new skills for them to live and understand our world as humans. We must learn to co-exist with our dog and overcome any bad behavior displayed by your pet. Make sure to have the right attitude when getting started. You will need to have patience when teaching your dog anything, especially house rules and new tricks. Educate yourself in order to choose the method that is most effective for your pet.

Get to Know Your Dog's Behavior

Not all dogs are the same. Just like humans, dogs have their own characteristics. As a pet parent, you can spend more time with your four-legged friend and get to know more about the pup and its behavior. Dogs are like humans because they have different temperaments than others, and some naturally have less drive in life.

It is an excellent idea to do research on your dog’s breed to see what others are saying about the breed, but also only use this to generalize. For example, one German Shepard may have more drive and be great for personal protection, while another German Shepard from a different litter may have no drive at all and is more insecure and timid.

Just like us humans, not everyone wants to be the CEO of a company. The same thing goes for dogs. Just because dogs may have the same cultural background (breed-specific) does not mean each dog will fulfill a specific job role.

Do not take your dog to the local dog park. Go back to the basics of dogs. They are pack animals and 90% of their DNA is made from wolves. If you were ever to watch National Geographic and watch a pack of wolves, coyotes, or hyenas, these animals never mingle with other packs. It is completely unnatural.

I do encourage you to live life with your dog. Once you have established trust and you become your dog’s world, bring your dog around children, other family members, and any dogs that would be considered within your pack at home. This method of socialization is great for building up their confidence as well.

Provide Positive Feedback

Give your dog positive feedback through body language for good behavior. It would help if you worked on earning your pet's trust, which is not always that difficult, but often the most missed thing. If you are continually providing negative feedback by yelling at the dog and getting frustrated, you may have a difficult time getting through training sessions.

Work on completing short yet practical training sessions with your dog each day. Rather than frustrating yourself and overworking your four-legged friend by training for hours each day, stick with three minutes of training broken down into 10 or 15 sessions a day. It will work out better in the long run if you are taking breaks between working with your dog. The more you spend time with your dog you will begin to see the results and the good behavior you desire.

Work on Teaching Good Manners

Once you have established trust with your dog, teaching those basic commands must become a mutual language that both you and your dog understand. Think of when we teach first graders. We teach them letters and how to write their first words. We don’t tell them what to say or write in a non-formal setting. Our children have the freedom to make choices in life. As parents, we hope they make the right choice, but we do allow them to make their own choices.

It is quite possible to train your dog and overcome any behavior problems that the pup is currently displaying at home. However, you do need to be consistent with the training method and stick with it. When you do take time to spend with your dog, pay attention to their body language, and train in a comfortable, safe area. You will need to work hard and stay focused when working with your dog. Remain consistent by completing numerous training sessions throughout the week.

It would be best if you always had a positive attitude during these sessions. If you are not in the right mindset to spend time with your dog, the dog will sense this, and it will make your time with your dog unpleasant for both of you.

If you do not know how to become a team with your dog, please reach out to us as professional dog trainers. Be careful of your trainer selection as most do not understand how to have a successful relationship with their dog. If you do end up working with a professional trainer to get additional assistance with training your dog, you will need to take training in small steps to have a trusting and successful relationship with your pup.

If you end up struggling with specific issues, do not hesitate to reach out to us professional dog trainers. There is a reason we as dog trainers have success in helping dogs of all different breeds and sizes. The professionals know the right steps to take and will work feverishly to help your dog get the hang of things. Even if you do end up working with a professional trainer to get additional assistance make sure you do your homework and ask the dog trainer questions as to why they limit themselves to one training method or where and when they use specific training methods before training your dog.

When Should I Start House Training My Puppy?

nikki@thecollarclub.com (Nikki Musko) — Mon, 31 Aug 2020 23:13:12 GMT

When Should I Start House Training my Puppy?

Whether you call it house training, potty training, or toilet training, you should always address this important part of dog ownership as soon as you bring a dog into a new environment. They will need time to get used to their new surroundings and routine, so keep this in mind when you bring home a new dog friend, especially if they were in a shelter for a long period of time.

Do not rely on puppy pads (also known as training pads or potty trays) early on, or you may have a harder time with the training process. The number of hours it takes to house train a dog may vary, especially an adult dog. A puppy could take up to one month to properly house train, so consistency is key! House training should be an essential part of your routine with your new dog as soon as you bring them home. Remember dogs have an excellent sense of time, so establishing a firm schedule for the dog is very important.

How Do I Know When My Dog Needs to Go to the Toilet?

The more time you spend with your dog, the more you will be able to read and understand their behavior. It is important to pay close attention to your dog during the house training process so that you can learn what they do when they have to go to the bathroom. Until then, keep an eye out for these common signs that your dog needs do their business:

Squatting or curving their lower body towards the ground
Circling and pacing
Standing by the door or near a surface where they have gone before
Sniffing the ground
Barking and whining

Each of these behaviors are instinctual and natural to your dog when they need to do their business. If your pup seems fidgety and distracted, chances are they have to go to the toilet. Every dog is different, so we can't stress enough how important it is to spend lots of time with your dog to get to know their unique signals.

In addition to these signals, there are also certain times when your dog may have to go, including after naps, mealtime, or when they have been alone for a long period of time. Lots of dogs are especially prone to peeing after or during playtime or when they are very excited. It may benefit you to watch your pooch closely during playtime or even get in the habit of encouraging them to go to the bathroom beforehand. Puppies will always go potty immediately after they wake up and they will also always go potty right after they eat a meal.

Steps for Toilet Training Your Dog or Puppy

Take your dog out regularly. You should aim for toilet breaks as often as every hour or two. It even helps to set a timer to ensure that you are taking potty breaks at the right times. These frequent trips will only be necessary until both you and your dog establish a routine. Puppies have small bladders and no instinct to hold it, so you will need to take them out to do their business every hour. You should also get in the habit of taking your puppy out after they wake up and after they eat or drink. Older dogs will not need to use the facilities as frequently, so it is a good idea to take them out every two hours.
Keep an eye out for the signs mentioned above and take your dog out as soon as you see any signs. If you think your dog has to go outside, you are probably right. This is why it is very important to keep your dog with you at all times during the toilet training process. If you can't watch your dog closely, consider using a crate. We'll discuss both of these helpful tools later.
In the early stages of training, always go with your dog outside - they may be nervous or unfocused and need your support. Do not assume that you can just let your dog out and stay indoors. This is important for the next step.
Pick a regular spot in your yard (or wherever your outdoor space is) to assign as your dog’s toilet area. You want them to get used to the same spot so that they always know to use the correct place. Bring your puppy there every time you are on a potty break. If you have a dog walker, make sure to be very specific or even show them where this spot is to ensure the training process is seamless.
Once you reach your dog's toilet area, it can be helpful to use a cue word. To get your dog or puppy to learn a cue word, use the word or phrase as soon as your dog starts to do their business. Soon they will associate toilet time with the word, and you will be able to encourage them to quickly do their business on command. Cue words are also helpful if your pooch will be using other areas other than their regular toilet area. Some popular cue words include "go potty" or "wee wee".
After your dog has done their business, make sure to provide positive reinforcement and lots of praise. Small treats are great for this! You want to make sure to reward them a few seconds after they do their business so they associate the positive feedback with their good behavior. Don't be shy with the praise here! Lots of praise will only reinforce the correct behavior and encourage your pup to repeat it regularly.
Punish a puppy or adult dog for accidents [adequately is part of the training process if they go in the wrong place. This is a natural consequence for wrong doing during the training process. Remember that your canine friend responds best to positive feedback so do your best to keep a consistent routine to limit the amount of negative reinforcement.] We will cover accidents in more detail in the next section.
Consider crate training your new puppy or dog. This is especially useful at night. A puppy's mother would have taught them not to soil their sleeping area. Using a crate encourages your puppy to hold on a little longer, but it is important to make sure they aren't caught short or left to be uncomfortable. Dog crates are not designed to be used for long periods of time, but can be helpful during the training process. If a crate is used correctly, it should be a source of comfort and a place of relaxation for your dog and not used for punishment.

What Do I Do When My Dog Has An Accident?

If you decide to punish your puppy make sure the negative reinforcement is appropriate for their age. Even if you catch them in the act, take them outside to continue to go to the bathroom. We must learn from the accident what time the accident happened, what was the situation beforehand to cause them to go to the bathroom. It's important to observe the puppy's activity before the accident happened.

Was the puppy playing, just fed or woke up from a nap? Before allowing the dog back in the room, make sure to clean the floor. This will remove any association of the spot as a toilet area. Make sure to continue with regular potty breaks and always provide positive feedback for good behavior.

If your puppy continues to have accidents in the same areas, you need to rethink the way you are communicating with your dog. We do not recommend using baby gates to block them off. Baby gates create a smaller area where the puppy spends its time, however baby gates are only successful for safety purposes Instinctually a dog will not eliminate close to where they spend most of their time, so reducing the size of their living space should reduce the frequency of accidents.

Baby gates are successful for safety when it comes to safety for the puppy for an example to avoid stairs, or don't want them to chew on stuff, but does not help them with potty training.

When Can I Use Puppy Training Pads?

When you have a new puppy, accidents can and will happen. We suggest to stay away from , there is a higher probability of a puppy eating them and causing them an emergency. Training pads can help, but they should not be a long-term solution. Not only can they delay the training process, but they also run the risk of confusing your new puppy about where they should be doing their business.

If you must use puppy pads, you may use them to burn a fire in your backyard. Young puppies are easily confused and the last thing you need is for them to think your kitchen is their toilet area. Some companies have started making and shipping real grass pads right to your door.

Grass is a natural attractant and odor neutralizer. These pads provide a more real, outdoor experience for your puppy or adult dog to enjoy. If you must use training pads, using real grass pads will make it less confusing for your dog as they learn to eliminate outside.

What Is The Most Important Part of House Training?

The most important part to remember about house training is consistency. Dogs learn best with regualr, repeated actions and rewards. Establish a routine in the early stages of training so that your dog understands where and when to do their business. The success and speed of your dog's training is dependent on how closely you follow a routine. Depending on how well you communicate with your dog, this can take weeks. Any change to your dog's routine during the house training process could affect how long it takes them to become housebroken.

Remember: a regular routine with consistency is the quickest way to a happy, house-broken puppy!

How Your Dog Walker Helps You Raise Your Puppy

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 16:09:11 GMT

How Your Dog Walker Helps You Raise Your Puppy

Everyone loves a puppy. They’re cute. They’re fluffy. They have puppy breath.

But they’re also a lot of work. You can’t do it all yourself.

You probably have a veterinarian lined up. And a trainer. You know where to buy pet supplies.

But have you thought about hiring a dog walker?

“That comes later,” you think. “Once the puppy is older. What can a dog walker do with a puppy that doesn’t even know how to walk on a leash yet?”

You’d be surprised.

Crate Training Your Puppy is Good. But There’s One Catch.

Puppies naturally don’t want to poop where they sleep. But if your puppy is stuck in a crate all day, he’ll reach a point where he just can’t hold it anymore. Coming home in the middle of the day to let him out isn’t always an option.

Once that happens a few times, your house training efforts will all be undone.

By scheduling a dog walker to come by during the day, your puppy won’t reach that point of, “Gotta go now!” He’ll still get plenty of quiet time to nap, though.

A Dog Walker Helps You Get More Out of Your Training Investment

Practice makes perfect, right? Especially when it comes to puppy training. The more you reinforce what your trainer is teaching your puppy, the faster she’ll pick up the commands. And the more likely she is to be an enjoyable part of your family.

Since your puppy isn’t up to long walks yet, your dog walker instead can spend the scheduled time practicing sit and stay with your puppy. When your puppy is on the leash with your walker, good leash manners are getting reinforced.

Just don’t expect your dog walker to actually train your puppy.

Exploring the World

The puppy’s breeder, trainer, and veterinarian have probably explained the importance of socialization to you.

But socialization can be hard to do if you don’t want to take your puppy to the dog park because too many dogs are there after work. Plus, you don’t always have the time to properly introduce your puppy to the people and dogs you meet on walks.

Scheduling a dog walker, however, can give your puppy twenty minutes or more of time out and about in the world, seeing new things and making new friends. And your dog walker is experienced enough to recognize a bad situation and avoid it so your puppy has fewer negative experiences.

Quick Note:

Your veterinarian will let you know when your puppy is old enough to socialize. Before then, you’ll want to limit your puppy’s outdoor time to your yard.

Very young puppies don’t have a strong enough immune system to fight off some of the bacteria and viruses your puppy will encounter in a walk off of your property.

Your dog walker will keep your puppy in your yard for as long as necessary. And when you have your veterinarian have decided your puppy is ready to go on safari, your dog walker will be ready to go, too.

How to Choose a Dog Walker for Your Puppy

Not every dog walker is suitable for walking a puppy. Puppies require a lot of time, patience, and the appropriate skills to help you continue your puppy’s training. Some dog walkers prefer working with older dogs.

Start with dog walkers who offer a puppy program. Then schedule a meet-and-greet with the walker to evaluate their comfort level with your puppy. During the meet-and-greet, ask about the walker’s experience with puppies like yours. If the walker has only ever worked with small or medium breed puppies and you have a Malamute, you may want to keep looking.

Dog Walkers Valuable for Your Puppy, Too

Knowing you won’t be coming home to a messy crate and an overexcited puppy can be a relief when you’re heading home after a hard day of work. You’ll get to enjoy time with your new friend, not just take care of his basic necessities.

Dog Walking for Seniors - The Risks and Benefits

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 16:02:36 GMT

As a dog owner, it's important that you provide your dog with the proper amount of exercise and activity in order to promote a healthy lifestyle for your pet. Depending on the breed of dog that you have, he or she will require more or less exercise than other dogs and may need a certain amount of outside activity. No matter the kind of dog that you own, taking him or her for a daily walk will have benefits and risks for both you and your pet.

For most people, taking their dog on a walk is easy and a relaxing part of their day, however, for some people, specifically seniors, taking their dog for a walk can be challenging, especially if he or she can not move around easily. This post will detail the benefits and risks of dog walking for seniors.

What Seniors Need to Know About Dog Walking

Depending on where a senior lives, he or she may have a harder time walking his or her dog. For example, if one lives in an apartment, it may be challenging to walk up and down steps for seniors; or it may be unsafe to walk the dog in certain neighborhoods. Because of these issues retirement communities that allow pets have taken it upon themselves to make walking a dog easy and safe; in fact, a retirement community in PA has trails that are ideal for seniors to take their dogs for walks on.

Keeping your living situation and safety in mind, here are some other things that seniors should know when it comes to dog walking.

Dog Walking Can be a Great Way to Stay Active

One of the major benefits for seniors when it comes to dog walking is how much it promotes a healthy and active lifestyle. It’s common for seniors to fall into a lax lifestyle that doesn’t involve them getting up and moving much. This unfortunate lifestyle can cause health issues down the road such as obesity and joint/bone issues. A simple way for a senior to combat this life of laziness is to make it a point to take his or her dog on daily walks.

Daily walks can be as long as or as short as one wants and will promote a life of health and wellness for seniors. Daily walks will keep seniors up and moving, keeping their heart pumping and their bodies moving in order to fight any preventable ailments. Walking his or her dog is also a great way for seniors to get out of the house, get fresh air and even mingle with friends and neighbors.

Seniors can take their dog on as many walks as they are capable of going on, and as many as the dog will willingly go on. Daily dog walks will promote an active lifestyle and an active lifestyle will prolong one’s life.

Hire a Dog Walker if You are Unable to Walk Your Dog

Before adopting a dog, it's important that one makes sure that they are able to care for it. If a senior can not walk and play with a dog to the degree that the dog needs, he or she should consider getting a different kind of pet. However, this is not always the case as to why a senior is unable to walk his or her dog. Sometimes dogs will age better than their owner has or the senior may have gotten hurt or had recent surgery. Whatever the case may be, if a senior can not walk his or her dog safely, it’s recommended to hire a professional dog walker.

Their title alone explains their job; dog walkers are skilled at walking dogs and are a great solution for people that are unable to take their dog on the kind of walk that it needs. Dog walkers will walk your pet no matter the weather and their service is affordable. Dog walkers are also skilled at answering any questions you may have about their service.

Dog walkers may be worth your while if an elderly person is also afraid of getting hurt while walking his or her dog. For example, if it’s wet out and an elderly person is not good on their feet, a dog walker may be a good solution. Or, if a dog has gotten too strong for the owner, a dog walker may be able to better handle walking him or her. Dog walkers will eliminate risks to not only you but also your pet. If you fall and get hurt while on a walk, your dog could run away or his or her life may be permanently changed if you are unable to take care of him or her after a fall.

Hire a Professional to Train Your Dog to Walk on a Leash

Dogs often have a hard time learning how to walk on a leash, this is common and can be challenging to correct, especially for seniors that may not know how or have the ability to train their dog right. An answer to this problem could be to hire a professional to train your dog on how to walk on a leash. Whether that professional is a professional dog trainer or a professional dog walker, he or she will be able to assist an elderly person in order to allow him or her to walk their dog on a leash down the road.

Often, dogs either pull or are distracted while on their daily walks; both present major issues for seniors. If a dog pulls too much, it can hurt a senior’s shoulder or arm as it is weaker than it was in his or her younger years. Or, if a dog pulls it can cause a senior to lose balance and fall hard onto the ground, breaking various bones that can have an impact on the rest of his or her life. Likewise, if a dog gets distracted, it can end up hurting the senior or the senior will not be able to control it. Hiring a professional will be able to rid most dogs of these tendencies.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Dog Walking for Seniors

If you are a dog-owning senior, or you have a senior in your life that owns a dog, it’s important to keep tips such as these in mind when it comes to dog walking. Dog walking can have a plethora of benefits for seniors if done right; and on the other hand, it can have just as many risks if done wrong. Make sure you know what you need to when it comes to walking your dog as a senior.

Should I Crate Train My Puppy?

Tue, 20 Aug 2019 13:14:59 GMT

Should I Crate Train My Puppy?

One of the main questions we get asked is, should I crate train my puppy? What if I told you your fluffy wet nose goofy four-legged ball of joy comes from millions of years of evolution? Did you know 90% of a dog’s DNA is similar to wolves? The day we bring our puppy home, we give him or her their future. At this moment, whether we like it or not, the puppy does not have an option to say they like or do not like this family or what I like to call it is a relationship between humans and puppies.

It becomes our responsibility for them to understand our world. We owe our puppy to see our world through his or her eyes. If we truly love our new puppy, we need to know where the evolution comes from. A dog’s natural instinct in their mind is very busy every second of their life.

For example, they try to find food or water to feed themselves or try to stay safe from other predators or to find a partner to reproduce with. I’m sure you have heard dogs are pack animals. We could define “pack” as order. Naturally, dogs live in a pack where there is a hierarchy, and each dog has a job. They are required to keep a pack in order, just like us, humans.

Once our puppy becomes one of our family members, we provide all their needs for them in our house. For example, we feed them, offer them water, a shelter for safety. We naturally watch our puppies all the time to make sure they are happy, healthy, and safe. So what does this do to our puppy? We took what they know naturally, which are their jobs away from them. They no longer need to worry about safety anymore.

So what does this mean? This means our puppy's mind is not occupied at all, and they are bored. At this moment, it’s our puppy's natural instinct for their DNA to tell them they need to do something, however, there’s nothing for the puppy to do. As a result, our puppy starts chewing on our furniture, walking around the house barking, eating our shoes, and producing activities that most of us don’t like. Can we blame our puppy? Absolutely not! Our puppy does what their DNA tells him or her to do.

So the million-dollar question is there a way to change this behavior? We need to put a job and order back in his or her life. Is crate training a puppy necessary? If you crate train your puppy properly, you will accomplish many things at once. First, your puppy will learn and understand when it’s time to relax and rest. Second, when the dog is not in his or her crate, you spend time with your dog.

When your puppy is out of his or her crate, it’s essential to allow your puppy to exercise his or her mind. There is nothing that will get your puppy more tired than using their brain. A puppy who gets physical exercise and runs around may physically be exhausted at that moment. However, your puppy will never mentally exhaust themselves. Once a dog uses their mind, they have a sense of self-accomplishment, and also, your puppy will get tired very fast. Sounds like a win-win, right!?

Crate training puts order in our and the puppy’s life. It’s important to ask yourself why you brought a puppy into your home. I would say the number one answer for most would be to spend time with your new pup!

Find yourself a dog trainer to teach you exercises to mentally stimulate your puppy and to show you how to help build a relationship between you and your new pup! I’m excited for you if you already got a new puppy or if you are doing research to prepare yourself when you do bring your new puppy home. Don’t forget all of this information is great as well if you adopted an older dog.

How Long Does It Take to Crate Train a Puppy?

What does it mean to crate train a puppy? You know a puppy is crate trained when they are in a crate for a reasonable amount of time without bathroom mistakes (this time will increase as they age). Also, the puppy will show they are comfortable in the crate for an extended period without stress.

It varies how long it takes to crate train a puppy. This all depends on their whelping box experience the few weeks after birth. Are they regularly going potty outside? If the puppy is taken outside to go potty, then the puppy will want to go to the bathroom on the grass. It can be very demanding to care for a new litter, so this may not always be successfully done.

In the pet training industry, this is what we like to call the difference between clean and dirty puppies. A clean puppy will not want to go to the bathroom where they live or sleep, and a dirty puppy will go in their whelping box. If you have a puppy where they weren’t provided an early introduction to a potty routine, the puppy will go to the bathroom anywhere! The crate itself will not fix this issue.

Before you bring a puppy home, if you watch the litter of puppies when they are with their mother, a puppy’s daily cycle begins when they wake up, they go to the bathroom, then play, feed on their mom and then they go back to sleep. Once the puppy has all of his or her needs fulfilled, their body is calm. This is the puppy’s routine, and it does not matter what breed they are because all puppies have the same method. They like having a comfortable, safe space.

The dog crates help induce the calmness for the puppy to sleep because the puppy is secluded and is in a controlled environment. Any time you wake the puppy they must go outside to potty immediately. Just like us, humans, the moment we wake up in the morning, we need to go to the bathroom.

So now the puppy’s routine is to sleep in the crate, once they wake up, they go outside to potty on the grass, and now the puppy gets used to this pattern. I will tell you, and it’s no secret, dogs learn very fast! They tend to adapt to the training method provided to them by their owners.

Is there a sign your puppy is doing well or not well with crate training? There are a few ways to tell how successful your dog is with crate training. The main goal with the crate is not to teach potty training, however, it’s to train a puppy to feel comfortable and rest in the crate.

Potty training comes from the use of an established routine they can rely on. If the puppy is showing signs of comfort and relaxation, over time, this is a sign of success. To progress, you must set your dog up for success. This can be established by providing a less stimulating outside environment when they are in their crate. For example, dogs playing near the crate or children may even agitate the young puppies.

Another critical aspect of securing calmness in the crate is ensuring the puppy has had enough mental stimulation; this may not be substituted by physical exercise. Throughout the day, if they can utilize their minds, it will be a welcomed relief for the puppy to recuperate in their crate. If they are mentally stimulated, they will not want to come out of their crate. We discuss mental stimulation for both puppies and adult dogs in our blog entitled “10 Tips to Mentally Stimulate Your Dog”.

Should I Put My Dog in a Crate at Night?

Yes, absolutely! This is like creating a habit just like humans. I don’t know about you, but I love to sleep in my bed at night. Once you stay consistent, the crate becomes the dog’s sanctuary. When you bring home a puppy or adopt an adult dog before night time you want to play with your dog to get them tired so when they are placed in their crate at night, they will start to learn the crate is their resting place or if you will where they are to be calm.

It’s essential to feed your puppy or new dog in the crate; this creates a positive correlation, and they will not view it as a punishment. When you place food in the crate, be sure to close the door of the crate. Think of the dog’s crate like their bedroom. It’s not a public place, and you feel the most comfortable and safe in your bedroom.

Once you close the crate door, be sure to walk away. Even if the puppy cries a little, that’s ok. The crying will stop in a few minutes, and the puppy will go to sleep within a short time. Puppies sleep 3 to 4 times a day. Go back to the crate in about 1 to 2 hours and take the puppy directly outside. Don’t wait for the puppy to wake up, it won’t likely leave you enough time to get them out, and it helps to solidify the routine when done throughout each day and night.

How Long Can You Leave an 8 Week Old Puppy in a Crate?

With puppies, you will have to put in the hard work by taking a series of small steps. You will have to get up in the night to take care of them. Before you know it, within 1 to 2 weeks, the puppy will be able to sleep throughout the night for about 8 hours. The puppy will see that it is time to rest, and it is not play time.

If the dog cries, do not go to the dog. The moment you do this, you will teach the dog if they cry, you will show that crying will get him or her out of the crate. The best response is no response. If you are sticking with a potty routine, you won’t have to worry about mistakes when ignoring the cry. You will never be able to stop the crying once you start this habit on the first nights of having your puppy at home.

If you are dealing with a puppy or an adult dog with separation anxiety creating calmness in the crate may be more difficult.

If you play a tv or radio while they are in the crate this can help your dog. If you have an adult dog or puppy, you may need to start with short sessions, such as 10 to 15 minutes. Trying the training for a shorter time period can help in the beginning. Then let them out and play with them, get them tired and return them to the crate. If your dog is hesitant to go into their crate, it’s best to lure them with small food treats, such as peanut butter.

If you are concerned about your new family member while you’re away, you may be able to have a camera on the dog. However, if they are crying, be sure to wait and don’t cave in. If the dog is severely affected by separation anxiety, please seek out an expert for help to get advice on how to use the dog's crate in the most effective way.

Is it Okay Not to Crate Train a Puppy?

Of course, you have the option not to crate train your dog. However, remember at that moment you make this decision your puppy will potty throughout the house and will also have accidents when they destroy items within your home. You need to decide how much you want to sacrifice while teaching your four-legged friend good behavior. Many people use crates as a training tool for their canine companions.

Some people may believe a crate is too small for their dog. Have you seen how much space a dog needs to sleep? They either curl up in a ball or lay on their side in a safe area. (much like a teenager or college student sleeping in a twin size bed). Never feel guilty of buying just enough space for your dog to sleep to determine the size of your puppy’s crate.

If the dog learns the crate is his or her sanctuary, your puppy or adult dog will also feel much safer sleeping in the crate with a dog bed than sleeping in the open. We as humans can feel bad placing a dog in the crate or see it as punishment; however, think about if you feel safer in the middle of downtown at night or inside your home? Remember, dogs are much smaller than us and don’t see the environment as we do. They see a crate like their home and often go into it on their own choice.

There are alternative methods people use, such as a place board or mat, which is a rectangle lifted an inch or two from the ground. The board/mat is often accompanied by the command “place” to differentiate from the crate or other locations in the home. I would not use this as an alternative method because then the dog may not feel safe and has the opportunity to stay or leave their place.

A crate leaves no option for the dog and will teach them to lay down and relax. Crate training is highly recommended over any other method. In my entire career, I have worked with many dogs. When they relax, they have changed their attitude, and it will ease a dog’s mind. Dogs have a better perspective when living within the household when there is a crate. It’s a place they know they don’t have to worry. You can use it in a humane way to help with the training process and to get your pup to follow house rules.

10 Tips from a Professional Dog Walker

Wed, 10 Apr 2019 12:28:16 GMT

10 Tips in 2020 from a Professional Dog Walker

Being the great best friend that you are to your furry companion goes beyond feeding and grooming. Not only should fido get his or her fair share of potty breaks like any ol’ human would. There’s a bigger concern in the pet parent community and this article’s intent is to solve it by providing 10 tips to ensure a great dog walk. In this blog we get into dog walking tips for those dogs that constantly pulls on the leash , and answer the hot question: if you’re walking a dog for the first time and it refuses to let you clip on his leash you should…?

According to studies, 20% of dog owners don’t walk their dogs every day. On one hand, maybe they have other pressing commitments. On the other hand, maybe walking their dog is simply not “fun” to them. When the dog constantly pulls on the leash or won’t walk by your side, dog walks start to feel more like a chore rather than a fun activity. Luckily, there are ways of fixing any offending behavior you may experience with your pup on a walk, and with these tips for walking the dog, you’ll have your dog gaiting like a pure breed at a dog show. Let’s jump into it and get rid of leash issues to foster an even healthier relationship between you and your pooch.

20% of dog owners don't walk their dogs every day"

- Nikki Musko

For more information on this infographic, please visit Puppy Leaks for their great dog walking tips article!

Bonus Question & Answer:

If you’re walking a dog for the first time and it refuses to let you clip on his leash, you should…

Give your dog a chance to get familiar with the leash. When you are sitting around the house or doing chores, bring the leash in and let it go by your furry friend. The smell and the familiarity of the leash becomes less intrusive and over time you have a dog that isn’t afraid of the “leash” anymore.

What's the best leash for a dog that pulls?

Most dog collars and harnesses with clips on the back often encourage a dog’s natural instinct to pull. If your dog is constantly pulling on the leash during walks, it’s not that the pack leader instinct kicks in during walks. Rather, pulling on a leash is just a natural reaction to one of the exciting activities your dog gets to enjoy. He wants to run and investigate the environment and his boring and slow human companion has him tied to a leash. You can prevent all that and have your dog walk calmly walk beside you by getting a front clip harness. With the harness, your 150lb Rottweiler won’t be dragging your through the streets every evening.

Dog doesn’t want to walk? Let the Dog Explore a Bit!

Being the curious animals they are, dogs are bound to sniff around whenever they step outside. It’s a new environment filled with scents mere humans can’t register. Understand dog walking is more than a physical exercise for a dog. It is the only opportunity your dog gets to breathe in fresh air every day, so let him sniff out a few bushes and posts during your walk. Here’s one of our dog walking skills that never fails to work. During a walk, we usually loosen the leash when the dog shows interest in something. We tell him to “go sniff” and when it’s time to move on, we’ll tell the dog “let’s walk”. Of course, you want to exercise some judgment when allowing dogs to sniff around.

Ditch Those Retractable Leash on Dog Walks

Retractable leashes are a no-no for dog walks. Not only do they make it hard to control your pooch, but they can make dog walks potentially dangerous. Remember, most of the time the dog is getting out to a new environment. They’re bound to be excited which can sometimes make them approach each and everything on their path. A retractable leash makes increases the difficulty of controlling a dog tenfold.

Clean Up After Your Dog

Although this doesn’t always come up when you’re searching for tips for walking the dog, picking up your dog’s poop when out on a walk is of imperative importance. Not only are you being the good neighbor, but it also reinforces your dog’s potty training. You also make the environment safe and sanitary for other people and their pets.

Carry Some Water

Whenever you’re out on a hot day, staying hydrated and cool is up there in the list of priorities. Similarly, your furry companion who always has his fall wear on all year round gets hot during walks and runs and he’ll need some water to cool down.

Get an ID and Other Contact Information on the Dog before a Walk

You never know what might happen during a walk. It is always prudent to make sure your pup has an ID and other contact information before leaving the house. You can attach the ID and contact information on your dog’s collar or have it on your person.

Dog Refuses to Walk? Be Mindful of Hot Pavement

Be considerate of dog’s comfort during a walk. If your foot or hand cannot handle the temperature of the pavement, most likely the thick pads on dog’s foot won’t handle it either. If your dog refuses to take another step off the driveway, most likely the pavement is hot. Wait till the evening to take your dog out for a walk when temperatures are much cooler.

Dog Doesn’t Want to Walk? Bring His Favorite Treats

Does your dog scamper off whenever you bring the leash to go for a walk? Most likely it’s because walks are not as enjoyable for him as they are for you. While your dog’s interest might be piqued by a squirrel or is he always getting distracted by everything during walks? Carrying his favorite treats on walks is a great way to get his attention and improve his dog walking skills.

Always Ask Before Approaching Other Dogs

It’s hard to eyeball the temperament of other dogs you’ll come by during your walks. For the safety of your dog, as well as your safety, always ask the owner of the other dog if it’s alright to approach. Some dog breeds, while being excellent family pets, are super protective of their owners. They are always suspicious of other dogs and people. A Rottweiler is one such breed that won’t welcome new dogs and their owners. Sometimes when a dog doesn’t want to walk around other dogs, most likely he has sensed some aggressiveness from the other mutts. Take his lead and look for a detour.

Going For Evening Walks? Wear Reflective Gear

Don’t be that girl or guy who takes unnecessary risks and endangers your dog and the safety of other motorists by being hard to spot on evenings. You’ll want to don on reflective apparels that make it easier to spot at night. You can get a reflective jacket. You can even get a reflective jacket for your pup for those moments he might wander into the road. For a few bucks, you increase the safety of your evening walks.

If you are still wondering, if you’re walking a dog for the first time and it refuses to let you clip on his leash you should give us a call! We would be happy to assist you over the phone or in person with any particular cases. We don’t claim to be Cesar Milan, but we have over 20+ years of experience walking our furry friends!

7 Questions to Ask a Dog Walker Before Hiring

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 13:16:32 GMT

7 QUESTIONS TO ASK A DOG WALKER BEFORE HIRING

Hi Everyone! Nikki Musko here with The Collar Club. I own a dog walking & pet sitting business in Cleveland, Ohio. If you are in the market for a professional dog walker, there are crucial questions you need to ask. I am here today answering a list of questions my company has been asked before being hired. Below you will find 7 questions to ask a dog walker before hiring .

If you are not a client yet, I highly recommend when you are interviewing a dog walker that you are asking the right questions. Here are some questions I have been asked:

So, let’s get started…. Question#1:

1) How many dogs do you walk at a time?

It’s common for walkers to take more than one dog out at a time, which can help keep costs down for you, however this means less attention given to your dog. Here at TCC you are paying for a one-on-one service. All of our TLC is given to just your dog. If you own 2 or 3 dogs we are happy to walk your dogs all at the same time. However, If you would prefer we walk some or all the dog’s separate we are happy to do what you believe is best.

2) What’s the interview process for your dog walkers/sitters?

Here at TCC, we have a 5-step process. Application, Phone, In Person, Background Check & Field Day.

Application Process – We look to see if the applicant has previous experience in the industry. It’s important to us that your professional dog walker/sitter knows how to handle all type of dog behaviors.

Phone Interview – We look for specific personality traits. Is the applicant a self motivator, detail oriented, honest, is this a good fit for both the company & the applicant.

In-Person Interview – Applicants are asked a series of scenario questions in order for us to evaluate their problem solving skills.

Background Check – We use a third-party provider to run a background check. It’s our priority to make sure your family and home is as safe as possible by disqualifying applicants who have felonies on their records.

Field Day – Here is where the applicant can put their words into action! Are they really who they say they are? For an example, are they taking notes, are they engaged and asking questions, are they eager to take a dog’s leash from us because they can’t wait to walk someone else’s dog.

3) Will the same person walk my dog each time?

Consistency is good for your dog – and your own peace of mind. During a meet & greet (which is scheduled before service begins), we will observe your pet’s behavior and go over what’s important to you in a dog walker and we will match a walker that we believe would be best suited for your dog. You are always welcome to request to meet your primary walker before service.

Also, Professional walkers will have a back up plan, usually a secondary walker would be assigned to your home. This is in place for whatever life likes to bring our way, if your primary walker is sick, on vacation, flat tire, etc.

4) Have you handled my dog’s special issues/needs before?

If your dog has any special needs, have an open discussion with your dog walker/sitter about their experience. Here at NCC, we have dealt with dog aggression, dog’s not fond of children, resource guarding, dogs that are shy, escape artists, senior dogs that may need help standing. You name it, we probably have dealt with it. We have also given dogs medication, from a pill to fluids, including chemotherapy.

5) Can we go on a test walk?

Absolutely! Most walkers will still charge you for their time, but this gives you the opportunity to see them in action.

6) How do you handle inclement weather?

No matter the weather, your dog will need to go out. We walk in most conditions, however, some circumstances may be too dangerous for your dog and us to be outside.

For an example, -20 degrees Fahrenheit. In situations like this, we can discuss what you would like to do or we will go ahead and do what we believe is the most safe. This may include a 5-10 minute walk (dependent on how your dog responds) and the remainder of your time slot will be spent inside providing TLC to your pet with possibly a second potty break to make sure they won’t need to go before you get home from work (Smile)

7) How long are your walks?

Here at TCC, we are here to tailor to your fur family’s needs. Our time slots can be customized to what you believe is best for your pet. For an example, you have a puppy and you don’t want them to go on a long walk just yet, so we can do a potty break, playtime, feeding- whatever your pet needs!

What We offer are:

Express Visits – which is our shortest ; 10 minutes in length. One example… this would be best for a senior dog that is unable to go on a long walk or on a walk at all and just needs a potty break in the yard.

Other time slots we offer are: 20, 30, 45 or 60 minutes. You know your schedule & what is best for your pet. We are here to cater to your needs and like to think of ourselves as an extension of your family that you can trust and rely on.

collar_club

3 Best Dog Collars for Pulling

3 Best Dog Collars for Pulling

The Appropriate Collar Keeps You and Your Dog Safe

Is a Collar or Harness Better for Walking Your Dog?

How to Fit a Collar or Harness to Your Dog

Our Top 3 Collars for Dogs who Pull

Freedom No-Pull Harness

No-Slip Collars

Prong Collar

Choosing the Best Collar to Walk Your Dog

When is the Best Time to Walk Your Dog?

﻿ When is the Best Time to Walk Your Dog?

How many times should I walk my dog per day?

What time should I take my dog out at night for a walk?

What is the best time to walk your dog during hot weather?

Is it best to walk the dog before or after eating?

Here’s a dog walking schedule for you!

Dog Food Calculator

Searching for a Custom Dog Food Calculator?

Dog Feeding Calculator for All Size Dogs

The Collar Club Dog Feeding Calculator

How much treat to give your dog:

Free Dog Walking App for All Clients!

Free Dog Walking App for all C ﻿ ollar Club Clients!

How to Protect Your Dog From the Summer Heat and Sun During Walks

How to Protect Your Dog From the Summer Heat and Sun During Walks

Protect Your Dog from the Sun and Heat

Stay Out of Direct Sunlight

Keep Walks Short

Monitor Your Dog Closely

Help Your Dog Keep Her Cool

Can you Leave your Cat Alone for a Week?

Can you Le ﻿ ave your Cat Alone for a Week?

Cats are Sneaky (And You Have a Lot to Do Before You Leave)

It Could Have Been Bad

Cats With Medical Issues

Healthy Cats Need Care, Too

The Other Things Cat Sitters Do

A Cat Sitter Means Peace of Mind

9 Things Your Dog Walker Needs from You for a Successful Walk

9 Things Your Dog Walker Needs from You for a Successful Walk

1. Share Your Dog’s Quirks

2. Advise the Walker if Your Dog Should Be Walked in a Specific Collar

3. Keep All Supplies Where Your Dog Walker Can Find Them

4. Tell Your Walker Where Your Dog Can, and Can’t, Go Potty

5. Where Should Your Walker Dispose of Poop Bags?

6. Let Your Dog Walker Know What You’re Working on Training-Wise

7. Give Plenty of Advance Notice When Something Changes

8. Have a Well-Trained Dog

9. Inform Your Walker of Your Dog’s Medical Issues

How to Prepare Your Pets for Your Vacation

How to Prepare Your Pets for Your Vacati ﻿ on

At Least One Month Before You Leave

Get Your Dog Trained

Check With Your Veterinarian

1 – 2 Weeks Before Your Trip

Schedule a Meet-and-Greet

Prepare Detailed Instructions

Complicated Feeding Instructions? Try This

Buy Plenty of Food

Have Updated Tags

The Day Before/Day You Leave

Leave a T-Shirt for Your Pet to Snuggle With

Let There Be Sound

Walk Away Quietly

Now Enjoy Your Trip!

How Your Love for Pets is Causing the Pet Obesity Epidemic

How Your Love for Pets is Causing the Pet Obesity Epidemic

How Many Pets are Obese?

The Problem is We Don’t Know What Obesity Looks Like

What Happens When Your Dog is Overweight

How to Find Out if Your Dog is Overweight

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But What if You Can’t Do It Yourself?

Why Can't I Potty Train my Stubborn Puppy?

Why Can't I Potty Train my Stubborn Puppy?

Do you take your puppy out for regular potty breaks?

Have you chosen a comfortable spot outdoors for your puppy?

Do you reward your puppy for good behavior?

When is the Best Time to Walk Your Dog?

Free Dog Walking App for all C ollar Club Clients!

Can you Le ave your Cat Alone for a Week?

How to Prepare Your Pets for Your Vacati on