Monthly Archives: July 2015

Apart from providing yourself and your dog the needed exercise for mental and physical soundness, regularly walking your dog also helps your dog to have a feel of his or her environment. However, walks may eventually become boring or even burdensome unless you endeavor to create an occasion out of them and make them more interesting. With a little bit of forethought and planning, you can achieve more from your dog walks. Try these simple tips for a more enjoyable time out with your friend.

1. Break the Monotony: For the actual walk, trying out a different route from time to time breaks the monotony of walking the same route every day. Going on a hike or taking a trip to a dog park is also another way you can bring some variety into your walk.
2. Plan Occasional Stops: You can plan your dog walks around some other activities as a way of breaking up the walk and alleviating monotony. For instance, you may decide to take a short break during your walk to do some shopping at a dog-friendly store or eat at a dog-friendly restaurant.
3. Take In The Sights And Sounds: Take time to let your dog enjoy the surrounding scenes and let him or her sniff if desired as both of you walk along at a leisurely pace.
4. Alternate Your Pace And Direction: Switching your speed of walking from time to time helps you to keep your dog close and focused on you and also provides some form of excitement and mental stimulation during walks. You can also try swiftly changing direction by suddenly turning round a corner or making a u-turn.
5. Incorporate Some Playtime and Games: you can slip in a little game of “find it” or “hide and seek” during walks to provide more fun and activity for you and your dog. Tossing a Frisbee or a treat in a park is also a great way to engage your dog in some playtime along the way.
6. Incorporate Behavior and Leash Training: Dog walks can also be used as an opportunity for leash training and also for training your dog to respond to cues. For this, you need to bring treats along to reinforce positive behavior. If your dog acts out of order during your walk, use the opportunity to correct the behavior and reward positive response.
7. Plan To Have Company Or Group Walks: Asking a friend or neighbor to keep you company on your dog walk can make a refreshing difference. If you can, organizing to walk in a group with other dog owners can be a great way to make your dog walks more interesting. Alternatively, you can join a dog walk club if there is one available in your neighborhood.

Moving into a new residence is one of the top excuses used for owners who surrender their dogs to rescues and shelters. You don’t have to be one of those statistical pet owners that lose their furry family members when it comes to relocating. Instead, follow these 5 easy tips to bring your best friend along for the next chapter of your life.

Tip 1

Research! Long before you sign on any dotted line for a lease, speak with the property manager about their pet policy. Ask for paperwork proving what they say is true, and make sure that the policy they give you is up to date. Far too many pet owners get confused and end up having to give away their dog because of an uninformed manager.

Tip 2

Training! Your dog should be 100% reliable with both his potty habits and his basic obedience. Any problem behaviors such as destructive chewing and barking can cause problems with your neighbors and land lord. If your puppy is still under going his basic training, now is not the time to slack on it! Seek help from a professional trainer when in doubt.

Tip 3

Have a waste removal plan ready to show your possible new landlord or property manager! Not all dog owners are welcome with open arms, and those that show some hesitations towards you will be impressed when you explain that all canine waste is promptly picked up and removed instead of left on their well maintained lawn.

Tip 4

Make plans for your dog during the actual move. Many dogs may get spooked and run off at some point during a moving event. Movers or friends and family that are helping to move your furniture and boxes ay accidentally leave a door open, leave the gate unlocked or even forget to put the dog in his crate. Instead, you can make plans to have your dog boarded either at a professional facility or at a friend’s home. This can also reduce his stress greatly, and keep him safe until he is ready to come to his new home with you.

Tip 5

Remember that an adjustment period will be needed for your dog to understand and feel comfortable about his schedule in a new place. Do not hesitate to remind him where his potty place is for the first few weeks. If your dog is crate trained and feels comforted in his crate, allow him to have access to his crate with his same old bed and favorite toy.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!

With a little research and preparation, you can ensure that your pooch can accompany you to your new abode. Preventing escapes, stress and bad behavior can make moving from one home to another a more pleasant experience for yourself and your dog!

Generally dogs will eat whatever is offered to them, but sometimes you may find yourself in a situation where your older dog refuses to eat. Knowing the importance of good nutrition to health, it is quite understandable to be worried when your older dog won’t eat. Your dog not eating may be even more worrisome if he or she previously had a healthy appetite.

Your dog not eating may be due to a loss of appetite which may be indicative of a health problem and sometimes it may simply be a refusal occasioned by some other factors which will be discussed in this article.

Reasons Your Older Dog May Not Be Eating and Help Tips

Health Issues: Like you would find in humans, an underlying health conditions may result in loss of appetite. If you notice any negative change in your dog’s response to food, you should first consider checking with your vet in order to eliminate the possibility of an illness. This is even more important if your dog exhibits other symptoms such as weight loss or diarrhea in addition to the feeding problem. There are some serious health conditions that can be the cause of this, so make sure you get it checked out!

If your dog was recently vaccinated, he or she might experience a loss of appetite as a side effect but these should cease within a few days. Check with your vet to be sure.

Pickiness: If the feeding problem isn’t health-related, then you may have a behavior problem to deal with. First, you need to find out the reason why your dog is picky.

Your dog may become fussy about eating if you have the habit of feeding him extra treats regularly outside of meal times. This can also happen if he gets fed scraps off the dining table by you or others. What your dog is doing here is refusing to eat his own food and instead waiting until the treats come along.

If this is the situation, you will need to cut out the treats and make your dog conform to a regular feeding schedule. This might be resisted initially, but if you keep at it, your dog will eventually come around and realize that’s the way to go. Make an occasion out of meal times and applaud or reward your pets when they eat their own food.

In some instances, your dog may actually enjoy your fussiness or the attention he gets whenever he refuses to eat. Fussiness can reinforce bad behavior. Always remain calm and relaxed when dealing with dog behavior issues.

Change: If your dog is not eating, it may be due to a recent change of accommodation or location. When in unfamiliar surroundings, some dogs may become uncomfortable or nervous. With reassurance and encouragement, this should pass within a few days.

Changes in a dog’s food may also result in a loss of interest in food. Use a slow and gradual approach when introducing a new type of food to your dog.

The Food: It is possible that your dog’s food has stayed open for too long and no longer tastes the same. You wouldn’t eat stale or spoilt food neither would your dog. To be absolutely sure that this is the issue, feed your dog from another pack.

Situations certainly come up that require you to go out of town and leave your beloved friend behind. Expectedly, you would want to make sure that she is safe and well catered for while you are away.

Although there are different available options, deciding the most appropriate one will depend on factors ranging from the duration of your absence to where you live and the resources at your disposal. Let’s consider some of the possible options you may have and the likely implications of each.

A neighbor or family member: Entrusting the care of your dog to a neighbor or family member may be a convenient choice for you, but it’s not convenient for them. This choice may be okay if you are leaving town for a couple of days. For longer periods, it may not be your best option unless the person has a dog also and is quite familiar with dog handling and care. A family member who already lives with you or wouldn’t mind home-sitting your dog may also be a good choice but encroaching on other people’s schedules isn’t really advisable.

At a vet’s office: Vets who offer pet boarding services also present a good option, especially if your dog has a chronic health issue that require close monitoring. However, a healthy dog may find the presence of other dogs and pets with varying backgrounds strange and uncomfortable.

Kenneling or Boarding: A kennel or boarding home is another option. However, you have to ascertain the condition of the facility to be sure it is conducive. Don’t just look for the nearest or available boarding house to put him or her. Your pet is going to be staying in an unfamiliar territory and you want to make sure he or she will be fine. Do the dogs you see there display strange or aggressive behavior? Interact with the staff and infer if they are likely to take good care of your dog or not. Watch out for the general atmosphere of the place before making up your mind.

An in-home pet sitter: In addition to several other benefits, the main advantage of using an in-home pet sitter is that your dog doesn’t have to leave the familiar environment of your home. A professional pet sitter would come in regularly to take care of your pets and ensure that they get the needed attention and exercises. This is in addition to other things like helping you keep the house clean of litter. In choosing an in-home pet sitter, you need to carefully screen the person to be sure they’ve got the right experience, insurance, and references. At Saint Louis Dog Walkers, we offer in-home pet sitting services that guarantee total satisfaction. Contact us when next you’ll be out of town for a worry-free trip or vacation.