This past weekend Elsa & I attended a "meet the breed" gathering put on by the Collie Club of New Hampshire and Collie Rescue League of New England at Pet Quarters in Manchester, NH. The goal of the event was to educate the public on how fabulous Collies truly are! It also gave us members a chance to mingle and talk Collie talk.I met a lot of Collies during the event, but the most impressive was a real-life Lassie, named Jarrod. Jarrod was picked out of a litter by his disabled owner, David, to be trained as a service dog. Though Jarrod's breeder explained to David that her puppies had never been used as service dogs, David was certain that Jarrod would make a reliable, trustworthy companion. He was confident in picking Jarrod, he never expected his new pup would actually save his life. It was a year and a half later in snowy Hampstead NH when David was out on his porch with Jarrod, trying to reach up from his wheelchair to get snow off his roof. All of a sudden Jarrod was pushing David toward the stairs to the extent that David reluctantly went that way. Within seconds, the entire roof, a complete 4,000 pounds, collapsed where David had been sitting.Jarrod went on to win much praise & awards for his heroism. I was thrilled to have meet both he and David, both were extremely kind and appreciative. My claim to fame? Well Elsa is actually a cousin of Jarrod's! I am very proud to be the owner of a nearly-famous young Collie. Maybe someday her inner Lassie will come out as well!
Recently I moved from a rural home in New Hampshire to a townhouse in Massachusetts, and in the process I was thrown into a strange new world of gossipy neighbors, assigned parking spaces, and condo fees. Even harder to adjust to was the fact that my dog didn't have a huge yard and kennel to play in...and I had to follow her around with a baggie to pick up her poop.Another adjustment was the leash law here in town. Elsa was never on a leash back in NH, she didn't have to be, we had a field surrounded by woods. I had worked diligently on training her to come when called too, so that in those occasional situations when a car came down the driveway or a deer ran across the field, I didn't have to worry about her bounding off after them. So my initial reaction upon moving to MA was that the leash law was unnecessary and a nuisance.Fast forward a couple of months and now I'm a dog walker in town, I'm extremely fond and protective of my clients, and I in every way support the leash law! It really sank in a couple of weeks ago when I was walking a puppy. I bring Elsa along on walks with this particular pup to increase her socialization and they have become quite fond of one another. The pup absolutely loves to jump on, bite, and run into Elsa at top speed...while Elsa just stands there with her Collie smile, putting up with it. And as confident as this has made the pup with other dogs, I have to make sure she understands that not all dogs will be as tolerable. Therefore, when we go to a small park each day and meet other dogs on leashes, I request that my pup sits and politely meets the other. Well on two incidences, we arrived at the park to find a man with two large dogs loose in the park. He was attempting to amuse them by throwing a tennis ball, but both were way more interested in sniffing, running, and checking out other dogs. As I walked along the path with Elsa and the pup, the man's dogs suddenly took notice of us and ran at top speed towards my two. I quickly reeled in my dogs, and as the man took notice he shouted to me from across the park "don't worry, they're friendly!" Well, my friendly dog has never greeted another from top speed. Upon arriving at us, the two dogs, hair raised on their backs, bounced around my dogs, sniffing and dodging, as I tried to drag my two away from them. The man told me not to worry, their wagging tails meant they were friendly. Yes, a wagging tail could represent a friendly dog, but it also could simply represent a dog that wants to socialize, regardless of his intentions. The dogs would not listen to their owner and would not leave us alone, regardless of his multiple attempts to call them off or get their attention with the tennis ball. My concern for the pup grew as she began trying to entice the two dogs to play, and I finally, kindly, explained to him that I am a dog walker, it's my job to protect the pup, and that I did not appreciate his lack of control over his dogs. The park is filled everyday with people, dogs, and children, and I was sure that I was not the only one with that opinion. Upon explaining that to him, I continued to walk my dogs on the road rather than the park, and the man has since not returned to the park with his two dogs.Though I still trust Elsa 100% off the leash, I keep her on it at all times. It's up to responsible dog owners to show irresponsible dog owners the proper way to own and raise a dog. We don't each have a rural home surrounded by fields and woods to allow our dogs to run and play loose...we all share the same roads and parks, and must respect each other when it comes to our actions with our pets.
There's nothing better than coming home with a brand new puppy! They're cuddly and cute and so much fun! And while it's easy to fall in love and put playing over training, there's no better time to start your pup on the right track. So how do you start on the right track? Puppy kindergarten is certainly a step in the right direction. Or perhaps even a private dog trainer. But what happens when you're home at night with your pup, and no one's there to tell you how to train her? Puppy Training 101 will give you simple tips that will help you make small changes in your training that will make big changes in your dog's learning!Rule number 1: Consistency!The number one, absolute most important thing to remember when training your puppy is CONSISTENCY! Let's use an example. Say you're helping to teach a baby what an apple is. You would put an apple in front of her and say "apple." The next person puts an apple in front of her and says "apple." Everyone calls an apple an apple. And soon the baby does the same.So what would happen if every once in a while, you put an apple in front of the baby and say "banana." The next person says "apple." The person after that says "banana." The baby is never going to learn that an apple is an "apple!"Same thing goes with a puppy. If you teach her sit, you say sit, she sits, and you give her a treat. But what if she isn't really paying attention, you say "sit," she doesn't sit, and you just give up and go watch tv? She'll learn that sometimes "sit" means you expect her to sit, and other times you do not. She'll never be sure of what you're asking her to do, and will eventually decide to ignore you most of the times.Dogs are naturally consistent animals and communicate through consistency. Any stable dog that your puppy meets will communicate with her the same way as any other stable dog. She will look to you to be consistent as well. And by doing so, you will gain her trust and understanding. She will be quick to learn and you'll have a healthy, stable dog.So remember that regardless of how you train your puppy, where you train your puppy, when you train your puppy, and who trains your puppy...always be consistent!
Here's rule number 2: say your commands only once. Why? Because you want your dog to know that "sit" means to sit. Not "sit, sit...puppy sit. SIT!"If you begin your training by repeating a command, your puppy will quickly realize that when you first say a command, you don't expect her to respond immediately. And she'll carry that on to adulthood. So when you have company over and she's all excited, it's not until you've screamed "sit" about a hundred times will she finally listen! Consistency, of course, is key for this rule. Believe me, I know training your dog can be a frustrating task! More than once she'll be way more interested in the dog playing in the yard next door or the chipmunk that ran across the street than in you calling "come!" And when your dog doesn't listen, it's only human nature to become frustrated and call "COME!" over and over again! So what do you do in this situation? Call "come," if puppy doesn't listen, walk over to her, take her caller and walk her back to the place you had called her from. Then reward her for being such a good girl with treats and playing! Soon she'll realize that "come" means lots of reward and attention from her awesome owner and that it's not a word she wants to ignore! And continue this pattern with all commands. And make sure there are lots of reward when she does the right thing!It's key to use this concept as soon as you begin training...when you're puppy is at her peak of learning. As a puppy she will learn to understand your expectations and those expectations will be carried on throughout her life. And remember to remain consistent! Even when you're late for work and it's pouring rain and puppy decides to run after a squirrel. Only call "come" once!
I have recently entered the world of dog walking. I started my business in January, called Impromptu Dog Walking, and I absolutely love it! My current clients are a joy to walk, and with a wedding coming up, I've enjoyed my daily walks as a relaxing, energetic, stress relieving exercise for both me and my furry friends.So why should you hire a dog walker? (Other than to pay my bills.) Well lets first consider the obvious. Just like Americans, our dogs are overweight & don't get enough exercise. A daily walk could be just what they need! Imagine how much better you would feel if you walked an extra half-hour each day!But more important than that, dogs are social animals. They thrive on companionship. Working five days a week means your poor little pup is alone for 8 hours a day! A simple visit provides a break in the day and some fun, personalized socialization. As well, I actually bring my dog, Elsa, with me upon request. She provides a great opportunity for my clients' dogs to socialize with another dog!Your dog is a family member, so keep him happy and healthy with a dog walker!Check out my website for more information on my service:www.ImpromptuDogWalking.comOr for a dog walker in your area, check out Pet Sitters International for their pet sitter locator:http://www.petsit.com/owners/
This past weekend Elsa & I attended a "meet the breed" gathering put on by the Collie Club of New Hampshire and Collie Rescue League of New England at Pet Quarters in Manchester, NH. The goal of the event was to educate the public on how fabulous Collies truly are! It also gave us members a chance to mingle and talk Collie talk.
