Professional Paws Pet Blog
A professional dog trainer’s thoughts on training, animal behavior, pet care and more!
How to Tell if Your Pet is in Pain
Our pets are beloved family members and we do all that we can to make sure they live long, happy, healthy lives with us. We provide them with routine vet care to prevent problems before they arise and to monitor existing conditions. We also take them to the vet if they become sick or injured. The problem is that our pets don’t speak human language. Because of this, it is easy for us to miss early signs that something is wrong. And for many medical issues, early detection and monitoring are key.
Should Your Dog Respect You?
This a request that a lot of clients or potential clients have when they first contact me. If it doesn’t come up prior to booking services, it often comes up during the training process. “I want my dog to respect me.” I hope to shed some light on this common desire, but there isn’t a short or easy response to this. Basically, it depends on what you mean by “respect.”
5 Things Your Pet Sitter Needs to Know
As a professional pet sitter, it is my responsibility to provide quality care for pets while their owners are away. People trust me to provide for their critters and make decisions for them as if they were my own. However, in order to perform the duties of the job there are certain things that I need to know. Pet owners need to ensure that their pet sitter has the most accurate and up to date information about their animals so that they can receive the best care possible. Without this, pets can suffer. Here are 5 things that you need to make sure your pet sitter knows about the next time you leave town.
3 Tasty Homemade Dog Treat Recipes to Try at Home
Food rewards are extremely effective for teaching our dogs more appropriate behaviors. I find personally that our spoiled hounds sometimes get bored of eating the same store purchased treats over and over. We do what we can to keep things fresh and random by purchasing different brands and flavors and textures. However, an easy and cheap way to add some pizzazz to your treating routine is to make your own dog treats. This can also be a great option for dogs with medical issues or allergies that prevent them from safely eating certain foods or ingredients, since you control what goes into the cookies. I have listed and linked my favorite DIY dog treat recipes below. Enjoy!
Never Punish Your Dog for Growling
Today while I was working with Tule, something happened. A dog approached us displaying really upfront and excited behaviors and iffy body language. The dog was straining on leash to get to us, and we were in a crowded space. Before I could duck out of the way the owner lets the dog run up to Tule who is now trapped with nowhere to go. Before I could ask the owner to pull their dog back Tule growled and let out a single (but loud) bark. Luckily, the human took the hint and took their dog away, as I apologized. So what was my response as a dog trainer?
How to Choose a Pet Sitter
It is National Pet Sitters week and to celebrate I thought I would sure my thoughts on how to choose a qualified pro to provide care for your furry ones in your absence! Spring is just around the corner and warmer weather always encourages travel. Especially as the COVID vaccine becomes readily available and restrictions are slowly lifted, many of us are jonesing even more for a trip to the beach or mountains. But what happens if we can't take our pets with us? Choosing a qualified pet sitting professional can be very difficult, but I've put together a few points to keep in mind so that your beloved Fluffy and Bella receive the best care possible. Other than yours of course!