Pet sitter Dog trainer
JAN 2014

 

Happy New Year! 

 

I hope you've enjoyed some great times with family and friends over the holidays, and that you are now looking forward to a new year, full of promise and possibilities!  It's been said that "The best way to predict the future is to create it", and I'm predicting some big successes in 2014.  I hope you are too.

 

We hired three pet sitters at the end of last year, and we're planning to hire about ten more in the early months of 2014.  We're looking to hire most of those in Seminole County, so if you know anyone who would like to work part-time in their own neighborhood, details are available on our website: www.bewaggle.com/employment.html  It's not steady work - at least not yet.  That's just not the nature of our business - but for someone who truly loves animals, it's the funnest job on earth!  We're looking specifically for retirees or any mature adult who has a very flexible schedule and who has a big heart for our clients' pets.

 

This month's Spotlight includes two great articles for pet lovers.  The first explains some of the pitfalls of boarding a pet in a sitter's home (something we NEVER recommend), and the second includes some tips to help with training your dog to walk on a leash.  If walking your dog is a challenge, this article may provide a solution.

 

As always, I'm excited to share our news and some valuable information with you. Read on and share in the excitement! 

 

 

At your service,

Marianne  

Marianne Carlson, Co-Founder
Bewaggle, LLC

386-956-0256 

 

Article1The Pitfalls of Residential Boarding
When you travel away from home, whether for business or pleasure, it can be difficult to know what to do with your pets while you're away. Many pet owners rely on a friend or relative, or even a professional pet sitter, to care for their pets. And sometimes, the pets stay at the sitter's home while their owners are away.  Friends, this may seem like a great idea, but it can quickly turn into a disaster for your pets and for you.  
 
There are several reasons we NEVER recommend this solution to our friends and clients, including these.
  1. Most residential boarders (people who take pets into their own homes) have pets of their own. Dogs especially (but cats too) can appear to be friendly and accepting for the first few hours or even days, and then turn aggressive or territorial.  Placing a new dog into a home is stressful for both dogs, and all too often, the stress levels build until one day, it erupts into a full-blown dog fight. 
  2. Residential Boarders are rarely trained in dealing with dog fights, and it's usually the human that sustains the most serious injuries.  If your boarder gets bitten in a dog fight, whose dog do you suppose she will report  caused the bite?  Even if your boarder is "Bonded and Insured", that insurance doesn't cover any injuries to the boarder/sitter herself.  You could be liable for her medical bills, and you won't be present to dispute the facts she reports.  
  3. If you are away from him for days on end, your dog is most certainly under stress, and a dog under stress can do all kinds of damage in a very short timeIf your dog damages the boarder's property - if he pees on her carpet or chews up her rugs, for example - you could end up in court over the damages.  
There are several other reasons that Residential Boarding can be a really terrible idea, and the nightmare scenarios abound.  It can be a cheap solution, certainly, but for so many pet owners, it has proven to be a very costly mistake.  
 
Article2 Leash Training Tips
When you walk your dog on a leash, does he pull, lunge ahead, lag behind, or just refuse to budge? Here are a few tips that can help you teach your dog to walk politely on a leash.  
  1. Carry some extra special treats to help encourage him to focus on you instead of all the distractions that make him misbehave.
  2. Begin his training sessions when he's hungry, so those treats will have the maximum impact.
  3. If he starts to pull away from you, reverse your direction, drawing him away from whatever he's fixated on.  His focus should be on YOU.
  4. Purchase a "Gentle Leader" head collar.  It's a humane and highly effective tool that encourages your dog to walk with you on a loose leash.  Fitting a Gentle Leader properly is a little tricky, and a proper fit is absolutely essential.  To view a great video that shows you exactly how to fit the collar properly, click here
  5. Keep training sessions brief and frequent.  Five or ten minutes is plenty for a single session, and he'll need a few of those every day.
  6. If you've tried all of these tips, and your dog still won't walk nicely on his leash, schedule a consultation with a Bewaggle trainer.  We can help put you and your dog on the right path.
Article3
 Hosting bargain - a flashback from our IT days
In a former life,  we were in the Web Design business, and, although we aren't in that business any more, we still get notices about that stuff from time to time.  We thought this deal was so good, we ought to share it with you. We've used Lunarpages for years as our hosting service and we love them.  Their prices are always low, but when you can get a whole year free, it's one heck of a good deal.  If you're in the market for website hosting, it's worth checking it out.  To get the details, click here. 
 
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In this Issue




 
Oh For Barking Out Loud!
Professional Pet Sitter
Oh for Barking Out Loud! 
is the Bewaggle blog, where we post articles relating to the care and enjoyment of your pets. Here's a sample from our recent posts:
 

Dogs and Seizures

Unfortunately, many dogs experience seizures for a variety of reasons. This post tells you what to do if your dog has a seizure.

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