The summer months are the perfect time for both you and your dog to get some exercise! The extended daylight hours just beg for you to get out to the local parks and on the trail with your dog. But before you hit the parks and trails, just remember these dog walking tips to make your trip both enjoyable and safe. Bring water for your dog – Although most parks are very dog-friendly and do provide drinking fountains (and even doggy-height drinking fountains), be sure to bring your own water and water receptacle for your dog. There are many portable options including collapsible bowls and water bottle/bowl kits. Dogs can become dangerously dehydrated and you don’t want to be caught without water. Be aware of other dogs – Just because a dog is out in public, don’t assume that they are friendly. Some park trails are very narrow and sometimes … Read More
Meet Nicole Veile!
We had the pleasure of meeting Nicole Veile back in Fall 2014 when she was a volunteer at the St. Louis County Pet Adoption Center in Overland, MO. She had called asking to pay out of her own pocket for private lessons so she could teach the dogs at the shelter better manners and they could find, and stay in, their forever homes more successfully. Nicole was a wonderful natural trainer and picked up clicker training concepts very quickly. Fast forward to February 2016 when obedience class started at Petsway. We knew exactly who to ask to assistant with class, and Voila!, she accepted. Meet Nicole and you’ll see, too, why The Persuaded Pooch is so proud to have her as our Assistant Trainer! How did you get your start in dog training? Reward based training was introduced to me with a variety of different animals during an internship at a … Read More
Livin’ the Free Life?
There’s no doubt we want nothing but the best for our dogs. Sometimes what we term as “the best” for our dogs can often be translated to what allows our dogs maximum freedom, particularly at home. For example, freedom to run in a fenced yard, freedom from having to be in the crate while we’re gone, freedom to go in and outside through a doggy door whenever they want are all highly desired by pet parents. Indeed, there’s no timelier discussion as we just celebrated our country’s freedom and independence. The Importance of Freedom Lots of reasons come to mind why we set goals of freedom for our dogs. First of all, freedom equals fun, and who doesn’t want to have fun? We want to run, play and bask in the sun in our time off. What dog wouldn’t want that, too? Freedom for our dogs often means convenience for … Read More
Why Hire a Daily Dog Walker?
It’s easy to see the need to hire a dog walker or pet sitter while you and your family go on vacation. Of course, someone needs to be around to feed and let the dog out, grab the mail and check on the house. But what about when you’re not on vacation and just at work? Why then would you want to hire a daily dog walker? There are lots of great reasons to hire a daily dog walker, but here are just a few: You have a new puppy! – Congratulations! There’s nothing more exciting than getting a new puppy. Expect to be the most popular, or should I say “pup-ular,” person in your family and gang of friends for a bit. Everyone will want to come see the new puppy. But what about when all the excitement ends? Where is everyone when a mid-day potty break is in … Read More
Charitable Feature: Best Friends Animal Society
In April, I was presented with the opportunity to visit Best Friends’ Animal Society in Kenab, Utah. For those who don’t know where Kenab is, it’s about 3.5 hours northeast of Las Vegas, NV by car. Best Friends is a national organization that serves a couple functions. Not only do they operate several animal shelters across the country, but they financially support a network of about 1,400 other shelters nationwide, all with a mission to bring about a time when there are no more homeless pets, and a vision of a better world through kindness to animals. (You may remember that Best Friends hosts an annual “Strut Your Mutt” fundraising walk here in St. Louis every fall.) In my time there, I was able to tour the sanctuary, Best Friends’ flagship shelter facility and headquarters, home to about 1,700 dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, horses, pigs, goats, mules, sheep and 1 … Read More