I was recently recommended to read a book by one of our customers called "Inside of a Dog" by Alexandra Horowitz. This had to be one of the best books I have ever read in reference to understanding what dog life is really like (and I've read many!). Early on, Horowitz introduces us to the German word "umwelt," which loosely means point-of-view. So throughout the novel, we are walked through almost the entire inner and outer working of dogs to understand the umwelt of a dog.
As a person that very (very!) frequently humanizes dogs, it was relieving to read that dogs, in most ways, are not at all like humans. You can rest assured that when your dog sighs as he sees you getting ready for work in the morning, this is literally just a sigh (possibly preparing himself for a good, long nap), not a sign of depression that you are leaving! Horowitz also tells us why some breeds are great at retrieving and why most couldn't care less about watching the television. Ever wonder why your dog wants to sniff every single blade of grass or mark every tree/fire hydrant/electrical box on your walk? Questions answered!!
What a great read for people who want to know what's really going on in the mind and body of their beloved dogs!!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
A Dog's Dream is Growing in Numbers!
Due to overwhelming demand, A Dog's Dream will soon be adding another Certified Dog Groomer to our team! Andy Gallant graduated from the Rochester Institute of Dog Grooming about a year ago and has been grooming furiously at a grooming salon in the Rochester area ever since. He does an amazing job with the dogs and we feel very lucky that we will have him working with us here at A Dog's Dream!
We have also recently added a Closing Supervisor to our team, Kristin Powell. Kristin is a college graduate with not one but two bachelor's degrees and she is currently back at school for nursing during the day. We're keeping her busy here in the evenings playing with the daycare dogs and helping all of our customers get their doggies back safe and sound!
We have also recently added a Closing Supervisor to our team, Kristin Powell. Kristin is a college graduate with not one but two bachelor's degrees and she is currently back at school for nursing during the day. We're keeping her busy here in the evenings playing with the daycare dogs and helping all of our customers get their doggies back safe and sound!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Doggy Daycare Cannot Replace Exercise...Sadly
We've noticed a trend in the past month or two of people with dogs that have TONS of energy coming to daycare. Of course daycare is, inevitably, going to tire your pup out (regardless of how playful he is during the day) - most dogs are not used to being on alert and awake all day long! And what doggy owner wouldn't want a tired pup? And more importantly, who wouldn't want a tired pup who's had a blast playing with his friends all day long??
However, although your pup is garunteed to come home pooped, this doesn't mean that he's gotten all of the exercise he needs. There are so many benefits to getting your dog out for a nice, long walk - mental exercise, physical exercise, and bonding between the two of you just to name a few. Unfortunately, daycare can't take the place of those things. And even more importantly, it can be unsafe for your dog and other dogs in the daycare if your pup has been cooped up for days and days in the house and only gets out once a week to daycare. His pent up energy will explode in the daycare and will most likely cause the other dogs to become quite agitated.
A much better way of handling this situation: take your dog for a short walk (10-15 minutes) before dropping him off to daycare. That way he'll be nice and calm and ready to play in a safe and healthy way!
http://www.adogsdream.org/
However, although your pup is garunteed to come home pooped, this doesn't mean that he's gotten all of the exercise he needs. There are so many benefits to getting your dog out for a nice, long walk - mental exercise, physical exercise, and bonding between the two of you just to name a few. Unfortunately, daycare can't take the place of those things. And even more importantly, it can be unsafe for your dog and other dogs in the daycare if your pup has been cooped up for days and days in the house and only gets out once a week to daycare. His pent up energy will explode in the daycare and will most likely cause the other dogs to become quite agitated.
A much better way of handling this situation: take your dog for a short walk (10-15 minutes) before dropping him off to daycare. That way he'll be nice and calm and ready to play in a safe and healthy way!
http://www.adogsdream.org/
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Learning from Others' Mistakes
This past week has been very tough on me, personally. My husband and I have friends who have had a dog for about two and a half years, who they adopted from a shelter when he was a puppy. At the time they adopted him, they had lots of time to spend with him and did a great job raising him as a puppy. Understandably, however, things change and lives get busier. They got married a few months after adopting him and had their first baby last year.
I vividly remember visiting them in the hospital when she was born and asking how they were planning to introduce the baby to the dog. It seemed like they had done some research and had a good plan in place, including sending blankets home with her parents so that the dog could get the new baby's scent before she even arrived home.
The first nine months of baby + dog went really, really smoothly. They could've been in some of those pictures of the emails that get sent around where the baby is sleeping on the dog - he loves her and protected her. Because of the apparent success of the match and having a much busier schedule now, our friends neglected to work on training the dog properly to be around moving children.
In the past couple of months, they have noticed that the dog is slightly food aggressive and it has become quite problematic because the baby is now starting to move all about the house and play with everything. The dog, not understanding what on earth is going on, is suddenly very confused and more aggressive when the baby gets near his food.
The ensuing incidents were much too close of a call for our friends, and animal services was called. The dog that we've all gotten to know and love so much is now at the shelter - if our friends are unable to find him a new home in the next few days, he will be put down.
I share this story not to try to get you to adopt him or to break your heart, but to open your eyes to the necessary work involved in being a responsible dog owner. The incidents of the past week have certainly opened my eyes to what we need to do when my husband and I are ready to have children - heck, even the training that we should be doing now to help Eddie become a "better" dog. I urge you to please share this story with friends so that we can keep dogs out of the shelter and from being euthenized.
I vividly remember visiting them in the hospital when she was born and asking how they were planning to introduce the baby to the dog. It seemed like they had done some research and had a good plan in place, including sending blankets home with her parents so that the dog could get the new baby's scent before she even arrived home.
The first nine months of baby + dog went really, really smoothly. They could've been in some of those pictures of the emails that get sent around where the baby is sleeping on the dog - he loves her and protected her. Because of the apparent success of the match and having a much busier schedule now, our friends neglected to work on training the dog properly to be around moving children.
In the past couple of months, they have noticed that the dog is slightly food aggressive and it has become quite problematic because the baby is now starting to move all about the house and play with everything. The dog, not understanding what on earth is going on, is suddenly very confused and more aggressive when the baby gets near his food.
The ensuing incidents were much too close of a call for our friends, and animal services was called. The dog that we've all gotten to know and love so much is now at the shelter - if our friends are unable to find him a new home in the next few days, he will be put down.
I share this story not to try to get you to adopt him or to break your heart, but to open your eyes to the necessary work involved in being a responsible dog owner. The incidents of the past week have certainly opened my eyes to what we need to do when my husband and I are ready to have children - heck, even the training that we should be doing now to help Eddie become a "better" dog. I urge you to please share this story with friends so that we can keep dogs out of the shelter and from being euthenized.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Join Us for Our First Anniversary!
Wow, I can hardly believe that it's been almost one year that A Dog's Dream has been open for business. Time sure does fly! We have gotten to know so many great people in the pet industry as well as proud pet parents. In honor of everyone that have helped us get to where we are today, we are celebrating our first anniversary with some really unique and exciting specials during the first week of April!
All new daycare customers that schedule a new dog interview the week of our anniversary will receive their first day for FREE with absolutely no comittment (a $30 value)! We will also be offering FREE nail trims for all customers Tuesday through Friday (5th-8th). But we could never forget those customers that have been so loyal to us for the past year - they can look forward to some extra special discounts on daycare and grooming the whole week! But that's not all...
We will be giving away a FREE iPod and a certificate for a date night to dinner and the movies!! All you have to do is come in Monday through Friday that week to be entered into the raffle! And please make sure to enjoy our complimentary refreshments while you're in! We hope to see you all there!!
All new daycare customers that schedule a new dog interview the week of our anniversary will receive their first day for FREE with absolutely no comittment (a $30 value)! We will also be offering FREE nail trims for all customers Tuesday through Friday (5th-8th). But we could never forget those customers that have been so loyal to us for the past year - they can look forward to some extra special discounts on daycare and grooming the whole week! But that's not all...
We will be giving away a FREE iPod and a certificate for a date night to dinner and the movies!! All you have to do is come in Monday through Friday that week to be entered into the raffle! And please make sure to enjoy our complimentary refreshments while you're in! We hope to see you all there!!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Do You Know Pet First Aid?
Until about a year ago while planning for the opening of A Dog's Dream, I never realized there was such a thing as a Pet First Aid course. Thankfully, I haven't had to use it on any of the dogs in daycare or grooming or my little man, Eddie. However, I can say that every now and then something causes me to stop and think of what I might do in a given situation, and I am so happy that I took the course and know what to do in an emergency.
Unlike other blogs, I am not going to put everything I learned down for you to read because I strongly believe being at the Red Cross with a trained instructor and practicing the skills (albeit on stuffed animals) is such a valuable experience. Not only do you learn how to check for what's "regular" for your dog (what healthy gums look like and the normal temperature), you are taught how to quickly identify when something may be amiss that's not completely obvious. We learned how to give dogs CPR, what to do in the case of a dog going into shock, how to properly bandage wounds, etc.
Some blogs on Pet First Aid suggest that taking the course may be an easy way to save some money on veterinary care. Although it may save some unnecessary trips to the vet for minor problems, I would never recommend that you use this course to supplement the care of a fully trained veterinarian. However, if a serious accident were to happen, having the knowledge of the best way to treat your dog on the way to the vet may mean the difference between life and death.
Unlike other blogs, I am not going to put everything I learned down for you to read because I strongly believe being at the Red Cross with a trained instructor and practicing the skills (albeit on stuffed animals) is such a valuable experience. Not only do you learn how to check for what's "regular" for your dog (what healthy gums look like and the normal temperature), you are taught how to quickly identify when something may be amiss that's not completely obvious. We learned how to give dogs CPR, what to do in the case of a dog going into shock, how to properly bandage wounds, etc.
Some blogs on Pet First Aid suggest that taking the course may be an easy way to save some money on veterinary care. Although it may save some unnecessary trips to the vet for minor problems, I would never recommend that you use this course to supplement the care of a fully trained veterinarian. However, if a serious accident were to happen, having the knowledge of the best way to treat your dog on the way to the vet may mean the difference between life and death.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Do You Know a Dog that Needs Training?
A Dog's Dream will be starting our new training classes this month with three new trainers! Next week we have Amy Holtz of Hope 4 Your Canine in on Tuesdays and Thursdays to teach a puppy class, a beginner obedience class, and even a "Pint-Sized Pals" beginner's obedience class which is exclusively for small dog breeds. Starting in a few weeks, on Saturdays and Sundays Kristina Klima of Love-a-Bull Dog Training with also be starting a round of puppy classes and beginner obedience classes. And finally, we will have Mark Patrick of Tuxedo's K9 Training Camp with us on Sunday evenings starting in February to do a basic obedience class designed a little more for shelter and rescue dogs (his specialty!).
Make sure to contact these trainers for schedule, pricing, and with any questions. We can't wait to make you a part of A Dog's Dream!
Make sure to contact these trainers for schedule, pricing, and with any questions. We can't wait to make you a part of A Dog's Dream!
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