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.

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!

On the Hunt for Indestructable Dog Toys

I recently purchased a plethora of new dogs toys for the daycare here at A Dog's Dream. Needless to say, I think I may have been more excited than the dogs for these new toys to arrive. And I couldn't wait to see how much the dogs would love them!

I made sure to puchase mostly toys without stuffing, and plenty of Kong toys as well as Nylabones (they always seem to all want the one we've already got). The order arrived a week and a day ago, and we are almost depleted to our original cast of toys.

The Nylabones that I ordered were apparently not quite as hardy as the one I already have, so one of those had to be thrown away (or would have been completely eaten) within 24 hours. The other one can only get put out when certain dogs are not here! One really cute giggling eggplant is missing the leaves, arms, and legs and has already been stitched up (by my wonderful husband) in three different places. One of the Kong monkies lost all of his stuffing (what very little he had) when his face got ripped open and his foot got torn off.

So, I am still in search of some indestructable dog toys that will be fun for our daycare dogs. I don't want to buy a new stock of toys every couple of weeks, but they also need to be toys that are fun for them to play with (they are not big on the regular Kong toys or hard rubber toys - probably because they can't destroy them!). Any suggestions??

Join Us for Our Howl-in-the-Holidays Party!

A Dog's Dream will be hosting our first annual Howl-in-the-Holidays party on Saturday, December 11th from 1-3pm. Existing customers who come can enter to receive special giveaways, and make sure to bring some friends because you'll get an additional entry for each friend you bring! We also have prizes that will be raffled off for all new attendees, as well as plenty of appetizers and refreshments. We will be having events in the future that are dog-friendly, but we ask that you leave your furry friends at home for this year's party. Any and all donations will benefit the Verona Street Animal Shelter. Please join us for a howlin' good time!

Calling All Fellow Entrepreneurs

This month's blog is more of a call to action than an editorial. Fellow business owners, I am looking for your suggestions! Since we opened here at A Dog's Dream almost six months ago to-the-day, we have been trying an array of different techniques to get the word out. The plan was to stick to grassroots marketing and spend as little money as possible; but, like many others, we have gotten sucked in to the trap of paying big money for serious advertising.

So the question is this: If you could recommend one technique or idea that was the most successful for you to get the word out about your new business and acquire new customers, what would it be?

Another Reason to Crate Train Your Dog

After several months of boarding dogs in our home, I have come to realize that letting your dog sleep in bed with you is a real catch 22. Being the overly doting mama of Eddie, I completely understand the desire to have your dog sleep in bed with you. However, now seeing what happens to those dogs while boarding, I can say I am not sure I would ever allow another dog of mine to get too comfy in our bed. And here's why.

Dogs that are used to sleeping in bed with their owners are absolutely miserable when they cannot have the same luxury while their owners are away. They are already slightly stressed out from being in a new environment with new people and a new schedule, and it just adds to that stress if they have no real place to call their own (aka a crate). Believe me, if I only watched one dog at a time, I really would honor the idea of letting dogs sleep in our bed. But usually we have at least three at our house (other than Eddie) at a time, and the bed just isn't that big!

Judging from past experiences, the dogs that seem to be much less stressed out and transition easier to life sans owners are those that sleep in a crate every night. They have a place that smells like home and that they feel safe in. Now here comes the catch 22 - I know how hard it is to get a new dog (puppy or adult) and crate train it (I have only done it half successfully once) when you are it's mama and papa. It's just excruciating to hear the little thing scream and cry in the crate, thinking how horrible you are as parents. And who wouldn't want that little love muffin cuddling up with you in bed?!? 

But I ask you, would you rather have your dog be upset a few nights in a crate safely at home with you or confused and alarmed in a complete stranger's house?

Should Training Be Required to Attend the Dog Park?

In light of yesterday's crazy trip to the dog park, I ask, "Should training be required to attend the dog park?"

Craig and I try to make it to the dog park at least once a week so that Eddie can get in some socialization with dogs other than the ones he plays with at the daycare. So it was rather frustrating when we pulled up yesterday and saw the small dog side of the park was empty and there was only one dog in the big dog side. Needless to say, we decided to break the unwritten rules and venture over to the big dog side so that Eddie could play (or at least sniff) the Beagle that was over there.

After being at the park for about five minutes, a gentleman walked up to the gate with a large mixed breed dog and warned Craig and I that his dog, Rocky, played rough and that he was really interested in small dogs. He even offered to take Rocky on the small dog side by himself just in case he was too rough with Eddie. Craig and I insisted that was a ridiculous offer, and that if there was trouble we would be the ones to take Eddie over on the side of the park designated for small dogs. Keep in mind his man's entire conversation was with us, and unfortunately, not with the middle-aged woman with the Beagle.

Upon Rocky entering, Eddie showed his teeth (in typical Eddie fashion) and Rocky got the hint to stay away from him. In the minutes following, the Beagle started antagonizing Rocky, and the Beagle and Rocky ended up in a bit of a quarrel. I watched (and Craig tried to help) for a good two or three minutes as the dogs went at it, all the while the fight escalating, as the woman who owned the Beagle kept shouting, "He's biting my dog! He's biting!!" I can understand her fear of jumping in between the dogs, even though her dog was the instigator and needed a serious time out. I cannot though, for the life of me, understand why Rocky's dad was doing absolutley nothing!! I felt as though I was watching a train wreck, and both owners were watching helplessly as their two dogs were going to mame each other.

I kept shouting, "You need to get in between them!" and "You've got to do something!!" to Rocky's dad. His meek reply was, "We're trying." Maybe he was frightened as well, probably never having seen dogs act this way (which can be overwhelming), but I could not just stand there and watch while these two owners let their dogs attack each other. So, with a rush of adrenaline, I swooped in and grabbed the Beagle by the collar picking him up into my arms. Once the Beagle was no longer instigating Rocky, he calmed right down and his owner had enough time to get a hold of him safely.

Now, I am not claiming to be the hero or that what I did was even the "right" thing to do in that situation - I am no dog behavior expert. But I can tell you for sure that if someone had not gotten in between those dogs, they would have both been seriously injured. I judged the situation and decided that the risk of me getting hurt was less than the risk of the two dogs getting hurt if no one intervened.

Craig, Eddie, and I spent the next half hour on the small side of the dog park, alone, trying to analyze what had happened. It was all too fast to completely understand what caused the Beagle to go off, but Rocky was just trying to defend himself. I just wonder what would have happened if Craig and I weren't there to help. It seems clear that the owners of the dogs involved did not know enough about dog behavior to understand the gravity of the situation that was unfolding, and neither of them was prepared to stop if from continuing.

So, readers, what do you think? Should there be some sort of animal behavior training when people register for the dog park?