Scottsdale dog walking
August 27, 2010
The first step to a successful dog walk is to have the proper equipment. I always recommend having a walking collar that you put on your dog just for walking. The pull and wear and tear on your dogs normal collar will make it stretch and fall apart faster then normal. And a normal flat collar isn’t suitable for any type of correction.or example, if your dog is a puller, a normal collar wont help.
Being a Scottsdale dog walker has given me years of experience and I have found that for a dog walking collar the martingayle with a chain loop(for noise distraction) works great. They are inexpensive and effective. They slip on and off over the dogs head. They fit right behind the ears, above the normal dog collar.
For a leash, I like a 4 foot nylon dog leash. They give you the most control during the walks since the dog stays closer to your side.
I find the longer leashes just get caught under the dogs legs too often. I have to stop and untangle the leash from under the dogs front legs. If you dont mind wrapping the leash around your hand a few time, the 6 ft leash will give your dog a little more freedom when appropriate.
I do NOT recommend the retractable leashes. Find out why in my next blog…
Patty with Elite Pet Care- a Scottsdale dog walker
When the dog wont eat-tips from a scottsdale pet sitter
August 25, 2010
The first thing to do when your dog wont eat its food, is to make sure it isnt sick.
If your dog is healthy and acting normal and just is bored with its kibble, I have found this quick tip on how to get it to eat.
Of course all dogs are different, but as my experience as a Scottsdale pet sitter, this works for me. When buddy wont eat his kibble…(he eats raw 1 meal/kibble the other) all I do is put the kibble in a microwave safe bowl, add water to cover it and heat it. I pour extra water out, let it sit and cool down and mush it up and serve. he eats it right away. The hot water releases the aroma/flavors and he seems to like it when its mushy.
Other tips are to add some canned food, add yogurt, or some cottage cheese!
Stressed out cats in Scottsdale!
August 23, 2010
As a Scottsdale pet sitter, we have clients that ask us how to calm down their stressed out cats.
Cats release their stress by peeing on the bed, going number 2 outside of the litterbox, scratching
furniture, attacking other pets or people, etc.
Some quick tips to make sure your cat stays stress free:
-Make sure the litterbox is clean. For multiple cat homes, have multiple litterboxes.
- Make sure the cats always have a private space to hide and be alone
-Provide seperate food bowls for homes with multiple cats.
-Provide mental/physical exercise.
-Plug in a pheromone diffuser, http://www.feliway.com/us
For all your South Scottsdale cat sitting and pet sitting needs, call Elite Pet Care!
The most popular cat names!
August 19, 2010
Is your cat on the list. These are the most popular cat names of 2010.
Top 10 names for cats
- Max
- Chloe
- Bella
- Oliver
- Tiger
- Smokey
- Tigger
- Lucy
- Shadow
- Angel
Max
Dog grooming- basic dog care starts at home
August 8, 2010
Our pets are around us all the time so we may miss things that are seriously wrong with our pets.
For example, one day buddy gave me kisses and his breathe stank. It was worse then usual, so I looked in his mouth and there was a broken tooth that was rotting. I felt like a bad mom since I hadnt brushed his teeth in over 2 weeks. If I had, I would have noticed this a little sooner.
A friend of mine has a dog and I noticed its bad breath… I looked and there was an abnormal gum growth hanging from the dogs mouth!
To keep your pets healthy, I recommend the following SIMPLE things to do weekly, if not daily……
1) Check your pets teeth! Brushing them is ideal, but at the very least, check them.
if your pets breath is stinly, there is probably a reason.
2) Check your pets ears. A simple flip ofer of the ear flap, or a peer into an erect ear will be worth the 5 seconds it takes. Dogs have a huge pain tolerance and they may not show signs of a problem. If there is any build up, clean them out!
3) Check over their bodies for bugs, ticks, bug bites, new lumps. Ticks like to hide in between toes, in ears, anyplace warm. Feel with your hands so you dont miss anything.
4) Check your pets eyes. Wipe away any goobers. Look at the pupils. Buddy has recently developed uneven pupils that went un noticed by me, but were caught by the vet.
Its the little things that will keep our pets healthy. Being around our pets all the time makes it easy for us to miss little things unless we look. Just like a family member that we see everyday, we don’t notice things like weight loss. But if they are gone a month and come back, we would notice even though they have been that weight for a while!
doggie daycare- Scottsdale pet care
August 6, 2010
In the world of pet care service, you can find pretty much anything you need for your pets. This includes daycare.
Now if your dog is active and needs exercise during the day to tired them out and keep them happy there are a few options.
You can hire a pet sitter or dog walker that comes to your home and walk your dog or take them to the dog park. This saves owners the hassle of dropping off their dogs from a facility. Each visit is personalized to what your dog needs. It gets one on one attention. If there are any training issues, a pet sitter can work on them. Like how to walk nice on leash!
Or you can use a doggy day care which is like an indoor dog park. Pros are that the dogs play all day and get tired.Cons are that these are indoor facilities so dogs pee and poop inside. This ruins any house training your dog knows. There is also no time out areas so if your dog doesnt want to play anymore, it is still in the room with the dogs that do. I know this would be awful for my pug because he hates being bothered by annoying dogs! When hes tired, he wants to be left alone.
There is little human interaction at dog daycare and the dogs go wild. Not good for dogs that are in training or misbehave at home.
Dog walking- accessories
July 21, 2010
Walking the dog just got more interesting! Instead of clipping the leash on and heading out the door, take a second to think about where you will be walking.
For a walk on the pavement or on a rocky hiking trail, dress your dog up with booties that will protect their paws. REI sells them as well as pet supply stores and even online! Booties are a great investment if you are dog walking in Scottsdale AZ!
http://www.ruffwear.com/Barkn-Boots-Grip-Trex?sc=2&category=7853
Phoebe walking Chaparral lake
For those bored and hyper dogs, give them a job! Make them work a little harder with a doggy packpack. I use Outward Hound, they come in all sizes. The best prices that I have seen so far are:
http://www.myoutwardhound.com/backpacks-for-dogs-dog-backpacks.html
Tiger Lily at Lucky Paws shelter.
If you are walking on a dog training walk or if you have a dog that pulls, use a separate dog walking collar like a martingayle. This collar go on when you walk and comes off after.
Regular collar and walking collar right behind ears.
And always make sure you bring plenty of water when you are walking dogs. For extra long hikes, bring them a light snack to keep their energy up.
Happy trails!
Dog toys- What I like to keep em busy
July 20, 2010
Keeping dogs busy is a good way to keep them out of trouble!
I live by the “walk your dog daily” mantra, so after your long walk in the am,
you can prepare a toy for your dogs time alone.
There are common toys like Kongs, http://www.kongcompany.com/, that you can fill with anything that your dog can tolerate. You can freeze or put the filled kong in the fridge to solidify the mixture.
I like:
-banana yogurt mix
-peanut butter yougurt
-wet dog food
I opt for soft items for my dogs kong so there is no choking risk like there may be
if the kong is filled with hard kibble or treats.
There are kong treat balls(and other brand) that make your dog work for treats or kibbles as well
I also like marrow bones right from the butcher. Remember to always feed them raw. Never give your dog a cooked bone.
The ones sold at the pet supply stores are smoked and are not my favorite as they break too.
Nylabones are great too. I didnt think platic would be fun for dogs until my boxer ate my remote control. Then I realized
dogs like hard plastic.
I recommend bully sticks instead of rawhides. Bully sticks are all natural and highly digestible. Rawhides are not.
http://www.bestbullysticks.com/
For those dogs that need extra mind stimulation, http://www.puplife.com/collections/puzzle-dog-toys
Cat sitting- why you need a cat sitter in Scottsdale
July 18, 2010
Cats are great little creatures that wiggle their way into your heart! I love all my cat clients! The cat pictures on this blog are some of my cat clients:)
As a Scottsdale pet sitter I have encountered cats of all personalities, from those that think they are dogs, to those that are athletes and play the entire visit to those that hide a lot.
From active to very low key; When you leave, your cats will miss you and will need love and attention while you are away.
And not to mention they will still need to be fed, brushed, watered and litter box cleaned every day.
Some people think their cats can go days without a sitter because “cats are easy”
But cats are also curious and get into things. You wont notice most of it because the sitter will clean it up. Things can happen from digging in house plants, nibbling leaves, scratching furniture knocking over things-that hopefully wont break.
Cats can get into things that will hurt them. They can get into places that they can’t get out of. They can lock themselves into rooms on accident. They can jump on a dresser drawer and knock
the entire thing over and hurt themselves. They can knock over their water, their food can get ant infested.
Cats can get pissy since they are lonely and fight each other, they can set off alarms, knock appliances on, chew wires etc. And they get a little nippy and cranky when they are alone for too long, so that makes the pet sitters job more dangerous. The only client that has bitten me was a cat! And it was a nice cat, just lonely and cranky because of that.
So even though a cat may not come out and be super social with a pet sitter, thats ok!
And many of the hiding cats come out of hiding once a sitter has been there long enough. I find that if I sit on the floor next to the hiding spot and talk to the cat, that after 1 or 2 visits, the cat comes out:)
Pet sitter will also keep an eye on how much the cat eats and drinks. If you just leave a huge pile of food and water, you dont know. And you need to know as appetite is a key insight to health of a pet. With cats its very important to make sure they are drinking enough water since if they dont they can get kidney and urinary problems.
Hiring a pet sitter every day will keep an eye on all of these things. A cat sitter will keep your cat happy and healthy!
Puppy sitter- benefits of hiring a pet sitter in Scottsdale
July 17, 2010
An adaptation of a blog written by Danielle, owner of Bellas House and Pet Sitting servicing North Scottsdale, http://bellashouseandpets.com/
Rocco the Rockstar, Danielle’s adopted furbaby!
Rocco – is the office manager at Bella’s. He is a 13 wk old puppy as of July 5, 2010. We know puppies. Need I say more?
So you have decided to get a puppy! Its an exciting experience and a little overwhelming! As we all know, owning a puppy can be a lot of work.
They really are just like taking care of a new born baby! Time, patience and lots of love.
When I knew I was getting Rocco, a stray puppy born in the desert, I told my best friend I was going in “puppy labor”.
The best piece of advice for a new puppy owner, you will need a puppy sitter’s phone number in your cell phone. This is especially true if you want to be living in harmony with your new addition, and do NOT work from home,
Bella’s House & Pet Sitting’s presents you the top 6 reasons why you need a puppy sitter:
A) Professional pet sitters are trained to know what to advise you on regarding puppy care, what to look for in your new addition and can be an excellent go-to resource for your new adventure with your fur baby.
B) Consistency. Consistency. Consistency. If you have a Monday through Friday 9-5 p.m. job, you will need a professional pet sitter to help reinforce what you are teaching your puppy. If training is only reserved for the weekend you will have a problem dog on your hands. No one wants the problem dog! Sitters can potty and feed your puppy mid day also!
C) While you are hard at work, you don’t want to “feel bad” or worry about your puppy while you are at work all day. Not only can pet sitters help you take care of your puppy, but also peace-of- mind picture and text messages sent to you will let you know your puppy is ok!
D) Even though puppies sleep a lot, when they are awake they really need to get their energy out and exercise their bodies and minds. A tired puppy is a happy puppy and results in a happy owner! A professional pet sitter can help achieve this goal.
E) Potty training can stay consistent. Puppies can only hold their bladder one hour for each month of their age, plus 1. For example, a 2 month old pup can hold its bladder on max 3 hours. If your puppy has the ability to go #1 and #2 outside every two hours, they WILL get the idea that outside is potty place and that the inside is NOT the potty place.
F) Puppies who are left unattended and uncrated will eventually chew your house apart. Their teeth are coming in and they dont know whats theirs and what not. They just chew to relieve pain. As a home owner, you want your home to remain intact including couches. teething puppies do not know any better and they want to get their mouth on anything they can.
Thanks Danielle! Between Bella’s in North Scottsdale, http://bellashouseandpets.com/ and Elite in South Scottsdale,, www.elitepetcare.com we have you covered for all your pet sitting need!
If you are looking to get a puppy… please adopt. Rescues around Phoenix are busting at the seams with puppies. If you need more help, please email Danielle or myself! petfinder.com is a great place to start.
