3 Top Tips to keep your dog alive

Northern Beaches people occasionally ask me what differentiates Perfect Pet Sitter from other dog minders and pet sitters. Key factors are depth of knowledge, experience and our professional approach to caring for peoples’ dogs and cats as it is a huge responsibility. Our expertise means knowing how to look after our Clients’ pets and how to keep them safe and well. Here are three examples:

 TIP 1   Avoid BLOAT/GVD with my feeding time frame guide  

Taking a dog for an easy stroll round the block shortly after feeding is one thing, but heavy exercise or run right after a big meal (especially kibble as it takes so long to digest) is a very BAD IDEA.  Dogs – and most importantly the large breeds - should NOT BE FED TWO HOURS before exercise.

Indi & her house mate, Lilo

If you're lucky, your dog might only feel uncomfortable, be extra thirsty and develop diarrhea. At worst, running soon after eating CAN BE FATAL especially for large dogs when their gut can flip/twist, and Bloat can ensue. Even with fast intervention 40% will not recover and it is a terrible and painful end.  

Big and active dogs such as Indi, a German Shorthaired Pointer
are especially prone to Bloat if exercised too soon after food

And after their run dogs should be left to settle calmly for at least 30 mins before feeding.   More:-  http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/bloat

 TIP 2  Flea & Tick Treatments - BUY THE REAL THING!

There is a massive trade in counterfit drugs for humans and nowadays for our pets too. If you buy on-line instead of from your vet you cannot be sure what you are getting. This came to light when at one sit I noticed the dog in my care was infested with fleas. Talking to the owner he told me in he’d purchased treatments on-line from Europe as they were much cheaper.

A dog which has had a Flea & Tick treatment should not be covered in fleas!  What you can know for certain is if the treatment is not killing Fleas, then neither will it be killing Ticks. You then have the very real prospect of a paralysis tick latching onto your dog. If your pet then needs a life saving Vet intervention the cost will be far higher than genuine Flea & Tick treatments in the first place.

TIP 3  Don’t throw sticks on grass!

Ok, now I’m just sounding like a kill joy!  How can something seeming harmless turn out to be life threatening? After all, you’ve thrown sticks hundreds of times and it’s been fine. It is – until the day it isn’t when this happens… instead of landing flat the stick catches in the earth or grass and points upwards. Your dog rushes forward and pounces on the stick and bam – the sharp end pointing upwards pierces the back of your dog’s throat. Depending upon how far the stick penetrates, this is a potentially life threatening injury.  Added complications are splinters of wood left inside and bacteria in the throat mean these wounds cannot be stitched and have to be left to granulate (heal from the inside out).

This is sadly a very common injury - yet completely avoidable – as our Vet told us over 20 years ago when it happened to Flash our German Shorthaired Pointer.

It was, as any visit to the Vet tends to be, an expensive lesson. So if you must throw a stick choose one with no sharp ends – and throw it into water!

Northern Beaches Perfect Pet Sitter IS PERFECT! It's Official!!

Specialists in dog minding on the Northern Beaches, your very own Perfect Pet Sitter, has been awarded the title ‘Perfect’!  It might not have been an Oscar- but something more valuable –  ringing endorsements from not one but two of our latest Clients (see also references & the comments of the owners of Zara - Rhodesian Ridgeback).

Izzy & her Perfect Pet Sitter Pal, Amber

Here is what Felicity and Shaun of Freshwater said at the end of six weeks of caring for their sweet dog Izzy during August and September:

You might think that using the word "Perfect" in the title of an organisation is a bit risky. It certainly sets the bar very high. But in our case it has proved to be a spot-on description of our experience using Maralyn's services. We hadn't used a pet (and house) sitter before so we weren't quite sure what to expect when we left our lovely (and sometimes naughty) little dog Izzy in Maralyn's hands for six weeks.

We shouldn't have worried. From the outset everything Maralyn did was supremely professional and wonderfully caring. From the days before we left when Maralyn scheduled in some "get to know Izzy" visits. Then through regular email updates while we were away to the comprehensive diary of Izzy's activities awaiting us on our return, Maralyn greatly exceeded our expectations.

She looked after our house with great care - it was immaculate on our return. And as for Izzy, well she had a great time too. Maralyn taught her a bunch of new tricks, improved her sometimes wayward behaviour and introduced her to some lovely doggy friends.

Izzy moped around a bit after Maralyn left - but perked up when we told her we'd be inviting Maralyn back to look after her again next year!

Dog on a tightrope!

As a dog minder and full time live in pet sitter on our Northern Beaches, I strongly advocate teaching dogs tricks. Working closely with our canine pals builds trust which enhances our relationship with them. But above all – dogs love it!

If you need proof of this take at look at Ozzy. He’s recently claimed his place as Britain’s most accomplished canine tightrope walker.

Ozzy the 'Dog on a Wire'

Apparently his owner, Nick a 51-year-old carpenter, bought a book called Puppies For Dummies before enrolling Ozzy on a six-week training course and taking some tips from celebrated ‘dog whisperer’ Zak George.

Ozzy’s acrobatic antics were then posted onto YouTube video which led to acclaim and TV stardom.

Nick said that Ozzy is most happy when he’s working on tricks which he sees a game. But – and this is key -  Nick says they only practice when Ozzy is in the mood - after he’s done all his important stuff like sniffing around and meeting other dogs. I very much agree - dogs must play too. Training is most successful on a 'little and often' basis, that way your dog looks forward to it as a fun time. 

It really is rewarding working with dogs teaching them simple tricks. They love it and who knows, if your dog gets really good, s/he might end up a tv star like the fabulous Ozzy!

To see the full Daily Mail article and view the video click here:  Dog on a wire!

You could never make him do this if he didn't want to!

The Top 3 Secrets to training dogs - Sshhh, keep it to yourself!!

Although I am a Dog Sitter on the Northern Beaches I very much enjoy training and get asked to take on a new dogs to teach them obedience. However, as Perfect Pet Sitter my priority is the pets I’m living with. Which means I strictly limit dog training to one case at any time.

Sunny on the long lead at North Harbour Reserve - getting a reward!

A dog should not be allowed to give itself permission to do what it wants, when it wants. The one who gives permission must be you. Once you have reached this 'understanding', mature or pup, training a dog is like going on a diet – the only way to make a diet work is by sticking to the new regime. So to be successful training a dog you must always do two things constantly, be Consistent & Repetitious.

Secret 1)

be Consistent, one day asking a dog to heel but the next let them sniff and pull you all over the place – what message does that send your dog? That they make the choices and are in control, so why should they listen to you? When teaching a dog to heel the first thing I do is stop them sniffing - control the nose, control the dog.

Secret 2)

be Repetitious, continually repeating training is the only chance of anything sticking. Once a week is not enough. Early stage Obedience training (aka ‘good manners’) needs 2-3 sessions a week of at least half hour to an hour. 15-20 mins daily is great if you can do it yourself.

Secret 3) 

TREATS!  Treats are your No 1 aide as the more your dog associates training with pleasure the more successful the training will be. It's key to also make yourself fun. Your dog has to think of you as more interesting and more fun than the other dogs/smells that are everywhere to distract them! So whilst you must repeat learning, find ways to vary sessions – change routes, break up training. Example, my first lesson will be almost all heel training. Later sessions I start with heel work and walk them to a place where they can be off lead (actually they're still attached by a 20' long lead). The dog can run and feels free, and I use my treats to teach the recall. When that learning ends for the session, we do heel work on the way back to the house. 

To re-inforce the correct/good, TREATS;  to get your dog's attention TREATS; to get your dog to come to you TREATS.  I ensure I find an opportunity to give dogs a treat before we have even left the house and started the session. In this way they know I have treats and will 'work' for them. As well as Treats give lots of verbal PRAISE when they get things right. 

I’ve used this phrase in an earlier Blog, but never is it more important than when training:

What I want I re-inforce – what I don’t want I ignore

Cat a Catalyst for Doggie OCD

An interesting case when pet sitting this week.

I was caring for a pair of dogs; Koda, a 3 year old German Shepherd bitch, her older companion Bella and the family cat, Jasper. When introduced to the pets I noted Koda's obsessive behaviour around the cat - following him, licking him, whining and pacing.

Beautiful Koda

My assessment was there was a specific event which had conditioned Koda to act this way as every evening a 'ritual' kicked off. Jasper would announce his arrival and demand to be let in by meowing continuously outside the terrace doors until one of the family got up to let him in. He was very persistent in this so someone would jump up the minute his calling started. The cat would come in and Koda in turn would pant, pace and whine – until the cat went out again.

The trouble is this was not just once a night - it was repeated for the whole evening. Jasper would meow to come in then demand to go out, cry to come back in, then demand to go out again, and on and on the whole night. And just as the family reacted to the cat's meow - so in turn Koda reacted by starting her obsessive behaviour. The family would tell Koda to calm down but that had no effect which meant evenings – or any time the cat was around - were very unsettled.

The family had thought Koda's obsessive behaviour around the cat was because she loved him. In fact it was that Koda had become 'conditioned' by the cat's meow. In her world the meow = her pack moving = she has to move too. But she didn't know why she was moving and so was constantly confused and anxious. This resulted in her obsessing over the cat until it went out once more.

The irony is that it wasn't really Jasper causing Koda's distress – it was the family's reaction to Jasper's demands which made Koda repeatedly go into a hyper state.

The way to solve this is to deal with the root PROBLEM (family's reaction to the cat) rather than SYMPTOM (Koda's distress). Telling Koda to be calm will never work - if calm is wanted then that is what needs to be demonstrated.

Surprisingly it is relatively easy to restore calm starts by letting Jasper know he can no longer dominate the whole household! In future the cat meowing at the door had to be COMPLETELY IGNORED. Not only should no one open the terrace door, but the curtains should be closed (the cat would give up quicker if he could not see anyone inside). Meanwhile Koda had to be encouraged to lie quietly and not be allowed to pace even when the cat cried. And only when Koda was calm should she be touched or praised.

3 habits are being broken here:

1. the cat's 'top dog' habit of getting everyone to wait on him by meowing
2. the family's habit of jumping up to open the door the second the cat cried
3. Koda's habit of pacing and moving on hearing the cat cry because she anticipated family/pack movement

For a night or two the cat might continue to call, but once he fails to get anyone to open the door he will learn if he wants to come in he must use the rear of the house just like the rest of the pack.

Changing behaviour in this simple way will get results otherwise:

'If you always do what you've always done, then you'll always get what you always got'.