Limit kibble and treats, add veggies (green beans are best). Exercise more (swimming is great with leg problems)

I personally don't for a few reasons. 1. Potty training is near impossible in an enviorment with other dogs 2. The puppies immune system isn't quite ready in my opinion 3. I feel the puppy should be bonding with their owners at that age, and they are at an important stage in their mental development. Puppies of that age can develop phobias very easily at that critics age of 8-12 weeks.

Any of the above breeds are good, as long as you actively teach your children how to treat dogs (no ear pulling, pushing, poking ect) While these are friendly breeds, as a rule no child should be left alone with a dog. Gotta keep kids and dogs safe :)

Training tools are only for wearing while training, in my opinion. Plus, they can get caught on stuff, thus pose a safety risk.

Maybe let out a loud Yelp, and replace your had with a toy, praising the pup when he plays with it

tough spot.is your yard fenced? Maybe some fetch. Perhaps you can borrow a treadmill from somebody One thing I do with dogs who can't be off leash, is I buy a VERY long peice of rope, attach them to it and take them to a large feild for some fetch. Sending positive thoughts.

Omgoodness. I totally agree. I'm so tired of telling clients to please look at my calender before contacting me. It's a pain for both sitters and clients, I mean I appreciate any buisness I get. But I also appreciate not having to explain that I'm not available.

Some dogs are just born with a topline (spine) that is a bit higher in parts. As long as they are at a healthy weight, it shouldn't bother them.

I might also add, acupuncture may benefit her. Don't be afraid to advocate for your dog, and get a second opinion from another vet, if something feels off, or for peace of mind.

While not a prescription, Cosequin DS is a supplement that has been a HUGE help with our older dogs. (our otherwise healthy 11 year old lab has arthritis so bad, that the vet thought it was bone cancer at first) Cosequin DS can be bought online, or at Costco. Our dog no longer even needs her pain meds, after starting her on that. Adding Coconut oil to your dogs diet can help too. Be sure to make sure you are feeding a high quality food too, we switched an adopted 15 year old dog from a low quality food (beneful) to a high quality food (Kirkland natures domain) and within a week he went from acting like an old dog, to acting like a puppy. Dogfoodadvisor.com is a good place to see how different foods are rated. I would talk to your vet, of course, But I've heard that rimadyl is dangerous to use long-term.

Worked wonders for my corgi, who is terrified of fireworks. Well worth the price!! It's a one-time cost, and compared to tranquillisers, the the stress of having a terrified dog, the price is a bargain!

I see no harm in them, I personally prefer raw beef leg Bones, cut by a butcher into 1-3 inch long pieces. Natural, economical, and keeps the teeth clean.

I would find out what gets the dog excited (treats, ball, rope toy, squeaky toy , ect) and use it to lure them up the stairs. With food, put the dog on a leash and work one on one. For example, using treats, encourage the dog in an excited voice to step into the first step, and when he steps into it, give him a treat and praise. Repeat on each step until he gets the hang of it.

As an alternative, some vets are willing to prescribe a generic of the medicine, and send the prescription to a pharmacy. Some pharmacys have cheap generics.

Everyone else hit the nail on the head. One fact I can offer: as a dog gets older, they tend to get more selective about other dogs, and less lenient about puppy antics.

Agreed! I get very frustrated when I get requests for times I have made myself unavailable, because the owners get mad when I tell them I am booked up, and won't take their dog.

Yeah, I've told clients to bring food, but a few of them show up without it and don't want to pay meto supply food. That's why I would like to be able to figure it in to their total stay price, saves me the trouble of nagging them or turning them away ;)

While rover has been pretty good, a few things I would like are 1. Faster system to get to rover support. They can take a week to get back to me. 2. An optional health insurance plan, as that would enable me to make dog sitting a permanent career. 3. Option to charge for feeding clients dog (who don't provide food) 4. Sitter to local sitter conversations, to help us arrange alternative care for our existing clients or share advise.

Same here! I couldn't be happier with the Kirkland natures domain! I love the normal Kirkland too!

I always prefer positive training methods and NILF training. I wouldn't ever feel comfortable using them on a client. I have never needed one for my dogs, as they are pretty well trained.

That being said, in the hands of somebody who is trained in their usage, using the right collar, and uses the lowest possible "pressure" (shock level) I think they are ok as a last resort. It's really a slippery slope. One person could over use the shock feature out of frustration (or inexperience), while another could improve the quality of life for that dog (think: being able to have a dog trained on a shock collar so they can be off leash, whereas the dog would bolt and never come back before)

IF I hypothetically were to use a shock collar (never with any dog that wasn't my own) it would be a last resort, to protect the dog from something worse than a small static shock. (Like the dog getting hit by a car from digging out of the yard or jumping the fence) I never plan to train with a shock collar, but it's comes down to a matter of handler experience, personal preference, the unwanted behaviour,and the individual dog. Most behaviours can be fixed or prevented with exercise and positive reinforcement training. Some dog breeds are prone to certain behaviour problems, so researching a breed before you buy is a good step when becoming a dog owner :)

What kind of dog is he? A herding breed will tend to nip at legs/feet.

I prefer to avoid hot pavement, but I live in a semi-rural area. A good product to prevent burns from pavement is Musher's Secret. You can find it on amazon for around $20. It works well for cold, heat, and any activity. You can search the web, and there are recipes to make it yourself, for cheaper.

A great place to start, is going to dog shows! From there, you will easily find reputable breeders, who can help you get to know the breed, and connect you with other breeders. Another good place to start is finding the breed club for the breed you are looking for. When looking at a breeders webpage, there are three things to look for.

1. Look at what health testing is done. A good breeder not only has their dogs in good health, but has genetic testing done to deter main if the dog is breeding worthy. A minimum is having health clearences through OFA and CERF

2. Find out what titles the breeding dogs have earned. The breeder should have a clear goal of what they do to improve the breed. Avoid breeders who only breed for money, or aim to only produce "pet quality" puppies.

3.make sure the breeder has a contract requirement for anybody who buys one of their puppies. Usually the contract requires that of the owner cannot care for the dog at ANY time, the owner is required to return the pup to the breeder. Spay and neuter contracts are also a sign of a reputable breeder.

A responsible breeder will not just give a puppy to the first person to show up with the money. They carefully screen homes. Expect waiting lists, questions, and such. A well bred puppy is well worth the time and effort.

Black kongs, and Galileo bones are my favourites.

1099s IF we earn $600 and redeem through checks