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| answered a question | Should I charge more to sit dogs that are not good with other dogs? I am new to Rover and only plan to take one dog at a time. I own a dog that is alright with other dogs but I feel that there is too much that could happen between two dogs. Here is a small list of why I will be only hosting one dog at a time (so special needs dogs/reactive dogs are welcome in my stays). Also I will not be boarding at my own house and there are reasons for that to. Let's start why I won't be hosting two dogs together. 1: Health conflicts. Unless you are asking for the owners papers that they do have their dogs updated rabies and parvo shots, you are pretty much just going off with the owner is telling you. Not that dog owners are disingenuous but a dog that may have worms and the owner is unaware and taking that dog and mixing with other animals can spread unwanted medical issues. This includes spreading fleas as well. 2: Size difference: Some small dogs are big dogs "in a small body." This includes dogs like french bulldogs. Mixing a large and a small dog generally doesn't pose a problem but all it takes is for one injury to the small dog to put the safety and well-being of the dogs at risk while in your care. Keep sizes similar as or I do it, just one at a time. 3: Age difference. Everyone knows what happens when a puppy pushes his luck with an older dog with confidence. You get a growl, snap, bite or a fight. Next. 4: The potential for new behavior problems to arise. If you have a dog that is used to living in a single dog household and you match that dog up with another dog, issues like resource guarding can become present in a dog that never showed possession over a food or toy. This can cause a fight. 5: Dog taking unwanted behavior patterns from the dog he or she is paired with. It's an actual thing. If the owner gives you Fido that was never a barker and they notice that after being paired with Dojo all week who is indeed a barker that Fido is now developing behavior problems that she never had before going to Rover, now we have some unhappy owners that aren't going to sleep much if their dog is barking at everything. These are a few reasons that I will only be doing one dog at a time. :) |
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| answered a question | How can we change the dog personality and build confidence and reduce his shyness and fear? Maybe I can chime in as when I brought my little shihtzu home, he was scared of almost everything, including the wind. I have worked with Pippin extensively and still do to this day. We have worked in busy down town Toronto, I have worked him during parades, cultural events and even had him do a focused down-stay in the middle of a DJ arena. All those dancers and screamers provided excellent distraction and Pippin did amazing. 1: Keep your dog under threshold and minimize potential stress-inducers. Many people feel that socializing their dog is the first step to having a confident dog. This includes taking the dog to puppy class or the dog park. This can actually put more stress on an introverted or self-conscious dog. My dog is 8-years old and is now bullet-proof in most social situations but I am still hesitant to put him in his first intermediate dog class as sometimes you get dogs (and owners) that do not know boundaries and will let their 5 month old husky puppy smother your dog in the name of fun when in reality, your dog needs to be left alone. 2: If your dog isn't food motivated, you will have to build motivation and engagement in your interactions with your dog. At first Pippin wasn't confident in his environment and therefor wouldn't take food. I even made him a raw food bites and he still wouldn't take it. I was making the training sessions too long and I was asking to much from him. Keep your training sessions two minutes and under and don't end the training session when your dog tunes out. End it while the dog is still engaged so you are ending it with the dog wanting more. 3: Don't ask to much of your dog. Reward with verbal, food, toy, or physical praise. You have to make sure to know which reinforcement the dog likes. If the dog hates being touched, a physical praise could actually be seen as a punishment in the dogs eyes and may decrease the behavior that you actually are working to increase. Look for what turns on or drives the dog. It could even be a squeak toy sound. 4: Keep the dog learning in a very simple and safe environment for now. This includes training in your kitchen, living room, or a bed room. Taking your dog and trying to get a nervous dog to preform a down-stay in the middle of a busy store or a dog park puts to much on the dog. Keep it simple and keep it safe. 5: Hire a dog trainer. Make sure the dog trainer has great reviews and for an anxious dog, I would focus on a dog trainer that uses positive-reinforcement techniques. Confident dogs can handle punishments a bit better, but in your sake, focus on finding yourself a dog trainer that will work one on one with your little dog. That ... |
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