I completely agree with the two previous posts and there is definitely an assumption made by clients that I sit at home all day with dogs and have no enforced schedule - which couldn't be further from the truth! It most definitely interferes with the dynamics of my planned stays if a client is late and it is incredibly frustrating as well. As of recently, I've had to just tell myself to be okay with it and remind myself it's part of the job as at the end of the day I want to make the customer happy and that's what I need to do.

Recently I've had dogs stay as late as 9 or 1030 PM on the day of pickup which is almost a whole extra day that I am not being paid for. How do you handle clients like this?

Recently I've had dogs stay as late as 9 or 1030 PM which is almost a whole extra day that I am not being paid for. How do you handle clients like this?

Both of these sites feature great and thorough comparison charts for various types of doggie doors. Hope this helps provide you with more information and some insight on which will work best for you and your pup!

1 - http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/art...

2 - https://www.petdoors.com/pet-door-hel...

While your furry friend naturally explores with her senses of smell and taste, obsessive or compulsive licking indicates a problem. Your first concern is to decide whether your four-legged friend's couch, carpet and bed licking qualifies as an obsessive or compulsive behavior. Your dog may be inclined to lick that lingering smell that is left after a steam clean, the same way they would lick up crumbs left on the floor. If your dog does it often or aggressively and in a repetitious way, or seems completely spaced out while licking or if you can't interrupt or stop them, it's an obsessive or compulsive behavior.

There are several reasons your dog may be engaging in OCD behaviors but the most common include that your pooch is either under-stimulated, under-socialized or experiencing stress and anxiety.

Start by assuming the problem is too little stimulation and socialization, because it's the most probable explanation for your dog's behavior .Exercise and play with your pooch, get them some new toys, enroll them in a doggy day care, take them to the park, set up pup playdates with a friend's pet, get a compatible second dog or otherwise find ways to stimulate and socialize your dog more.

The benefits of prong collars are:

Immediate responsiveness from the dog

The amount and level of pressure or correction is drastically lower than with other tools

Tends to create far less physical damage than any other type of dog collars

Now the downsides for this type of dog collar are:

In certain situations the level of discomfort can increase a dog’s aggressive response.

If not used properly; it can create serious psychological and physical damage.

It creates one of the highest levels of stress in dogs among different dog training tools

One of the reasons most dog owners choose prong collars, choke collars or gentle leads is to address walking and pulling issues. If this is your reason then you are on the wrong path. Using one of the tools above may only temporarily fix your issue, or it may solve the problem only as long as the tool is applied.

TIP: As soon as you change the collar, the dog will go back to pulling, remember that any training aids are there to help you while training your dog, used on their own, they only provide a temporary solution when the tool is applied.

Finely ground oatmeal is a time-honored remedy for irritated skin. You can use baby oatmeal cereal or grind it yourself in a food processor. Stir the oatmeal into a bath of warm water and let your dog soak. Dogs with skin allergies, infections, and other diseases which cause itchiness have been shown to gain immediate relief with this approach.

First things first - Remember that any punishment (yelling, jerking the leash, grabbing the dog, etc.) adds to the dog's anxiety level. Most likely, the dog will try even harder to keep other dogs away to avoid such trauma.

Here are some steps that can improve the quality of your walks:

1- Work on getting his attention before you go out. Say his name and reward him for looking at you. Start in a low-distraction environment (like your living room) and gradually move to busier areas, only continuing when you can get the dog's attention no matter what. You are teaching him to look at you comfortably regardless of the environment.

2- Start at a distance from any dogs: wait until your dog notices them, and immediately get his attention and reward. Do not wait for him to react! You are teaching him to associate the presence of other dogs with something wonderful. When he looks up at you for more, go closer and repeat.

3 - If the dog barks and lunges at the dogs, you went too far too fast. Add more distance and repeat. DO NOT PUNISH FOR BARKING!

4- Manage the environment for everyone’s safety. Keep a comfortable distance from other dogs, don’t allow others to greet (at this time), and don’t allow others to invade the space.

Yes, they could eventually lead to psychological damage for your dog.

Chasing 'prey' with no hope of catching it isn’t good for a dog’s psyche.

Is it a good idea to trigger your dog’s prey drive using an object she has no chance of catching? Dogs can get so obsessed with chasing the light that they develop behavior problems.

Never getting to the point of actually catching their “prey” can drive a dog slightly nuts. There are psychological consequences when the animals don’t find what they’re looking for.T he best way to satisfy your dog’s prey instinct at home is with treat-release or puzzle toys that stimulate the canine drive to hunt, and also deliver a reward for your dog’s efforts.

Another option, if you just can’t put the laser toy away, is to first hide a few dog treats around the room, and then occasionally let the laser dot point out a treat your dog is able to actually “catch.”

You can start to teach your dog better manners in just a few steps!

1 - Establish yourself as pack leader.

2 - Don't shower your dog with affection when you walk through the door.

3 - When your guests arrive, ask your dog to sit patiently.

Grape and raisin toxicity is well documented in dogs. Although the exact substance that causes the toxic reaction is not yet known, dogs should not eat grapes and raisins because even small amounts can prove to be fatally toxic for a dog.

Dogs of any age, breed, or gender may be affected. Grapes and raisins are bad for dogs because one of the most serious complications of grape/raisin toxicity is acute (sudden) kidney failure with lack of urine production (anuria). However, kidney failure is not seen in all dogs after ingestion of grapes or raisins, and again, the reason why some dogs are affected excessively while others are not is still being studied.

On more than one occasion, I've had dog owners assure me that their pet gets along with others only to find out that this was false information. When pet owners are not 100% honest about their pet's behavior, it increases the risk of an emergency occurring and puts both my life and the life of other dogs in danger.

I have specific questions outlined on my profile which I request clients to answer when initially messaging me. And because I usually do book more than one dog at a time, the first question I ask is, "Does your dog get along well with others?". I will not watch any dogs who may cause conflict with others.

Other than only booking one dog at a time, how can I avoid this? Admitting your dog is aggressive or violent will obviously make your search for a sitter quite difficult, but this is essential information to be honest about.

Hi Andrea!

I never charge any additional fees for walks during the day. Since that is what is expected to be included in a dog's 24 hour schedule, I don't feel the need to charge any additional fee. The only time I would charge an additional fee is if a client wanted an extra service such as grooming or bathing which wouldn't be typical of a dog's daily schedule. Hope this helps!

Hi Monique!

Rover takes 15% of each stay that you book. Hope this helps!

Hi Erica!

First, we should get some background on why exactly a clicker is an efficient training tool. The clicker creates communication between a human and an animal. A trainer teaches the dog that every time they hear the clicking sound, they get a treat. Once the animal understands that clicks are always followed by treats, the click becomes a very powerful reward.

Here's how to introduce the clicker to your furry friend - - Spend some time teaching them that the click sound means “Treat!” (For the sake of simplicity, let’s assume that you’re going to clicker train a dog.) - Sit and watch TV or read a book with your dog in the room. Have a container of treats within reach. - Place one treat in your hand and the clicker in the other. - Click once and immediately open your hand to give your dog the treat. Put another treat in your closed hand and resume watching TV or reading. Ignore your dog. - Several minutes later, click again and offer another treat. - Continue to repeat the click-and-treat combination Make sure you vary the time so that your dog doesn’t know exactly when the next click is coming. - Eventually, your dog will turn towards you and look expectant when he hears the click—this means they understand that the sound of the clicker means a treat is coming their way!

Hope this helps!

The primary reason dogs sniff around so much is so that they can identify whatever it is smelling. The dog's nose is considered to be their best “equipment”. The nose is one of the reasons why the primitive dog survived in the wild. Apart from scenting the prey, the excellent sense of smell enables the to dog to avoid danger.

Dogs have millions more scent receptors than we do and the way they process smells is very different as well. For dogs, scents are comparable to how we perceive things by sight.

Hi Courtney!

You can definitely use those reviews - after all, they're reviewing your skills as a pet sitter which would be great for your business and for future customers to see. However, you cannot edit them in any ways. They must stay in their original format but you could use ellipses to highlight the most important part of the review that you'd like to display.

For example -

This may be the full review I received: "Lindsey was great. She sent pictures and gave me updates on my boxer was doing. Was also accommodating with the dropoff and pickup times, let me drop her off at 6am to catch a flight and was very flexible when my flight was delayed. We would definitely recommend Lindsey and I'll be using her again."

But if I don't want to display the entire text, I could say - "Lindsey was great. She sent pictures and gave me updates on my boxer was doing...let me drop her off at 6am to catch a flight and was very flexible ...We would definitely recommend Lindsey and I'll be using her again."

You can paraphrase the review so your most positive and important qualities are highlighted. Hope this helps!

It sounds like your dog is dealing with urinary incontinence. Dripping urine can irritate the skin and cause redness as well as excessive licking of the vulva or penis area. Pet parents may also notice the area where the dog sleeps is contaminated with urine.

Your next step should be scheduling a consultation with your veterinarian, who will try to determine a cause. The vet will take a thorough history, perform a physical exam and likely conduct a urinalysis to verify whether your dog is suffering from a bladder infection, which requires treatment with antibiotics. Other tests may include a urine culture, blood work, radiographs and ultrasound.

Yes, and they can result in dangerous consequences such as parasitic diseases. In order to reduce your dog's chance to being bitten, try some of the following:

• Change water bowls frequently.
  • Avoid walking your dog in marshy places.
  • Fit windows and doors of your home with screens to prevent mosquitoes from entering.
  • Use insect repellants with caution. Products with DEET are not recommended and many repellants with essential oils have not been tested for effectiveness or safety.
  • Put your dog on a heartworm prevention program. Heartworm disease can be fatal to dogs if left untreated.
  • Keep your pets inside, especially in the early morning and early evening, when mosquitoes are most active.

In the case that your dog is bitten by a mosquito you should treat bites on the ears and nose with an antibacterial cream to keep them from becoming infected. See your veterinarian if the bites do not heal or appear to be getting worse.

Hi Yasmin!

When your dog reacts to animals on the screen in the same way she would in real life, TV watching can quickly get frustrating. Behaviors like barking and growling can intensify over time, making it difficult to watch television with your dog unless remedial training is done.

One of the easiest options for you to get some relief is to keep your dog busy while your watching your shows. Give your dog food puzzle toys to gnaw on, such as a frozen Kong, or a long-lasting chew. Keeping your dog occupied with something productive can turn his focus from watching TV to acquiring food!

There could be several reasons that your dog licks the couch. My Golden Retriever does it as well and we often drop food or crumbs on the couch so she is usually sniffing them out and hoping to get some remnants. For other dogs, it is a comfort thing. It makes them feel safe. Others do it as a simulated activity, like playing or walking. To try to stop this behavior, whenever you see them licking the couch, take them out for a walk or grab a chew toy and play with them!

Hi Valerie!

I would recommend using a baby gate, they come in retractable sizes as well so you can make it as large as you need in order to block off the room where the couch is. Your dog should not be able to knock it down nor jump over it. Your best option is to formally train the dog to stay off of the furniture so no physical block will be needed. Hope this helps!