Please let me know what are the pups usual preferences, schedule, and rules at home. We want to keep everything as consistent as possible so they adapt to a new environment and a new person as best as possible. For example, tell me: are they allowed on the furniture? Do they sleep with you on the bed? What is their usual routine in the morning, and at bedtime? How many times do you take them out for walks? Very important: let me know if your pet has any allergies, food sensitivities, or medical conditions, and provide me with the name, phone number and address of your Veterinarian. Please let me know of any behavioral issues as well: How do they behave on a leash? Are they reactive to other dogs? How about bicycles, runners? Are they scared or anxious about something in particular? And finally, please make sure you provide me with the essentials: their food, their treats, their leash and collar with proper identification and rabies tag, and their favorite toy. Please note I do not walk any dog with a prong collar or anything that causes pain or discomfort.

Walks are not only for potty breaks and exercise; they are the way pups interact with the outside world and each walk is a little adventure! For that reason, when I go on walks I let them safely sniff at their heart’s content and explore: it is their time! For the city pup, we can go walk downtown Durham where there is plenty of stimulation: lots of good smells, people to see, sounds to hear! For the rugged pup who is into nature , we can go to nearby trails like Duke Forest: there are plenty of birds to see and hear, ponds to cross over, and a tree canopy to keep us cool. For the pup who likes to roam free and run: there are three fenced in areas in my apartment complex to do that and a bigger grass area within a 5 minute walk. We can play fetch, tug of war, catch, hide and seek, or any other game your furry loved one likes! Let me know if you would like to work on any basic training commands, like Sit, Stay, Leave It, Heel, etc, or if you want them to walk in the leash a little more politely. We can work on that during his stay-and I promise it will be fun! My dog Otto is great companionship, but is very attentive to the needs of others and very chill, so he will be an excellent sibling and companion during your pup’s stay.