I've had dogs and cat since I was a kid. I had two shelties growing up, have two more now, and have had several shelter cats along the way. I am experienced with young puppies, having trained my current two shelties since they were 8 weeks old. Using positive reinforcement and clicker training, I trained my dogs in many areas including going to the bathroom outside, crate training, socialization with other dogs and people, and more. I also have experience with serious injury and recovery. One of my shelties incurred a serious injury at a groomer when she was younger and required a femoral head ostectomy (FHO). I personally drove her to and from physical therapy, which included swimming and underwater treadmill use, and oversaw her care and recovery at home. I worked with her doing stretches and following the careful instructions laid out by vets who performed her surgery and rehabilitated her during physical therapy. I also have two aunts who are professional dog trainers and former dog sitters. I have picked up a wide variety of knowledge from them over the years, including how to deal with challenging dogs, what to do in emergency situations, and how to manage care for high-needs and high-energy dogs. Most recently, I pet/house sat for my aunt and uncle while they went on vacation. They have four border collies, ranging in ages from 18 months to 10 years old. They are well-trained dogs but still came with special needs and instructions. I was required to administer medication every day along with very specific instructions for meals as each dog had different food and supplement requirements. Their eldest has a serious heart condition, one has Addison's Disease, and another is recovering from a serious shoulder injury that will prevent him from participating in agility. Furthermore, just before their vacation, two of their dogs (the eldest and youngest) had digestive issues resulting in both having diarrhea for several days. By adjusting food and administering medication, my aunt and uncle managed to stabilize them enough to continue with their vacation, and I continued treatment and monitoring while I was there. I also have an understanding of exercise for high-drive and high-energy dogs like border collies.