5 concerns With A German Shepherd owner

5 concerns With A German Shepherd owner

“5 concern Friday” is a new function on that Mutt where I interview authors, trainers, veterinarians, blog writers as well as others who work with dogs. It’s a method to share different opinions as well as experiences. If you would like to be featured, please email Lindsay@ThatMutt.com.

KL is a longtime visitor of That Mutt who has a German shepherd dog. KL trains her canine in obedience as well as nose work for fun, as well as she is likewise a volunteer with a German Shepherd rescue.

Here were my 5 concerns for KL:

That Mutt: What are a few of the reasons why you chose to get a German shepherd?

KL: The typical reasons, brains, loyalty, beauty. My hubby traveled for work, as well as I desired a big canine with me. GSDs are tough as well as athletic as well as able to endure climate extremes as well as an active lifestyle.

But the most significant reason is the part of the breed basic that requires the canine to possess “a specific aloofness that does not lend itself to instant as well as indiscriminate friendships.”

They’re reserved as well as discerning; you will work for a deep connection with your German Shepherd, as well as I truly respect that.

To paraphrase Jane Austen, their great viewpoint is seldom bestowed as well as for that reason much more worth the earning. when you do, you have a buddy for life. There is just no other canine rather like them.

TM: What suggestions would you provide to a first-time shepherd owner?

KL: I might go into a number of posts’ worth of advice, however my huge ones would be:

a) Do your research. discover as much about the breed as you can. try to reach out to regional breed clubs or IPO (schutzhund) clubs if possible, get to understand some owners as well as breeders as well as observe some dogs. discover the pros as well as cons of the different line types as well as of the breed in general. This will take time, however it’s well worth it.

b) choose why you want the dog. The German Shepherd is a extremely flexible breed, as well as the result is different breeders concentrating on different things.

The many apparent example would be show lines vs working lines. Within a provided line type, you will discover breeders specializing in areas like IPO or herding or showing or browse as well as rescue.

If you can articulate what you want from your canine as well as interact that to your breeder or rescue, you stand a much much better possibility of getting the canine that’s best for you.

c) discover a good, resourceful fitness instructor who has experience with the breed. These are extremely intelligent, believing dogs, as well as that is both the very best thing as well as the most difficult thing about them!

A wise fitness instructor who is prepared to open up the toolbox as well as assist you tailor your method to your canine is worth her weight in gold.

TM: What guidance would you provide for anybody thinking about starting nose work training with their puppy or dog?

KL: There are a number of different governing bodies for nose work/scent work, however begin with the national association of Canine Scent work (nacsw.net). NACSW is an outstanding resource for information on the sport as well as exactly how to discover an trainer in your area.

I motivate anybody who is interested to look into it. It is a great method to bond with your dog, as well as you will discover a great deal about them.

And have fun!

My trainer reminds everybody before every trial or odor recognition test to have a great time since today is one more day to have fun with your dog.

TM: Does your canine sleep in your bed?

KL: She’s allowed, however she has staked her insurance claim on my huge leather chair, as well as many nights she can be discovered snoozing in that!

TM: Is there anything you’d like to state to That Mutt’s readers?

KL: have a fantastic weekend as well as pleased Thanksgiving! delight in a long time with your dogs!

Thank you, KL!

If anybody has any type of concerns for her about German shepherds, please leave them in the comments.

Posts KL has written for That Mutt:

What do great breeders as well as great rescues have in common?

Do you have a breed people tend to be scared of?

If you would like to be featured in an upcoming “5 concern Friday” post, email Lindsay@ThatMutt.com

Recent interviews:

Trainer as well as author Marc Goldberg

Blogger Puppy in Training

Half marathon

Last Wednesday morning I raced a half marathon just since I could.

There was no official race event. No official timing system. just me as well as my gps watch. I raced against my previous times as well as although I didn’t top them all, I managed to snag a third location beating all however two.

I turned 30 in April. This was not a huge offer to me, however it’s nice to understand I am getting stronger as well as faster “with age.” I am so much stronger now than I was 10 years ago, as well as it’s nice to understand my strongest years are yet to come.

You don’t see too many 18-year-olds winning marathons.

What are some of your best race times, of any type of distance?

My best half marathon time is 1:47:05. Can any type of of you dog runners beat me? (I bet you can).

See my post: Running a half marathon with your dog

If shelters made it simpler to adopt

What if shelters made it simpler to adopt?

Sometimes we worry about what could happen if shelters made it simpler to adopt a canine or a cat. but do we really need to worry?

This post includes the good things that could happen such as:

A decreased demand for pet shop puppies.

More first-time canine owners adopting “pitbull dogs.”

Dogs and cats spending less time overall at the shelter.

If it were slightly simpler to adopt a canine or a cat …

Fewer people would purchase puppies from pet shops.

If it’s simpler to adopt from a shelter, there will be fewer people supporting pet shops and backyard breeders, decreasing the demand for these puppies.

More ‘pitbull dogs’ would go home with first-time canine owners.

And they would end up as valued family members, just like any other dogs owned by first-time canine owners. read much more about enhancing pitbull adoptions.

More dogs would go to homes without fenced yards.

Most of these dogs would opt for walks and live with loving families. An ideal life for many dogs. (My canine has never had a fenced yard.)

More ‘pitbull dogs’ would go to homes with other pitbulls.

These dogs would become loved family members, just like their canine “brothers” and “sisters.” Some pitbulls would even go to homes with (God forbid!) other pitbulls of the same gender. and they would be just fine. read much more about pitbull myths.

Dogs and cats would spend less overall time at the shelter.

This implies less tension for all the animals, as well as less tension for shelter workers. There would be less crowding because even as much more animals come in, they would be leaving just as quickly. With the animals spending less time at the shelter, there would be less chance for illnesses to spread and less time for dogs to develop behavioral problems due to long-term confinement.

Millions of healthy dogs and cats would not be killed.

Currently, 3 million healthy dogs and cats are killed yearly in U.S. shelters due to a “lack of homes.” While shelters face numerous challenges, we now know that pet overpopulation is a myth and that it’s possible for a shelter to adopt its way out of killing.

More families with children could adopt a pet.

These children would learn about the gratifying experience of saving a dog’s life, enhancing their chances of adopting a pet themselves one day. It’s a shame how some groups won’t adopt out dogs to homes with children.

More people would adopt in general.

This equals much more people spreading the word about the shelter because they had a positive experience there. It also equates to much more donations, much more volunteers and much more people adopting a second or third pet.

More resources would be available.

The dogs and cats that really need much more time at the shelter due to particular health or behavioral issues could get the focused care and time they need. The easier-to-adopt animals could get on with their lives.

There are just so numerous good things that can happen if we ease up on our adoption requirements even slightly!

How can we make it simpler to adopt a dog?

We can stop requiring fenced yards for all dogs because many dogs don’t need fenced yards.

We can offer monthly adoption specials such as promotions for senior pets, kittens or black dogs.

We can keep our adoption fees as low as possible. For example, cats over 10 years old are just $10 at Nevada Humane Society.

We can go overboard with great customer service, even if potential adopters are impolite or ignorant.

We can bring the dogs and cats out in public so people who would never visit a shelter have a chance to consider adoption.

We can personally thank every single one of our supporters, volunteers, adopters and foster homes so they are likely to reach out and help a second time.

We can start marketing our dogs and cats as the healthy, well-behaved, friendly animals they are. people feel sorry for “abused” animals, but they want to adopt good pets.

The possibilities are endless, and that’s why I’m so passionate about this topic. We can all work together to send these dogs and cats into homes. They don’t need to be ideal homes (those don’t exist). They just need to be good homes. There are plenty of those.

What ideas do you have about enhancing adoptions?

Why do people provide up their pets when they move?

Why do pet owners provide up their pets because of moving?

My hubby as well as I just recently moved across the country with our 70-pound lab mix as well as two cats.

Our pets were a big burden for us during the move, as well as I will never judge somebody who selects (or is forced) to re-home her pets because of moving. There are method as well many factors out of the pet owner’s control.

In this post, I’ll go over:

1. The difficulties of discovering economical as well as nice pet friendly housing.

2. What we can do to assist pet owners keep their pets when they move.

Some examples of hurdles we dealt with during our move:

Time crunch.

We moved 2,000 miles from Fargo, N.D., to southern California. My hubby Josh had the high-end of taking a trip in advance to do apartment searching, however some people don’t have that option.

Either way, there is only so much time offered to discover the right apartment. For example, my sibling just recently transferred to a different specify on about 10 day’s notice. discovering economical housing in his new area was extremely restricted in general, let alone for people with pets (he doesn’t have pets).

But what do you do? You requirement a task as well as a location to live.

Dog breed as well as size discrimination.

We never did discover an apartment that does not discriminate against specific dog breeds, so right here I am renting from an apartment that discriminates as well as I feel guilty.

I’m not sure what we would have done if Ace occurred to look like one of the targeted breeds (to most people he appears like a black Lab).

It was difficult sufficient discovering an apartment that would enable us to have a dog over 55 pounds.

Liability insurance.

Our apartment needs us to bring $100,000 in liability insurance. This is yet one more cost when you’re on a budget, as well as yet one more barrier if you own specific dog breeds.

The insurance coverage business we are utilizing will not offer protection to people who own specific breeds. I feel terrible admitting to this, however I had so much to perform in preparation for our move that I did not take the time to discover a different insurance coverage company.

High pet deposits as well as monthly ‘pet rent.’

Ever notice exactly how the pet friendly apartments are either truly costly or truly cheap? every time I move with my pets I have to select between paying more than I can pay for or paying a great deal less as well as living in a truly run-down place. I’ve done both.

Thankfully we can pay for an apartment on the higher end of our budget, however this is not an choice for everyone. What do you do if you can’t pay for any type of of the pet friendly apartments?

And then of program there are the additional costs for pet owners who lease such as the pet security deposit as well as the monthly “pet rent.” as well as since my dog is more than 55 pounds, we are blessed with a higher pet rent.

One- or two-pet limits.

Nearly every apartment has a limit on the number of pets you can have – usually one or two pets. We have three.

Again, if you’re on a budget plan as well as a time crunch, what do you do?

Cat declawing required.

Some landlords will request proof that the cats are declawed. sometimes front as well as back declawed.

Frankly, I don’t have the money to get my cats declawed, even if I desired to. If you have cats as well as a restricted budget plan however requirement a location to live, what do you do? danger eviction? then what?

Finding pet friendly hotel rooms.

It took us three days to drive across the country, so we had to stay in two “pet friendly” hotels that charged a $15 pet fee. however “pet friendly” generally means dog friendly as well as not feline friendly.

I was about to lose my mind when I got to our very first hotel only to be told “absolutely no cats allowed.” I never even mentioned I had cats, as well as I still had to indication a type stating I was not a feline owner.

Thankfully, I understood to expect this in advance as well as brought my cats into the hotel by hiding them in duffle bags. I brought their litter box in a duffle bag, too. This was extremely stressful for me after 14 hours of driving.

Figuring out exactly how to in shape the pets in the moving truck.

I comprehend why people have no option however to re-home their animals prior to a move. sometimes moving with animals is almost impossible.

Josh as well as I had a moving budget, as well as hiring a moving business was just out of the question. So then we had to figure out exactly how to in shape two humans, two cats, a litter box as well as a 70-pound dog in the cab of a moving truck for three full days. as well as we don’t even have any type of kids!

We briefly debated putting the cats in a big cable kennel with their litter box in the back of the truck, however we understood it would be as well hot for them.

Ultimately, we decided Josh would drive the truck as well as I would drive my vehicle with three passengers – a mutt as well as two cats. We were able to make it work, however some people would not have this option. as well as thankfully my pets are excellent travelers!

So what can we do to make moving easier for pet owners?

1. We requirement to be understanding.

Those of us who volunteer for rescue groups or animal shelters requirement to be caring to the pet owners. people don’t want to surrender their pets. They just have no other choices or they believe they have no other options.

I’ve heard lots of high-and-mighty rescue volunteers state things like, “Well, didn’t they know they would be moving? Couldn’t they plan ahead?”

It breaks my heart believing of it now. It makes me want to cry for these pet owners since on a little level I can picture what they may be going through. exactly how awful would it be to surrender your pet to a rescue volunteer who greets you with such hatred as well as judgement?

2. offer the pet owners some options.

We may not be able to prevent all pet owners from surrendering their pets, however perhaps we can offer assist to some.

A fantastic example of a rescue group that works to assist households keep their pets is downtown dog Rescue found in Los Angeles. Tegan Whalan preserves the blog Some thoughts about Dogs, as well as she had a fantastic publish about DDR that I hope you’ll checked out since it shows the human side of animal rescue work.

“An overlooked part of dog rescue is to prevent dogs ever being in the setting of needing rescue,” Whalan wrote. “That is, preventing animals from entering shelters to begin with.”

Her publish included an example where a household brought their feline to a shelter to surrender it since they might not pay for the needed $100 pet deposit to bring their feline into their new apartment. The lady at the shelter was caring as well as provided choices as well as a solution – DDR would pay the $100 pet deposit so the household might keep their cat. What a fantastic story!

3. assist them discover pet friendly housing.

Prior to our move, I emailed a regional humane society asking for recommendations on apartments that would enable dogs of any type of breed. I would like to embrace a second dog, I stated in my email, as well as I don’t want to be restricted on my choices based on breed restrictions.

The humane society never got back to me. I got no response at all. This is a big failure. exactly how many other pet owners is this shelter ignoring? If you’re in the business of discovering houses for dogs, one of your very first tasks should be assisting pet owners keep their pets in order to keep animals out of the shelter in the very first place.

It would be worthwhile for each shelter as well as rescue group to keep a detailed listing of pet friendly housing split into classifications that include:

4. A ‘responsible pet owner’ is not defined by a person’s level of income.

This should not requirement an explanation. pets request extremely little, as well as they do not care exactly how much money we make as long as they get the most fundamental care.

How many of us have stated something like, “I would online out of my vehicle before providing up my dog”?

Then why are we so judgmental of others who are dealing with real-life hardships?

5. reveal our concerns to landlords as well as insurance coverage companies.

Remember exactly how I stated I’m renting from a business that discriminates against specific kinds of dogs? I can politely as well as professionally voice my concerns to the administration of the business as well as request change.

This is particularly efficient when those of us with non-targeted breeds are the ones to speak up. We aren’t trying to protect our own dogs, however we are showing that breed discrimination in general is wrong as well as ineffective as well as that we do not support it.

We can likewise approach insurance coverage business in the exact same way, as well as we can make a point to provide our money to business that do not discriminate.

What advice do the rest of you have about moving with pets as well as the difficulties people face? Do you have any type of real-life examples?

A no-kill nation for just one day

June 11, 2013 will be the safest day ever for dogs and cats in U.S. shelters.

The No kill Advocacy center and Minnesota’s animal Ark shelter teamed up and asked shelters across the country to stop killing healthy animals for Just One Day.

Just One Day

About 10,000 healthy or treatable dogs and cats are killed on a daily basis in U.S. animal shelters, according to animal Ark. However, that won’t be the case on June 11 because much more than 1,000 organizations have taken a pledge to participate in just One Day.

Animal Ark predicts much more than 10,000 animals will be saved, because for just One Day participating shelter workers will:

put down their needles and pick up cameras

take pictures and market the animals to the public

host special adoption events with discounted rates (such as the photo above, from animal Ark)

stay open for extended hours

contact rescue groups

ask community members to help out

Pet ‘overpopulation’

Shelter killing is usually blamed on so-called pet “overpopulation,” according to animal Ark. However, there are actually enough homes wanting new animals to guarantee all shelter animals get adopted. It’s about policy changes in shelters.

In fact, much more than 300 U.S. cities have already ended shelter killing, making up much more than 156 no-kill communities, according to animal Ark.

Some of those cities saving 90 percent or much more of all shelter animals include Duluth, Minn.; Reno, Nev.; Boulder, Colo.; Jackson, Wyo.; and Eugene, Ore., according to OutTheFrontDoor.com, which files no-kill communities.

“Just one day provides other shelters an opportunity to experience the fun, delight and excitement these other shelters experience regularly,” according to animal Ark.

An entire state has even embraced just One Day.

In Coloroado, Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a proclamation deeming June 11 to be just one day Colorado – a day of no shelter killing statewide, according to animal Ark.

Locally in my city of Fargo, N.D., the Humane society Fargo-Moorhead and CATS Cradle shelter have taken the pledge to participate in just One Day.

“When you make it easy for people to do the best thing, terrific things happen,” said Nathan Winograd, director of the No kill Advocacy Center. “You empty the shelter the good way.”

Pictured is my foster cat Tumbler, up for adoption through CATS Cradle shelter in Fargo, N.D. He is about 5 years old, declawed, good with other animals and very affectionate. Edit: Tumbler has been adopted!

How to create safe spaces for Your baby and Your dog

welcome to the next post in the series of how we prepared our dog Baxter for the birth of our first baby. This post was actually written before my daughter was born.

Today I’m sharing my plan for all of the areas in our house and what will be shared between Baxter and baby. This is an important step in my overall goal of keeping everyone safe and making sure dog and baby respect each other. To see all of the posts in this baby prep series, click here.

A reminder that if you have serious behaviour concerns or special needs particularly when adding a baby to your family, our best advice is to work with a reputable, professional trainer.

As we’ve been preparing Baxter for baby, one of the most helpful resources has been our trainer.

In my very first conversation with her after I told her I was pregnant, she talked about the importance of space and boundaries—and training both babies and dogs to respect those boundaries.

Her comments got me thinking about what I want to be shared space and what will be exclusive to the baby or to Baxter.

With our trainer’s own daughter, she established a perimeter around where the dogs laid down most often. She didn’t set up a physical barrier, and instead just instructed her daughter to not go too close. While this approach may not work for every child, our trainer said, “By 8 or 9 months, she had learned to respect that space.”

How to create safe space for your baby and your dog

The dog’s space

Baxter’s main bed is in our living room next to his food and water. It’s a central spot where he can keep an eye on what is happening in the house. It’s also a spot where Baxter has been sensitive sometimes.

If strangers are over for a visit and they pet him while he’s in bed, he occasionally has growled. So we’re declaring Baxter’s bed and food a baby-free zone. That is Baxter’s space, and I want him to be confident that he can go there if he wants to be left alone. same goes for Baxter’s beds in other spots of the house.

This will also be the spot that we send him if we feel we need some space. Baxter responds reliably to “go lay down” by going to his bed, so we’ve been practicing this command from various places in the house to ensure he’s rock solid by the time the baby arrives.

(See our post on how to teach your dog the “place” command.)

The other spot that’s going to be exclusively Baxter’s is his chair in the living room—which he claimed long ago. Although he’s not possessive of the chair, I will not be using the chair for nursing and will not be putting the baby on the chair for a cute snugly photo op with the dog.

The baby’s space

The baby needs its own spaces too. We have put a blanket and bouncy chair on the floor in our living room upstairs and our family room downstairs, and after an initial sniff to investigate the new additions, we’ve asked Baxter to stay outside those areas.

There’s lots of debate about the “leave it” command and people using it too broadly. Baxter has a very reliable “leave it” and a broad definition of what leave it means (everything from the basic, “no don’t eat that” to “stop sniffing that” to “move away”). So we’ve been using “leave it” to ask him to move away from the chair or blanket.

The other tool I’m planning to use to create my happy baby-dog house is a play yard—the modern version of an old-school playpen or the human version of the dog crate. Baxter has never been crated and we’re not planning to start that now. However, there will be times that I need to step away for a minute, but I don’t want to leave Baxter and baby loose in the room together.

One of the books that I read talked about thinking about your dog like a swimming pool. You would never leave your baby alone in a swimming pool, so don’t leave your baby unsupervised with your dog.

Having the play yard for the baby will be enough separation to keep everyone safe for a few minutes without me being right there. We’ve set up the play yard now so that Baxter has plenty of time to get used to this new fixture in the living room.

As for the rest of the house and furniture, I’m hoping that we will all share.

Baby’s room

Baxter has been curious about the baby’s room (a room that we didn’t spend a lot of time in before) and by his own choice he’s been keeping us company when we’re in the room sorting baby clothes or setting up furniture.

I’m glad that he’s treating the room like any other in the house. I don’t want him to feel anxious or uncertain about the room, and I hope he’ll continue to feel welcome in the nursery once baby arrives.

See our update on how they’re doing here.

Shared furniture

Shared furniture is something I’ve been thinking about carefully. Baxter is allowed on the upstairs couch and our bed, but both are usually invitation only, which he respects.

Our trainer’s advice was, “If your dog is allowed on the couch, let him be on the couch with you while you’re feeding the baby. This can be a good bonding time for you and your dog and also help your dog become more familiar with the baby. If you don’t want your dog on the couch with the baby, train him now to stay off the couch.”

I am conscious that it will be important not to force Baxter to be on the couch or the bed with the baby if he doesn’t want to be.

Yes, pictures of dogs and babies snuggling together are super cute and get lots of likes online, but I’ve seen too many photos where the dog looks miserable, and those make me cringe. It’s a short step from a dog being uncomfortable to a dog being dangerous.

No matter where we are in the house, I want Baxter to feel comfortable and safe. Likewise, I want to feel comfortable that our baby is safe. thinking about how we’ll use the various spaces, setting up boundaries right from the start, respecting each other’s spaces and teaching baby and dog right away will hopefully help us to accomplish that.

Update: Baxter and Ellie are doing well, as you can see:

Summary: how to create safe spaces for your baby and your dog

Train the baby and the dog. babies and dogs need to learn that there are boundaries and to respect each other’s spaces. For example, teach the baby that the dog’s food and bed are out of bounds. Or you may want to teach your dog that the couch or the nursery is a baby only area.

Use physical boundaries to help manage interactions between your dog and baby. Crates, baby gates and play yards can be helpful if you need to separate your dog and baby. set them up early so your dog has time to get used to them before the baby arrives.

Think of your dog like a swimming pool. Don’t leave your baby unsupervised with your dog. even the best dog can make a terrible mistake. stay close enough (within reach) to intervene if needed.

Make sure your dog has a space of his own. Sometimes, a dog just needs to get away. Make sure he has a few safe spaces where he can go if he wants to be alone. Don’t put the baby in his safe spot, even if it’s just once for the cutest photo ever. Your dog should feel secure that he will not be bothered if he’s feeling overwhelmed.

Let your dog choose to engage or share space with the baby. Don’t force your dog onto the couch or into the nursery. If he chooses to join you, great. If not, let him approach the baby in his own way at his own pace.

Brush up on important commands. “Place” or “settle” or “go lay down” can all be invaluable if you or the baby need a little space. depending on your situation or training, “leave it,” “off” or “away” may also be helpful. Make sure your dog responds solidly to these commands—including if you’re not standing right beside him—before the baby arrives.

Do you have exclusive dog or baby spaces at your house?

How do you handle shared areas for your dog and children?

If you missed it, read my birth announcement here.

Related posts:

Baby prep – new routines

New sights, sounds & smells

How to safely introduce a 2nd dog

Julia Thomson is a blogger at Home on 129 Acres where she writes about her adventures of country living and diy renovating. She and her husband live on a 129-acre farm in Ontario, Canada. follow Julia on Twitter here and Instagram here.

Solana beach pet dog walking

pet dog running, hiking as well as pet sitting

Run That Mutt uses pet sitting, pet dog running as well as pet dog walking in Solana Beach and is now accepting new clients.

Pet sitting is offered by the go to or by the day. personal walks, runs as well as hikes are as much as 90 minutes.

For a lot more information:

Visit RunThatMutt.com

Email Lindsay@RunThatMutt.com

or call/text 760.822.8431

Run That Mutt is an insured pet sitting and dog walking service in Solana Beach. likewise covering Cardiff, Encinitas as well as Del Mar.

As a full-time blogger, pet sitter as well as pet dog runner, let’s just state I like my job!

10 questions to ask before boarding your canine

Whenever I leave town, I ask myself who is going to take care of my mutt Ace.

Friends and family are a good option, but only if they are reliable enough and they actually want to take my canine for a week.

For numerous canine owners, boarding is the best and in some cases the only option. There are a lot of really bad kennels out there. count on me, I worked at one. That’s the very reason I started pet sitting through my canine walking business.

I worked at a boarding facility near Minneapolis while I was in high school and college. It was a very popular and busy kennel, but the owner was very good at sucking money from his customers, and the dogs suffered because of it.

Since this week is a busy travel time, and numerous people are taking a look at dog-boarding options, I wanted to share some suggestions for you to think about when choosing a kennel for your dog.

Also see my article: 10 things to do before boarding your dog

Questions to ask before boarding your dog

1. Ask if you can trip the canine boarding facility.

Never leave your canine anywhere without touring the facility. If the staff will not allow you to see where your canine will be, that is a really bad sign. They have something to hide.

The kennel I worked at eventually stopped giving trips because if anybody saw it, they would not leave their canine there.

If the kennel you are interested in does not allow you to see the full facility, this might imply the cages are too small, the building is unclean or rundown, or maybe much more than one canine is crammed into one kennel. I have seen this happen.

Usually the kennel manager will use an excuse such as, “We can’t let you back there for insurance reasons.” That’s bullshit. If you can’t see where your canine will be, find another kennel. The owner ought to be thrilled to show off his or her business.

Just because a staff member tells you the facility holds 40 dogs, don’t believe it unless you see it. The company owner could be cramming 200 dogs in a small area, just to make much more money. count on me, I’ve seen this too.

If the staff member lists certain hours when trips are given, that is fine. It makes sense that they would want to tidy up a bit and have you visit during quieter hours.

But ideally you ought to be able to stop by anytime and someone ought to be pleased to show off their great business. By seeing where your canine will be, you will instantly have a feeling of whether or not you are comfortable leaving your canine there.

Trust your first reactions!

On your tour, here are some questions to keep in mind:

2. how clean is the canine kennel?

An area with several dogs in it is never going to smell good, or be completely clean. but are the staff members making an effort to pick up all visible canine poop? Is the ground dry?

Are there any abnormal odors, other than what you’d expect? If the ground is wet, is it because the area was recently cleaned? Does it seem like there is proper ventilation or is it wet all the time?

3. how numerous dogs are at the kennel?

Ask the staff member how numerous dogs the facility can hold, and then count for yourself how numerous are actually there. If many or all the kennels hold two or much more dogs, you ought to immediately ask why.

The staff member might tell you that dogs from multi-dog families are boarded together. but they can’t all be from multi-dog families, can they?

4. how are the dogs identified?

The dogs ought to be identified in some way, maybe with a card and photo on their kennel, or with a labeled collar.

You know what your black lab looks like, but with nine other black labs, do you think someone could get her mixed up with another dog? The answer is yes. Again, I’ve seen it happen!

You don’t want to pay for extra treats or playtime sessions, only to have them go to another canine that looks just like yours. and you don’t want your canine to get sick from eating the wrong food or receiving the wrong medications.

5. Is there a play area at the kennel?

Don’t believe there is a play area unless you see it. and don’t believe the dogs actually play in it unless you see dogs playing in it.

Ask how often the canine will be let out, and if there is any extra cost. The kennel I worked at charged an extra $4 per 15-minute play session. but because of our limited staff, there was no time to actually follow through with these “play sessions.”

Guess what? The canine owners were still charged, and they had no idea their dogs sat in a kennel all week other than to get out to go to the bathroom. The ownerof the facility would flat out lie to the customers, and they believed him.

6. how numerous staff members are on site?

Ideally, you want to have at least one staff member for every 10 dogs or so, in my opinion.

If there are less than that, it is not a good sign. It is not possible for one person to correctly care for much more animals than that. You want your canine to receive as much attention as possible.

If a fight were to break out between two or much more dogs, it would not necessarily be easy for one person to break it up. There ought to be enough staff members so the place remains clean and the dogs get plenty of exercise and affection.

7. What is the cost per day to board my dog, and what does that price include?

If the kennel charges $30 a day, ask what this includes.

Most will charge extra for food, baths, playtime and treats. Don’t assume that the fixed rate covers everything or anything extra at all.

Ask if you can bring your dog’s own food. A good kennel will encourage you to bring your dog’s regular food to keep her schedule as close to her common routine as possible.

Just make sure you know what you are paying for. The charges add up fast, and you don’t want to come home from getaway and receive a kennel bill higher than you expected.

It’s a good idea to ask what the total will be beforehand so you know.

8. What will happen in an emergency situation?

What will happen if your canine gets sick? will you be contacted? Which vet will see him? Is there a vet on site? will you be responsible for all the costs?

Is there any situation where your canine would be euthanized without your approval first? Dogs do get sick. Dogs do get into fights. things do happen.

9. Ask all the questions you can.

If there’s something on your mind, ask it. You have every best to get the answers you want. You are trusting strangers with your pet, and you are worthy of to know everything you can.

You ought to leave your canine feeling comfortable that she is in a safe place and well taken care of. If you have any doubts, relocation on to another boarding facility.

10. suggestion the kennel staff.

You want your canine to get the best treatment, right? Well, why not slip the staff member an extra $10? This will go a long way. he or she will remember you tipped, and will likely give your canine a little extra attention, whether it’s a few minutes of ear scratching or some extra time in the play area.

It wouldn’t hurt to suggestion again when you pick up your dog. Yes, it is a bit of a bribe ?

If you feel awkward tipping the staff, you could also do something good like bring them a box of cookies or donuts when you drop off your dog. people remember good gestures.

Have you ever taken your canine to a boarding kennel? What did you think of that kennel, and how did you choose it?

What to Do When One pet dog is Jealous of the other and Growls?

What do you do if one of your dogs growls at the others out of what appears to be jealousy?

I actually get this question about once a week. I’m writing this post so I have an post to share.

I’d also like this to be a place where people can ask questions or give advice.

The scenario is typically like this:

You try to give affection to your small dog. She jumps onto your lap and you pet her. then your big pet dog techniques and sticks her head on your lap for some attention too. This is when the small pet dog proceeds to bark and growl at the big dog.

It wouldn’t have to be small pet dog vs. big dog, but let’s face it – it typically is! but it could also be two big dogs or two small dogs.

Maybe one pet dog tends to lie at the owner’s feet growling as the other pet dog approaches. Or maybe one is on the couch and growls as the other comes near.

See my post: how to stop a small pet dog from guarding me.

So what’s happening here?

Well, it’s always good to seek advice from with a professional trainer if your’e anxious about aggression. Every situation is different, and it’s impossible to give recommendations on a certain dog’s behavior over email or in a general blog post.

But here’s my general feedback:

This type of growling or “guarding” makes sense. The pet dog is resource guarding and YOU are the resource.

If the pet dog doing the growling is normally the “weaker” of the two dogs, this may be the only time you ever see her growling or standing up for herself because she’s protecting her power source (YOU). You make her feel a lot more powerful and she may even feel like you’re backing her up or protecting her.

And sadly, if one dog is very pushy or bossy, the only time your a lot more sensitive or “weaker” dog might get attention in any way is when she sits on your lap or on the couch next to you. So you bet she’s going to guard you in those situations, it’s the only real affection she gets!

People might describe this as “jealousy” but it’s normally resource guarding, which is normal pet dog behavior but something we normally don’t want to encourage. See: how to break a dog’s possessiveness.

So here’s what to do:

How to stop my pet dog from getting jealous and growing at my other dog

1. Remember, you get to decide who approaches you.

You are the person in charge, right? So, YOU decide which dog sits with you and you decide which dog gets your attention and when. Your dogs don’t get to decide, not when it’s resulting in aggression or guarding. So that’s my first tip. Be aware of who you’re giving attention to and make sure you really are the one making that decision!

2. Enforce a no dogs on the furniture policy for now.

Do this especially if being on the furniture is part of what’s triggering the guarding/jealousy. I have a cat (Beamer!) who likes to sit on my bed. When my pet dog so much as walks by the bed, Beamer swipes and hisses at the dog. He’s being a bully and possessive of the bed!

So what do I do?

I immediately remove the cat from the bed and put him on the floor. It changes his state of mind and energy instantly.

See my post: how to stop my pet dog from growling on the bed.

3. Don’t allow the pet dog to sit at your feet guarding you.

Once you actually think about this you might realize, wow, my pet dog really does sit and guard me at my feet! If you catch either pet dog doing this, shoo her away, tether her across the room or put her in a down/stay on her pet dog bed. Or, simply get up and step somewhere else so she can’t guard you.

I run into this problem with my foster dogs quite often. The foster pet dog will lie at my feet guarding me from my pet dog Ace and I don’t even realize it because Ace doesn’t protest. The poor person just goes and lies down across the room! So be aware is all I’m saying. (2019 update: Ace has passed away.)

4. Don’t allow your other pet dog to barge up and hog your attention.

Likewise, you shouldn’t allow your other pet dog to barge up and steal your attention away when you’re choosing to give affection to the first dog. Does that make sense? Don’t allow either pet dog to sit and guard you and don’t allow either pet dog to barge up when you choose to give affection to one or the other.

When a pet dog tries to barge in and hog the attention, block him with your body, tell him “no” or put him in a down/stay across the room.

5. work on general obedience with both dogs.

Obviously, you want to work on general training with both your dogs. Every pet dog must learn to lie down and stay on command for up to 20 minutes or a lot more with no distractions. If your dogs can’t do that, then start with 15 seconds.

All dogs must learn to obey “sit” and “come” and to wait patiently before eating or walking through doors. I have all sorts of articles about how to train these behaviors. just choose one or two goals to start with but do train your dogs. Well-trained dogs are a lot more respectful of their owners and they have a higher level of self-control.

Need help with a certain training issue? email me – Lindsay@ThatMutt.com.

6. Reward calm behavior from both dogs.

Try to remember to reward/praise calm behavior from both dogs. When you’re handing out treats, reward calm behavior not frantic behavior. When you’re greeting your dogs after work, give affection to the pet dog who’s not jumping. If you see one of your dogs lying quietly on her pet dog bed, discuss and praise her.

And it goes without saying, but also make sure both dogs are getting plenty of exercise! In general, dogs in the U.S. do not get nearly enough exercise.

See my post: ideas for exercising a pet dog indoors.

So those are my general tips!

Let me know your own experiences or ideas in the comments!

Related posts:

How to stop my small pet dog from guarding me

How to break a dog’s possessiveness

My pet dog growls at other dogs

What to do when your dogs don’t get along

How no-kill shelters save much more dogs and cats

The united states currently kills about 3 million healthy dogs and cats in U.S. shelters annually. That’s the general agreed-upon number from the Humane society of the united states and other groups.

We can certainly find homes for an extra 3 million animals each year if we work together. Sure, some areas are slower to catch on and some face challenging challenges, but we’ll all get there eventually.

There are currently 144 documented no-kill communities in the United States, according to Out the Front Door, a web site that tracks and verifies this info.

To be considered “no kill,” the community should have a live release rate of 90 percent or much more for impounded dogs and cats. This leaves a reasonable leeway for animals that are really suffering and ought to be euthanized and for a few dogs that are really harmful and ought to be killed for safety reasons.

I reached out to shelter workers from these documented no-kill communities and asked them about some of the basic ideas they follow to save much more lives.

Here’s what they had to say:

How no-kill shelters are saving more pets

*The canine imagined above, Kali, is up for adoption with the Nevada Humane Society

Nevada Humane Society

The Nevada Humane society is an open-admission, no-kill shelter located in Reno. It takes in owner surrendered animals as well as strays, according to its web site.

In 2013, NHS took in 15,350 animals and had a live release rate of 90 percent, according to Out the Front Door.

I spoke by email with Kimberly Chandler Wade, senior manager of communications and events for the shelter. She shared all sorts of ideas the NHS uses, and much of it came down to getting much more people to the shelter by providing adoption specials.

Adoption specials

NHS increases its adoptions by getting creative and providing adoption promotions, Wade said.

The shelter often bases these promotions off current trends. For example, it recently created “pet shaming” adoption ads featuring various animals.

As another example, the shelter featured an “Orange is the new Bark” adoption special this month after the series “Orange is the new Black” (one of my favorites!). people could adopt a canine wearing an orange bandana for just $25, and all black cats and kittens were just $10.

“The goal is to get people into the shelter and thinking of us when they consider bringing a pet into their family,” Wade said. “The adoption campaigns are essential to that.”

The shelter is also able to do much more adoptions because it remains open on weekends and in the evenings and even on some holidays.

The Kansas City Pet Project

The Kansas City Pet project is a non-profit organization that began running the Kansas City (Mo.) Animal shelter in January 2012. KC Pet project is open admission and no kill, according to its web site.

The organization took in 8,179 dogs and cats in 2013, according to Out the Front Door. It had a live release rate of 92% (or 88% when factoring in owner-requested euthanasia).

Before KC Pet project took over the shelter, the shelter had a live release rate between 31 and 61 percent over the previous 5 years, according to its web site.

I spoke with Tori Fugate, the manager of marketing and development for KC Pet Project, over the phone. She shared some of the programs that work really well in Kansas City.

Open adoptions

One of the reasons the KCPP is able to save much more animals is because it provides “open adoptions,” Fugate said. instead of searching for reasons to turn adopters away, the shelter has conversations with adopters to match them up with the best pets.

She said the shelter does not ask closed-ended questions with “right” or “wrong” answers. It does not ask for any references. It does not require a fenced yard for dogs, and it does not require adopters to pass a “home check.”

Personally, I’m starting to see a trend! Thankfully, much more and much more shelters are dropping invasive adoption requirements. I can’t wait for much more and shelters to catch on!

Playgroups for dogs

Another great program through KC Pet project is that it offers playgroups for the dogs every single day, Fugate said. This is one way to relieve tension for the dogs while providing them a way to play, exercise and socialize.

It also helps the staff and volunteers get to know each dog’s personality and playing style, which helps them match the dogs with the most suitable adopters, Fugate said.

Check out this great video from KCPP to get a better idea at the outstanding work it is doing.

Other ways the NHS and KC Pet project are saving lives:

[check_list]

Barn cat adoption programs in place for feral cats

Recruiting additional foster homes whenever possible

Significant adoption discounts. For example, when KC Pet Project took over the shelter in January 2012, it provided adoptions for just $20.12.

[/check_list]

Other examples of U.S. no-kill communities

No-kill communities exist in all areas of the country. They exist in rural and urban areas and are not limited to areas that have “more money.”

As you can see from the KC Pet project video, it’s about removing killing as an option and getting creative, because people really are very resourceful!

You have to be “really brave,” Fugate said. You should “have a passion to save as numerous lives as you can.”

Here are just a few examples of additional no-kill communities in the united states from the growing list of 144 existing communities so far:

[check_list]

Duluth, Minn.

McIntosh County, Ga.

Kalispell, Mont.

Ithaca, N.Y.

Lynchburg, Va.

Travis County, Texas

[/check_list]

To see the full list, visit Out the Front Door.

What are some programs that are working really well in your community?

Get That Mutt’s newsletter in your inbox: