16 years experienced dog walker in San Francisco! This is what my customers got from me on my anniversary!!
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4 Reasons Why You Should Take Your Dog to Dog Training Classes
Posted by The San Francisco Dog Walker
Many pet owners add a furry friend to their family to enjoy an adorable puppy for cuddles, playtime, and companionship. They may take their pet to all necessary veterinary appointments and hire professional dog walking services to help with exercise. However, they may forget an important part of care giving, signing their dog up for dog training classes.
If you are one of these people who believes organized obedience or training classes are not necessary, these top reasons may help you change your mind.
- Correct Unwanted Behaviors Before They Get Worse
Without effective guidance, your dog may develop unwanted behaviors or even aggressive responses to different situations or stimuli. 1For example, they make growl or display other possessive actions over toys, food, or specific people. Excessive barking or destructive tendencies are two common complaints that may get help from dog training classes. - Improve Control and Safety For Your Dog
Pet safety depends largely on the amount of control you have over your dog’s actions. This includes their containment and access to issues inside the home, when visiting other locations, at the dog park, and with their dog walker in San Francisco. Dog training classes start with the basics of sit, stay, come, heel, down, and no. If they master these commands, you, your dog walkers and dog service provider have an easier time controlling them in potentially hazardous situations. - Socialization Helps in Many Different Environments
A large part of the safety equation involves socialization with other animals and people. Everyone wants a well-behaved pooch not only because it makes every interaction in public with them easier and more rewarding, but also because it alleviates stress for the dog themselves. Training classes that extend into different environments improve social behavior even in crowds and loud or busy places. Socialize your puppy or new dog with a wide variety of people so they do not display any anxiety or aggression. Always practice the commands and behaviors you learn in a controlled space elsewhere, too. - Good Leash Etiquette Makes Walks Safer and More Fun
Whenever you snap on your dog’s leash and head out for a stroll around the block or an adventure at a local park, it is an opportunity for fun, exercise, and bonding. The same holds true when you hire an expert dog walking service like mine. The last thing you want is for a walk to turn into a stressful, frustrating, unsafe event. One of the most important skills to learn at dog training classes involves leash etiquette. 2Coupled with the heel command, your furry friend can learn to walk without pulling and other negative behaviors. Safety is the number one concern so your dog does not either injure you or themselves with sudden movements or speed changes. Fun is an amazing by-product of loose leash walking and good leash manners that come from comprehensive dog training courses.
Reference Links:
1 https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues
2 https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/teach-puppy-walk-leash/
Here Are 3 Reasons Monitoring Your Dog’s Poop Is Important
Posted by The San Francisco Dog Walker
As a dog walker in San Francisco, it’s clear I have a passion for dogs, but that passion extends beyond socializing them or helping them release their energy. I also have a passion for ensuring dog owners are equipped with the knowledge they need to keep their dog happy and healthy well into their senior years. Though it isn’t a glamorous topic, dog poop is a massively important to ensuring your dog’s health. Your dog’s poop talks to you far more than your dog can.
As an important reference point, you need to have an awareness of your dog’s typical poop. A healthy dog poop is decently firm and a bit moist. Once you understand the look and frequency of your dog’s typical poop, consistently monitoring your dog’s poop for irregularities becomes much easier. Here are three reasons checking your dog’s poop is so important to their health:
- Early signs of illness first present themselves in your dog’s poop. The way those signs present themselves can vary, depending on the ailment, but their poop is one of the first places the issue will appear. As a more dramatic example, your dog could have worms in their poop. That is certainly terrifying to see (occasionally looks like rice in their poop), but actually quite common, especially with puppies. Another signal of a potential illness is black, tar-like poop – a sign of potential internal bleeding in their stomach or small intestine. Both of those types of stool are cause for a trip to the vet immediately.
- Changes in your dog’s poop could be a signal they are experiencing anxiety. If your dog suddenly starts experiencing diarrhea, that may mean they are dealing with anxiety that was triggered by something new in their environment. Sometimes the cause can be something like a move, which may just take time to adjust, while other times, you may be able to remove the trigger from their environment. Either way, if you notice your dog is dealing with frequent diarrhea, you should be sure to keep them hydrated. Additionally, if the problem persists for more than 24-48 hours, it’s worth a call to your vet.
- Food issues or allergies appear in your pooch’s poop. Though the signals can vary, if there is something wrong with your dog’s diet, their poop is the first place you’ll notice the issue. As an example, if your dog’s poop is white or gray in color, that could mean they are getting too much calcium in their diet. If their poop is greasy, you may need to cut back on the coconut oil. Yellow poop is a sign of too much fat in their diet, while diarrhea after a diet change could mean your dog has a food allergy.
Every color, texture, and frequency change in your dog’s poop means something different. Being able to spot those changes is massively important to maintaining your dog’s health. Some issues can be monitored for a couple of days at home, while others signal an immediate vet visit. Regardless of the issue, spotting it early is always essential to keeping your pooch healthy and happy.
Now equipped with three reasons monitoring your dog’s poop is so important, it’s time to start examining your pooch’s #2!
Reference Links:
https://noochypoochy.com/what-dog-poop-is-telling-you/
https://torontodogwalking.com/monitoring-dogs-poop-important/
3 Reasons Consistent Exercise is Essential for Your Pandemic Puppy
Posted by The San Francisco Dog Walker
The Pandemic brought an entirely new wave of dog ownership. Many people adopted their first puppy or rescue, given the additional time they were spending at home, while existing dog owners were soaking in all of the time they were able to spend with their pup thanks to being at home all day. Though dog owners have been able to be at home more over the last year and a half, that doesn’t always mean dog owners are exercising their dogs as much as they should. Afterall, many dog owners still spend most of their day working while they’re home, unable to step away for the lengthy walk their dog needs.
Whether you are still able to work remotely, or you are now working in-person again, your dog needs to be getting consistent exercise. From the expertise of a San Francisco dog walker, here are three reasons exercise is so essential to your pandemic pup’s life:
- Consistent exercise combats obesity. Perhaps the most obvious, though still extremely important, benefit of consistent exercise is the decrease in the likelihood your dog will become obese. Even if you are feeding your dog the right amount of food, you are avoiding table scraps, and you monitor their treat intake, if they aren’t getting the exercise they need, they will start packing on the pounds. Obesity is just the first red flag to a dog’s health. After a dog becomes obese, it is subjected to many other health concerns no one wants their best pal to endure – all avoidable with a dedication to consistent exercise.
- Exercise promotes joint health. Beyond the damage obesity can do to your dog’s joints, stiff joints can be problematic in and of themselves. Proper exercise for your pooch keeps their joints moving in their full range of motion while strengthening the muscles around their joints – fantastic ways to reduce arthritis pains in the future. The consistent movement also helps to prevent accidental joint injuries (from a particularly energetic play session, as an example).
- Dogs need an outlet. Consistent exercise not only helps your dog’s physical health, but their mental health, as well – great for you and them. Without the right stimulus, dogs can become anxious and restless. Those symptoms can be displayed in different ways, but commonly, especially with puppies, your dog might lack the obedience you know they are capable of. Perhaps they don’t listen to verbal commands or recall as well as they should, or perhaps they start releasing their energy in unwanted ways (like chewing on furniture or digging in carpet/the backyard). Reliable exercise can help you avoid those problems and have a happier pooch.
As a dog owner, you may have noticed a need to help your dog get better exercise recently, which likely led to Google searches like “dog walker SF.” If you are new to dog parenthood and are beginning to notice some behavioral changes in your pandemic pup, you may now realize that point three (shared above) has become an issue. Whatever the case may be, allow me to help you conveniently build consistent exercise for your dog into your schedule. As a professional dog walker in San Francisco, I would be honored to help you and your furry pal.
Reference Link:
https://jetpetresort.com/blog/dog-care/the-importance-of-exercising-your-dog/
What you need to know about tennis balls
Posted by The San Francisco Dog Walker
Does your dog love to chase after tennis balls? Even, perhaps, a little obsessed about it?
Something you need to keep in mind is that a tennis ball is made of abrasive material that can quickly wear down your dog’s teeth. Some dogs love them so much that their teeth have ground down to little nubs. This is important because a dog must have their teeth last a lifetime and you definately want to protect them whenever you can.
If you want to nip this problem in the bud, change to rubber balls. Rubber does not have the abrasive properties like the green tennis balls you see at all the dog parks. Why do most people not change to rubber? Not all dogs have problems with tennis balls, so just keep an eye on your dog’s teeth to determine if you need to make any adjustments. Also, they are costly, especially if your dog likes to leave them behind in the bushes.
