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Dog Walker

Nurturing Your Furry Friend: Selecting the Perfect Dog Walker

It is a well-known fact that pets, particularly dogs, require special care and attention. One of the most vital aspects of their well-being is their daily walk. Not only does it provide essential exercise for your furry friend, but it also offers an opportunity to strengthen your bond with your pet. However, there are times when a busy work schedule or exhaustion from a long day makes it challenging to find time to take your dog for a walk. This is where the services of a dog walker come into play. Dog walkers can alleviate your stress by caring for your pets as if they were their own. But how do you go about finding the perfect dog walker for your beloved companion? In this article, we provide you with the essential guidelines for making this important decision.

Where to Find a Dog Walker

When seeking any service, the first step is to locate potential providers. If you’re unable to personally take your dog for a walk due to time constraints, a dog walker can fulfill this need. Here’s how you can find a reliable dog walker in your area:

Use a Dog-Walking Application:

Consider downloading a dog walker app to streamline your search for local dog walkers. These user-friendly apps not only make it easy to find professional dog walkers but also allow you to track your dog’s location via GPS, providing peace of mind.

Inquire Locally:

Reach out to dog-friendly individuals in your neighborhood, including teenagers or adults looking to earn extra income. They might be willing to help with dog walking. However, for dogs with specific needs or behavior issues, professional dog walking services are a better choice.

Seek Referrals:

Begin your search for a dog walker by asking people you trust, such as friends, family, or your veterinarian. They may have recommendations or know of reputable dog walkers. You can also post your requirement at local animal shelters and parks or ask fellow dog owners during your walks.

Hire a Professional:

While neighborhood kids may be a temporary solution, professional dog walkers offer a more consistent and reliable service. They have experience, a genuine love for dogs, and the ability to arrange for backup walkers when needed.

What Your Dog Needs from a Dog Walker

Choosing the right dog walker is essential to ensure your dog’s well-being. Consider your dog’s size, breed, age, and individual needs when selecting a dog walker. Small puppies may require multiple short walks each day, while larger dogs may benefit from longer, more energetic walks. Other factors to consider include whether your dog prefers leash walks or enjoys walking off-leash and whether they prefer one-on-one attention or group walks with other dogs. Understanding your dog’s preferences is crucial for finding the right dog walker.

Average Pay for a Dog Walker

The cost of a dog walker can vary based on your location, the walker’s experience, and any additional services requested, such as feeding or medication administration. Research the average rates in your city and inquire with friends or neighbors about their dog walker’s fees to ensure you are getting a fair price.

In Conclusion

When you find the right dog walker for your furry friend, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing your pet is in capable hands. Take the necessary steps to select a trustworthy dog walker, as your pet’s well-being should always be a top priority.

puppys first walker tips

How To Prepare Your Puppy For Their First Walk

The first walk for the puppy can be really important. Some precautions and measures need to be taken first before you go to take your puppy on a first walk. Taking out a dog for a first walk is an important task as a dog owner as this will be the first time when your dog will see the place outside your home or see faces apart from family members. Thus, here we have provided some tips which will be helpful for them while they take their dogs on their first walk. These tips will be important for both first-time dog owners and experienced owners who have brought a new puppy recently. Also, considering the daily schedule of any working professional, they hardly get any time to take out their puppy first. Thus here we at Family Pet provide dog walking service to ensure that your pet has a healthy lifestyle.

Why Is First Walk For Your Dog Very Important?

The first walk for your dog is an important task for you as a pet owner. The reason for that is that it is really necessary to socialize your dogs in the outside environment. So, you need to take care of your dogs during their first walk, or else it will be difficult while take them down the next time. Also, it can be a good opportunity for the owner to bond with their pets. It can be considered a way how you and your pet are going to face outsiders together. Apart from that, your dogs need to have fresh air. It is an instinct in animals to roam freely. Thus, they need free space for which your house might not be enough.

Vaccinate Your Dogs Before Their First Walk

It is really important to vaccinate your dogs before you take them for their first walk. Before going outside, all that your pet has survived was the environment at home which is safer than the outside environment. Thus your dog, while going outside, will be vulnerable to various pathogens, especially rabies. So, make sure your dog is vaccinated before going out for a first walk.

Tips For Pet Owners For First-Time Walk

The following things are advised to dog owners before they take their pets for a first-time walk.
Avoid The Area With Traffic Or Densely Populated Areas
For the first walk, avoid the places where there can be more traffic. Places which have a lot of traffic are schools, offices or stations. The reason for this is that your dog has seen no more than your family member. Thus meeting so many unfamiliar people can scare your dog and also create trouble while socializing your pet. You can also take your pet to. where we have enough space for your dog to roam freely without any trouble.

A Small Distance Can Be Good For First Walk

It is not in the habit of your puppy to walk too much. Walking too much can consume the whole energy of your dog; thus, the remaining day, your dog will be exhausted. Thus make sure you cover only a small distance while taking your puppy for the first walk, not less than a kilometer.

Make Small Stoppage while Taking your Dog

Another thing to keep in mind while taking a first walk with your dog is to stop at various places and let you become familiar with the stoppage. This is important for your pet’s socialization. With that, your dog will become familiar with the outside places, and also it can be beneficial for your dog’s potty training.

Always Use A Leash For Your Dog

It is mandatory to have a leash while taking a walk with your pet. The reason for that is on your dog’s first walk, it will try to roam everywhere, and without a leash, it is possible that your dog may get lost or might get hurt. Also, it is a good means of communication between you and your dog, which will become beneficial in your dog training.

Take Necessary Walking Supplies with You

Aside from a leash, you can also take other supplies for your dog training and also to socialize your dog. You can take the following things before taking your dog for the first time:
• Various treats to reward your dog (part of your dog training).
• A waste bag for your dog’s stools.
• The water in the bottle in case your dog gets thirsty on the first walk.
Make sure you make your dog familiar with the leash otherwise there can be trouble while taking your dog for a walk.

Provide Simple Obedience Training To Your Dogs

It will be beneficial if you provide simple command training to your dog. With your dog following simple commands like sit, go, come, and various others, it will become very easy to socialize with your dog. There will be fewer chances that your dog will panic on the first walk.

Find A Walking Partner For Your Dog

In any case possible, find a partner with whom you can get your dogs together. It will also be good for your puppy to be familiar with not only other people but also other dogs.

Family Pet Retreat Blog

5 Ways To Keep Your Dog Healthy And Happy

All of us want our dogs to live happily and healthily. After all, dogs are our best friends, right? But how to keep them healthy? Not every pet owner knows about it. So let us help you by providing you with a few tips that will help you in taking care of your furry friend in a better way.

Read this article to acquire more knowledge about it.

Provide Your Dog With A Healthy Diet

Many pet parents don’t know about the nutritional needs of their dogs, and this can create a major issue in maintaining the dog’s overall health. One of the best ways to take care of your dog’s health is to provide them with a daily dose of the supplement.

If you are already providing some supplements, consult your vet and switch to a better one. Apart from that, ask the vet about the kind of food suitable for your dog and what should be the amount of the food as the amount of the food varies according to the shape, size, and age of your dog.

1. Exercise Your Dog Everyday

Exercise is a basic requirement of every dog. However, the different breed requires different kinds of exercises. Some breeds can stay fit just by regular walking, whereas some breeds need agility training to stay healthy.

Regular exercise is not just important for your dog’s Healthy body and weight but also for good mental health. Sometimes, laziness can lead to anxiety and destructiveness.

2. Keep Your Dog Vaccinated

Vaccinations are another necessity for your pet’s health. It helps your pet to live a long and fit life by protecting the dog from various contagious, life-threatening diseases. It is suggested by the government as well to provide rabies vaccinations to your dog.
However, other than rabies, there are various other vaccines as well that you must give to your pets. That’s why it is said to keep the vaccinations up to date.

3. Show The Dog Love And Affection

Your dog always waits for you to celebrate a bonding moment. As for them, it is proof of trust and safety. Just like us, our furry friend also craves love and emotional interaction. This can help in mental stability that ends up resulting in a healthy body. Moreover, a strong bond between you and your pet helps them in adopting good dog behavior.

4. Let Your Dog Socialize

Allow your furry friend to meet new people and animals or take them to new places. This can help them in adapting to good behavior and live a happy life. Dogs are social creatures, and they love to be around people. Thus, take them to dog parks and let them play with other dogs, or you can invite other dogs to your place and let them have fun. However, if there is no dog park around you, then in such a situation, you can search for a pet care center near you where dog walkers are available to help and play with your dog.

Dog Food - Dog Boarding Service Spring Texas

Dog Food Myths

The food that you give your pets affects all aspects of the pet’s life and health. Including their coat, energy levels, and overall well-being. A lot of veterinarians make sure to educate pet owners about the proper care of their pets. Unfortunately, most of this education necessarily focuses on challenging misinformation. It is common among pet owners to readily pick up myths and misconceptions. The World Wide Web is majorly responsible for contributing to the formation of myths and misconceptions. Breeders and fellow pet owners have an equal contribution to spreading dog food myths and misinformation.

Nutrition is the largest area with widespread myths and misinformation. Pet owners are always looking out to find the “right” food for their animal companions. This is one of the major factors related to health that they can control. It is crucial to get the facts checked before getting into any food myth.

Our pets are resilient and are able to thrive on a variety of diets. In most cases, nutrition is only one of many variables interacting in complex and subtle ways to impact health. The perfect food for pets does not exist and the pressure to find the perfect diet can easily persuade you to fall for dog food myths and misinformation. It can compel you to choose extreme and unhealthy choices.

Dog Food Myth, “High-protein diets cause kidney failure”

The idea that access to protein causes kidney failure arises from the fact that high levels of protein are historically ill-advised for dogs with kidney failure. But for dogs with normal kidney function must have a reasonable amount of protein. Feeding a moderate level of high-quality protein is good and won’t lead to any health hazards.

Dog Food Myth, “Meat is more nutritious than meat meal”

While purchasing dog food, if you compare the ingredient lists then the meat is a vital element in it. If your objective is to have the most meat nutrients, then go with a meat meal. Ingredients appear in descending order of their weight; that weight includes any water in the ingredient. When you see chicken listed as an ingredient, it means unprocessed chicken, complete with water. Chicken meal means chicken with the water and fat removed. It weighs less than chicken but actually can contain a higher percentage of protein.

Dog Food Myth, “Feed raw eggs for a shiny coat”

Eggs are a good source of protein for not just humans but dogs as well. It contains fat, and vitamins, all essential to hair growth and skin health. One of those vitamins is biotin, which is important for cell growth and fatty acid metabolism. While egg whites contain avidin, a biotin inhibitor, the yolks contain enough biotin to make up for it. Eggs help dogs get a shinny coat but feeding them raw is not ideal. An egg is a good source of protein and other nutrients, but probably no better than any good diet at promoting a shiny coat.

5 Simple Ways to Prepare your Dog for Boarding

5 Simple Ways to Prepare your Dog for Boarding

A break is always a necessity to freshen up your mind and rejuvenate your soul. This assists us to unlock new experiences and escape the stress of busy life by exploring new phases of life. Dogs also need a break to ease their clumsiness and irritable behavior. As a pet parent, you also have the responsibility to take vacation time for your dog enjoyable and worthwhile. They also deserve a refreshing vacation as well.

Boarding is an act that can prove your love and care for your dog. It’s also a great way to give care to your furry friend in your absence. This thoughtful act will surely keep you and your dog stress-free to the greatest extent. This blog has five essential things you must prepare before leaving them for boarding to ensure a comfortable stay.

Take a boarding trial:- 

To take any such step, it’s always better to analyze the behavior of your dog. If your dog feels nervous or prone to separation anxiety, then it’s always a good idea to go on a trial boarding visit. A report says that a trial stay of 24 hours will ease your pet and make it comfortable with the surroundings and behavior. You will find more positive changes in your dog in terms of living in boarding for an extended period.

Manage your dog’s sleep habits:- 

Habits play an essential role in our lives, and in case your dog sleeps with you in your bed, you cannot leave them alone and upset them. I feel sad while sleeping alone in the boarding facility. Try your best to alter and manage their sleeping habits properly to help them gain the new and positive change of the surroundings. If your pup cries while sleeping alone, you can also expect them to cry in the boarding room. To avoid this situation, start today and their sleeping habits

Keep your dog comfortable:- 

Nothing can beat the comfort of home, but regardless of creature comfort provided by the pet boarding facility, your dog must be familiar with the new changes. But you can always bring a similar rug to sleep. The facility may allow you to get your dog bed, so it is always better to ask in advance to avoid hustle in the end.

Drop off your dog in the morning:- 

It’s best to drop your dog off early in the morning at the boarding facility. This will ensure that the dog can adjust to the environment before going to the kennel for the night. Life is a continuous process of adjustment, and being at another home understands that you have chosen the option of a boarding facility to ensure your pet’s comfort. We promise to take care of your pet in the best possible manner under the guidance of trained and experienced dog instructors.

Consult Your Dog’s Veterinarian:- 

Consulting the vet is a crucial task before leaving your furry friend to a boarding. Also, de-fleeing and worming your dog is an important and considerate way to help keep them healthy and active. It is highly advisable to take your pup to the vet two weeks before the boarding session so you can update your pet’s vaccinations. Typically, both of these precautions are required before boarding.

You can help your dog have a pleasant stay away from home if you follow these tips. Family Pet is a prime and best-fit place for your pawless friend. Here the instructors make sure that dogs follow a rule of “Less barking and more tail wagging”. We promise to give you a dog-tastic and most lovable pet boarding experience while you are away from your home. A perfect place for them to live, love, and laugh with their BFFs refers to Best Furry Friend Forever.

If you have any questions about how best to prepare your dog for a fun boarding experience, give  Family Pet Retreat, a call today! We are always available to provide the finest assistance and tips. Follow these tips and you’ll help your dog have a much more pleasant stay, and you can enjoy peace of mind while you are on your vacation.

 

 

 

Dog Day Camp -Family Pet Retreat

Day camp for Dogs

Doggie Day Camp is open seven days a week with flexible drop-off and pick-up times to suit your schedule.

A great way for your dog to play, get plenty of exercise and socialize with other dogs while you’re at work or out of the house, provides the exercise and socialization that are critical to your dog’s physical and mental well-being

Day campers also participate in supervised camp activities, when your dog’s done with Doggie Day Camp activities, he’s more likely to be well-rested and relaxed later that evening.

For the health and safety of our guests, all dogs and cats must have up-to-date records for all of the vaccinations

DPP – One or three-year vaccine required, Bordetella – Required every 12 months, Rabies – One- or three-year vaccine required, Canine Influenza – Does not require but recommends this vaccination.