How To Choose A "Critter Sitter" For Your Pet
Going out
of town
and taking a break from
the city's busy life for a week
is a nice
and relaxing thing
to consider. However,
you become hesitant because
you do
not want to leave your dog home alone.
Now you can get a
pet sitter and treat yourself
to a vacation without having to
worry about your pet. When choosing
the right
pet sitter for your
dog, you have to
consider the following: experience, trustworthiness of
the sitter, safety of your dog and
how your sitter
will care for your dog.
Experience is one of the most important things to consider in choosing the right pet sitter for your pet
since this will be your assurance that your pet is well taken care of while you
are away. It is
also best for you to choose a pet sitter who is insured because this will protect you should an accident occur while you are away from home. However, experience is not only the guarantee for you not to worry about leaving your dog with a pet sitter.
You should always check references and do
as much of a background check as possible before you hire because you are not only entrusting your pet to the sitter, but also your home and personal belongings.
Leaving your dogs with a stranger is a
big step and requires some thinking and checking into the pet sitter's background. It is not easy to trust people especially if you are going to leave them with your valuables and the pet you dearly love. Make sure you do as much of a background check as possible and always check references. Ask the former clients they listed as a reference about their personality and overall performance since they
already have experience with their
services. Dont be afraid to ask for an appointment with the pet sitter before you entrust your pet to her. This is a great way for you to get to know the pet sitter you are looking to hire. Once you feel like that the pet sitter can be trusted, ask her how she is going to go about carrying for your dog.
The purpose of you getting a pet sitter is for your pet to have somebody to look after her when you are away. The pet sitter's main tasks are to provide your pet with fresh
water, food and plenty of attention, playtime and outdoor time. She
may also turn lights on and off, collect mail and take out the trash for you if make arrangements for them to do so. Most importantly, she should be able to assure you of the safety of your dog while you are away. Make sure you discuss everything you expect of your pet sitter to avoid misunderstandings.
The number of
visits of your pet sitter to your pet will depend on the
kind of pet you
have. If you have a dog, pet sitters usually suggest two visits
per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. For healthy cats one visit per day will do. Still these will be open to
changes depending on your
arrangement with your pet sitter. You should not forget to leave a contact number of the place where you are going to stay in
order for your pet sitter to reach if ever there are emergencies that will
arise. Lastly, inform your pet sitter of some special care you have for your pet before you leave your pet to your pet sitter.
Entrusting your pet to your pet sitter or any body else for that matter entails risk. However, be sure you take into consideration the experience, insurance, trustworthiness and personal care before hiring a pet sitter in order to minimize risk. If you do not want to entrust your pet to a personal sitter, then you may want to consider a secure boarding environment. Todays boarding facilities offer a much improved, more securely regulated environment than before.
Find amazing savings and
tons of pet
information at
http://www.pet-super-store.com.
Preventing Obesity In Dogs
Preventing
your dog from becoming overweight is much
easier than loosing
the weight once it is
there. Dogs,
like people can put on
the pounds
if they consume too
many calories. Age
and activity level
are the two most important
values in determining how much we should feed
our dogs.
The calorie
requirements change for all
dogs during their life.
Younger dogs and puppies
require the greatest
amount of calories, proteins, and
minerals due
to their
growth and almost unlimited activity.
Older dogs require less due to their lowered activity level. The
exceptions to this would be dogs that spend most of their
time out of doors especially during colder weather.
Feed your dog like you would another person. Provide food as
a meal instead of having a full food bowls all the time.
Dogs have different personalities; some are finicky eaters, while other eat
everything in
sight. The quality of the food should be considered next. Proper nutrition is the cornerstone of a
long and healthy life. Not long ago, most pets were fed mostly table
scraps which were usually too high in calories for their metabolism.
Today
our dogs spend
more time indoors with us, and it
has become more practical to feed them commercial dog foods. While the quality of nutrition for dogs has improved considerably with prepared pet foods, there remains a great deal to consider
when choosing the proper diet plan
or formula. Choose a food that best
matches your dogs age
group, size, and activity level by reading the
manufacturers label.
Next, try to limit or eliminate treats and table scraps. If you cant resist the temptation when their begging begins, at least find a treat that is high in nutrition, such as liver treats that trainers
use. And last but never least, plenty of exercise! Most dogs would rather have your attention than a treat any day. It releases their energy, keeps muscles toned, relieved boredom, and keeps their minds active. Best of all, you will both
enjoy it.
Randy Jones and his partner Brent Jones have been in the pet industry for a long time. Recently they formed
http://Joncopets.com. On the site, customers can shop for the
latest dog
collars, dog clothes, pet supplies and more.
Check them out at
http://www.joncopets.com.
Dog Training With R & R Works!
Dog behavior training is
both an art and
a science. Some experts say
that a dog can have
up to an 800-word vocabulary.
Im not so convinced of
the number of
words but I can verify that many of
my dogs showed an uncanny ability to figure
out exactly
what I was trying to communicate.
One of
the best dog training tips I ever got was from
a neighbor
when I got my first puppy. I was about 9
years old and this was the best present my parents had ever given me. My neighbor was an old hand at training dogs and had living proof in
his own dog.
The first thing I did
when I got
Skipper (not sure why I
picked that
name, it just sounded right) was to rush over and show my neighbor. His
name was hard to pronounce so every one in the neighborhood just called him
Mr. D. So Mr. D was kind enough to run through
some dog training basics and taught
me a lot about how to take care of my new puppy.
Mr. Ds dog was
a Jack Terrier called Willie. Willie could do any trick and
would respond to almost any request. Willie pretty much had the run of the neighborhood and was known by all. In those days people just let their dog out since there were no leash
laws and no one complained. My Mom often gave Willie any leftovers or
a soup bones when he
would stop by for a visit.
So when I showed up with Skipper, Willie was
as excited as I was to have a new playmate. Skipper was a Springer Spaniel that we had rescued from the city dog pound. Skipper was probably about 6 months old but we
never knew for sure since the dog pound didnt know when he was born.
The first order of business was your basic dog house training. I got off pretty easy
on this phase since Skipper seemed to prefer going outside to do his bathroom chores. From day one Skipper
would go to the door and want to be let out when he needed to go.
Mr. D explained that the
two most important things about any kind of dog training were rewards and repetition. The reward could be as simple as praise or a pat on the head. And that I should spend at least 30
minutes a day
working with Skipper on anything I wanted to teach him to do.
So each day I would spend 30 minutes
teaching Skipper how to stay, sit, fetch, and come when I called. Willie would come over and help too. I dont know if they actually communicated but
having another dog around that already knew all
these tricks had to be beneficial.
Skipper also showed a high aptitude for retrieving. Of course I didnt know at the time that he was a natural born retriever and took credit for being a great and skilled dog trainer. Once I got the basics down I worked on teaching Skipper how to heel, play dead, and not to jump on people.
Skipper started learning on his own too. When I was at school or somewhere that Skipper couldnt go, my mother would be his next choice in companion. In those days we had what was called a Bookmobile that was a bus from the local library that would come to the neighborhood twice a week.
Skipper
figured out that when the Bookmobile came he got to go for a walk with my mother. So like clockwork, Skipper would come to get my mother when it was about 2:00 pm on Tuesday and
Friday. Skipper loved to go since he got to sit at the door and welcome every one that showed up each day.
Skipper also knew when it was Saturday. Saturday was grocery-shopping day and when my mother went to the store she always asked the meat department for some bones. Skipper knew that he would get his favorite snack on Saturday afternoons when my mother came back from the store.
For the next 14 years Skipper was my constant companion and escort. Skipper was an exceptional dog in disposition, learning ability, and affection. I also had a big advantage having a helpful neighbor and watching him and his dog. Mr. D and Willie were both a huge help and positive influence.
Dog training does require some dedicated effort but the rewards are more than worth the investment. My current dog, Tuxcitto, is a 24/7 project since he is a Border Collie and full of vim and
vigor. But Tuxcitto is a lot like Skipper in that he is a fast learner and extremely affectionate companion.
John Dow owns
http://www.freedogtrainingarticles.com, a website that provides free information on dog training.
John gets to test his dog training skills daily with his new dog Tuxcitto. You can learn more here:
http://www.freedogtrainingarticles.com.
Creating More Money
How
many grains
of sand are
there on the beach? Come on, tell me, how many?
How many stars are there
in the
sky? Come on, all you have to do
is count them! If
I breathe
and you breathe
and everybody and every animal on
earth breathe in oxygen, why don't
we ever
run out?
We live in
an abundant Universe. There is an
abundance of everything. None
of us ever wake
up in the morning fearing
that there won't be enough air to breathe
or that there won't be enough water to drink. Did you wake up this morning wondering if there would be water in your tap?
There is so much abundance in this world that it seems that it would be impossible to run out of anything. How many grains of sand are there on the beach? How many stars are in the sky? How many
shrimp are in the ocean? If you
think about it, it's mind-boggling.
Everything is infinite. Everything.
Yet, many of us struggle with
a lack, a
lack of a very important component to life. Many of us struggle with a lack of money.
It's not because there really is a lack of
money in the world. There is enough
money in the world for every man, woman and child alive today to be a millionaire and then some. There is an abundance of
money just like there is abundance of everything else. So why is it that so many of us struggle with the lack of money?
Some may argue that money is different from air, water, food and such. After all money is man-made, isnt it? But
what is
money? Money is just a form of energy that we use for
exchange. Its truly nothing more.
You give your time,
ideas and energy and you get money in return. Money is just a medium of exchangenothing else.
The answers to money problems lie in how we use our own minds. How we think determines if we have money in abundance
or a lack of money. If we think about lack of
money, debt, and other problems all day long that is exactly
what we create. If we think of abundance and
joy that money can bring that is
what we create. We
create more of what we think about. If you want more money, think about more moneynever think of the lack.
Think of any
famous, rich millionaire you know or have heard of. Do you think they
spend any time worrying about a lack of money? No! You shouldn't either. We all deserve to have an abundance of money and anything else we want in our lives.
Karen Lynch is the creator of the motivation and
inspiration website
http://www.livethepower.com You can learn about using the power of your own mind by picking up a copy of a Free Ebook of "The Power of the Subconscious Mind" by Dr.
Joseph Murphy at
http://www.livethepower.com/home.html.
