Home Dog Sitting Services Advantages and Disadvantages
Leaving Your Dog When Going Away
One of the hardest tasks a dog owner will face is leaving their dog at home when going on a vacation or for work purposes. Research has proven that dogs are happiest when they are in familiar surroundings, and that it takes time for them to adjust to new surroundings with new sights, sounds and smells.
They can suffer from dog separation anxiety, especially if they feel abandoned.
Therefore home dog sitting provides dog owners an alternative to leaving your dog with a family friend or neighbor, the vet or kennels as it provides you with the opportunity to leave your dog where it at least has the comfort of familiar surroundings with a sitter.
When picking a home dog sitting service it is wise to call up several similar services and compare rates in order to find a sitting service that suits you. Also try to find a company that provides you with the opportunity to choose your sitter or provides you with some sort of résumé for the sitter.
Home Dog Sitting Service Advantages
The benefits of employing a home dog sitting service are numerous. One is that you no longer have to transport your dog to a kennel where it may catch disease and illness from other dogs while you are away. It also solves the problem of having to transport your unhappy canine to unfamiliar territory and helps reduce the anxiety both you and your pet face due to the situation.
A home dog sitting service will usually provide you with a sitter who has proper training when it comes to handling dogs and will ensure that your dog has a proper diet, proper exercise, and is properly groomed. Since the dog is in familiar surroundings, this will make the dog sitter’s task of warming up to the dog a lot easier and will cause less anxiety in your dog when you leave.
As for the diet, some home dog sitting services will provide their own meals (usually upon your approval) and others will suggest that you organize the meals leaving the sitter only to handle the task of ensuring that your dog receives its meal on time.
Disadvantages
The only possible disadvantage you may face when employing a home dog sitting service is that it is likely to be more expensive than leaving your dog with a family member or friends. This is because home dog sitting services provides individual attention and care for your dog.
However since the advantages are usually considered far greater than a disadvantages, more often than not anyone interested in employing the services of a home dog sitting service is likely to ignore this disadvantage or feel that it is not even considered a disadvantage.
Therefore it is evident that home dog sitting services provide owners and their furry friends an opportunity to be free of anxiety and stress while they are apart.
Have You Puppy Proofed Your Home Lately?
If you have an adorable little puppy running around the house, the last thing you want to see is an accident. Accidents do happen and you should be prepared. It is best if you practice safety prevention, rather than waiting for something to happen to your puppy.
It takes one thing to go unnoticed and can cause a great deal of pain to your puppy. These little animals are full curiosity. Everything they see and smell looks like a great adventure and from their point of view, it’s all open territory. They see no danger and move forward to check things out. This is why you want to take the following safety prevention measures to “puppy-proof” your house.
1. The first thing you should do is look around every room of your home and dispose of small items that your puppy may swallow. Puppies tend to try and swallow anything that they can get a hold of.
Unfortunately, not all small items will safely pass through the dog’s intestines which can prove to be fatal. Other times, your puppy’s system will try to gag and cough up the object, which can go on for a long period of time. If your dog does not get the object out, then the intestine becomes blocked and can rupture.
2. The second important home safety precaution is to hide or elevate your electrical cords and wires. Every home has wires and cords that must be in each room, but if left hanging there, dangling like a treat, your puppy is guaranteed to be tempted to play with it.
If it chews on these electrical items, your puppy is going to get hurt. The damage caused by gnawing through to the inside wiring of these cords can cause a mild shock or worse, third-degree burns. In many cases, the electrocution can be so severe that it may cause your puppy to die from the shock. It is best to elevate all of the wiring that you can and use heavy-duty tape to cover up the other cords that have to be on the floor area
3. Last but not least, keep your home free from dangerous poisons and toxins that your puppy can ingest. Remember, our pets use their mouth’s for virtually all investigations and because they are extremely curious, toxic items can be easily ingested with one lick. Such household poisons can include anti-freeze, rat poison, garbage, lead and even chocolate.
Dog Fences Keeping Your Puppy Happy Outdoors
If you have the luxury of owning a backyard on your property, then your puppy or adult dog deserves the freedom of being able to roam outdoors in the yard without the risk of wandering off. Of course this entails creating a fenced enclosure so that it can run free and spend plenty of time outside.
The type of fenced area you choose can be that of a full yard enclosure like most common homes have, or if there is no fence and the yard is open, you can create a smaller fence with four sides and a small gate. This type of fenced setup will allow your dog to take advantage of its freedom, while at the same time benefiting from your company when you are outside. Of course, dogs have the most fun when you play outdoor games with them.
The Cons Of A Fenced Enclosure
Although the benefits of allowing your dog to roam free with fenced borders outside far outweighs the cons, there are a few downsides which you should be aware of. For example, you may be tempted to leave your dog outside in the secured fenced area for a long period of time if you have to leave the house. This can cause your dog to panic and experience high anxiety levels of stress.
This stress can lead small puppies and dogs to attempt to escape by either climbing the fence, or digging through the ground. Never underestimate how far your dog is willing to go when it feels alone and abandoned. Of course with time and proper conditioning, most dogs can be trusted when left alone. However, you should use caution with small puppies and never leave them alone for too long a time.
Electrical Fences
Electrical fences are definitely popular among many dog owners. You’ll have to decide for yourself if you feel it’s right to keep your dog outside with barriers that can shock it if crossed. Although the dog cannot see these borders, it keeps them enclosed in an area by an underground wire which will shock the animal if it passes over it, due to a specific battery operated collar around its neck.
Electrical dog fences are known to do a great job at keeping a dog or puppy secure, but there are some safety measures you need to adhere to due to the nature of the product. Puppies that are too young should not be confined with an electrical fence. Your dog must be no younger than six months old. These fences will not prevent other animals from coming into the enclosed area. This could prove dangerous to your dog. All in all, just use a little common sense with proper training and your dog should have no problems with an electrical fence.
Keeping Your Dog Safe With A Dog Fence
When you let your puppy roam free outside on the property, it is essential that you keep it enclosed in some form or fashion. If you cannot fence the dog inside, then at least tie your dog up. This will prevent it from wandering off and getting hurt by an other animal or a moving vehicle.
If you are purchasing an enclosure such as a dog pen or a tie out, here are a few research tips to help you choose the appropriate security item, which would suit your dog and landscape best.
Start by asking your self the following 3 questions:
1. Based on how well you know your dog, what type of personality does it have and how well does it handle being confined? Is it the type of dog that will try to escape, knowing it cannot get past a certain barrier mark?
2. When you have an enclosure put up outside, how do you plan on using it when confining your dog? In other words, will you be by your dog’s side at all times when it is out, or do you plan on using the fenced in area or tie out, as a way of keeping it secure when you’re not at home?
3. Based on your dog’s temperament, are you aware of what type of confinement its personality will allow, without creating chaos for your pet? Using a secured lead may create anxiety. A fenced in area that is too small may also be a negative experience for your dog.
Can’t I just train my dog to stay on the property without a security fence or leash?
This is a big mistake. Initially when your young puppy is new to the outside world and is just getting used to the fact that it can play around the yard, letting it loose without any security is a dangerous choice. Your dog may not understand what its boundaries are and end up wandering off into danger, or being fatally injured from traffic.
Not only is safety an issue here, but it is impossible to train a puppy to stay on a certain area of land at such a young age. If there are other houses, sidewalks and streets nearby your pup will explore. Yes, some breed types can be trained, but to successfully train a pup to stay within certain confines of your property without a fence or leash, takes a specific type of dog temperament.
