One significant difficulty you may face as a pet owner is figuring out what to do with your pets when you have to go out of town. While there are numerous boarding services available, this is not a great option for every dog. Many dogs become nervous when placed in an unfamiliar environment, experiencing everything from emotional distress to physical symptoms like gastrointestinal problems, or refusal to eat. Additionally, for older, sick, or injured dogs, the stress of a boarding facility and/or unknown environment can take a significant toll.
Fortunately, there are alternatives to boarding at an external facility, one of the most convenient of which is letting your dogs stay in the familiar comfort of their own home while you are away! With in-home pet sitting, a qualified and experienced pet sitter will come to your home regularly, making sure that your dogs are not only fed and walked, but that they are properly exercised and entertained. Your dogs are sure to feel more relaxed when able to stay at home, and you will have the added benefit of knowing that not only your dogs, but your home, is being looked after while your away.
At Walk! ATX, our pet sitters are dedicated to making sure that your pets and your home are properly looked after in your absence. As such, in addition to giving your dogs the love and attention they deserve, we will also rotate lights, clean linens, wash dishes, and water your plants so that everything is in proper order when you return from your trip. Call us today at (512) 655-9557 to learn more about our pet sitting services and what we can do for your pets.
Regularly grooming your dog can have incredible benefits, both for you and your pet. Unfortunately, grooming your pup is rarely as easy of a task as you’d hope. However, whether you groom your dog yourself or you have a professional take care of this task, there are a handful of specific grooming habits you need to make sure to work into your schedule.
Bathing
With the exception of times when your dog needs a good bath after getting dirty, most dogs only need a bath every 2 – 4 months. Anything more frequent than that could dry out your pup’s skin and do damage to his or her fur. When you do give your dog a bath, make sure that you’re using shampoo that is designed specifically for dogs. Human shampoo can contain chemicals that are damaging to a dog’s skin and coat, so you want to make sure that you are picking a product that will help your dog’s coat look its best!
Brushing
Unlike bathing your dog, which should be done infrequently, brushing your dog frequently is a great way to keep their coat looking great. Brushing your dog will help remove dead hair, can reduce shedding indoors, and can help prevent your dog’s fur from matting, especially in medium and long-haired dogs. There are lots of different dog brushes you can use, including specialized brushes that are meant to help address problems like shedding, which can help to enhance the benefits that you’ll get from regularly brushing your dog.
Trimming Your Dog’s Feet
Your dog’s feet are the part of their body that is likely to get dirty fastest, which is why keeping their paws neat and trimmed is so important. If the fur around your dog’s paws grows too long, they are more likely to have mats in their fur, get foreign objects stuck in their fur, and drag dirt and other debris into your home.
Cleaning Your Dog’s Teeth
Not only will regular dental care help your dog’s teeth look great, but it can also prevent significant dental problems down the line, including gum disease, tooth decay, and tooth extraction. Additionally, regular dental care will keep your pup’s breath smelling great, too!
Most dog owners understand how important it is for their dog to receive regular physical exercise, but for many dog breeds, regular mental exercise and stimulation is just as important. Especially for working breeds and highly intelligent dogs, a good mental workout is essential to the dog’s overall happiness and well being. In fact, a lack of mental stimulation is actually one of the main causes of behavior problems in dogs, so if you have a pup that is destructive or acting out, making sure that he or she is mentally active could be a great way to control some undesirable behaviors.
There are a number of different things you can do to make sure your dog is getting the proper mental exercise. One popular option for athletic and working breeds is agility training. Agility training gives you the opportunity to work with your dog and teach him or her to complete a number of different agility tasks, such as climbing up and over an A-frame structure, running through tubes and tunnels, and other physical challenges that will also provide great mental stimulation. Another option for owners looking to exercise their dogs’ minds is obedience training. Obedience training is a great way for owners to bond with their dogs, and in addition to providing great mental stimulation, it can also help establish important boundaries and commands that will benefit you and your dog in a variety of situations.
At Walk! ATX, we are happy to offer obedience training so that your pup can get the mental stimulation he or she needs. We can provide you with all the skills you and your dog need to be successful, so contact us today at (512) 655-9557 and find out more about the obedience training services we offer!
Every dog is different, and as such, every dog is going to need a different amount of exercise to wear her out both physically and mentally. While some pups are content with a standard walk or jog through the neighborhood, high-energy dogs, working breeds, and other adventurous dogs often need something a little more intense to really give them the workout they need. That’s why we’re excited to offer hikes in the Greenbelt to give your dog a great workout and a fun afternoon of adventuring.
Austin’s Greenbelt is a beautiful place to hike for both people and dogs, and is one of the safer spots to take your dog outdoors, especially in the hot summer months. When the temperatures in Austin reach their peak in July and August, making sure your dog has access to shade and water is incredibly important, and thankfully, the Greenbelt has both of these in abundance! The Greenbelt has several different great pools, streams, and falls for dogs to splash around and cool off in, and the dense tree coverage keeps the trails thickly shaded and cooled off, creating a safe environment for your dog to enjoy the outdoors.
If you’re interested in booking a hike for your dog, or just learning more about the different services available from Walk! ATX, give us a call today at (512) 655-9557 or contact us through the website. We’d love to tell you more about the many different walking and hiking options we have available.