Puppy In Training

Puppy Training Tips

Do You Have An Emergency Pet Sitter?

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Archer the Emergency Pet Sitter
Do you have an emergency pet sitter for your puppies?

What would you do with your dog if something unexpected came up in your life?

Do you have an emergency pet sitter?

I never thought I’d need an emergency pet sitter, but there I was sitting in the hospital wondering who would take care of my dogs for the next 4-5 days.

Don’t be like Colby.  Be proactive.  Not reactive.  Okay, lets push the rewind button…

2 Weeks Earlier…

Thursday morning at 6:03am my wife woke me up and said “I think my water broke.”

She wasn’t due for another 3 weeks and everything had been going smoothly in her pregnancy so we both thought it might be a false alarm, but to be on the safe side she called the hospital and we were advised to come in for a check up.

At the hospital the nurse saw my wife and at initial observation she too thought it might be a false alarm and said if her water wasn’t broken then we’d be sent home.

Thinking all would be fine and we’d be sent home shortly we waited at the hospital to hear the results from what the nurse called a “Fern Test“.

At 9:22am the nurse informed us that indeed my wife’s water had broken and we’d likely be welcoming a new member to our family later that evening.  EEEEKKK!!!!

Do You Have An Emergency Pet Sitter?

Excited, but unprepared I started gathering my thoughts on what I needed to do.  On the top of to-do list was finding pet sitters for our four dogs.

The very first thing I did was send text messages to all my friends and family members who I new and trusted to watch my dogs.

About a dozen text messages in total.  Lucky for me I have an awesome support network.

Friends and family came through and quickly started working to help me find sitters for my dogs.

  • Linus and Stetson stayed with my best friend and his family for 4 days.  Thank you, Hammer Family!
  • Raven had a 4 day vacation with a long time Guide Dogs of America puppy raiser friend.  Thank you, Wurts Family!
  • Another of our GDA friends helped us watch Bear and took him in for 5 days.  Thank you, New Family!

We truly feel blessed to have such great friends to help us in a pinch.

Now the question is: “Do you have an emergency pet sitter?”

Archer Emergency Pet Sitter
Archer thinks he’s the emergency pet sitter for the puppies.

Find A Pet Sitter(s) Today Just In Case You Have An Emergency!

While I didn’t have a plan for an emergency pet sitter I was lucky that I unknowingly laid the ground work that allowed me to easily find a pet sitter at the  last minute.

If you’re a new dog or puppy owner here are my recommendations for finding a pet sitter in case of an emergency:

Disclaimer: Some of these services we’ve used and some we have not.  Please do your due diligence before using any pet sitting service.

#1. Friends, Family, and Neighbors

This is my emergency pet sitter of choice.

My recommendation for finding an emergency pet sitter this way?

Find out who the dog lovers are in your family then get them to watch your dog for a day or two.

Let your dog(s) and friend/family/neighbor get used to each other.

If you’re ever in a pinch you have a pet sitter who has already bonded with your dog.

#2. Search The Yellow Pages (I mean the web…)

Are the yellow pages still a thing?

Or do we Google everything nowadays? Anyhow. Try doing a local search (Yellow Pages, Google…Whatever) and see if there are any pet sitters in your area.

Doing a local search in my area not only brings up several local pet sitting and dog walking businesses, but also a link to the Yelp (another great site to search for pet sitters) page for the 10 best dog boarding/pet sitting in Orange County.

My recommendation for finding an emergency pet sitter this way?

Make contact with some of the potential pet sitters you found through your search.

Visit their facilities (or their home) and see if they are a suitable match for your dogs needs.

Find out if you can contact them 24/7 in case of an emergency (probably not, but it’s worth asking).

#3. Pet Sitting Websites

Two of the big sites that my cousin has used (and gave me positive reviews) are Rover.com and DogVacay.com (Rover recently bough DogVacay).

I’ve browsed both sites and basically it’s a marketplace where pet owners can browse thousands of pet sitter profiles through the site’s search tool.

My recommendation for finding an emergency pet sitter this way?

Start searching through the thousands of profiles and contact potential pet sitters for your dog.

Maybe do a few short test runs with the best pet sitter candidates.

Hopefully you can find a few good pet sitters so if you’re ever in a pinch you already have someone on speed dial.

#4. Pet Hotels

I’ve never used one, but I’ve seen the PetSmart Hotels.

The hotels I saw looked exactly like a hotel room, but built for dogs.

My recommendation for finding an emergency pet sitter this way?

Booking a room at a Pet Hotel might require more planning then you get when in an emergency.

Then again if there are vacant rooms why wouldn’t they board your dog?

It doesn’t hurt to ask. Visit your local PetSmart Hotel (if you have one nearby) and ask them some questions, check out the rooms, and see if they’d take a dog in an emergency.

#5. Boarding Facilities

My parents always boarded their dog Ralphie at the veterinarians office.

My boss used to do the same.

As a guide dog puppy raiser I had the luxury of boarding my guide dog puppies at the school free of charge.

However, I could not board my “pet” dogs at the school 🙁

My recommendation for finding an emergency pet sitter this way?

Talk to your veterinarian or dog trainer.

Vet offices will often board dogs.

The dog training facility we took Archer to boards dogs during the day or overnight.

See what is available to you through your already established contacts like your vet and trainer.

They’ve treated or trained your dog so in an emergency your dog will at least have some familiarity with his pet sitter.

What Questions Should You Ask A Pet Sitter?

Guess what?

Our good friend Lindsay over at ThatMutt.com happens to be an expert on pet sitting and dog walking.

She put together a great post on some questions you can ask a pet sitter.  Here’s a little sample of her post:

  1. What do your rates include?
  2. What is not included?
  3. Will you provide references?
  4. What happens if my pet gets sick?

Check out ThatMutt.com to see the other 8 questions you should ask a pet sitter.

That’s all folks!

Remember don’t be like Colby.

Be proactive when finding a pet sitter.

Not reactive.

If you have any other tips for finding an emergency pet sitter or if you’ve used any of these services please tell us about your experiences in the comment section below.

Do You Have An Emergency Pet Sitter?
Do You Have An Emergency Pet Sitter?

5 Things I’m Considering Before Raising My Next Puppy In Training

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Puppy Adelle
It seems like yesterday Adelle was this little puppy…

Adelle is creeping up on her 14 month birthday which means she will only be staying with us for about 4 more months 🙁  It’s around this time I start thinking about what lies ahead for us in the future…

Adelle’s future is set.  When she turns 18 months she will go to the Prison Pup Program and learn advanced service dog skills.  She will spend 4-6 months with prison inmates helping rehabilitate while learning at the same time.  After her time in the Prison Pup Program Adelle will move on to Team Training where she will be matched with her new partner and move on to her career as a working dog.

Our future is uncertain.  I actually have two questions I will try to answer in the next 4 months:

  1. When will I raise another puppy (I’ve pretty much decided I already will the question is when)?
  2. Should I raise another CST puppy? another GDA puppy?  or…?

Question #2 is what we’re going to focus on today.

Before I Was A Puppy Raiser

2006 was the year I decided I wanted to be a puppy raiser and the question at that time was which guide or service dog school would best fit my needs as a volunteer puppy raiser?  Many of you probably will not have this problem as you may only have one school nearby, but in southern California we were able to research over a half dozen different guide and service dog schools.

Back in 2006 I had an idea of what I thought the ideal school should offer volunteers.  While some of the same things are still important to me I’ve come to find that there are many other factors that are imperative to having a good puppy raising experience.  After all, you’re committing 18 months of your life to this program!  You should find the school that works best for you!

6 Things A Puppy Raiser Should Consider Before Choosing A School

This isn’t an all encompassing post that factors in all things you should consider before choosing a service dog school, but instead I’m brining up some of the more subtle things that I’ve found important to me over the years.

1. What do I do with my puppy when I can’t watch him?

You don’t have to watch your puppy 24 hours a day 7 days a week, but there will be times when you need a short term or a long term puppy sitter to help you with your puppy raising duties.  If you want to leave your puppy at home for a short period it’s always a good time to work on crate training.

  • Short Term – I consider short term as 1 day sometimes unplanned or loosely planned.  This is very important because we’ve had times when we just needed a short break for whatever reason.  A few scenarios for us have been going to Disneyland for the day, weddings, parties, and just a little bit of time without our puppy.  We’ve found it very helpful to have nearby puppy sitters to help at moments notice to give us a break from puppy raising.
  • Long Term – Long term are planned usually something like a vacation or business trip.  Most schools can help you with a long term sitter whether it’s a kennel stay or puppy sitters/raisers that can help watch your puppy

The key thing I’m looking for here is an organization that can help me with short term puppy sitters.  If I’m going to Disneyland for the day without my puppy I don’t want to have to drive 2 hours to drop my puppy off at the kennel then drive another 2 hours to pick him up.  It’s much easier to have a puppy sitter that lives 10 minutes away that can watch a puppy for the day.  See what I’m talking about?

Why can’t parents, friends, or family watch your puppy?  Most schools want to verify and home check anyone who watches a puppy in training and quite frankly I would not trust my parents watching one of my service dog puppies in training (sorry mom and dad, but you’re the types that spoil the grandkids).

2. Is there a local group?

This is one I didn’t deem important when I first started puppy raising, but today I find imperative to a good puppy raising experience.  First of all, let me preface by saying I’m a very independent type of person.  I would have been totally satisfied without a support group before I started this journey.  However, without the support of our OCGDA group I would probably have only raised 1 puppy then moved on to the next thing on my bucket list.

The friendships and support I’ve received from our OCGDA group is priceless.

  • Our group organizes outings that helps new puppy raisers socialize puppies.
  • Sharing puppy trials and tribulations.  Seeing that others are experiencing the same problems helps to know you’re not alone.
  • Guidance from veteran puppy raisers.  This helps with puppy training, socialization and teaching good house manners.

3. Is there a puppy raiser manual?

Before you start your puppy raising journey it’s nice to have a manual to help guide you on your journey.  This gives you an idea of what you need to teach your puppy and what you should expect along the way.  If your school doesn’t give this to you before you get your puppy I’d definitely ask for one so you can get a jump start on your puppy raising career.

4. Are there puppy training classes?

Most people don’t like going to class, but what if it’s Puppy Kindergarten!  Puppies are adorable and Puppy Kindergarten is basically a collection of adorable puppies acting like…well, goofy little puppies!

Whether you’ve been raising and training puppies for the past 10 years or bringing home your first puppy getting guidance from seasoned trainers helps immensely.  Even today I feel like I’m learning something new as well as being reminded of something I forgot.

While it’s nice to attend puppy training classes at your local PetSmart, PetCo, or Community Center nothing beats being able to attend puppy classes specific for guide or service dogs.

Why?  Because we often will not learn some of the specific things we should be aware of for working dogs.  For instance, some of our guide dog puppy classes have us performing obedience commands blind folded.  It’s an entirely different story when you can’t see whether or not your puppy sits on command.  You have to take different cues like feeling it in the leash or reaching down with your hand to check or even using your foot to see where your pup is positioned.

5. Are there organized outings?

CST Puppy Training Outing
Adelle and her CST friends at a Christmas mall puppy training outing

We mentioned this earlier in the group section, but I wanted to mention it again here.  When we first started raising a puppy we weren’t too sure what to expect when walking into a public place like a restaurant, bookstore, or department store.  However, going in with a group of puppies on an organized outings helps rookie puppy raisers get used to going out and about with their puppies.  It gives rookies a chance to see how a veteran puppy raiser and puppy in training act in public.

Another advantage of organized outings is it allows many puppy raisers do things they may have never done with their puppies.  Would you have visited a fire station, road a train, visited a theme park, road the bus, visited a festival, gone to the movies, or gone to the horse track with your puppy in training.  Maybe some of these things you would have done with your puppy, but some require some serious planning and maybe you would not have gone on a train without your school organizing an outing.  Here are some of the outings we planned for our Orange County Guide Dogs of America group.

Remember these are some questions that are most important to ME as a puppy raiser and as I mentioned some I didn’t even realize were important until after I started my puppy raising career.  When I first started I assumed I’d raise one puppy then move on to whatever was next on my list.  Choosing the right program really started me on the path to becoming a lifetime puppy raiser.

We’ll see what the coming years have in store for me.  As of today, I will continue raising puppy #5, Adelle!

I know we’re all different.  What do you think are the most important factors a puppy raiser should consider when choosing a guide or service dog school?

Volunteering With Tender Loving Canine Assistance Dogs (TLCAD)

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Over the last 7 years I’ve been raising guide dog puppies for Guide Dogs of America (GDA) and recently I’ve been thinking about raising and training for another organization.  Don’t get me wrong I love being a puppy raiser for GDA, but I’m very interested in learning new things while continuing to help one of the many great assistance dog organizations out there.

Over the past few months I’ve been attending outings and training classes with Tender Loving Canine Assistance Dogs (TLCAD).  They are a wonderful organization located about an hour south of me in San Diego.

Tender Loving Canine Assistance Dogs (TLCAD)

TLCAD Lab In Training
TLCAD Labrador Retriever In Training

TLCAD’s Mission:

We transform lives with service dogs.

In order to achieve this mission, Tender Loving Canines Assistance Dogs, Inc. (TLCAD):

  • Understands the benefits of placing dogs whose natural disposition and unique talents match a client’s personality and individual needs.
  • Knows that in order to ensure long term success for both dog and client, the training begins as early as possible and endures throughout the working life of the dog.

The results of this mission can be witnessed in:

  • Individuals with a special need, a challenge or a disability actively participating in and contributing to the world around them.
  • Setting the standard for a professional, dependable and happy working dog.
  • Increasing awareness and public education of disabilities and Assistance Dogs.

Me And TLCAD

As I mentioned I had the opportunity to participate in many TLCAD activities including several outings as well as attending their dog sitter workshop and their 8 week trainer course.  I must say they have wonderful people working at this organization!

TLCAD Labradoodle In Training
TLCAD Labradoodle In Training

However, there was really one main point that was keeping me from working as a volunteer trainer for TLCAD…

They are located in San Diego which is actually slightly closer then Sylmar, CA (GDA Main Campus), but the big difference is there are no other trainers near me (I live in Orange County about 1 hour north of San Diego).  GDA has a dedicated Orange County group which consists of 50+ puppy raisers.  I’ve found it very important to have this support group not only for bouncing questions off veteran raisers, but because it gives you options for puppy sitters.

The Importance Of Puppy Sitters

As a guide dog puppy raiser I’ve learned that it’s invaluable to have a puppy sitter nearby.  It seems to come up quite often that spur of the moment I need a puppy sitter for just a few hours or a day.  A perfect example is a wedding.  I have several to go to this summer.  Weddings only last a few hours and it’s an event I normally won’t take a puppy in training to unless I know the couple very well.  I would only need a puppy sitter for a few hours and having one within 5-10 minutes of me is oh so convenient.

I know it’s a luxury having puppy sitters nearby, but it’s something I have considered before deciding to raise and train a puppy for a different organization.  While you may not have this same option when choosing to volunteer as a puppy trainer/raiser it’s definitely something to consider if you have the option.

Even if you’re just planning on getting a puppy or dog as a family pet make sure you think about what you will do with your dog or puppy when you are away.  Where will you take your puppy when going on vacation?  Do you have a support group of pet friendly friends who are willing to puppy sit?

Thank You TLCAD For What You Do!

Tender Loving Canine Assistance Dogs (TLCAD) is a wonderful organization!  I hope that I will get the chance to work with one of their puppies sometime in the future.  If you are interested in volunteering with TLCAD then visit their website for more information.

Whether it’s a Guide Dog organization, Service Dog organization, Animal Shelter, or any other non-profit what kind of things did you consider before volunteering with your organization?  Tell us about it in the comment section below.

3 Puppy Training Tips I Learned As A Guide Dog Puppy Sitter

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As a guide dog puppy sitter and raiser I face the same and new challenges with each puppy. I’m constantly reminded of lessons and puppy training tips I learned over the years.

Ever since we dropped Apache off at Guide Dog College to start his “formal” education Linus, Stetson, and I feel like we’ve been non-stop puppy sitters.  If only it was a paying gig we’d be rich!!!

We like volunteering our time to help out the community.  In the past we used to volunteer with several non-profit organizations including Habitat For Humanity, Working Wardrobes, and the Special Olympics.  More recently we decided we wanted to help dogs/puppies and began fostering homeless dogs and pups for one of our local animal rescues.

Puppy Sitter For Guide Dogs of America

That brings us to our current volunteer activity as guide dog puppy raisers.  We love being puppy raisers!  We get the opportunity to bring home future guide dog pups at around 7 weeks of age and train them in basic obedience, socialization, and good house manners until they are approximately 18 months old.

Yes, it is difficult to give them up after putting so much time, effort, and love into them, but it’s all worth it knowing that our pups will move on to help a visually impaired person regain their independence.

That brings us to the past weeks assignment as guide dog puppy sitters:

#1 Tasha – A 4 Month Old Yellow Labrador Retriever

Last Tuesday we helped puppy sit little Tasha at our group meeting.  Tasha was a little bit restless and anxious at the meeting.  So we worked with Tasha so her handler could have a little break and discuss our puppy raiser manual with some of our other puppy raisers.  At 4 months old Tasha is very mouthy as her adult teeth are coming in.

Tasha At Puppy Kindergarten
Tasha getting tubed at Puppy Kindergarten…Brea watches…

PUPPY TRAINING TIP #1: If you have a mouthy puppy make sure you get lots of different textured dog toys including KONG’s, pressed rawhides, plush toys, nylabones, etc.  When your pup bites down on your hand slowly remove your hand and replace with one of the toys and let them chew on the toy rather than your body part.

A second thing that you can try is using Bitter Apple Spray (affiliate link).  Spray a little bit on your hand and let your puppy put his mouth on your hand.  Most pups really don’t like the taste of the Bitter Apple Spray and will eventually learn not to bite your hands.

#2 Treacle – A 13 Month Old Black Labrador Retriever

Next up was Treacle!  Treacle had a 2 day stay with us so she could work on mingling with other dogs (Stetson and Linus).  She did great and had a little bit of play time with her new buddy Linus.  We also took a nice long walk on the golf course, went to lunch together, and finally got to watch an awesome roller hockey game!  Go Team NDENSUM!

Treacle was very good with our dogs and played like a lady.  However, we have heard she sometimes isn’t so lady-like and can be very rough during her play time. So we initially introduced her to Linus and Stetson on leash, but soon found out she did just as well interacting with the boys off leash.

Treacle, guide dog pup and golfer!
Treacle, guide dog pup and golfer!

PUPPY TRAINING TIP #2: Does your puppy play too rough with your older dog?  Try keeping your puppy on leash when he is interacting with your older dog that way you can better control any inappropriate behavior.

#3 Sable – A 15 Month Old German Shepherd Dog

Finally, the past 2 days we watched Sable.  There are very few German Shepherd Dogs in our guide dog program so we felt very lucky that we had the opportunity to watch Sable.  German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers are very different breeds.  Lucky for us we had lots of experience with German Shepherds when we were fostering puppies.

Sable was a very good girl, but the only real problem we had was having her “get busy”.  She refused to potty!  It took her nearly 24 hours before she agreed to make #1 and #2 while she was in our care.  It was very reminiscent of when we took Linus camping.  He would not potty in the dirt (he was used to going on the grass).  Again it took over 24 hours to finally get him to potty on the dirt.

Sable the German Shepherd Dog
Sable giving us a nice down-stay with the little head tilt…

PUPPY TRAINING TIP #3: Make sure you train your puppy to potty on all different surfaces.  You never know when you’ll want him to go potty somewhere other than the grass.  Guide dogs travel everywhere with their handlers and need to potty on command anytime, anywhere so we train our guide dog puppies to go on cement, grass, rocks, dirt, etc.

So those were our puppy sitting assignments for the week!  As you can see there was some mischief going on with the pups.  Did your dogs get into any mischief this week?  What lessons did you learn from their mischievous behavior?

Can Puppy Raisers Take A Vacation?

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It’s been about a month since I dropped off Apache at Guide Dog College and I decided to take a little puppy raiser vacation…or so I thought.  A couple days after drop off I found myself puppy sitting little 8 week old Toby for 2 weeks.  Toby was recently re-homed and is happily living with his new puppy raisers.

A couple days after I brought Toby back to Guide Dogs of America I started a second puppy sitting assignment.  I picked up Journey, a 7 month old yellow Labrador Retriever!

Over the past 2 weeks Journey and I went on many adventures working on his socialization as well as his house manners and basic obedience.

Can A Puppy Raiser Take A Vacation?

Some people think that puppy raisers have to do everything with their puppy.  While we are lucky enough to get the privilege to take our puppies to many different public places including grocery stores, movie theaters, shopping malls, restaurants, etc. we do not nor do we have to take them everywhere we go.  Some situations may be too stressful for a young puppy.  Sometimes we just need a break from our puppy and maybe our puppy could use a little alone time in his kennel.

The past couple weeks Journey’s puppy raisers went on vacation and elected not to take Journey along (as I mentioned guide dog puppies in training don’t have to do everything their puppy raisers do).  So what’s a puppy raiser to do if he goes on vacation without his guide pup?  If you’re a puppy raiser with Guide Dogs of America and you’re puppy is over 6 months of age then you have 2 options:

  1. You can have a fellow puppy raiser puppy sit your pup.  Check with your group leader if you’re having trouble finding a puppy sitter.
  2. Your puppy can stay at Camp GDA aka the GDA kennels (Puppies have to be over 6 months of age)
Since today’s story is about our adventures with Journey his puppy raisers obviously chose option 1.

My Adventures With Journey

We talked a little bit about Journey last week when Linus’ tail was getting into all sorts of mischief.  We’re dedicating this week to our adventures with Journey – guide pup in training!

Hockey Game

Journey at the hockey game
Journey was all smiles at the hockey game!

Journey did awesome at the hockey game.  All the action, people, and crazy noises didn’t bother him one bit!  Also, I don’t think he really minded the extra attention from smelly people wearing helmets and cages.  Good boy Journey!

District in Tustin

Journey at the District Water Fountain
Journey wondering if it’s okay to swim in that fountain with this heat wave

We worked on Journey’s loose leash heeling around the District in Tustin (an outdoor shopping mall).  I let Journey stand by a few water fountains…he didn’t jump in, but with the current heat wave I’m sure he felt the urge.

Dog Days of Fullerton

Journey at the dog days of fullerton
Journey manning the booth at the Dog Days of Fullerton

It was scorching hot at the Dog Days of Fullerton, but Journey stayed at his post representing Guide Dogs of America at the GDA booth.  We made sure and drank lots of water and kept cool with water bowl’s full of ice.

Sepulveda Golf Tournament

Journey riding in the golf cart
Journey waiting patiently in the golf cart

Another scorching hot day at Green River Golf Club!

Journey is a sponsored puppy.  So what does that mean?  It means a person or organization has made a $5,000 donation to cover the initial costs to raising a puppy.  In return sponsors receive photographs and a written update quarterly, and your name will be embroidered on the puppy jacket. If your puppy successfully completes its training course, and is scheduled to graduate, you will receive an invitation to the GDA Awards Ceremony with special recognition of your generosity.  If you’re interested in sponsoring a puppy visit: GDA Sponsored Puppy.

Sepulveda Building Materials (Journey’s sponsor) has an annual charity golf tournament and generously donates all of the proceeds to Guide Dogs of America. Since Journey is sponsored by Sepulveda Building Materials we felt compelled to volunteer by greeting all the golfers at hole #17, provide fruit, snacks, and refreshments.

Journey and I did a lot during our two weeks together.  Last night Journey got to go back to his puppy raising family and once again it’s down to me, Ali, Linus, and Stetson at the old homestead.  So maybe now I’ll get a chance to take a little break from puppy raising.  So far my record for consecutive days without a puppy is 2!  I think I’ll be able to beat that record this week…wish me luck!

I know there are a lot of puppy raisers out there.  Does it seem like you’re always raising a puppy?  Do you ever take a vacation from puppy raising?  Tell us about it in the comment section below.

Are You Interested In Puppy Sitting?

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Last week Apache went back to school to start his formal guide dog training.  It’s both a happy and sad day.  Happy because he gets to start the next leg in his journey to becoming a guide dog and sad because I will miss having him by my side every day.  However, there are always 2 questions I get asked when I bring my puppy back to school:

  1. When would you like to get another puppy?
  2. Are you interested in puppy sitting?

Actually question #1 usually gets asked before turn in, during turn in, and after turn in.  Why not?  Who could resist an adorable little puppy?  Like I said last week…on our way out we stopped by the nursery to see the adorable puppies…

WARNING: ADORABLE PUPPY PICTURES COMING UP PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Black Lab Puppy
I’m a little black Labrador Retriever Golden Retriever Cross Puppy

Who could resist that face?  Well, apparently me because when the GDA Puppy Department asked me: “When would you like to get another puppy?”  My answer was that I’d like to take a little break from puppy raising.

However, I had no problem answering yes when I was asked:  “Are you interested in puppy sitting?” It’s been less than a week since Apache was turned in to the school and already I’ve agreed to 2 puppy sitting assignments.

The good news about this past weeks puppy sitting assignment…lots of puppy pics to share!  We post most of our puppy pics to our Facebook page so make sure you “like” our Facebook page.

Puppy Sitting

I like puppy sitting guide dog pups because it’s like puppy raising, but it’s usually a short term assignment anywhere from 1 day to maybe a couple weeks.  It gives you a chance to work on the same puppy obedience training, socialization, house manners that you do with your own guide dog puppy in training.

We’ve been puppy sitting an 8 week old yellow Labrador Retriever named Toby who’s the cutest most adorable puppy in the world!  Actually, I’ll let you decide.  Take a look at some of his pics:

Toby with his new toy
Toby loves playing with his doggy toys!

Yep, that’s Toby!   He even has a little smile on his face in that picture.  Irresistible!  Toby is learning that he can’t harass Stetson and Linus all day and sometimes he needs to just play by himself with his toys.

Toby cradle position
Cradling Toby the bat!

In honor of the release of the latest Batman movie: The Dark Knight Rises, Toby is doing his best Batman impersonation!

Honestly, we’re just teaching Toby to be calm while he’s cradled.  It’s important for us to teach our puppy to be cradled and handled.  A blind person will need to be able to run their hands all over their guide dog in order to check for any health problems.  We practice with our puppy on his back between our legs feeling his tail, ears, face, legs, paws, and chest.  Sometimes it takes a little while to get a puppy used to being cradled and handled so we make sure and work on this with all of our pups.

Toby and the giant teddy bear
Toby got a new doggy toy today…

It’s good to have lots of different textured dog toys for your puppy.  Okay, so maybe this is an extreme example, but just in case you didn’t notice puppy’s like to chew.  That is why I recommend many different textured toys (KONG, Nylabone, Plush toys, etc.) because once your puppy gets bored with one type of textured dog toy you can swap it out for a completely different type of toy.  This makes it more interesting for you pup.

Was I right?  Is Toby the cutest little thing you’ve ever seen?  I’m really enjoying puppy sitting Toby and I will definitely be sad to see him go.  However, my next puppy sitting assignment will start next week so there will be no time to rest.

If you’re interested in puppy raising or puppy sitting guide dog puppies then please let me know by sending an email through our contact form or just leave us a comment below.

So how about you?  Are you a puppy sitter or a puppy raiser?

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