Am I Boring My Dog? (23 page)

I’m not sure that DogCat Radio (
www.dogcatradio.com
),
⁷⁵
a Los Angeles-based Internet streaming station for pets and their owners, can be considered soothing. The play list ranges from disco to Top 40 and Spanish pop, and there’s a lot of pet-oriented chat that’s useful to owners but not aimed at calming their four-legged charges. That said, if your pup likes an upbeat sound, leave your computer tuned in to the station.

When in doubt, leave your dog tuned in to your local long-hair music station. And lay off the heavy metal. In studies of audio preferences, many hounds howled in protest when they were subjected to it.

Not all toys that can keep dogs occupied for long periods
⁷⁶
are suited to serve as distractions while you’re away. Especially dangerous are those with parts that can be swallowed, from rawhides to toys with squeakers, and anything that can shred or splinter.

The safest picks as doggie distractions (all available in virtual and real pet emporia) include the following toys.

 

These toys should be made from material durable enough to stand up to long periods of your dog’s attempts to ingest them and be large enough that your dog can’t swallow them whole. Popular brands include Dogzilla, Nylabone, Hurley, and Huck. Some have nontoxic flavorings and smells that make them appealing. Be sure to supervise your dog with these products before leaving her alone with them. Some dogs are super-chewers, capable of decimating most products placed in front of them, and you need to know that in advance.

 

These take the will-work-for-food drive down to its most basic level. The best known—and still tops in its category—are those made by Kong, hard rubber cones that can be stuffed with anything from peanut butter to soaked kibble; many people put half of their dog’s morning meal in them. Geared toward dog size, age, and chewing strength, Kongs and Kongstyle toys require some coordination—your dog has to hold on to them to get at the food—and lots of tongue agility, but not Einsteinian intellect.

More challenging are toys like the Buster Cube and other “busy-boxes,” designed so that the treats inside come out of the openings when your dog pokes, paws, and noses them at the right angle. You can adjust their difficulty level when your dog progresses (or regresses). That’s true, too, of the Busy Buddy line made by Premier,
⁷⁷
which includes the Twist ‘n’ Treat, a spaceship-style toy that Frankie likes (and has offered to endorse, if the price is right).

When in-home entertainment isn’t entertaining enough for your restless pup, it’s time to consider outsourcing his diversion. Dog walkers and doggie daycare are the top options, but play dates and other informal exchanges through networks of local dog owners are getting increasingly popular, too.

Keep in mind that you need to screen potential candidates for dog care as thoroughly as you would candidates for child or elder care—perhaps more thoroughly, because licenses aren’t required for canine caregivers in most states and there’s little official oversight. Any professional you’re thinking of leaving your pup with must love dogs, yes, but they must also know how to handle them—and how to conduct a business. Among other things, that means being bonded and insured and providing you with a service contract.

Nor is every dog a good candidate for dog walking or daycare—and I’m not just talking about bullies who don’t play well with others. Frankie, for example, refuses to walk anywhere with strangers (a better attribute in a child than it is in a dog). Hanging out with unknown dogs away from home? Not my shy guy.

If you think your dog could benefit, start your search by asking people you regularly see with well-behaved charges at the dog park, dog path, or around the neighborhood. Check with your vet, groomer, pet supply stores, and local shelters. Websites such as Pet Sitters International (
www.petsit.com
) are good resources, too. And then do your own screening, based on the criteria outlined in the following sections.

Dog walkers—who will often have an associated pet sitting business—typically come to your house once a day and take your dog out for 15 minutes to an hour. Usually it’s for a group stroll, but some—with your permission—take dogs to a park (see question 78). They operate differently in compact cities than they do in more spread-out towns or suburbs. Dog walkers in Manhattan, for example, stroll from building to building to pick up and drop off dogs. Here in Tucson they have to drive to collect their walkees, so the number of dogs is limited by the size of the vehicle—and the ability of the dog walker to keep them calm while in transit.

In Manhattan, prices for dog walking might range from $14 per dog for a quick 15-minute piddle to $28 for one hour of exercise; in Tucson, on average, it’s $25 for 40 minutes for up to two dogs in the same family; shorter stints are rare.

Some things to think about when considering a dog walker:

Does this person seem to like dogs in general and yours in particular, or do you get the sense she’s just looking to make a quick buck with clients who can’t tattle if she goofs off? In turn, does your usually friendly dog cozy up to her—or slink off? Dogs are generally excellent judges of character.

 

American Red Cross Certification in pet first aid and CPR are definite pluses, as is membership in a professional pet sitter’s organization. Having training credentials (see Chapter 6) is also an asset.

 

Although these are always important to check, it’s particularly crucial for a person who will be entering your home. There’s a certain irony to the fact that dog walkers are usually most popular in backyard-challenged urban areas, where trust is not at a premium. It’s not unreasonable for you to ask where your dog walker lives to even the playing field. Or to mention that you know someone who’s connected.

 

Ask what your potential walker would do if your dog misbehaves. If he advocates an alpha roll—or a Tootsie Roll—reconsider.

 

Will your dog be staying on a leash the entire time? Will the route involve crossing lots of city streets or busy roads? How many other dogs will be coming along? What do you do with the rest of the group when you’re picking a dog up at an apartment building?
⁷⁸
The responses should help you figure out if your dog’s personality and the dog walker’s plans are in synch with each other, and if you feel comfortable about your dog’s safety.

 

A professional should have you fill out a form with your emergency numbers (including that of your vet); provide you with his emergency contact information; ask you to confirm in writing that your dog has had all the required shots and identification/registration (in case she’s an escape artist), and has no history of serious aggression; and provide you with a contract that specifies which services will be rendered and when—and how much you’ll pay for them.

Before you sign on, go for a test walk (with payment of course): just you, your dog, and the dog walker. See how your pup—and any poop she might produce—is handled. If your dog walker doesn’t scoop, she’s either not paying attention to your dog or she’s a bad global citizen.

Forget sterile rooms with cramped cages. Today’s doggie daycare (a.k.a. doggie day camp) is likely to resemble nursery school more than it does a kennel, replete with organized play-, nap-, and snack periods and even webcams that let you see what your pup is up to. Organized activities often abound, with training filling in for coloring. Indeed, some doggie daycare centers outshine the kiddie versions; the latter are unlikely to have hairdressers or doctors on site.

In spite of all these extras, daycare might be more cost effective than a dog walking service. For one thing, you don’t have to—in fact shouldn’t—send your dog every day. Limiting daycare to two or three times a week keeps your dog from getting overstimulated and from considering the experience mundane. And rates are not generally outrageous. A spot check of upscale facilities around the country showed costs ranging from $25 for a half day for dogs weighing under 25 pounds in Scottsdale to $55 for a full day for plus size pups (more than 85 pounds) in Manhattan. Membership or monthly passes lower the rates even more.

How to find a good play center? The same way as you find dog walkers, many of whom may be affiliated with daycare centers. In some major metropolitan areas, daycare/boarding facilities are rated online, similar to hotels and restaurants.

You should also have the same concerns, from treatment philosophy to poop-scooping. Ask questions in advance, and then observe the proceedings without your dog. If possible, arrange to go in during a play period, so you can see how the group is handled.

The service contract that requires you to provide detailed information, including emergency contacts and authorization for emergency treatment, is even more crucial. Your dog, of course, has been neutered or spayed and has had all the required vaccinations, but if the center doesn’t insist on verification, it means they’re not confirming the data on all the other, less perfect, dogs.

 

Again, think dog walkers, multiplied: expect, at a minimum, to find people who like and know how to handle dogs. They should be able to gauge when dogs need a rest, and when they need to be separated from each other—and how to accomplish that. Knowledge of training is a bonus. If there’s no vet on staff—some places have them—there should be one on call.

Staff quantity is also important. There shouldn’t be more than 10 dogs per staff person (and more than 35 to 40 dogs, total, at a facility is pushing it).

 

Is there enough room—and is it well divided, so that dogs have separate areas for play and rest? If there are crates, are they large enough for comfort? Some people insist on no-crate facilities but if your dog is used to being crated, there’s nothing wrong with providing him with an escape he’s used to. That said, you’d want a doggie cam—or spot visit—to prove that your dog is not caged all day.

Do the floors have no-skid rubber surfaces? Concrete can be bad for footpads and painful for arthritic dogs or pups with hip problems.

Are nontoxic cleaners used? Of course you don’t want a place to smell bad, but the (cleaning) solution can be worse than the problem. Chlorine bleach-based products produce toxic fumes when mixed with the ammonia in urine. A daycare should know the basics of pet chemistry; otherwise, who knows what else they don’t know?

Is the daycare well ventilated and temperature controlled? Your dog should have plenty of air, and not be subjected to extremes of either heat or cold. If you wouldn’t be comfortable there, your dog probably wouldn’t be either.

If there’s a yard that the dogs play in, is it secure? Can your escape artist manage to scale the fence or dig under it?

 

How often will the dogs be together? Too much playtime can be exhausting; too little may mean too little exercise. Are the activities organized or carefully supervised, or are there doggie free-for-alls? Are dogs grouped by size and activity level (hyper versus low key) when they play? Again, groups should be small enough to allow good staff supervision.

How does the staff handle introducing new dogs? You should expect your dog to be presented to each dog individually, rather than just being thrown into the pack. Are all collars removed? During rough play, dogs can get entangled, and I don’t mean romantically. (Of course, romantic entanglement would be undesirable, too, which is why pups that are not spayed or neutered are banned from daycare.)

 

Some places offer food (at an extra cost), but it’s better to provide your own; dogs don’t do well with diet changes. Still, if another dog steals your pooch’s dinner, it’s good to know he won’t go hungry. As I noted before, some places offer everything from training to grooming. If the price is right—and the other dogs using the services look attractive and are polite—why not take advantage of these one-stop options?

If you can’t afford either dog walking or daycare—or prefer something less formal—consider arranging play dates or care exchanges through such online networks as
dogster.com
or
pawspot.com
.

It’s like Internet dating, only with less stress about whether you’ll be considered attractive and more concern about getting bitten (depending on the sites you ordinarily frequent, of course; you may be vampire oriented). Get to know the other owner in a public place and make sure your dogs get along before going to someone else’s home or inviting someone into yours.

There are no guarantees, but there are none in professional care either. And it may be the start of a beautiful doggie friendship.

What activities
aren’t
available is the better question. I was amazed—and exhausted just contemplating—how many things there are to do with dogs in a group, and how many titles you (collectively) can aspire to. Nor are the games just for purebreds, as they were in the past; many now have versions geared to the doggie hoi polloi. The only prerequisite: your dog has to be trained to follow instructions.