We want to welcome our new Dog Walking clients, Holly Nowakowski and her 2 big boys, Dozer and Sammy. Dozer, a 2 year old Rottwieler is as sweet natured in heart as he is brawny in size. Sammy is an adorable 18 week old (65 lb) Bull Mastiff puppy who is doing a very good job at learning the ropes.
We had a pleasant first meeting for Holly's complimentary set up appointment last week and the following night we began our first assignment. (Our first appointments are no charge to our new clients as a thank you from us for using our service). In order to accomodate Holly's plans, we came out quite late, which kept her from having to come back home herself.
The assignment was a joy. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that the dogs were in agreement to be on their best behavior for us. :-)
I took Sammy out first and we roamed the yard so he could take care of business, while Michelle brought Dozer into another area of the spacious acerage. We wanted to bond independantly with each dog without the distraction of the other dog present.
After each dog was sufficiently finished, we donned our reflector vests, and carrying Spray Shield and flashlights, took them for a structured walk together. Do to the size of the dogs and the darkness of the night, we used prong collars on each dog, which they did very well with. They both have strong, stout necks, so I knew that type of collar would be a good match for both dogs.
Keep in mind that Sammy is a young puppy and up to this point has had only minimal structured leash training. He amazed us with his ability to catch on so quickly. I had walked him the day before for about 10 minutes during the set up appointment, so he had some idea of what I wanted from him. With Michelle and Dozer in front of us a couple of yards away, Sammy fell into a nice "heel" and walked along with me very comfortably. He was so good about it that during the 2nd half of the walk, I was able to relax his leash completely so that it was very lax, but he was still right beside me.
Dozer gave Michelle the same cooperation and we spent 15-20 minutes in sync with one another as both dogs engaged in what dogs do best...walk with their pack leaders. Holly, of course, is their main pack leader when she is present, but on our watch, they will look to us for leadership.
After we returned to the house, we spent some time in the basement walking the dogs in a large circle in opposite directions so that when they passed each other they would see the other one coming. If the dogs broke the "heel" and moved towards each other, we gently gave them a quick tug and release with the leash to redirect their attention back on the walking. The object of this lesson was to help them ignore each other and keep to their allotted boundaries.
We put both dogs through the paces of some obedience cmmands, (Dozer more than Sammy), and they rose to the occasion well. Dozer even went into a "down" towards the end of our time without my needing to use a treat.
Holly has 2 dogs who have the potential to do what ever she wants of them, given the time she can put into it. She is a devoted dog owner. In the short time we've known her, we have observed her exude her love and dedication to her to beloved canines.
When the session was near it's end, we calmed them with a full body dog massage for each one. Light training and full body dog massage are a part of all of our Dog Walks and Pet Sitting sessions. They kenneled up well with no separation anxiety at all. After this session, they were 2 extremely calm dogs ready for sleep!
Welcome on board, Holly. We will certainly look forward to our next time with your cherished family members.
