Dog Services
Useful dog care services
Whether you want your dog to stop gnawing on your sofa, have a safe place to sleep while you're away on vacation, learn service skills or look and feel its best, you'll find a wide range of dog services available in your community. Separate the best from the rest by learning how to differentiate a well-run, reputable business from a shady one.
Take Advantage of Dog Training Services
You can obtain referrals to reputable obedience training schools through your veterinarian, local dog breeders and your city's Humane Society or SPCA chapter. If you want to take advantage of specialized dog training services, there are schools that focus on teaching canine-specific skills and abilities, including hunting, search and rescue, herding and tracking, guiding the blind and guarding property. Some dogs have natural aptitudes in specific areas; for example, sheepdogs have innate herding abilities, hounds make excellent hunting companions and golden retrievers are outstanding at search-and-rescue missions.
Therapy dogs are used in hospital and health care settings to provide companionship and comfort. Retriever breeds are often used, because they're very gentle, calm and friendly to strangers. If you think you or someone you care about could benefit from therapy dogs, or if you want to train your pet as a therapy dog, talk to your vet.
Commercial Dog Services
Professional dog grooming is recommended for pets with intensive coat and nail care needs. Vital blood vessels are located very close to your dog's nails, so professional nail care is a good idea, since you run the risk of seriously injuring your animal if you snip in the wrong place. Though it's not usually necessary to do any more than brush your dog's coat each day and give your pooch an occasional bath and shampoo, plenty of dog owners love to pamper their pets. There's nothing quite like the lustrous softness of a professionally groomed dog coat, which is a joy to touch.
Dog walking services are a convenient solution for professionals who work long hours and can't always be there to let the dog out when nature calls. Exceptionally handy for apartment dwellers, dog walking services prevent messes and pet accidents by showing up at an appointed time each day to take your dog out to do its business. These services are available both through agencies and individual service providers; agencies tend to be more expensive, but offer clients reliability and proven performance. If you choose to go with an individual, collect and check references before agreeing to terms.
When considering the various kennel services in your community, you should come prepared with a list of questions. If you're not satisfied with the answers, go somewhere else. Ask the proprietors:
- Where are the dogs kept, and how much room does each dog have?
- What safety features and security measures are in place to ensure the well-being of your pet?
- What are the dogs fed? Are you expected to provide your own dog food, or does the kennel take care of this? Are there extra costs for feeding?
- Is there an on-site veterinarian in case of illness or emergency?
Look around; are the facilities clean and comfortable? Do the pets boarded there already seem happy? Is the staff gentle and professional with the dogs already there? Given the prevalence of kennel services, there's no reason you should accept anything less than the best for your pet.
