How to Select a Puppy Trainer

Some people believe that they should wait until the pet is several months old before starting training. While every pet is different, it is never too early to teach an animal a few basic rules and continue to build its training as it gets older. There are some dog training, grooming, and boarding centers which can help new owners develop positive relationships with their dogs.

In these classes the dog learns a variety of commands, and also benefits from socialization opportunities as he will interact with other dogs. Usually when a dog is about 10-15 weeks old the owner can sign it up for classes, as by that time the dog has received all of its preliminary vaccinations.

Usually puppy classes are made up of about 5 - 10 dogs, so each dog and its owner will get sufficient attention from the trainer. Simpler commands will be taught first; such as sit and down. After the owners and dogs master these commands, additional skills will be introduced, such as asking the dog to stay in a sitting or down position for increasing periods of time. While the classes are the place where owners learn new skills along with their puppies, reinforcement at home and on daily walks can help both pet owner and dog retain the new information.

The process of setting the dog up for success and developing a solid bond with the pet owner as leader, allows the dog to assume its preferred role of follower. Most dogs, even those who act out, want to please their owners. Rules and commands need to be reinforced in the same way every time, so the animal is able to learn to provide the proper response. They can be taught to do so by the trainer and can continue to learn with patience, repetition, and consistency from the owner.

The owners not only have to train the dog to behave properly at home, but they need to teach it to behave correctly in public. A good dog trainer offers puppy classes and also private lessons to help owners build a solid training foundation. They also may provide dog grooming and boarding services at their training centers. While there are many dog trainers listed on the Internet and in the phone book, there are other good places to look for recommendations. Some of these are one's veterinarian, and also breed organizations that may be able to point people to trainers who understand characteristics of particular breeds.

Why Do You Need Pet Insurance

Having a pet can be very great but stressful sometimes. Pets like humans face some downsides like falling sick and being affected by illnesses and diseases. Research has proven that maintaining the health of a pet can be very cost effective sometimes even more than what you spend on medical bills yourself due to frequent visits that are needed to be made to the veterinary.

Pet insurance is therefore important for every pet owner in order to take of the stress of paying high veterinary bills whenever there is an accident. Pet insurance can be compared to any other type of insurance because they mostly have the same concepts the only difference is about this type of insurance covering your pet. When you insure your pet, there is always a sense of comfort and re- assurance that you have because you know your pet is safe even if an unexpected accident happens. Preparing yourself ahead for any accidents that might arise in the future is important because you might have enough money today not to bother yourself about pet insurance but you might not have it tomorrow.

Secondly you need to decide upon a policy carefully so that you get maximum coverage. Avoid purchasing an insurance policy that is more complex than required, as doing so will likely be a waste of your resources. For instance, if you carry your pet to the doctor only once in a year, opt for a suitable policy that serves your purpose in the best probable way.

 

For most people insurance is a fairly uninteresting topic and not something that we want to put our mind to when we are experiencing the excitement of owning a new pet. Rather than make a big deal of it, just do a bit of research or consult from an insurance company or your professional insurance agent/broker. Better to do it now than suffer the consequences later.

Additional Pet Sitting Services To Consider

While pet sitting itself can prove to be a lucrative business, it never hurts to make your total package a little more appealing to pet owners. There are a lot of simple services that you can add to your offerings that only take a little extra time, little investment, and require no specialized equipment or a lot of extra space.

Some for the common "extras" that many pet sitting services offer are:
1. Nail trimming
2. Baths
3. Dog Park Time ( primarily for in home pet sitting)
4. Training
5. Grooming

These are just a few of many options that are easily added into the basic care of an animal while they are in your care. To lower the cost of baths, you can provide a medium grade shampoo and conditioner option to your clients, and give them the option to provide their own special shampoos.

Most pet sitters are pet owners themselves and will have the essential supplies needed to nail trimming, grooming, and have experience in training. These are just a few simple suggestions to help make your pet sitting service stand out from the standard, "we take care of your pet while you are gone" attitude. A full service business is almost always more appealing than the ones that only offer the bare basics.

What is Pet Sitter International?

Pet Sitters International is a a group in which has set standards, training, and affiliates that provides a type of credential for pet sitting services. While, nothing is required to run a pet sitting business other than the appropriate licenses and insurance per your state's laws, this is another option to consider when looking to build that well known and successful pet sitting business.

Some of the elements that this association instills and requires of its members are:

• The sitter exhibits courtesy and professionalism in all dealings with customers, staff and industry colleagues to positively represent the pet sitter and the pet-sitting industry
• The sitter visits the client’s home before the first pet-sitting assignment to meet the pets and get detailed information about their care.
• The sitter displays a positive attitude during the initial meeting and is comfortable and competent in dealing with the animals.
• The sitter is courteous, interested and well informed.
• The sitter wants to learn as much as possible about the animals in his or her care.
• The sitter has adequate knowledge and experience in caring for pets and is clearly mindful of their safety and well being.
• The sitter takes precautions to make sure a client’s absence from home is not detectable because of any careless actions or disclosures by the sitter.
• The sitter phones to confirm, or has the client phone to confirm, that the client has returned home.
• The sitter provides a service rating form for clients.
• The sitter conducts business with honesty and integrity and observes all federal, state and local laws pertaining to business operations and animal care.
• The sitter has a veterinarian on call for emergency service.
• The sitter has a contingency plan for pet care in case of inclement weather or personal illness.
• The sitter refrains from criticizing competitors.
• The sitting service screens applicants for employment carefully.
• The sitting service provides initial and ongoing training for its sitters.

These are only a few of the many listed items that the Pet Sitter International has to help increase business, guarantee well trained and courteous pet sitters, and provide each member with a seal of approval.

If you would like to look into Pet Sitter International further, simply click here.

How to Maintain a Successful Pet Sitting Service

While economic times are hard, the income being delved out on precious pets is still staying fairly constant. Those in the pet sitting business should still be able to hold strong as long as they take into account a few simple ideas and make a few adjustments.

1. Expand Your Services
Many of the pet sitters are often looking for long term boarding while owners are on vacation or off on work trips. This is less of a need for pet owners as the current economy is limiting travel of all kinds. This is where the idea of doing day to day sitting or even offering single or multiple overnight services could prove to be beneficial to your business.

2. Do Not Let Your Quality of Services Suffer
One of the first things that typically goes in regards to a stressed business is the idea of quantity over quality. It is important that you maintain your image as a quality pet sitting service. Word of mouth can offer a great way of giving you free marketing or it can be an even faster way to kill the business.

3. Consider New Marketing Ideas
With the world becoming a vast network of social networking sites, you should take advantage of the free marketing that can be achieved. It takes little to no time to set up and Myspace page and even less time for Facebook. These are great ways to get your name out there and build a new client list. Other methods are creating web pages, if you do not already have one, and making your business readily accessible to the public via internet. This is crucial as the phonebook is no longer how people find services but a simple internet search will give them the fast results they are looking for in locating local services.

These are only three things that can help keep your business afloat or make it into a more successful business. They are simple ideas that are easy to put into motion. Pet sitting can be as profitable or as painful as you make it.