Jameson Lucks, DOTW for 3/21 - 3/25!

Jameson Lucks is the DOTW for the week of 3/21 - 3/25! Jameson is a 4 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and he's been visiting us several times a week since 2007. Jameson is a bit of a quirky boy (I think Jameson's mom would agree!) but is one of the sweetest dogs we have here at Dog Days. He is fantastic with all of the new, obnoxious puppies; he even lets them chew on him and never loses his cool. His best friend by far is the ball, and his favorite game (other than traditional fetch) is to roll the ball to you, so you can roll it back to him. He likes playing with Sanji too. He plays so much here that we often have to wake him up (from under the playset) when it's time to go home. We love our Jameson, and are happy that we get to see so much of him. Yea, Jameson!

With his second fave toy, the Kong

What a handsome boy!

 

Zoe Goad, DOTW for 3/14 - 3/18!

Zoe Goad is the DOTW for the week of 3/14- 3/18! Zoe is an almost 7 year old Shih Tzu. She has been attending daycare regularly since she was only about 9 months old (since 2005!), so Zoe has just about grown up here. Zoe's best friends are Bunny, Zuzu, Gimli, and Joco - all dogs that she's known for years here at Dog Days. She loves Zuzu best though, and likes to pull Zuzu's ears and torment her, exactly the way Zuzu torments everyone else. :) Zoe also loves some good snuggling with her people, and does a little dance with her back feet when we scratch her rump. Congratulations, Zoe!

Zoe sometimes wears cute t-shirts. This one had a note from her daddy in the backpack!

Zoe with Zuzu (right) getting ready to pounce on her

 

Chloe Storck, DOTW for 3/7 - 3/11!

Chloe Storck is the DOTW for the week of 3/7- 3/11! Chloe is a 4 year old yellow Lab girl who's been joining us for daycare and boarding since she was only 6 months old. Chloe, like most Labs, loves her people and loves to play ball. When Chloe gets excited, she spins in circles (and sometimes falls down), so we always get quite a chuckle when she does that. Some of her best friends are Leeloo, Alice, and Stella, but really, she'll play tug o' war with anyone. We love having Chloe visit with us, because she has such a good heart. We thank her parents for trusting us with her care so often. We love you, Chloe!

What a pretty face!

Waiting for us to throw the ball

Chloe is on the left (with Leeloo)

 

Gimli Hurst/Hurley, DOTW for 2/28 - 3/4!

Gimli Hurst/Hurley is the DOTW for the week of 2/28 - 3/4! Gimli is a 5 year old Pembroke Corgi who's been attending daycare at Dog Days since she was a tiny little thing (6 months old), with really big ears. Gimli has grown up here, playing with Bunny and Zuzu and Zoe. She also seems to have a soft spot for chihuahuas (she always liked Misha). Gimli loves to sleep under the playset, and one of her favorite things to do is rile up the big dogs by barking at them when she's going home (we're pretty sure she's sticking her tongue out at them as she sails by). She has interviewed many a small dog here at Dog Days, and is one of our favorites. My only complaint about Gimli is she's pretty sure the camera will steal her soul, so it's hard to get a good picture of her pretty face. But we keep trying. We love you Gimli! Congrats!


In her favorite spot, winking at us



Finally, a picture of her face!

Playing with Misha

Changes in Your Dog's Behavior

Today I want to talk about changes in your dog's behavior. By "changes in your dog's behavior" I specifically want to talk about changes that we see at the dog daycare. Recently, we've had a couple of our regulars - dogs that we see a lot of - behaving differently than what we're used to. One of the dogs is a relatively quiet boy who likes to play ball and doesn't generally take a dislike to any dog. He snapped at a dog yesterday (unprovoked) and did the same thing today (a different dog). Another example is a high-energy dog that we see almost every day. She plays alot, and occasionally will play a little rough, at which point we step in and slow her down. But those instances, where she plays too rough, usually happen after many minutes of active play with a particular dog. She too has had a couple of bad days at the daycare, and charged at several different dogs, unprovoked.

Neither of these dogs are bad dogs, and neither of these dogs are aggressive dogs. This behavior is unusual for both of them. After some thought, and some discussion with the parents of both dogs, we have discovered the problem - both dogs have some changes in their home environment. Dogs are very sensitive to change - they are creatures of habit, and when the habits are disrupted, that can affect their energy level and mental state. The changes might not necessarily be bad changes (in your mind) but any change can be difficult for a dog to adjust to.

Because a dog that's under stress (which is what change causes) is a little less predictable, any change in your home environment is important for us to know. Obviously, we don't want to pry, and we don't necessarily need details. But if we know that things at home aren't what the dog is used to, then we'll be better prepared to handle any unpredictable behavior we might see. So if you have family visiting, or a new pregnancy, or you're packing boxes, please be aware that your dog knows something has changed. He smells your excitement or your anxiety or your stress, and he will react to that. And you might not see a change in his behavior at home. But often, even if you don't notice a change at home (when he's on walks or wandering around behind you at the house), we might very well see it when he's in a group of dogs. We will always let you know if we see unusual behavior from your dog when you pick him up - we get to know our charges quite well (we spend so much time with them). If we do tell you that, please think about what changes might have occurred in his environment, and let us know. It helps explain these changes for us, so we know what to expect, and we can be better prepared to handle your dog when he's with us. We are very understanding, and are happy to work with you, to make sure your dog is happy and well-adjusted, and enjoying himself.