Savvy Critter Sitter - House & Pet Sitting

08/26/2022

Happy International Dog Day to all my four-legged friends out there! 🤎

08/21/2022

Saw this in the sky this evening while kayaking in Brentwood Bay. We also saw a beautiful sunset and enjoyed the bioluminescent bubbling in the water. A great night and a great guide. Arlene Radford 😉

Just as we started getting questions about a bright line in the sky, Ethan provided the answer via Twitter - that was a string of more than 50 Starlink internet-service satellites, launched earlier today. Ethan's photo is above; MJ's photo via email is below: Here's video of the launch. The announce...

08/17/2020

08/16/2020

It is a scorcher today! ☀️ 🥵 Please no matter what you do today do not leave your animal in your car for any period of time. If you can, please leave your animal at home with lots of water. If not, please take the utmost precautions and care. Today is a day where very bad and heartbreaking accidents can happen so fast. It’s just not worth the risk.

Stay safe and stay healthy out there.

Thank you from all of us at RainCoast. 💛🐾

08/10/2020

Always ask 👍

🛇 Use your Manners! 🛇
The Sniff test - Stop doing that!
The sniff test - a badly engrained habit that society has been taught, without a clear understanding of what they're actually doing.

🚩When you reach out towards a dog, you are using body pressure AT them, giving them no time to assess whether you are safe & whether they require further investigation to pick up your information. You are forcing an interaction of a relationship that hasn't had time to develop. To some dogs, this is quite rude & the reason a lot of dogs snap at or bite people. This can cause alot of behavioral issues because of layered stress due to forced interactions.

🚩If they are on lead, they have no where to go if they are sensitive to spacial pressure, so can end up shutting down, shying away or snapping at your hand so you back off. This is an example of how a dog is now using pressure to turn off pressure & make you back off so they aren't so stressed.

🚩People think by offering your hand it can give the dog time to sniff to know you're friendly... they can sniff without being forced to sniff your hand.Their noses are far more superior than ours & they don't need close contact forced upon them to smell you.

🚩Some dogs might not want to know you. You have no relationship with them and that's perfectly fine. They aren't your dog so you don't need to touch them or steal pats for your own satisfaction.

🤔 If you are meeting a dog, what should you do?
⚠Ask the owner if you can interact with their dog. Not all people want strangers touching their dogs. Especially strangers who you are unlikely to see again.
⚠Stand up straight & relaxed, with your hands at your side.
⚠Ignore the dog & talk to the owner.
⚠Don't stare at the dog & don't try to force an interaction by going in for a pat. If the dog wants to know you, it will come up to you & sniff around. Usually they will move away & then come back for a second sniffathon. Some dogs will bunt your hands & wag their tails, which are good signs that you're likely an accepted new friend. Give them a few slow pats down their back (NOT THEIR HEAD) & then stop. Is the dog happy? Has it accepted your interaction? This will determine whether you can give it more pats.

🐶This is a more stress free option for dogs & a reason why in consultations we can develop a good level of trust, especially with fearful dogs & aggressive dogs, without a bunch of negative side effects from forced interactions.

08/04/2020

With everyone starting to enjoy sweet local corn now...please be careful!

08/02/2020

Transported this cutie, Benji the Bernedoodle, from Victoria airport to his new owners in Nanaimo. 🥰

07/28/2020

07/25/2020

Spending the next week with this handsome fella, Trevor.

07/19/2020

Just some options. Fast food drive throughs offer free ice water you can use for your dog. (We are not promoting eating fast food. We’re just saying).

07/03/2020

06/30/2020

🚨🚨THE DEATH OF A CHILD OR PET IN 2020 IS 100% PREVENTABLE 🚨🚨

NEVER LEAVE PETS OR CHILDREN IN ANY VEHICLE DURING THE HOT WEATHER - WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO KEEP POSTING THESES WARNINGS FOR PEOPLE TO GET THE MESSAGE 😡😡

06/30/2020

Excellent read.

Socialization... it's probably not what you think it is.

Dogs go through a critical period of development that lasts roughly from 3 weeks-16 weeks of age. In this time, they're forming ideas and opinions about the world around them; good and bad. They're developing social bonds, and learning how their behaviour impacts other living creatures.

A dog that has a quality socialization program is one that will reach its fullest genetic potential.

Socialization is about giving them the tools and outlook on life to navigate through our society with minimal stress to themselves and others... now to my point.

If your entire plan for socializing your puppy is taking it to puppy classes, puppy play parties or the dog beach, you are GOING to have problems. Unfortunately, the idea that puppy-puppy or puppy-dog interactions constitute 'socialization' has been continually force fed to well-meaning, but misinformed pet professionals.

Either two things will come of such a plan...

1. Your puppy meets the wrong dog and has a bad experience. Bad experiences are just as bad as no experiences. A bad experience during the critical period can result in lasting negative impressions and behavioural problems; namely, fear and aggression.
2. Your dog has a positive experience. And that positive experience creates a positive value for other dogs. And their positive value out-competes the puppy's value in you. Doesn't sound that bad?

As it stands, the second problem is waaaay more common than the first. Right now, the issues associated with an extreme positive value in other dogs is taking up probably 70-80% of my workload. What issues are they, you ask?

- Inconsistent Recalls
- Poor Leash Walking Skills
- Reactivity (sometimes eventuating into aggression)
- What many refer to as 'selective deafness'; *Fido is perfect when it's just us, but as soon as he sees another dog...*

Just to name a few. And the thing is, most owners see all that 👆 as the problem. When in fact, it's just the various symptoms of the real problem; a poorly structured socialization program that's resulted in their dogs developing a TONNE of value in other dogs, and comparatively little in them. The owner. The one that feeds, walks, plays and loves them.

And the thing is, it's not the owner's fault. It's my own industry's. Other trainers. Well-known, well-read sciency-folk. And I don't know why other people aren't seeing the correlation. I very rarely see behavioural cases that stem from a LACK of experience, but that overwhelming stem from an extremely skewed socialization picture.

I'm sure the word 'socialization' is the problem too. It implies *social* experiences and interactions. When really we can broadly divide 'socialization' into social and environmental experiences. And of the 'social' experiences, MOST should entail NO direct interaction.

While a lot is missing from most owner's socialization programs, that's probably the biggest thing; they've never given value to themselves, particularly in the presence of other dogs. A huge part of what I do with my personal dogs is to take them around other controlled dogs, and pay them for looking at me. In their head, they're learning that other dogs are good (socialization), and that when they're around, I'm going to pay them really good stuff. Here, I'm giving myself value. I'm building the puppy's engagement in me.

Thus, what often becomes a distraction and a constant thorn in the side of obedience and manners, now becomes a cue to focus on me.

The graph below is an example of a (not very detailed) socialization plan. The exact percentages will differ between puppies a great deal, but the main point to note is that MEETING OTHER DOGS and MEETING PEOPLE constitute a tiny fraction of the whole shebang. And that ratio will stay relatively consistent across the board.

I'm not offering nor recommending any puppy classes anymore, with the exception of . I'm now offering private lesson programs which I've found to be infinitely more successful in preparing puppies for life. If you're after a class environment, I'd also recommend you check out . And for online training purposes (for my remote followers) check out by

06/26/2020

😊

Happy Friday

06/19/2020

Last week a friend’s dog had a close call with water intoxication. Her crew was playing in a local river when one of her Border Collies emerged staggering and vomiting liquid. Symptoms quickly worsened on the way to the vet, but after a few harrowing days, the dog was fortunate to make a full reco...

06/12/2020

When adopting a pet, especially a cat please remember this....

06/03/2020

Informative blog from the National Canine Research Council for Dog Bite Prevention Week -- http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/blog/please-dont-make-me-bite-you-a-dogs-eye-view-of-dog-bite-prevention/?doing_wp_cron=1400801775.6346089839935302734375

05/26/2020

😂

05/06/2020

Be safe out there!

04/27/2020

Puppy biting is normal. It comes with the territory. 😀 Remember this mantra to help mitigate the biting: interrupt and redirect. The checklist in the poster below lists different ways to redirect a puppy’s natural behavior. And most importantly, never punish puppy biting! You could actually make it worse because the puppy could become anxious and defensive.

04/15/2020

04/10/2020

It’s that time of year again!

Hey everyone! Please remember as it gets warmer out now to not leave your dogs or other animals in the car. Although it’s been a bit cooler on some days lately, it still warms up fast in the afternoons and that can catch some people off gaurd. Not realizing how fast it can get hot in your car and that can potentially cause serious harm to your dog. Hear stroke, brain damage and death. It can happen very fast. This is no joke. Especially for snub nose breeds, overweight dogs, dogs with heart conditions and seniors.

(Note: Some new electric cars, like a Tesla, have a “cooling” mode for animals and humans when the car is parked in the sun.)

Let’s all come together to do better! Stay safe, healthy and cool out there! 🐕☀️😰

03/16/2020

03/12/2020

Not pet friendly. Be careful while you busily disinfect.

03/11/2020

03/11/2020

❤️❤️❤️

03/09/2020

Happy Monday!

I provide one-to-one dog walks in the Saxe Point area in Esquimalt. I understand others provide dog walking, en masse, in the area as well. Which walk would you prefer your dog experience while you’re at work today?

I have three available slots between 10:30 am and 2:00 pm.

03/01/2020

Need a house and pet sitter for March Break? Give me a call @250-580-8447 as we’d love to keep your kitty safe while you go tubing! 😻

02/26/2020

I have several of these in my heart. ❤️