Big Wags Chicago Dog Training and Dog Walking

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Big Wags Chicago Dog Training and Dog Walking

Welcome to Big Wags Chicago. We can't wait to work with you and your dog! Big wags! Welcome to the Facebook home of Big Wags Chicago!
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I’m Eris Mayeroff (genderq***r; pronouns: they/them) and I’m the owner and Chief Canine Officer of this outfit. Working with dogs is Adulthood 2.0 for me. After burning out on a career in journalism, I decided to do something completely different. I started walking dogs for Chicago Dog Walkers in 2013, just as a way to make extra money. After a couple unsatisfying attempts to get back into the jou

rnalism world, I decided to let my life go to the dogs. I’ve worked with dogs in a few different ways. I’ve worked as a trainer and walker, of course. But I’ve also worked in shelters and at a daycare and boarding facility as their in-house trainer. Each has taught me something and has given me opportunities to meet and help all sorts of dogs, which is the best part. In my spare time, you can find me spending time with my fuzzy family - my partner and our dog, Bodhi. Our older pup, Chester, recently passed away at the ripe old age of 14. I also love finding the best beer menus in the city, working on my darts game, watching professional darts (and dreaming of one day being as good as Luke Littler or Michael Van Gerwen) and going to White Sox games. Thanks for being a part of this journey with me.

11/20/2024

Rosie decided she needed to plop herself in my lap after Tuesday's walk.

11/18/2024

Hey y'all!

So ... normally I hate talking until at least the start of . But I'll be on vacation at that point, so I figured now's as good a time as any to put this out there.

For the first time, you can get the lover in your life a Big Wags Chicago gift certificate! They can be for any amount you like and are good for both and services.

As a heads-up, gift cards can only be used for walking services if the person receiving the certificate lives in my walking service area, which can be found at https://bigwagschicago.com/services. And if you're not getting the certificate for a current walking client, please check to make sure my schedule can accommodate new walking clients. Thanks!

Certificates can be used for training anywhere in the city. They can also be used for virtual training sessions, so if your friend in Fiji needs some help with their dog, get 'em a gift card! 🐶

To get a gift card, email [email protected] with "gift card" in the subject line. Tell me the amount you'd like on it and you'll receive it via email. Or you can have it sent to the recipient directly!

Happy early holidays, y'all! Photo of my former student, Zorro, for tax!

11/14/2024

Hey all! We got a new Hound Opinions out today.

As a heads-up, this one has a lot of talk about pet death. My guest is Dr. Amy Myers. She's a veterinarian with Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice. They're a service that provides veterinary hospice care and in-home euthanasia in the Chicagoland area.

I speak with Dr. Myers about how she got into the veterinary hospice field and why it's so important. But again, it gets heavy. So be ready for it.

Get it here - https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/bigwagschicago/episodes/Lap-of-LoveVeterinary-Hospice-e2qtf0n - or wherever you get your .

11/11/2024

Ok, taking a quick break from dog content to tell you about something really cool!

So I just saw this production of A Midsummer Night's Dream by Babes With Blades. And it was the funniest damn thing I've seen onstage in a long time. Seriously, you'll probably laugh so hard you p*e yourself before intermission, so prepare accordingly.

On top of all that, some really cool people are involved in this production. So just go see it before it closes on the 23rd. And if you can't get there in person, there are also four more remote access (streaming) performances. So you have no excuse to miss it.

Get your tickets here: https://babeswithblades.org/fall-2024-bwbtc-a-midsummer-nights-dream/

Go now!

11/07/2024

Rosie always makes me feel better. Even when the world is a flaming hellscape.

11/07/2024

Dolly looks like we were all feeling on Wednesday.

11/04/2024

Ok, y'all. It's been a slog and I know we're all anxious. Tomorrow is election day. And I'm begging you, if you haven't yet, vote.

And once you've voted, please take care of yourselves. Like I said, it's been a slog and we're all filled with anxiety. Remember, you don't have to spend all day and night watching election returns. You don't have to keep up with every single thing Steve Kornacki shows you on his big board. You're allowed to tune out. You're allowed to disconnect. And if that's what you need, do it.

But seriously ... don't forget to vote.

10/31/2024

We have a new Hound Opinions out today, y'all! We're talking about decompression - what it is, why it's important and how to help your dog decompress! Check it out wherever you get your podcasts!

Decompression is incredibly important for your dog's mental and physical health. But what is it exactly? And when does a dog need to decompress? And how do you help a dog decompress? I get into all of that in this episode, so sit back and enjoy! Quick note – this episode drops on Thursday, October...

10/29/2024

With only a week to go before Election Day, some of the pups got political.

10/29/2024

Photos and videos I take during training sessions and walks. It's so cool to watch dogs and people learning together. Also, my clients are super cute, so you all should see them.

10/24/2024

Elwood wants you to make sure you have a plan to .

10/22/2024

Rosie was very excited to see me today.

10/21/2024

Ok, so I know I've been straying from the regular dog content of late, but sometimes, there are non-dog things about the world that need to be addressed.

A Texas county has made the decision to force its libraries to reclassify the non-fiction children's book Colonization and the Wampanoag Story as fiction. Let's be clear: The book is, according to a letter signed by several groups opposing the reclassification, "a carefully researched, fact-based account of the Indigenous perspective of the tribes of the New England area on the impacts of European colonization." Let's be clear again: Library systems across Texas, the book's publisher and the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS all recognize this book as non-fiction.

Let that sink in. An appointed committee that, according to the article, meets in secret, gives no explanation for its decision and whose decisions CANNOT be appealed, decided that a factual account of the early parts of this country's history is a work of fiction. Further, this committee then exercised its mysterious power to force libraries in this county to put this book in the fiction section. Let. That. Sink. In.

This country has a long history of whitewashing the tale of how this country started. But this goes beyond that. If this committee can simply decide that this particular factual account of our country's early days is actually a work of fiction, it can decide ANYTHING is fiction. Or it can decide anything is fact. Again, let that sink in. This committee has given itself the power to decide what is true and what is false.

And THAT, people, is why I wanted to bring this up. It's important that we pay attention to this because there are people all over the country - and not just in heavily red states like Texas - that are trying to give themselves the same power to decide fact and fiction as this committee in Texas.

We cannot stand idly by and let it happen. It's why we need to pay attention. It's why we need to vote to make sure people like those on this committee are never given power. And it's why sometimes, I make the decision to get heated about non-dog things on this page.

I admit I wish there were more I could do here. But there are already many efforts underway to get the Texas decision reversed. So I'll simply close with this: This country's history is, to put it VERY mildly, complicated. And since this country came to be, the most complicated and terrible parts of that history have been misrepresented, ignored and completely erased in the name of "patriotism". We are, as a nation, long past due for a reckoning with that complicated and awful history. We can't change the past, but we can acknowledge and learn about it so that the worst parts of it are less likely to happen again.

Ok, we'll get back to dog content soon.

If government officials can dismiss a well-researched, factual account of history as fiction, then what other truths will they try to silence?

10/18/2024

We absolutely need this in Chicago!

The town of Swansboro now has a new chip scanning station… it is located at the public safety facility in front of the police station.
If you find a lost dog or cat …. take them to the scanning station and scan for a chip.
The service is free and self explanatory. This station will help you reach the Chip company which will contact the animals parents. It also provides information if the animal does not have a chip and what to do.

If your town or community is interested in a station reach out to Paws 4 Purpose . Paws 4 Purpose is a rescue organization that has many initiatives to help the animals in our county.

10/17/2024

It's apparently National Pasta Day! So go eat some pasta! Also ...

NEW HOUND OPINIONS!

This time around I talk to Dr. Matt Lemmons of MedVet Indianapolis about the importance of pet dental health and why you really shouldn't neglect it.

Check it out at the link below or wherever you get your podcasts!

Sorry for the delay. But I think the wait will be worth it. On the pod with me this time is Dr. Matt Lemmons, DVM and we dive into the world of pet dental health. We talk about why it's so important and why you can't neglect it. Matt's a veterinary dentist at MedVet in Indianapolis and a Diplomate o...

10/14/2024

Bodhi wants to remind you that Christopher Columbus was an enslaving and genocidal murderer, child ra**st, colonizer, brutal tyrant and s*x trafficker.

For more information on why the national holiday honoring Christopher Columbus is bu****it, check out these links:

https://www.history.com/news/columbus-day-controversy
https://grist.org/politics/heres-the-real-story-of-columbus-that-people-prefer-to-ignore/

If you're going to celebrate anything today, it should be Indigenous Peoples' Day. While not yet a federal holiday, Indigenous Peoples' Day has been formally recognized by the Biden administration since 2021. For more information about it, here's a good link to start with: https://www.history.com/news/indigenous-peoples-day-history

I think it's time we stopped celebrating , and . It's time to end Columbus Day for good.

10/11/2024

Once again, we're taking a brief break from our regular pup content. Why? Because today is National Coming Out Day and as a proud q***r person and business owner, I wanted to talk about it.

I'm really damn lucky that when I came out, it was a fairly smooth experience. I have a spouse (who is also q***r) who loves me no matter how I identify. I have friends who have my back. My biological family has been super accepting. And all of you, the Big Wags Family, have been incredibly supportive of me since I came out.

And for all of that, I'm extremely grateful.

But my experience is my own and I acknowledge that it's rarely that smooth. I'm lucky as hell that I'm able to live openly and proudly as a genderq***r person. But it's not easy to live as our authentic selves in this world.

To those not ready to come out, to those for whom it's unsafe to come out and to anyone who doesn't feel like they can be their authentic self, I'll say this: I see you and I've got your back.

And that's why today's important, I think. I'm so fortunate to be in a situation where I can loudly, proudly proclaim and own my q***rness. I can only hope that doing so today and every day eventually makes it a bit easier for others to do the same.

With love, gratitude and q***r joy,
- Eris Mayeroff
They/Them
***r
Owner/Chief Canine Officer - Big Wags Chicago

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Chicago, IL
60649

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https://www.bigwagschicago.com/

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Videos

Got a chance to do some ghost walking with Sam and his mom, Katie, on Thursday. Ghost walking is one of my favorite leash walking exercises because it helps both dog and handler learn what it feels like to have a walk where there's absolutely no tension on the leash. Katie was so confident (especially at the part where Sam got distracted by someone coming out of the gate) and Sam was so focused.

Ok, so I love posting videos of appropriate #dog play. Especially when it's rough-looking appropriate dog play. I think it's helpful to see play that LOOKS rough and explain why it's still very appropriate. That said ... You'll probably notice that both Bodhi and our foster, Damien (he's the #husky) are both moving very quickly. They're mouthing each other occasionally. They're vocalizing a lot, including some growls and barks. And it just kind of looks rough and if you're not totally sure what you're looking at, you might think it's a little scary-looking. I totally get it. But let me talk about why this is actually incredibly appropriate play. First - it's equal. If you watch closely, you'll see that they're going back and forth a lot. Bodhi will chase Damien and then Damien will chase Bodhi. Damien will lay down and then Bodhi will lay down. Bodhi will bounce on Damien and Damien will bounce on Bodhi. It's equal. It's fair. Nobody's being pushy. They're taking turns and going back and forth. Another important detail to note is that they're not constantly moving. They're taking very quick breaks between bounces and between chases. Those little breaks are super important because they allow the #dogs to kind of reset and check in with each other. Basically, each break, they're asking each other "You still cool? We still going?" And at the end, when they separate, neither dog is trying to keep playing. They let each other disengage. Finally, I'll address the mouthiness they're both showing. Note that neither is biting down. They're just opening their mouths and putting them on each other. And they're not doing it constantly. When it comes to play, every dog has their own style. In this case, the dogs are playing fast, bouncy and a little mouthy. That's their style. And it's really cool that they're doing this even though Damien's only been here a week. Some dogs prefer slower play, some dogs prefer faster and rougher. Some dogs like to play loud, some dogs do