Emmy's Barking Lot

Staff pack walk ft. some awesome boarders! Something about dogs just being dogs together in the rain 🐾🌿

Wag hard, play harder is the motto! 🦴

Hopping into Easter weekend like 🐰🪺✨

First snow of the season! 😍 #snowday

In honor of ONSIE WEDNESDAY we put together ONE clip of our sweet pups today! 😍

We are not just any dog daycare. Yes our dogs enjoy a lot a free play, but our pack stays safe because of how much we work with every dog, every day. During yesterdays rainy afternoon, two handlers decide to get (nearly) the entire pack to do a down/stay together. Making this type of work fun for the dogs fosters a mutual respect and control that is so darn impressive. We are so proud of this team ❤️

Fun Fact Friday! It is probably one of the cutest things when a dog gets the zoomies. Especially when you know this is the sign of a healthy minded and happy dog! But did you know, the average dog can run at speeds as high as 20 mph and Greyhounds, the fastest dog breed, can hit speeds up to 45 mph! Even cooler: a Greyhound can actually outrun a Cheetah! A Cheetah can run as fast as 75 mph but can only maintain that speed for about a quarter of mile whereas a Greyhound can maintain a speed of 35 mph for about 7 miles. Part of the reason dogs can move this fast is because their shoulder blades are actually not attached to the rest of their skeleton, which allows for greater mobility. Next time you see your dog getting the zoomies, see if you can outrun them! They will love you joining their happy time :)

When life gives you 🍋s, make lemonade! 🍹 With one facility down today, our packs came together as one and it is a beautiful site!!! ☀️ 🐶 🤩

Fun Fact Friday! How do we keep everyone safe in one big pack with dogs of all ages, size and breeds? We monitor, interrupt, and encourage play - all day, every day! So… how do we keep the play safe? First thing’s first: play can look, sound, and feel very different depending on the parters. Is growling okay? YES! Is biting the neck okay? YES! Is laying on the floor just to make out okay? ABSOLUTELY! The number one thing we look for is even energy between two partners (yes only 2, 3 is a crowd!) No matter what style the dogs prefer, it is important that they take turns on top and bottom, they break apart and give space during play, and they BOTH actively go in for more. Our handlers keep an eye on all of these things and will redirect one of the players if they determine the play is not even. We will also break up any play we think is going a bit “over the top” when that play turns into overexcitement as this can lead to a discrepancy within the pack. Unsure which signs your dog is displaying when with a friend? Step in! Trust your gut - it’s always better to be safe than sorry!

Fun Fact Friday!

Fun Fact Friday! What’s the first thing you teach your new puppy? Sit, right? Basic command work- teaching your dog to sit, stay, come, etc. is so important for so many reasons and not just for that crazy puppy stage. One thing we like to brag about here at Emmy’s is that we “work” with your dog. 💪 That work includes a lot of different things, but basic commands are at the foundation of it for every individual dog. No matter the dogs age, daycare experience or training background- we will teach and then expect all our dogs to obey ‘sit, stay, wait, down and come’. This work enables us to not only establish our “alpha status” but to maintain trusting relationships with every dog. 🐶 They also come in handy when we need to lower the packs energy and establish safe play. Command work goes beyond getting your dog to listen to you (but don’t get me wrong- that in and of itself is SO important.) A dog who listens to commands will be more likely to respect the boundaries you’ve set and look to you for leadership when they’re feeling uncomfortable. While you may feel like you’re in the “oh but my pup is so good at home” category, we are here to tell you that dogs are WORK. Make sure you remain the leader of your household and practice command work with your dog. That way, the next time they want to chase off after a deer, or rush the guest entering your house, they will be more inclined to look to you first! 👏 Check out our Kingston pack all working a “down” command with implied “stay.” You all can get these results at home too, alpha! 😎

Fun Fact Friday! Emmy’s Barking Lot believes in balanced training. This means we tell our dogs “No.” when a behavior is unacceptable, and “Yes!” when they’re doing something good. To further enable us to communicate what's good behavior and what's not, we use tools! There are so many different kinds of training tools: slip leads, prongs, and e-collars are just a few. While we could easily dedicate multiple Fun Facts to each tool, for this post we want you to think about one thing: "could I benefit from a training tool?" 🐾 When used correctly, training tools are an amazing resource for us to have 100% trust in our dog's recall and manners! We can prevent unwanted behaviors like pulling, jumping, and even barking. A well trained dog's world is so much bigger, thanks to the tools we use to protect and guide them. We hear a lot of misinformation specifically regarding prongs and e-collars, which causes many to be apprehensive towards them. While all tools can be misused, it is important to point out that the tools themselves cannot abuse dogs, as they are just objects. Being trained by professionals to help you understand them can prevent this. It is important to find what tool works best with your individual dog AND you! It's important you feel comfortable and confident with your training so you can easily set your behavioral expectations. When our dogs know exactly what we want from them, they are more likely to make good choices! If you ever feel like you cannot do a certain activity with your dog due to their behavior, don't be afraid to explore your options. We are happy to provide recommendations as to what we think would work best for you and your dog! ** Buster is showing off his e-collar recall even when he reaaally wants to chase his favorite toy! 👏

Fun Fact Friday! You get what you pet! Read that again & say it outloud. That sentence alone could be our Fun Fact, but let’s break things down: Dogs like to be pet! They perceive your touch as confirmation that the behavior they are currently doing is what you want. Oftentimes we accidentally treat our beloved dog like a human, wanting to comfort them, and end up petting them at the wrong time! If a dog is showing signs of nervousness, trembling or cowering, and you start petting them in an attempt to comfort them, this is actually creating the opposite effect of what you want. Touching them, and even talking or looking at them, in this state of mind is actually rewarding them, telling them that you like them being nervous! The best thing to do for your dog in this state is to actually just ignore them - no touch, no talk, no eye contact- until they are relaxed or correct their behavior. This goes for any state of mind you do not want whether it’s nervousness, fear, or even over excitement as shown in this video. Another easy example of “accidental petting” is when your dog is jumping on you. In the first part of the video, Amy is petting Gaeta and talking to her in a high pitched, excited voice. Gaeta thinks Amy enjoys this behavior and continues to jump. The second part of the video gives Geata clearer instructions! Amy is clear with Gaeta that she doesn't like her jumping, and corrects the behavior. She removes her hands until Gaeta demonstrates the desired behavior, and then rewards the good behavior. Amy also rewards Gaeta’s shake, as that is her way of shaking off the pressure of trying to figure out what Amy’s expectations are. Remember, dogs don’t speak english. They learn best by physical touch, energy and body cues!

Fun Fact Friday! Did you realize that your energy has a direct effect on your dog? They feel your excitement, and if you're nervous or worried, they pick up those vibes too. It is SO important to come in with a calm and quiet energy...and here is why. The key to our success on the daycare floor is simple: we manage the energy of the room. When all of the dogs are on the same level, they are much more likely to get along! When the energy is unexpectedly heightened, dogs can become reactive because they don't know what caused the change. That reactivity can lead to dog on dog crime, with attempts to correct/tag eachother as an attempt to bring the energy back down. If you accidentally amp your dog up on the way into school, it will be transferred to the dogs and raise the energy in the entire pack. Have you seen how we walk all the dogs in on a slip lead to start the day? This is just one way we help transfer our "cool, calm & collected" energy onto an excitable dog coming in. :) A HUGE factor in the pack's energy is if they see something outside of their "normal" day. This is the reason why we ask the clients to back away from the door, or not to talk to the dogs. Many will react to a stranger trying to enter their territory or pack with an alert bark. This bark signals to the rest of the group that there is a danger nearby and the energy will erupt! Unfortunately, this eruption can easily turn into a pack fight if not handled correctly. The video is a beautiful example of this. As you can see in this video, the pack's energy is gorgeous - all the dogs are playing nicely or taking a break. When our "stranger," Sam, walks up to the door and starts talking to them, the room explodes. (Don't worry - no fights broke out in the making of this video!) It takes a lot of trust in the handlers for the dogs to know they are able to relax and go back to that beautiful & calm state. Lastly, if you have trouble leashing up your dog at the end up the night, check you