Wanderpups Dog Walking

04/29/2024

Been slacking on posting lately because life. But we went up to Lewes Beach for a short weekend getaway and brought Jax with us. We have not been to a beach with him since 2019 because Covid plus two kids added to the family kept us busy for the last five years. But I couldn’t help but notice that Jax had slowed down a bit and it made me sad and I started flipping through the thousands of photos I have of him and that made me a little sadder. I hope the saying is true that small dogs live forever because the first ten years with Jax have flown by and I need many more beach trips with my OG.

With a dog walking business, you meet so many dogs. You meet them often the first week they come to live in their forever homes. You help potty train them as puppies, hold tight to their leashes as they lunge and bark through adolescence, and help them off the couch and down the stairs as their muzzles turn gray and their joints stiffen. We’ve been in business long enough to walk some dogs their entire lives. It’s a sober reminder to live life in the present and enjoy every minute because it really does fly by. It’s a cliche but it’s true. I’d say take your dog for an extra walk today but it’s hot as hell in DC so maybe just a treat and some extra pets instead.

Anyway, sorry for the sappy post.

03/12/2024

Check out the op Ed I wrote for the LA Times!

Bites are sending record numbers of Californians to the ER. Here's how to prevent that from happening to you.

02/01/2024

01/11/2024

People have asked what the difference is between hiring an independent walker, or someone off wag or rover vs a company like us. Well, I think there are good and bad people everywhere, BUT if you go with us, a professional dog walking business, we have systems and processes and a TEAM in place to make sure your dog gets out.

I interview and screen all of our walkers so you don’t have to. I only hire people that align with our values, and who will go above and beyond to take the best care of all their dog (and cat) clients. And I’m very quick to fire when I see behavior that conflicts with these values.

Our dog walkers have support if something goes wrong and they are held up. We have constant communication and are always adjusting throughout the day to ensure every doggie client gets their daily walk. You won’t just get a no show or someone telling you they can’t make it to walk your dog at the last minute.

We’ve definitely made mistakes and I’ve had some “learning experiences” as a business owner and employer, but no one is quicker to own up to any mistakes and make corrections as needed because we have respect and compassion for the animals in our care.

Short story: our dog walkers try really really hard. And it’s nice to get notes like this :)

12/12/2023

Who's ready for some behaviour neuroscience?

When dogs are exposed to long periods of social isolation neurons in the brain produce Tachykinin. A neuropeptide that affects behaviour.

Humans release it too.

What does it do?

It increases levels of aggression and fear. Which causes chronic stress.

Which is why we all need friends.

Including your dog.

For reactivity sessions and workshops send us a DM.

11/25/2023

Been a little quiet over here as we welcomed our newest addition, Ellie Maeve, on Nov 10th.

Sincere apologies if I’ve been slow to respond from any of our platforms as we figure out this new dynamic.

You can see how excited Jax is about adding another kid to the house…and to the car. This mini countryman isn’t gonna cut it.

He’s pretty much unfazed by the second baby, while the first made his whole world come crashing down. He is, however, very tired as he has been waking up when we wake up throughout the night.

11/21/2023

11/04/2023

09/17/2023

Yoda is a member of a tactical unit from El Paso, Texas. The American Kennel Club calls the Belgian Malinois a “smart, confident, and versatile” breed that works hard and forms unbreakable bonds.

09/14/2023

Who's a good boy!! U S Customs and Border Patrol K9 Yoda who detained escapee. This convict stabbed his girlfriend 38 times in front of her 3 & 7 yr. old kids. Convicted & escaped. After 14 days on the run, stole a van, stole a .22 rifle with scope & flashlight, stole boots & clothes, broke into several homes, shot at a farmer, in the end, no match for HERO K9 YODA!

06/25/2023

After a decade in the dog business, a training certification, and a masters in canine science, I’ve learned a LOT about dogs. But the one thing that really jumps out at me is how little, we as a society know about dogs. I’m still learning things every single day. I’ve seen even the most well meaning and committed dog owners completely miss signs of distress in their own dogs. All. The. Time.

Needless to say, I think there is a huge gap in awareness and education. Many people send their dogs to basic obedience training and call it a day. That’s great, but training really only teaches you how to tell a dog what to do. It doesn’t facilitate two-way communication or emphasize the importance of understanding your dog’s language. Something pretty important since you literally have a live animal with free will, instincts, and sharp teeth living in your house 😬
Kinda crazy if you think about it.

Anyway… Wanderpups is expanding its scope from a midday dog walking company to a brand committed to spreading awareness and education to average dog owners who want to live the best lives possible with their dogs. Because that’s most of us.

To get the ball rolling, I’ve created a simple list of 5 signs you may be missing that your dog is uncomfortable and does not want to interact.
These are signs I see exhibited by dogs and missed by people every single day just on walks around my neighborhood.

Click the link below and drop your name and email to access those five signs and stay with me if you want to continue basic dog stuff in an easy to digest way.

We’re starting waaaay simple to gauge interest and for me to get the hang of all these apps and tech. All feedback welcome. Just don’t be a troll cuz you’ll be deleted or outwitted. Or worse, just ignored.

Dogs have their own language, drop your name to learn more about dog body language.

06/07/2023

Jax desperately needed his hair cut, but I do think the temporary lack of scruff totally throws off his signature f u vibe. Kinda like if I all of a sudden lost my RBF. But no haircut could do that, obviously.

Thanks for taking such great care of my brown-eyed boy yet again.

06/05/2023

Has your dog ever had a big reaction to something seemingly benign that he usually would barely notice? Then “trigger stacking” is probably what happened.

If your dog is normally fine with scooters but one day he gets highly reactive when he sees one, think of there was anything leading up to that point that could have made him more sensitive. A loud ambulance going by, an uncomfortable encounter with a dog, and then maybe a child approaching him head on. All these things would have built up and out the dog on edge. So the next thing to happen, no matter how small, was always going to cause a bigger reaction than if that thing happened without the build up.

This is especially important to notice if you are taking your dog to interact with new people or dogs or children. Petting that your dog might normally tolerate, could turn into a growling or biting situation.

Trigger stacking happens in humans too so I’m sure you can relate.

The takeaway? Know your dog and know the their signs of distress.

If you want to learn more about this and other basic dog behaviors and body language, try out my course!

Link in bio for more info.

06/04/2023

A little reminder that management is just as (if not more) important than training. Dogs are dogs. They are doing the best they can, but they are not human and should not have human expectations put onto them.

A dog doesn’t know that chewing the couch is bad and expensive. They know they are bored or anxious when you leave, or chewing the couch is just plain fun. If you know your dog engages in inappropriate chewing, SET THEM UP FOR SUCCESS. don’t give them access to those things unsupervised. Give them appropriate things to chew instead. Make sure their other physical and mental needs are being met. MANAGE the situation.

You know your dog has lots of energy at 5pm and tends to be overly energetic at the dog park, and this leads to altercations. SET YOUR DOG UP FOR SUCCESS. exercise them before taking them to the dog park. Don’t take them at the busiest time. Make sure they are calm before they enter. I personally don’t like dog parks, but I know many people take their dogs to them. So MANAGE THE SITUATION to ensure a positive experience for all.

Those are just two examples, but the bottom line is you have all the power to control your dog’s environment. Management is just as important as training. And, honestly, some things will have to be managed forever because you can’t train the dog out of the dog. And that’s ok.

06/04/2023

This doughnut-eating raccoon proves that everyone runs on Dunkin’.

05/07/2023

Sundays are for Slothy.

05/02/2023

This actually ddoesn’t surprise me at all…

ER visits because of fractures, sprains, head and other injuries from walking a leashed dog increased in the past two decades, a study shows.

05/01/2023

05/01/2023

Thinking about how e-collars are now officially banned in England.

So look. E collars, when used 💯 correctly with impeccable timing and amazing precision can be a useful tool, so I’m not bashing without acknowledging that.

BUT the fact is, most trainers (remember the training industry isn’t regulated), and definitely most average pet owners, do not possess the knowledge, training and skill required to use an e collar effectively. Because of this, e collar use often results in a negative association and increased stress and anxiety for dogs.

What scares me most is that some research has shown that e collars cause dogs to shut down, which means they don’t exhibit any behavior because they don’t understand what they are being punished for or what behavior will cause the punishment. Shut down dogs are not happy, healthy dogs. And they have learned that it isn’t okay to communicate. So they don’t. Sounds like a ticking time bomb to me.

Bottom line: MOST of the time, E collars are abused and slapped on dog’s necks for a quick fix (and quick money for the “trainer”). Be very weary of trainers and companies that taut the e collar as their primary tool and use them immediately regardless of your behavior goals. There are no quick fixes in dog behavior, at least none that aren’t detrimental to the dog’s psyche.

So I think the ban is a good thing because I do think it will overall decrease the irresponsible use of e collars, which is a win.

What are your thoughts on e collars?

04/30/2023

It’s important to understand basic body language to understand your dog’s limitations. It’s equally important to understand context and the environment and how these affect your dog’s behavior.

Example: my dog will allow people to pet his side when he is OFF LEASH and he is nowhere near anything that is valuable to him.

Things that are valuable to him include his food, his water, his family, his house, the couch, his sloth toy). If a stranger tried to pet him near any of those things there would be growling and snapping.

This is especially important with young children. He is much more tolerant of my daughter on neutral territory even though he lives with her. She can hold his leash, pet him all she wants, but if she tries to do these same things near his food bowl or his bed, etc, there will be growling. He tolerates her less when he feels his resources are threatened. He’s gotten better, but will always have resource guarding issues, so instead of breaking our necks trying to train it out of him, we manage the situation.

His resources are never available to my daughter. They used to be separated by a gate. Now that she’s older, she understands his “ grumpy zones” and stays away from them.

It’s a good idea to teach your kids that there are certain areas that are off limits to them. This will help your dog feel safe and prevent potential bites. This should be done EVEN if your dog doesn’t have resource guarding behavior. ANY dog can be pushed over the edge.

80% of bites to children happen IN the home with familiar dogs. My guess is that kids aren’t given boundaries, parents aren’t reading body language and dogs have no safe space. You’re the adult. Set your dogs and your kids up for success.

Could you benefit from learning more about how kids should interact with dogs? Tag someone who could.

📸: totally unrelated, but spreading the joy of Barry with the wind in his hair

04/29/2023

Humans wouldn't feel satisfied or happy if they only ever ran marathons, went to the gym, and exercised physically.

They would reach a stage where they were craving mental stimulation, social interaction, and time to rest.

This is the exact same scenario our dogs are often faced with. People suggest more exercise, play more, move more, do more. More, more, more. This will solve all your behaviour issues, right?

Not necessarily! Your dog is likely crying out for some mental stimulation. A balance of brain exercise and physical exercise is the key to your dog's long-term happiness ❤️

04/29/2023

Why a ban on shock collars is good for dogs’ welfare.