The Dog House Pet Services

17/05/2023

As the Summer holidays approach I want to let you all know of a few dates I will be unavailable as I will be travelling for dog shows.

June 8-10
June 30th
August 25th - September 3rd

The rest of the Summer is booking fast so please let me know ASAP if you are going to need me so I can book your spot!
Happy travels!

24/02/2022

These Sweet puppies are available for adoption from the same rescue that blessed me with Maris. They are all 10 weeks old and their info can be found on the petfinder link. Mama dog is also looking for her forever home. She is 2-3 years old and looks to be a Catahoula Leopard Hound mix. She is super sweet, crate and potty trained, loves agility and would be an awesome running buddy. Please share with anyone looking for a puppy or an active partner for dog sports!

Information from the rescue - The names and exact circumstances change but the basic story is always the same: unwanted, unloved, neglected puppies are brought into rescue by caring volunteers where they are safe, fed quality food, vetted and loved. And then they are available for adoption to the best homes we can find…❤️
Please share so these six can go home soonest!


https://www.petfinder.com/search/pets-for-adoption/...

17/01/2022

An important lesson! Behavior that is rewarded gets repeated. Make sure you always praise your dog when they are doing the behavior you want, in these specific examples "yes!" and then a treat or pet when they look at you would be appropriate. If the dog is laying calmly chewing a bone, then you want to match that and praise calmly, "Good quiet" or "good settle" for example.

17/01/2022

Good morning everyone! I hope you are enjoying the snow!

It's that time of year again, the nomination period for Northern Virginia Magazine's 'Best of NOVA' pet care awards.

I would be honored and so grateful if you could take a moment to visit the link below and cast your vote for 'The Dog House Pet Services LLC' in the pet sitting and dog walking and / or training and behavior categories. Thank you all so much!!
https://northernvirginiamag.com/best-pet-care-poll/?fbclid=IwAR3N508PGXlA4lW3BcH0WbX-RTawkiG7E52Ia2ekqbcjNrckOuKfjiGbsUw

Help us find the best pet care services in Northern Virginia by nominating your favorite pet-friendly groomers, walkers, and businesses.

01/01/2022

Happy New Year 2022!!
January 1st marks the 3 year anniversary of The Dog House Pet Services and the end of a wonderful, crazy, busy year. I am so grateful for each and every one of you!
Look out for new training classes in the Spring, including Animal Actor, Canine Conditioning and Stunt Dog! If anyone knows of a space suitable for a training studio or even a few workshops nearby let me know!

25/12/2021

Merry Christmas from The Dog House! We are running around like mad looking after pets but still found time to enjoy a little Christmas food and fun!
I just wanted to thank you all so very much for all the lovely cards and gifts! I feel very blessed!
I hope you are all having a happy, peaceful, healthy Christmas! Look out for more training classes and workshops, (including the new Animal Actors program), in the new year!

15/12/2021

Mason and Berkeley are so much fun to work with! Today they graduated our new family dog class and passed both their AKC STAR puppy tests and Novice tricks tests! Great job guys! In the New Year they are going to be taking my Animal Acting class. ❤️

22/11/2021

Happy Thanksgiving week from The Dog House Pet Services! I hope you all have a wonderful safe holiday with family and friends.
I have a lot to be thankful for with all my wonderful clients and I am happy I will be seeing so many of you over the holidays :)
All my Thanksgiving slots are filled, thank you! I do have 2 spots left for Christmas week so let me know quickly if you would like to reserve one of those. If you have already reserved a holiday spot and your plans change, please let me know as soon as possible. ❤

22/10/2021

Congratulations to siblings Berkeley and Mason for graduating puppy foundations and passing your Home Manners tests!
The pups and their owners have been very diligent with their training between sessions and have created wonderful strong bonds. They are all enjoying spending time together and we are looking forward to continuing our sessions with my new ‘Happy Families’ course!
Great job guys!!

13/10/2021

Good morning! Fall is officially here and what a crazy Summer it has been here at The Dog House! I have only had one single day off since March and I am absolutely exhausted, grateful, but exhausted! So I am taking some much needed vacation time to rest and recover a little before the holidays.
I will not be available for pet sitting on the following dates -
October 15-17
October 23 and 24
October 30 and 31
November 3-7
The evening of November 18th and afternoon November 20th / morning November 21st.

I know this is far ahead but I am also not taking bookings for the last week in April and first week in May 2022. My brother is getting married May 1st and we are hoping to go back to England for it.

I am also going to limit bookings over Thanksgiving and Christmas to 5 slots and I am not taking any off development jobs at those times. This way hopefully I can spend a little time with my family.
If you know you are going to need me to pet sit over the holidays please let me know well in advance so I don't get booked up. I hate having to turn people away! Right now I have 3 spots open for Thanksgiving and 2 for Christmas. Usually I do not have a cancellation policy but for the holiday period I would ask that cancellations be made more than 5 days in advance so that I can open up that slot to others.
The most important thing to me is that your pets are happy and I can give everybody my full attention so I am not going to spread myself too thin. But I do need to take some time to spend with my own pets and family as well. Thank you for your understanding! Enjoy the lovely fall weather!

12/10/2021

Here is something fun you can do with your dogs this fall! The AKC FIT DOG Turkey Trot! Walk or run 5K (3.1 miles) between October 10th and November 30th and receive a medal. All proceeds go to the Humane Society. See link for full details. https://www.akc.org/sports/akc-family-dog-program/akc-fit-dog/turkey-trot/

The AKC FIT DOG Turkey Trot is a virtual 5K (3.1 miles) that people do with their dogs. This non-competitive 5K Turkey Trot can be done all at one time, or in smaller segments on multiple days so that everyone (people and dogs) can participate at their own pace. This can be a walk or run activity.

20/08/2021

Training has been on hiatus while I’ve been so busy with pet sitting over the summer, so I have loved working with sweet Kona! Kona graduated puppy foundations yesterday and passed her AKC STAR puppy test! She really is a star puppy and I can’t wait to continue her training in the fall!

12/07/2021

Congratulations Milo!! Handsome puppy Milo needed some work on focus and impulse control. We used a combination of foundation skills and tricks to keep his mind and body active and give him alternate behaviors to jumping and biting. Milo did a fantastic job and learns really quickly. He is much calmer and he and his owner share a wonderful bond. Milo rocked the home manners test and also the AKC and DMWYD novice tricks tests! Great job guys!!

30/06/2021

13 week old Kona the Great Dane puppy did a fabulous job at her Pre-K graduation today! She aced the home manners test and had a great time on the obstacle course, she kept going back and taking herself through it! What a star! I look forward to starting Puppy Foundations / AKC STAR puppy with her next week!

20/06/2021

https://recallers.com/?utm_source=sg&utm_medium=email&utm_term=inv3&utm_content&utm_campaign=r2021&cid=461702

Free Susan Garrett 'Dogs are Amazing' masterclass starts soon! Follow the link to sign up! Susan shows you games to play with your dog to increase their focus on your and improve your bond.

Get Your FREE eBook and Join The Dogs Are Amazing Masterclass Starting June 21st.

18/06/2021

I have been working a solid 24 hours a day for the last 6 days, this came up on my feed this morning and was too good not to share!

11/06/2021

They grow up so fast!! I'm going to miss this dude for the next couple of months. Have a great Summer Cooper!

27/05/2021

Oh no! He’s caught the Corona!!
He’s a good boy though, he proudly carried it home to recycle.

21/05/2021

Huge congratulations to siblings Hunter and Knox who graduated puppy foundations today! They have both done an awesome job concentrating and learning new skills! Great job guys!!

20/05/2021

Congratulations to Cooper for passing his home manners test and graduating puppy pre-k today! Cooper is such a chill little dude for only 4 months old, he concentrates really well and learns everything so quickly. Great job Cooper and family!! ❤️

28/04/2021

Who is ready for another DMWYD challenge?! May's challenge is a fitness challenge and most of you are probably doing this every day!
All you have to do is run or speed walk 2K (1.24 miles) with your dog, send me proof, and once I have approved it you send off for your 2K-9 title!
You should always keep your and your dog's safety in mind, you do not have to sprint! Just enjoy a walk in the sunshine with your four legged friend! You can even sign up for a tracking app and earn money for charity as you walk!
I look forward to seeing your photos!

27/04/2021

Lexie is an absolute star! Today she graduated her CGC preparation class and passed her Canine Good Citizen test! She’s doing so well!! Love this smart girl!