We walk dogs, its our business. We cover a huge territory-from Mequon to Pleasant Prairie, all the way west to Pewaukee, and over the years, we have come in contact with many dogs, and twice as many dog parents.
When bringing on a new daily dog walking or pet sitting client, we ask a lot of questions. These questions are gauged at us looking for the perfect fit in a client, and likewise; you trying to see if we are the best fit for your pooch. We don’t believe in getting started with you if you will not be a good, long term client and we can’t develop a long term relationship with you. Just as much as you want to like us, we want the same with you and your pets.
One of the questions we always ask is “How is your dog on a leash?” If I hear a split second beat-I know it. Challenged. A weaver and bobber, perhaps? A dog who may have leash aggression? Or, how about a puppy who has only been walked by his or her owner and will have no part of a new person coming into his or her home to take them out for a stroll?
One of our biggest challenges is what I’ll refer to as “The Puller.” This particular client walks beautifully for Mom or Dad, but once that leash in the hands of a professional, all heck breaks lose. Over the years we’ve had shoulder, wrist and pelvic injuries and time off for therapy. We’ve even had someone give notice after one short week because its too strenuous. Our feet have worn out, our knees twisted and meniscus torn/surgically repaired due to pullers, and frankly, unless you can supply the proper equipment for us to do our jobs safely and enjoyably, please don’t ask us to correct a training issue that you have turned a blind eye to. Its just not right.
We are not magicians. We don’t know how to magically get Fluffy to stop pulling us down an icy street or towards a tree. And as we aren’t members of the Eastern European Olympic wrestling corp, we probably don’t have the upper body strength to do the work. If you have a dog, and he pulls, get corrective gear, invest the time and work with a trainer, or attend group classes. Dogs, like GPS, don’t automatically correct their mistakes, even though we would love if if they do.
