Chicago Readers Best of Chicago 2012
Source The Chicago Reader annual “Best of Chicago” poll is currently open and we would love for you to vote for Cruisin’ Canines for Chicago Best Dog Walker!! Go to: http://bit.ly/MkmHHh Fill in your name, email address and the security text and click ‘Begin’ Locate “best dog walker” and type in Cruisin Canines (you can vote for as few categories as you would like) Click ‘Save and Exit’ when you are completed and hopefully we are on our way to winning!! You vote as many times as you would like! Voting ends on Friday May 25th at 12pm Thanks in advance from your Chicago dog walker, Cruisin’ Canines!
Anti-Cruelty Society’s Bark in the Park 2012
The results are in! Team Cruisin’ Canines raised the most money for a team! Thanks to everyone that participated with us and to everyone who donated!! We ended up raising $2200.00 as a team!! Honorable mention goes to the Mohn family who raised $495.00!!! It was great to see and meet everyone and we are very excited to participate next year again! Pam and her daughter Dani accepting the award for the Team who raised the most money for Bark in the Park!!! Hooray for your favorite Chicago dog walking company!!!
Cruisin’ Canines Friday Favorites!!
Your Chicago Dog Walkers’ Favorites of the Week! Favorite Tip: Help your pooch learn to behave and follow instructions. Be consistant, patient and remember to be a dog while training. Favorite Dog Treat: Carob Dipped Dog Biscuits. Every dog deserves and indulgence every once in awhile! Favorite Fact: Top 10 Dogs for kids. The #1 is definetly what you would think it would be :). Favorite Video: Weimaraner sniffs dog fart and makes a funny face! Probably completley staged but still good for a laugh 🙂 Your Chicago Dog Walker wants to wish you a happy and hopefully sunny weekend!!!
Puppy 101 –‘Loose’ Leash Training Your New Chicago Puppy
There are few better cities for dog owners than Chicago. Dog walking abounds with the dog friendly parks and scenic streets. And who doesn’t want to have a loyal and loving canine pal in their apartment or home to, well, come home to? But to have a comfortable life with your pooch you need to have hassle free walks as a Chicago dog walker. There is no better time to start properly leash training your dog than when they are puppies. So to help bring you into the fold of the proper Chicago dog walkers, here are some tips to leash train your new puppy. Step 1 – Puppies First Collar Your dog will be spending a lot of time wearing a collar, whither for identification reasons or to have a place to attach the leash to. As soon as your new puppy is home you want him to start getting used to this Chicago dog walker tool. There’s no reason to get fancy with the collar, but something light weight and leather will be perfect for durability. Slip the collar on while your pup is eating or playing so that he doesn’t become fixated on it or try and treat the collar like a toy. Chances are he’s probably going to try and get out of it (you were no different when you were a baby) so keep the collar comfortably snug and supervise to make sure your puppy doesn’t dislodge it and begin chewing it up. As long as your dog is aware of the collar it’s important that you don’t take it off of him. Wait until he forgets about it before taking the collar off so you don’t instill bad habits. Step 2 – Puppies First Leash Leashes are soon to be an object that inspires happiness when your puppy is properly introduced to it. You want to gently introduce your puppy to the leash so that they do not associate it with fearful things and instead are happy to be on the leash. Nothing is more tiresome for Chicago dog walkers than a dog who does not want to be on a leash! Buy a lightweight and thin leash for this. You won’t want anything fancy until your pup is used to the leash (and you don’t want an expensive leather leash to become a chew toy do you?) so simple leashes are the way to go. While home, clip the leash to his collar and let him get used to it under supervision. This will let your puppy become comfortable with having a leash on as well as the weight. Step 3 – Puppies First Walk With being properly introduced to your Chicago dog walking tools, it’s time to complete the experience! Your first few leash lessons will want to be quick and fun to give your puppy the right idea about Chicago dog walking and to not teach him that walks are grueling experiences. Take a walk around your house to get your pup used to moving along with you. Hold the leash nice and easy with a little bit of slack. As your puppy follows at your side, be sure to positively reinforce the behavior. Praise, petting and even a few treats can go a long way in getting that picture of the ideal Chicago dog walker and his canine companion you want! What is crucial to this training is that you must never continue walking when your puppy is yanking on the leash. Stop walking as soon as this begins and call him back to you, you must never yank your puppy along with you. Be sure to reward your pup when he comes back with praise. This will teach your pup that leash pulling won’t get him anywhere. While it may not feel or seem like a big deal now, consistent reinforcement of this will prevent your arm feeling like its being yanked from its socket by your 70 lb retriever later. For the sudden ‘sitters,’ stop walking and call him to you until he arrives. Praise him for his effort and continue your walk with your puppy at your side. Loose leash training is ideal for the very new puppy. The effort put in now will make all of the many dog walks later a much more pleasant experience! With consistent training and patience you will have an easy to walk canine that will be the envy of other Chicago dog walkers! Puppy training is a lot of hard work and even as adults you can’t always be there when your dog needs you. That’s why Cruisin’ Canines makes it easy to get your dog outside with professional dog walkers and puppy visits to make sure your newest companion is comfortable, happy and healthy!
3 Tips to Help You Get a Grip on Your Dog’s Behavior
When you take your dog walking, Chicago residents greatly appreciate a controlled and easy going canine. As a fellow dog walker, Chicago dogs are always under my own scrutiny to see who is actually leading the walk. While many of the pups walking the streets are well behaved, there are always a few trouble cases and it’s easier to see a problem dog than you might think. However, many owners are not always clear on what is bad or troublesome behavior. So to help you get your pup back into the good graces they deserve, here are some tips that will get your dog back up to the top of class. Little Does Not Mean It’s Okay It comes as no surprise to me that many of the problem dogs I encounter are ‘teacup’ size pups. We’re naturally pitted to think anything small and ‘harmless’ in its size is adorable and everything they do is cute. Where a larger dog growling at a passerby would get a firm correction, a lot of time small dog owners think it’s cute or even funny. The terrible part is many owners who let this slide are surprised that their dog is hard to control for dog walkers. Chicago dog owners frequently have smaller breed dogs, so this is a big thing to remember! There is no difference in behavior between large dogs and small dogs. To my fellow dog walkers; Chicago small dogs do not deserve special treatment! If you wouldn’t tolerate the behavior on a big dog, you shouldn’t tolerate it on a small dog either! This can be a very difficult habit to break on owners who love to baby talk their dog. Dogs and people communicate through different means. Firm correction such as a strong ‘No,’ or a firm tap to correct behavior on your small dog are not going to hurt them! And you will definitely love when you realize how much of control over your house you can take back when you get your tiny dog back under control. Don’t Tolerate Aggressive Behavior Aggressive behavior is a very big no-no in Chicago for obvious reasons but it’s surprising how many people let their dogs run wild with this. If you find yourself having to physically restrain your dog and/or yank them back from people or other dogs, you have an aggression case on your hands. While you may think it’s not so bad or it’s fine because you can stop them, it is certainly not fine to let your pup terrorize other people and dogs even in passing. If your dog does hurt someone, the other person or dog won’t be the only ones getting hurt! Your dog can be put to sleep for harming other people or animals so don’t take the chance. Start correcting bad behavior early and consistently and don’t be afraid to look into a dog trainer if you need the help. Your dog and other dog walkers will thank you. Tugging or Leading on the Leash It’s amazing how many dogs are leading their dog walker. Chicago dog owners are frequently seen walking after their dog or letting them run out to the limits of their leash (and those 15 foot leashes are quite the lead!) This always makes me shake my head because really, who is walking who? There are few times shared with your dog that is more important than dog walking. Chicago citizens may think that’s silly or weird but it is true! Letting your dog take lead on the leash is the same as telling them they are in control and that they are the boss of you. With the knowledge that they are the ‘leader of the pack’ from your walk your dog believes that they are in charge in other areas. This is where your dog can start edging into bad behavior. While it can be difficult to maintain enthusiasm at 2AM when Fido needs his walk, always do your best to lead your dog and not let it be the dog leading the dog walkers. Chicago residents should certainly be the alpha of their dog packs after all. While many of these may seem obvious it’s surprising how many of the walkers I pass let it slide. Taking back control from your dog will not only benefit you, your dog will also be happier too! When your pup sees you as a calm and assertive leader they will feel more relaxed and be the lovable dog that you’ve always wanted without the stress or worry of their bad behaviors. When you can’t be there to let your dog out on his walk, it never hurts to get a little help! Keep your pup happy and well behaved with the reliable pet care specialists and dog walkers at Cruisin’ Canines.
Cruisin’ Canines May Dog of the Month is…
Jasper!! Cute little Jasper was chosen by his favorite Chicago Dog Walker to be Cruisin’ Canines May Dog of the Month! Breed: Pug Age: 2yrs on May 12th – HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Where I live: Roscoe Village Joys in Life: Snuggling with my dad, playing with other dogs and being chased. My favorite movie is Finding Nemo especially at the beginning when Nemo goes to school and all of the small sea creatures are talking in their high pitched voices makes my head just keeps going from side to side! Cruisin’ Canines Chicago Dog Walker: Steve Chicago Dog Walking Buddies: I REALLY enjoy walking with everyone but mostly my walks with Rudi and Kirby.