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Doing well, doing Well?



 
 
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  #1  
Old October 30th 05, 03:18 AM
Rocky
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Default Doing well, doing Well?

Just this second I turned down a potential boarding client for
my daycare. There are two dogs - a Lab mix and a BC mix. Both
are outside dogs. The owner said that they chew the drywall
even while they're asleep in the basement at night. She
insisted that they do this.

So, I hang my daycare shingle out with the presumption that I
deal well with such dogs - I start doing well with such dogs and
get great feedback, yet now turn down potential clients with
dogs with issues because I'm getting plenty of easier dogs.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.
  #2  
Old October 30th 05, 03:33 PM
ceb
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Default Doing well, doing Well?

Rocky wrote in
:

So, I hang my daycare shingle out with the presumption that I
deal well with such dogs - I start doing well with such dogs and
get great feedback, yet now turn down potential clients with
dogs with issues because I'm getting plenty of easier dogs.


Are you feeling angst about this? I know you've talked about some of your
regulars who have some pretty big issues -- my secret crush Petey comes
to mind -- maybe you just don't want to be dealing with issues all day
AND all night? That seems pretty reasonable to me. You're doing a lot for
dogs, and I think it's important to set whatever limits you need in order
to continue doing what you love.

Also, the fact that they are outdoor dogs -- maybe you prefer *owners*
who have a bit more buy-in at the outset?

If I've misread you, my apologies. You just sounded like you were
questioning your decision.

--
Catherine
& Zoe the cockerchow
& Queenie the black gold retriever
& Rosalie the calico
  #3  
Old October 30th 05, 06:30 PM
Rocky
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Default Doing well, doing Well?

ceb said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

Also, the fact that they are outdoor dogs -- maybe you
prefer *owners* who have a bit more buy-in at the outset?


Yup. But I also like to give such dogs a chance and prove to
the owners that their dogs aren't untrainable.

If I've misread you, my apologies. You just sounded like
you were questioning your decision.


You read me right. It's probably a good thing that their number
didn't show up on my call display - I'd likely be changing my
decision. Oh well, my dogs come first, and it's not a good
thing to have too many difficult dogs in at one time, especially
for overnight.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.
  #4  
Old October 30th 05, 07:02 PM
Tee
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Default Doing well, doing Well?

"ceb" wrote in message
...

Also, the fact that they are outdoor dogs -- maybe you prefer *owners*
who have a bit more buy-in at the outset?


I think an owner who is looking to get their outside dogs into daycare
scores alot of points for that decision. If they just didn't care or didn't
have much investment in the dogs then they wouldn't be bothering with
daycare IMO.


--
Tara


  #5  
Old October 30th 05, 07:54 PM
Rocky
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Default Doing well, doing Well?

"Tee" said in
rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

I think an owner who is looking to get their outside dogs
into daycare scores alot of points for that decision.


Yes, they do.

In this case though, it was longer term boarding.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.
  #6  
Old October 31st 05, 04:10 PM
Tee
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Default Doing well, doing Well?

"Rocky" wrote in message
...
"Tee" said in
rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

I think an owner who is looking to get their outside dogs
into daycare scores alot of points for that decision.


Yes, they do.

In this case though, it was longer term boarding.


Have I been mistaken about you running a daycare all this time or are you
doing both daycare & boarding?

--
Tara


  #7  
Old October 31st 05, 06:48 PM
Rocky
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Default Doing well, doing Well?

"Tee" said in
rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

In this case though, it was longer term boarding.


Have I been mistaken about you running a daycare all this
time or are you doing both daycare & boarding?


To get over typical business start-up problems, I took in
boarding clients last Christmas ("hooking" them for future
daycare) and still do it for regular daycare clients and
friends. It's not something I encourage, though (my dogs need
their own time), but this one struck me differently as dogs
perhaps needing a bit of a "vacation."

In retrospect, it's probably a good thing that I didn't take
them in - from my conversation with the owner, this would have
been a one-time deal with little chance for owner/dog
education/training.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.
  #8  
Old November 1st 05, 12:36 AM
Paula
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Default Doing well, doing Well?

On 31 Oct 2005 17:48:12 GMT, Rocky wrote:

"Tee" said in
rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

In this case though, it was longer term boarding.


Have I been mistaken about you running a daycare all this
time or are you doing both daycare & boarding?


To get over typical business start-up problems, I took in
boarding clients last Christmas ("hooking" them for future
daycare) and still do it for regular daycare clients and
friends. It's not something I encourage, though (my dogs need
their own time), but this one struck me differently as dogs
perhaps needing a bit of a "vacation."

In retrospect, it's probably a good thing that I didn't take
them in - from my conversation with the owner, this would have
been a one-time deal with little chance for owner/dog
education/training.


It would have frustrated you to just be a place to dump the dogs
because even the backyard won't work when the owners are on vacation.
When I am working with kids, there are never enough hours in the day
to help all the kids in a particular school who could use help. I am
pretty rigid about not wasting time with kids who want to complain but
not to do what they can to fix the problem. If I can't help them
because they aren't willing to do their part, then I have to use that
time for someone who can use my help. I don't think your own dogs or
the limited space at your place is best used on owners who will not
get a clue regardless and dogs who can't be "turned around" magically
when no one backs anything up once they leave your house.

--
Paula
"Anyway, other people are weird, but sometimes they have candy, so it's best to try to get along with them." Joe Bay
  #9  
Old November 1st 05, 05:23 AM
Rocky
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Default Doing well, doing Well?

Paula said in
rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

I don't think your own dogs or the limited space at
your place is best used on owners who will not get a clue
regardless and dogs who can't be "turned around" magically
when no one backs anything up once they leave your house.


Aye, but there's my conundrum. I believe in such magic -
though it's not going to be at the expense of my relationship
with my dogs.

Dogs, as opposed to the kids you deal with, are way more
forgiving, I think. A tired and happy dog after a good day,
going home to an untenable situation, is perhaps much more
forgiving than a human equivalent (of which I know little
about).

I've seen dogs turned around without a whole lot of effort on
the part of their owners. Sometimes, all it takes is shift in
perception by the owner - like "Hey, this dog isn't always
destructive.", or "Hey, this dog gives me 5! Wait'll I show my
friends." I can do that.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.
  #10  
Old November 1st 05, 06:59 AM
Paula
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Posts: n/a
Default Doing well, doing Well?

On 1 Nov 2005 04:23:27 GMT, Rocky wrote:

Paula said in
rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

I don't think your own dogs or the limited space at
your place is best used on owners who will not get a clue
regardless and dogs who can't be "turned around" magically
when no one backs anything up once they leave your house.


Aye, but there's my conundrum. I believe in such magic -
though it's not going to be at the expense of my relationship
with my dogs.

Dogs, as opposed to the kids you deal with, are way more
forgiving, I think. A tired and happy dog after a good day,
going home to an untenable situation, is perhaps much more
forgiving than a human equivalent (of which I know little
about).

I've seen dogs turned around without a whole lot of effort on
the part of their owners. Sometimes, all it takes is shift in
perception by the owner - like "Hey, this dog isn't always
destructive.", or "Hey, this dog gives me 5! Wait'll I show my
friends." I can do that.


A woman I have talked to often in the past because our daughters have
dance classes at the same time showed up to class last week with a
little bulldog type dog. I'm not sure of the exact breed. The dog
had a prong collar on that was the huge thick links and was hanging
fairly loose on the dog. It was one like I use on Molly that has the
martingale type chain arrangement to give you some slack but she had
way too much. At various points, the dog lunged and then basically
hung up on the collar and yelped and returned to where he belonged. I
finally couldn't take it any more and asked her if someone had fitted
the collar for her because it appeared to be too loose, allowing the
dog to lunge before any correction occurred so he was badly hurt with
the momentum by the time he was corrected by the prongs. She said he
had been to "doggie boot camp" and they had fitted the collar, though
she had added links because it seemed to tight and she was afraid it
would hurt him. I showed her where it should hit and why it hurt him
more to have it too loose than to have it fitted snugly. And she is a
caring dog owner. When it comes to totally neglected dogs, I see
more of the type where whatever they learn at a training place, it
makes no difference once they get home because there is no follow up
and it returns to business as usual. It's like going off to bootcamp
and behaving for them but then realizing you are back at slack off
city when you get home.

That's great that you see more people get benefit out of little helps
with their dogs. I think the main place I see that is with
housetraining. Dogs that pee on the carpet are thrown outside or to
the shelter. Teach them not to and suddenly they can be a part of the
family.

Paula
--
Paula
"Anyway, other people are weird, but sometimes they have candy, so it's best to try to get along with them." Joe Bay
 




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