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The Positive Side Effects Doggy Daycare Has on Your Pup

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If you’ve been on the fence about enrolling your dog in doggy daycare, we’ll tell you a little secret: there are many positive side effects it will have on your pup and you. Read on to learn some of the exciting benefits of doggy daycare.

Better Doggy Socializers

Doggy daycare provides your pup with much-needed doggy socialization. They’ll become excellent socializers in no time and less likely to develop destructive tendencies and behavioral issues.

An unsocialized dog can become aggressive, leading to other antisocial behavior in your pup, such as an aversion to and fear of other people and dogs.

Receive Adequate Exercise

Do you have a highly energetic dog who requires lots of mental and physical stimulation? Doggy daycare will help tire out your dog during the day. You’ll only have to worry about providing them with a safe and quiet place to sleep and relax all night.

Your pup can run, jump, and play all day long while you’re working or running errands. They’ll receive the attention they need from the staff and get to exercise with all their puppy pals.

Pro Daycare Tip

If you live in a region where winters make it challenging to get outside, doggy daycare is an excellent outlet for your dog to exercise, and you don’t need to worry about the weather. They’re free to run around a large indoor play area, safe from the cold.

Develop a Routine

Have you developed a routine with your dog for feeding, bathroom breaks, and walks? Working hours can disrupt this time. Daycare will keep this consistency and structure with your dog. They’ll receive frequent bathroom breaks, eat on time, and get rid of all their excess energy while you’re focused on work.

If you don’t have a routine, daycare can help you develop one with your dog.

Peace of Mind for You

Do you feel anxious about getting home quickly to let your dog out? Does your dog seem to dread you going to work? Doggy daycare can alleviate these stressful situations for you and them. You’ll gain peace of mind knowing your dog is well taken care of all day.

As you can see, doggy daycare has some incredibly positive side effects for you and your pup. Sign your dog up today to begin taking advantage of them.

The Best Ways To Travel Long Distances With Dogs

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When you have dogs, you know that repetition is key. Any time you introduce your pups to something or someplace new, they get excited, and it may take them a while to calm down and listen. This is amplified with car rides if you don’t have everything set up and ready before your trip, so let’s talk about the best ways to travel long distances with dogs to get the most out of your trip and make it a positive experience.

Take Several Initial Short Trips

Dogs respond well to repetitive conditioning, which means that if you’re training them and do the same actions over time, they will learn from it. If you apply this same technique to traveling and take them on a few short trips, you can expect things to start out turbulent, but your furry friend will get a feel for it over time. Every time you do things exactly the same way, your dog should become a little more comfortable until they hop in the back of the car and lay down on their own.

Feed Them Light

Make sure that you bring snacks with you while you’re on your trip. When you feed your dogs, feed them with half of what you normally would so that you can supplement with snacks along the way. This will keep their bladder and intestines from getting full so that they can ride for longer. You should still let them out often for breaks so that they can get fresh air and relieve themselves if needed, but it’s never a good idea to overfeed them.

Never Leave Them

So many people leave their animals in parked cars, and it is never the correct answer. Under no circumstances should you ever leave your dogs alone. They could hurt themselves or even suffer fatally due to suffocation or heat stroke. If you see a dog left alone in a car in public, you should immediately contact the authorities.

Set Up Seat Covers

Instead of buckling your pets into car seats or belt buckles, invest in a car seat cover for the back of your vehicle. This gives them plenty of room to walk around and find a nice spot. It also allows them to get up and look around when they need to so that they don’t feel confined to one spot, which will ease their minds. A cover also helps to keep dander and smells down inside the vehicle.

ID Your Pets

Before you leave the house, make sure that your pets have their collars with their IDs on them. That way, if something happens and they end up missing, you can be contacted about them. The last thing you want is for your animal to get loose and not have a way of getting them back. This, unfortunately, happens very often, but you can prevent it if you make sure your pets have their IDs with them.

When traveling long distances with your dogs, keep these handy tips in mind. As long as you keep your wits about you and prioritize your pup, you’ll both enjoy the ride.

The Best Dog Breeds for a Family With Young Children

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When you’re ready to add a four-legged family member, you may wonder which breed will be best. When you have kids, that adds to the complexity of your decision. There are many beautiful dogs to choose from, including beagles, Irish setters, and collies. These are the best dog breeds for a family with young children.

Labrador Retriever

There is a reason that the Labrador retriever is the most popular dog breed in the United States. They are extremely friendly, highly trainable, and patient. The Labrador retriever is also a versatile breed. They enjoy dock diving, hunting, tracking, and obedience.

Labs are regular shedders and need weekly brushing. They are great with kids and love being active. Labrador retrievers also play reasonably well with other dogs as long as there’s supervision.

Beagle

Beagles make excellent family dogs because of their small size, easy-to-maintain coats, and intelligence. Personality-wise, beagles are curious, merry, and friendly. They are great with kids and get along with other dogs.

Beagles need plenty of exercise, so they’re an excellent dog choice for you if you have an active family.

Irish Setter

The Irish setter gained popularity in the 18th century. Another breed that’s great for active families, the Irish setter loves spending time outdoors and is full of energy.

They’re seasonal shedders and need weekly grooming. Find a local professional groomer to help keep your dog’s coat clean and shiny. Irish setters are excellent with kids and other pups. They also respond well to training and are wonderfully sweet-natured.

French Bulldog

The French bulldog is one of the world’s most popular dog breeds. They’re an easy-going breed, perfect for families, and they respond well to training. French bulldogs love to play with other dogs, kids, and adults.

They don’t require a lot of exercise, and a brisk walk will help keep them trim. They require occasional grooming and respond well to training.

Collies

Collies are affectionate, loyal, and known for their legendary herding skills. If your family loves being outside, the high-energy collie will make a great addition to your family. When they aren’t moving around, they enjoy being chill. Collies are lovely with kids and require occasional grooming.

Many dogs are out there ready and waiting to find their forever families. Understanding the best dog breeds for a family with young children will help you make an educated decision. Refer back to this article if you need to.

Different Ways To Prep Your Home Before Vacation

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Being a hardworking father is, well, hard. That’s why everyone needs some time away from their work and home, regardless of their profession. A family vacation is a great way to sightsee new places or visit friends or family in other parts of the country. Time off also rejuvenates you for when you come back. Still, there are different ways to prep your home before vacation that you must do to protect your house and your sanity.

Clean

The most obvious way to prep your house before leaving for vacation is to clean it. A clean house is a nice house. Cleaning doesn’t mean a basic sweep around the house either. Thoroughly clean your home before you leave to reduce pests, grime, dirt, and dust. Take out trash and recycling, wipe the floors, sweep dust, and perform deep cleans in your rooms. The last thing you want to come home to is a house full of mold and vermin. Additionally, clear out any foods that might spoil during your trip. Eat or toss the foods that might rot.

Lock All Entryways

It’s also important that you lock all entryways into the home, especially windows and doors. Even if you live in a safe neighborhood, you never want to leave windows partially open, as it makes it easier for thieves to get inside. Not to mention, bugs can chew through screen doors and nest in your house while you’re away. Lock all doors—even those in the home leading to the garage or basement. You never know if someone could gain access to your home. Securing all possible entryways reduces their opportunity to get inside the house. It may also help to program the house’s lights on a timed schedule to make it seem like someone is still inside.

Prep Your HVAC System

Your HVAC system is an essential component of your house. There are many ways to prep your HVAC system before an extended vacation. You must consider these to save money while reducing your energy bill. Set the thermostat to a routine system to preserve energy. Additionally, install a surge protector in case of thunderstorms. You’ll spend considerably more money replacing or repairing busted electronics if you overlook these things.

Get Help With Mail and Pets

The last way to prep your home before vacation is to have a trusted individual look after your mail and pets while you’re away. Having mail and packages pile up in your mailbox or outside your door is a clear sign no one is home. Someone could use that information to steal your mail and break into the house. It helps to have a trustworthy person, such as a friend, family member, or neighbor, collect your mail. You should also enlist that person’s help to feed, maintain, and care for pets if you have any. This way, you won’t need to stress about them later.

The Must Have Disaster Plan for Your Pets

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No matter which part of the world you live in, natural disasters can wreak havoc in your area. It’s nature’s doing, and we don’t have a say in it. What we can do is to prepare in case disasters strike.  We can prepare for their arrival so we can be safe. We can reinforce our homes so we can stay there until the sun comes up again, or we can evacuate to a safer place. We do everything to minimize the damage to our properties and, more importantly, prevent deaths and accidents.

For pet owners like us, those steps aren’t complete. We need to do more because our furry—or maybe scaly!— friends are depending on us for survival. And in cases of disasters, there’s a chance that they could be separated from us.

That is why we need to create a plan to make sure our dogs, cats, bunnies, reptiles (or whatever else we have) are protected during natural disasters. We should make sure that they have food and water, and adequate and safe place during emergencies. And we also need to make sure they can be reunited to us.

Create a pet emergency plan. You never know when you will need it.