Puppy alert: I don’t know what you are but I will have you!

This is one adorable puppy! Who else just wants to kiss this smooshy face? Names, anyone?

Photo credit: HBorn

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Healthy Ways To Keep Your Dog Warm And Active

In the winter months it’s hard to stay active while staying warm, and just like humans, dogs are not always fond of the chilly weather. Your furry friend needs to get exercise, and staying cooped up in the house all day is just not fun for anyone.

Here are a few easy ways you can keep your dog active, while also staying nice and warm during the winter season.

Short Walks

Even though it might be cold outside, a quick walk will help to keep your dog active while also staying warm. Remember, if you’re cold, they’re cold too, so don’t stay out too long! Consider keeping their feet warm in booties, so their paws will stay protected from the cold ground, or any ice or snow.

In areas that often have snow, the ground can have salt or chemicals to prevent slipping, these things can be harmful to your dog’s paws if not careful to keep them safe. If you have a short haired dog, put a warm sweater or coat on them to keep them warm.

Challenging Toys

Dogs need interaction, and often their toys are too simple to keep them occupied when they’re in the house all day long. A challenging toy will keep them busy and active, so that they’re doing more than just napping! Certain dog toys have traps, or pockets that store treats and food, so that your dog has to figure out a way to open those traps and retrieve the treat.

Although these feeding toys keep them entertained, too many treats can be unhealthy and make them gain weight fast. Try using their dog food if it’s small enough, or healthy treats, such as chopped up carrots, as a great alternative.

New Tricks

Despite what you’ve heard, it’s never too late to teach a dog new tricks! Learning tricks in the home is an easy way for your dog to stay active, without being out in the cold this winter. These small activities will help to keep them busy, while remaining healthy and fit.

A good 15-20 minutes a day is simple exercise, and you can reward them with their favorite treats when they obey! Make sure not to go overboard with the treats as this could defeat the purpose of the activity, and feed him or her the calories they just worked off while doing tricks.

Explore

If you’re going to venture outside your home in the cold for a short period of time with your dog, then why not make it exciting? Explore your town, and discover new parks, hiking trails, or even dog parks. If this is too difficult, or too far, then try creating a new walking path than the typical one you walk when going outside.

Your dog will love finding new places, and exploring, and the excitement of the adventure will help him or her get plenty of exercise and burn off calories. Since they were so excited while on the new adventure, they will surely be tuckered out when you get home, so make sure to give them plenty of water and rest before your next activity.

Fetch

It seems simple enough, but playing with your dog in the house for short periods of time throughout the day will keep them active if they can’t go outside. Tossing their toy around the living room and making them run about, will not only keep them fit, but they’ll be thrilled to have your attention.

If your home is too small to throw toys, then tug-o-war is another way to play and won’t knock over anything in the house. With entertainment like this, they won’t even notice that they can’t go outside in the cold all day!

In the winter months it’s often difficult to keep your dog happy, while maintaining an active lifestyle. Just like their owners, if dogs stay stagnant in the home all day for an extensive period of time, they could potentially get overweight, and lead an unhealthy lifestyle. Dogs love activity, and getting out and about, but sometimes it’s just too cold for them to be outside for extensive periods of time. These tips and techniques are an easy fix to the restlessness, and boredom your dog might face while being in the house all winter long!

Author Bio: Carl Turner is a freelance writer and a professional dog trainer from Los Alamitos, California. With over 10 years of experience training and taming canines, he has developed an expertise for helping dogs of all shapes and sizes. When he is not busy working with his clients’ pets, he enjoys writing informative articles for avid readers on the web.

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Cat Introductions {Guest Post}

That cute kitten was simply irresistible, so you are adding a new feline to the family. Or maybe it is an adult cat that caught your fancy and will be moving in. Either way, know that the introduction to a new space could be tricky for both you and the cat, particularly if you already have pets — and 62 percent of pet-owning households do have more than one pet, according to a 2012 demographic study by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

When pets don’t get along, it can cause their owners great stress. With that in mind, we offer this quick guide on how to introduce a new cat into its new home — plus to current pets and even the baby — while also keeping the peace.

Welcome Home

Cats like confined spaces and hiding places in which they feel safe, and initially could be overwhelmed in the big, wide world that is a new home. So welcome your cat in a “sanctuary” room — such as a den, spare bedroom or even the laundry room — for at least the first week until it adapts to being in a new place. This holds true whether there’s a pet in the home already or not. Provide food, water, a litter box, a scratching post and toys. If there aren’t already hiding places in the room, cut some holes in boxes to create some. Cutting at least two holes in a box provides that alternative escape route that cats seem to like.

Let your new cat warm up to family members gradually with gentle interaction and perhaps by also using clothes as bedding so the cat becomes familiar with everyone’s scent. Introduce play a couple of days later. Make sure the cat is eating well and drinking. When your cat seems ready, let it explore the rest of your home at its own pace. For kittens, this may take more than a couple of weeks. When it is comfortable roaming the home, move the litter box to its new, permanent location.

Introducing the New Cat and the Resident Cat

Cats are territorial by nature, so it’s important to keep your new and current cats apart for at least that first week. Allow your current cat(s) to first get used to the new cat’s scent. This process can be aided by brushing them with the same brush, rubbing each one with a towel or blanket and then leaving it in the other’s space, or even switching their spaces to let them explore the other’s spot. Let them “visit” or play “paws” on opposite sides of the door, and give them a treat — or even make this the regular feeding spot — so each will associate the scent of the other cat with a pleasant experience. A face-to-face introduction is not recommended at this early stage, however. Throughout this period, your current cat may hiss or hide, or be more aggressive toward you — or even ignore you. Eventually, acceptance should kick in, however.

When it’s time for the cats to meet face-to-face, either let your current cat into the “sanctuary” room or use a neutral space. Make sure each cat has an “escape” route, and be prepared to break up a fight, protecting your hands and arms with a blanket or towel. There may be some hissing or posturing, in which case this activity will have to be repeated at a later time.

Don’t force the introductory process, which could take weeks. Let both cats proceed at their own pace to better the chances for a future harmonious relationship. Pay attention to body language to decide when to move on to the next step. Also, give the resident cat extra attention during this period so it doesn’t fear that its social status is threatened. For the first few weeks, don’t leave the cats alone unsupervised. There are a couple more points when it comes to how to introduce a kitten to a cat: Because of their size difference, don’t let the older cat play too rough, and keep in mind that a kitten could be intimidated easily, making the process take longer.

How to Introduce a Cat to a Dog

You want tails wagging, not tales of woe, when cat meets dog. The good news is cat-to-dog introductions tend to be less adversarial than cat-to-cat meetings. The same avoidance of face-to-face interactions for the first week applies, however, as do the methods for sharing scents and feeding near the “sanctuary” door so the pets relate each other’s scent to positive things.

For their initial face-to-face meetings, the dog should be leashed or caged so the new cat can dictate the terms of the introduction. This will also protect the cat if the dog has strong hunting instincts or likes to chase whatever runs. Make sure the cat has an escape route, and reward your dog for not being aggressive. You can even tire the dog to some degree by walking it first. Let the pets sniff each other. If either appears aggressive, separate them and try again the next day. If the sniff fest goes OK, repeat these meetings several times before determining the pets will respond well when they are unsupervised.

As you follow the suggestions of how to introduce a new cat to a dog, keep in mind some dog breeds just will not respond well to living with a cat. That’s nature. Take extra time for the introductory phase if this is the case. Use food treats to reinforce good behavior. Try not to scold the dog for bad behavior, as the dog will associate the cat’s presence with a negative experience. Also, keep cat food where the dog cannot reach it, keep the cat out of the dog’s food, and don’t let the dog nose around the cat’s litter box.

The New Cat Meets Baby

Bringing a new cat into a home with a baby is somewhat different than the reverse, as the cat is not having its space invaded. It could still be wise to acclimate the cat to the baby’s presence, however, such as by sharing objects that hold the baby’s scent.

You can condition a cat to get used to possibly having its tail, fur, whiskers or ears pulled by gently pulling them yourself. Give the cat treats while doing this, however, so that having body parts gently pulled is thought of as a positive experience.

Never leave your baby alone with the cat — animals can act in unpredictable ways. Set up a baby gate to keep the child separated from the cat’s “sanctuary” space, and put mosquito netting over a bassinet or carrier to keep your cat from jumping into it. Play with the cat in the presence of the baby to create positive associations. Keep in mind that a crawling baby can scare a pet. Keep the cat’s food and litter box out of the baby’s reach, as well as the cat’s toys — which could be choking hazards or full of germs.

Keeping the Peace

Once the introductory phase is complete, keeping the peace between your pets and children still could require time, patience and work. If your cats’ relationship is still shaky, feed them at opposite ends of the room and gradually move their food bowls toward each other. Consider using flower essences or remedies or a plug-in diffuser with simulated cat hormones to reduce stress and anxiety. Remember that cats prefer solitude sometimes, so spread out a number of safe sleeping places if you have more than one pet. Also, pay attention to litter box locations: A cat should not feel cornered by another cat or the dog while in its litter box. Spaying or neutering your cats also can reduce aggression.

Mark Carrott Odden is the Digital and Product Implementation Specialist at Figo Pet Insurance. Figo is committed to helping pets and their families enjoy their lives together by fusing innovative technology—the first-of-its-kind Figo Pet Cloud—and comprehensive pet insurance plans.

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{Must-Watch Video} Space Cats — Magic Fly

This video will make your day, and may even be your new favorite song. Here’s to cats in outer space singing awesomeness — enjoy!

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{Quiz} What’s your pet’s superpower? Find out by taking the quiz!

What’s your pet’s superpower? Find out by taking the quiz! Share and compare your results with your friends and don’t forget to tell us your pet’s superpower is by tweeting us @FetchPetCare or adding a comment to this post!

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A Sitter’s Tale: Why working for Fetch! Pet Care is the best job I’ve ever had.

Before I decided that I wanted to be a dog walker and pet sitter for Fetch! Pet Care, I worked for an insurance startup for nearly ten years. It paid the bills, but I was unhappy. I would spend anywhere between eight to twelve hours a day seated in my cubicle, under fluorescent lighting… I even had to press a button every time I left my station to use the lady’s room. I’m naturally not the corporate type, and love being outside. My weekends were spent adventuring with my fiancé (we were weekend warriors, as you might say).  I’ve grown up with dogs, cats, fish, birds, rabbits, horses — once a guinea pig… my entire life, and am a proud dog owner myself. When I signed on to work in this insurance startup, it seemed promising and secure… these factors alone should make me happy, right? Wrong. As I approached my ten-year mark, I found myself growing increasingly unhappy.

Fast forward to a week later. I’m having brunch with friends of mine at this new spot in San Francisco (where we live). My friend Mallory brought a new friend with her, Mark. Mark happened to work for Fetch! Pet Care as a dog walker and pet sitter and I was intrigued. He said to me: “It’s literally the best career decision I’ve ever made. I wouldn’t go back.” Make your own hours, a daily workout (no gym membership required!), and most of all, you get to play with pets all day! I was sold.

The following week I sent my boss my two week’s notice after a painless interview process (and a job offer!) with Fetch! Pet Care. Things were finally looking up. It’s been almost five years now and here’s my story of why working for Fetch! Pet Care is the best job I’ve ever had. Hands down.

Mocha, Jasper, Nylah, and Wolfgang… some smiling faces from my crew!

I hang out with pets all day. Most of the pets I work with, I have known since my very first day on the job. They are always happy to see me, and offer their love and affection with abandon. My “crew” (as I like to call them), are so grateful for the simple things I do for them: offer fresh water, go for a brisk walk, or some see-ya-tomorrow belly rubs. Gone are the days of office politics and water cooler drama.

This is Luna. She is always so happy! Especially after some sunshine after playtime.

I am in the best shape I’ve ever been in my entire life. Fact: I was pudgy and out-of-shape before I started walking dogs for Fetch! Pet Care. I don’t own a gym membership, although I do practice yoga outside of my working hours because I enjoy it. I am now body-positive, and truly happy with how I look and feel. I’m way more comfortable being in photos (and in the occasional selfie with some of my favorite pets). You really can’t beat getting paid to stay in shape and have fun. It’s a win-win!

The pet parents I work with and my co-workers are some of the best people I know. Take a look at Fetch! Pet Care on Facebook and you’ll see what I mean. We are our own community and we share a love for our pets that you can compare to the love you have for your own children. I always send text updates to my pet’s parents with photos and videos so they know their fur babies are happy and safe. The replies I receive in return are brimming with sincere gratitude. For example: “This video just made my day. Thank you so much for taking such great care of my babies!” Or, “We should start an Instagram for Buddha…he’s always smiling when he’s with you!” Not to mention, we are all very much involved with our pet-loving community on the local level. Most of the pet owners I work with along with my co-workers and myself volunteer at adoption events, are foster parents for rescues — whatever we can do to help a pet in need, we do it.

My co-worker, Sarah, at an adoption event we co-hosted this Summer in San Francisco.

I earn a living wage. I don’t struggle to pay the bills, have a growing savings account, and room for spending. I may not be wealthy, but I have everything I need and a job that is flexible and fun. It’s a perfect combination for someone like myself.

This is my spirit dog. A very happy camper indeed.

I’m the happiest I’ve even been. I’m smiling all day long. I feel great because I get a lot of fresh air and exercise, and there’s nothing like seeing happy pets enjoying life…it’s contagious! I actually look forward to going to my first job of the day… I wake up with a smile on my face, and come home smiling. It’s made me a better person because I’m less stressed out and I’m more available for my fiancé, friends, and family. I consider myself a Fetch! Pet Care dog walker and pet sitter for life and hope to one day open my own franchise.

If you have any questions about becoming a dog walker or pet sitter with Fetch! Pet Care, tweet them at @FetchPetCare. Want to work with me and my amazing co-workers? Apply online here and your local Fetch! Pet Care franchise owner get back to you right away. Best of luck!

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This pug just realized he can never be a seal :)

This pug just realized he can never be a seal 🙂

P/c: HealthyDad

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