Holiday Fun

We have a few Board & Trains with us over the holidays and while we are quite busy ourselves - there is always time to have a little doggie fun.  

Sophie and Ellie are enjoying a bit of yard time soaking in the sun and later this week we headed down to the creek at sunset to relax on the pier with a few of our furry friends.

Have a happy holiday season, however you celebrate - be safe and we'll see you in the new year!

PAWTENTIAL PROFILE: SOPHIE

Name:  Sophie
Breed:  Cairn Terrier
Sex:  Female
Age: 2 years

Duration: 2 week Board & Train

Reason for B&T:  Mostly boarding for the holidays with a manners brush up / controlling barking


What we are working on during her stay:

OWNERS REQUESTS:
* Barking - normal terrier barking but with no off switch
* Jumping - jumps on/scratches people and furniture
* Loose Leash Walking- could use some fine tuning

She has settled in nicely and plays really well with McKenna (the other terrier) and Kai, our new Pit Bull pup rescue.

Jinx is back for the holidays

So Jinx is back with us for the Xmas holidays while her new owner is home...she came back like she had never left - she jumped in and played with her siblings and has fit right back in.  Blizzard LOVES her - a little too much - but other than that she has settled in nicely.

New Arrivals - Welcome Ivy, Fern & Willow

We have three new members of the Pawtential family.  Two hooded and one standard hairless rats!  This is a gene mutation that first occurred in lab rats and has now been selectively bred for like hairless cats and skinny pigs.

We saw a listing and drove out to Greensboro and picked up these girls from a lady who bought a pet shops remaining animals when they closed down.  I have worked with rats before and I find their intelligence exciting and I love working with other species.  

They were in a cage with 6 females and 1 male - which could mean trouble but they don't seem pregnant.  The plan is to hopefully work with them in rat agility - yes it exists and there are actually national competitions for it!  I also hope to have the first certified Novice Trick titled rat through Kyra Sundance's Do More With Your Dog program.  She just certified her first horse and all species are allowed to enter.  We'll see...

Christmas Picture Day

So we set up the Pawtential studio to get a few early shots for our Christmas guests...here are a few samples!  This year we are doing a slightly rustic, almost Instagram feel to our series.  If you want to book in for photos - the last day is Dec 22nd...

Akea Comes to Visit

Meet Akea!  This gorgeous girl has come to stay for a week while her family are away - she is a rocket on puppy legs - always up for a game, to rough house with the older pups and run, run, run...no rest for this little one - or us!  LOL

PAWTENTIAL PROFILE: BLIZZARD

Name:  Blizzard
Breed:  American Pit Bull Terrier
Sex:  Male
Age: 8 months

Duration: 4 week Board & Train

Reason for B&T:  General obedience work / social skills

Background:  Blizzard and his littermates were being sold on the side of the road at 4 weeks old when his family took him in.  I met him that day and shared some concerns not only for his premature age, but also for his health.  He appeared to have limited to no hearing and his ear canals were swollen shut still.  I advised his family to seek a vet opinion ASAP.

As it turns out he is deaf - but that hasn't stopped him, or them.  It has made working with him much harder for them however, so as he is bigger, stronger and very clever at avoiding situations he doesn't want to participate in...they have asked for my help.

What we are working on during his stay:

OWNERS REQUESTS:
* Basic Obedience - Sit, Down, Stay, Leave It - hand signal
* Jumping - jumps on people and furniture
* LLW- does not walk well on leash AT ALL
* Door Manners - stop bolting through open doors
* Anxiety - mild separation anxiety

I have worked with deaf and blind dogs before and love the challenge!  Let's see what we can teach this big boy!