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DogBoy's Welcomes New Office Manager

We would like to introduce you to our new Office Manager, Carol Swirczek.  Carol is an avid animal lover, with three pups and four kitties of her own, and is a foster mom for both Austin Pets Alive and Austin Dog Rescue .  Please introduce yourself to Carol, let her know how long you and your pet have been coming to DogBoy's and help her get to know you and your dog.  We are very excited to have her on our team and look forward to all the wonderful things she will bring to DogBoy's.

Chelsea's Charm School In Session!

By: Rebecca Andrews, CPDT-KA

Training and socialization are such a vital aspect of owning and raising a well-mannered dog. With dogs needing structure and consistency, it can also be the most challenging part as well. Our lives are busy with careers, children, extracurricular activities, and, well, life! And because of this, Chelsea's Charm School was created. Charm School provides our training clients with a little extra help keeping our dogs' skills top-notch.

Denise Klich, owner of Charlie Bear, a ten month old 115 pound (and growing!) Mastiff, recently shared her experiences with Chelsea's Charm School. Denise feels that "Charm School has helped Charlie a lot. He has gotten so much better with sitting and staying while waiting for me to open the car door. He rarely darts out of the car once the door is opened - he waits for me to tell him 'come'."

Denise also recently had a successful trip to her vet. She shares that Charlie "stayed in a 'Sit' even though there were two barking Chihuahuas coming [his] way." Denise was "amazed, not only because he [was] only 9 months old, but also because he's Charlie...'crazy bulldozer Charlie'. I am very happy with what you have been able to accomplish with Charlie, and I'm proud of my crazy bulldozer." 

If you would like to learn more about Chelsea's Charm School, please visit http://www.dogboys.com/training-daycare.php, or contact Rebecca via email or at extension 122.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, June 23rd - Photo Shoot with Zoom Pet Photography, just a few spots left!  Mini session is $75 for the first dog, $25 for each additional dog.  Please contact Julia to reserve your shoot.

Friday June 25th 7 pm - Movie Night!, Showing the delightful movie UP.  Event is FREE, but please call or email to reserve your spot.  Friendly dogs welcome on leash.  Kids are welcome too (no leash required).  Snacks and drinks will be available AND we will give a DogBoy's balloon to every visitor!

Saturday, June 26th 11 am - Paws for a Cause, Tricks & Games (see article below for details)

Saturday, July 10th & 11th,  9am – 5pm, Suzanne Clothier  
"See the Dog - Assessing and Observing Behavior"
Suzanne Clothier has taught seminars internationally on dogs, behavior and her Relationship Centered Training. The author of "Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deeping Our Relationships with Dogs" and other publications. For more information, visit flyingdogpress.com. Please note: This event will be held at DogBoy's but is being hosted by Greyhound Rescue Austin. For more information, or to register, please contact jasper@sysmatrix.net. 
 
Saturday, July 17th, 8:30 am - 3 pm,  Bark in the Park Austin,  Zilker Park - a dog-friendly community event promoting responsible pet ownership through outreach and education.  DogBoy's is a major sponsor of this event - come join us for giveaways and fun all day!

Saturday, July 24th - Paws for a Cause, Dog Wash (see article below for details)

Friday, August 13th, 7 pm - Paws for a Cause, Tricks and Games (see article below for details)

Tuesday August 24th, 7pm - Diet & Nutrition Seminar. Free!  Customers are welcome to join us for this continuing education seminar all about diet, nutrition and diet's affect on behavior.  Please call or email to reserve your spot.  Humans only, please.

To keep up with the latest and greatest things happening at DogBoy's Dog Ranch, please visit our calendar of events.

Paws for a Cause

DogBoy’s is pleased to announce a series of events and special offers to benefit the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure.

Amanda Simmons who works in the kennel and teaches training classes here at DogBoy’s will be walking in the DC 3-Day event in October 2010. She has committed to walk 60 miles over 3 days and to raise $2,300 for the cause. The proceeds from the 3-Day event are invested in breast cancer research and community programs. Our Paws for a Cause events and special offers are:

Memory Stones

The memory stones include the dogs paw imprint, name, year and decorative multi-colored glass gems. The stones range in size from 8”-12” depending on the size of the dog. The cost to purchase a memory stone is $10 + tax. The stone can be made over a boarding stay the following holiday weekends:

July 4th: Thursday, July 1 – Tuesday, July 6
Labor Day: Thursday, September 2 – Tuesday, September 7

Dog Wash

Drop off your dog for a spa day on Saturday, July 24th. Spot can get a bath ($15), nail trim ($8) or both ($20). Drop-off your dirty dog between 8 am and 10 am and pick-up your clean dog between 2 pm and 4 pm.  This offer is not valid for dogs boarding on this day.

Trick & Games

Join us for a morning or evening of fun with your dog!  We will play games, run a mini Rally course and have a dog trick contest. There will be prizes for game winners and the best trick. Prizes include a gift basket with dog goodies, a gift certificate to a local pet store, a gift certificate to the Alamo Drafthouse and more. The cost is $20 per dog and is due when you sign-up. Come have fun with your dog on either of the following days:

Saturday, June 26, 11 a.m.
Friday, August 13, 7 p.m.

Call or e-mail to sign-up for any of these events or special offers. To read more about Amanda’s journey go to http://www.amanda3day.blogspot.com.
 

Paula's Picks - Homemade Treats!

Coming up with a variety of interesting treats for training our dogs can sometimes be challenging. Here are two easy recipes that can be fun summer projects for the kids -- and your pups will definitely enjoy!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Yummies

1/3 cup Oatmeal
1 ripe Banana
1 heaping Tbsp Honey
2 heapingTbsp all-natural peanut butter
2 cups Oat Flour
3/4 cup Water (or broth)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix all ingredients together until a dough forms (it will be slightly sticky). Pinch off bite-sized pieces of dough and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool. Refrigerate any portions your dog hasn't gobbled up.

Doggie Ice Cream

32 oz. container of plain or vanilla yogurt
5 oz. can of tuna in water
½ tsp. garlic powder

Mix all ingredients and pour into small plastic cups or ice cube trays and freeze. Voila! A cool, refreshing summertime treat for our dogs.

We hope to see you and your dog in our summer classes and seminars in our new, indoor facility. We have lots to offer this summer, including Amanda's Paws for a Cause, Rally-Obedience and several Kids & Dogs classes.
Check them out at:

http://www.dogboys.com/grouptraining.php

http://www.dogboys.com/seminars-workshops.php

Happy baking & freezing and Happy Summer!

Paula Baker Prince, CPDT-KA
Director of Training
 

Photo by Nicole Mlakar Photography
www.nicolemlakarphotography.com

Natural Flea Control

by Amanda Simmons, Trainer

If you would like to get away from using topical pesticide products for flea and tick control on your pet, there are natural alternatives which work just as well for many pets.

The first step to natural flea control is a healthy pet. A healthy pet is less susceptible to parasites. The foundation for a healthy pet is a high quality food. See our diet sheet for more about what to feed. Next you will want to treat your yard since this is where your pet most often comes into contact with fleas. I would recommend applying nematodes to your yard. Nematodes are microscopic worms that feed on flea larvae and other pests. They are totally harmless to people, animals and insects that are not harmful to your yard.

Frequent vacuuming of your home and laundering of pet bedding will help keep fleas at bay too. Another means to keep fleas off your pet is natural topical sprays, shampoos and collars. Citronella, rosemary, wormwood and pennyroyal all have odors which naturally repel fleas. If your pet does start scratching and chewing, try applying a topical spray which soothes the affected area and deters licking and chewing.

And finally consider trying a shoo!Tag, which is worn on your pets collar. The shoo!Tag emits electromagnetic frequencies to keep pests away. DogBoy's carries Shoo!Tags for pets and people. 

Wishing you a healthy and flea-free summer.
 

Summer Safety Tips

We know most of this goes without being said, but we can't publish a summer newsletter without a few reminders. 

  1. Make sure your pup has plenty of shade and fresh cool water to drink. 
  2. Watch for signs of heat stress and heat stroke in your pets - see our latest blog post for more info.
  3. Keep up to date with flea, tick and heartworm preventatives
  4. Don't leave your dog in the car - even for 5 minutes! 
  5. This is Sticker Burr season!  We will get all we can, but long haired and curly coated dogs will be especially prone to getting them out here.  Even with a bath, your dog may go home with some burrs.  Keeping coats short is helpful.
  6. Make sure collars fit (not too tight or too loose) and they are well marked with Nametag and rabies tag.