Truly Pawsitive Boarding!

Contributed by Sisi Soh
Last month, I was away in Japan for over two weeks and got Alan from Pawsitive Mind to look after Lucy. Alan specializes in home boarding (boarding at the dog’s own home) because he believes they cope and do better when they are in a familiar environment. Lucy and I both suffer from separation anxiety. She had run away from my friend’s house once while I was away and I was petrified she’d do it again. So I was pleased about leaving her in the comfort of home. Alan also had his two border collies with him so Lucy had lots of canine companions to play with as well.

Lucy chilling with Alan’s two dogs, Hyper and Junior

Most of my previous trips were spent checking my phone for updates, or talking to her picture (hey, I know you do it too, stop judging!). Alan was so efficient in his Lucy updates that I hardly worried about her. He sent me videos and photos of her almost every day and it looked like she was having a good time. I had also left him strict instructions on her million and one allergies, and to shower her with extra TLC. Lucy got lots of cuddles and love when I was away.

My happy girl being carried by Alan.

Lucy also has skin problems that require daily care and Alan went the extra mile by sending me pictures and videos of her having medication applied, and updated me frequently on the condition of her skin.

Mama, you should go away more often!

The best part about Lucy boarding with Alan was the “boot camp” she got as a result. Positive dog trainer Alan was familiar with Lucy’s behavioral problems (barking at the door and growling at over-excited dogs) and he worked with her extensively on these issues while I was away. When I got back, he told me how to continue with the training. It’s still a work in progress but it was good to see the improvements she made. Lucy usually growls a little bit during the initial greeting with her friends because she doesn’t like it when dogs get excited, but Alan worked with her on this, so when I took Lucy to meet the TFT crew after I returned, I was surprised to hear no growls at all! Awesome work!

With Alan, I also didn’t worry about Lucy getting lax in her manners. Usually, when it’s just me that leaves the country and she is left behind with my boyfriend, I come home to a naughty Lucy that has forgotten her rules and boundaries, such as not rushing out the door, waiting for he food and walks calmly, etc. Alan is strict with his own dogs about these basic rules so I knew Lucy would be in excellent hands.

Only seated and calm dogs get to have their leashes put on to go for a walk.

Calmest dog gets fed first.

Pawsitive Minds is also good about returning your home to you in the same condition as you left it. The house was vacuumed and mopped and sheets and towels were laundered.

I highly recommend Alan from Pawsitive if you’re ever away and in need of boarding for your pooch. It is the first time I have traveled with such peace of mind since having Lucy.

If you make your booking with Alan by end of September 2015 and quote “TheFurryTales”, you enjoy 10% off boarding and dog walking services! You won’t regret it!

Alan mobile: 94897602
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pawsitivemindsg
Email: pawsitivemind@gmail.com

Sweat It Out!

We love to exercise with our pooches, in case you haven’t noticed by now! Cycling, stand-up paddling, dog yoga, and now, boot camp! Check out our video for suggestions on how you can sweat it out (and bond) with your dog – lunges, sit-ups, push-ups, bicycle crunches…

Let us know if you need ideas on how to train your dog on this – we primarily use clicker training when teaching new tricks.

Trendy Soi 60

Contributed by Sisi Soh

Chic and trendy indoor seating.

The Furry Tales have found another dog-friendly eatery at our home ground, Robertson Quay. It is contemporary Thai restaurant and bar, Soi 60. This chic place along the Singapore River serves Thai food. It’s not cheap (S$22 for a plate of Pad Thai), but we’ve liked what we’ve tried so far. The basil chicken with rice was pretty good, and so were the chicken wings.

Chicken wings

Basil Chicken with Rice

But mostly, we like it because it’s a new option for our dogs to come along with us. We heard that the food plays second fiddle to the drinks although we have yet to try them. Let us know if you do! The alfresco is spacious and allows your dog to sit comfortably, and people-watch at the same time. They even serve your dog with a bowl of water without you asking – thumbs up for that!

Alfresco seating: Lucy blocking the way.

So if you’re in the area and feel like Thai food, but don’t want to leave your pooch at home, you can try Soi 60. Located at: 6o Robertson Quay, 01-04 The Quayside, Singapore 238252. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 5.30pm-late, Sat-Sun 12 noon-late.

Lucy had a fun time people-watching!

Escape Artist

A few months ago, one of TFT’s pals, Lady-Mae, went missing for four days at Sentosa because she broke free of her collar when fireworks went off. This inspired us to think about our own dogs and, if given the opportunity or exposed to one of their fears, would they run too?

We have put together a few tips on how we think we can minimize the chance of our dogs running away for whatever reason, be it boredom, bad recall, a scary trigger, a dash for freedom. And unfortunately, our dogs do get rewarded for running away because they get to explore the world, dig in the trash, chase the cat, etc. The more successful a dog’s escape is, the more likely it is for them to want to do it again. How can we prevent this?

1. Identify what might cause your dog to run away.

Many dogs are afraid of loud noises such as thunderstorms or construction banging. Some dogs have extreme separation anxiety. They get so anxious and panicky when left at home alone that they try to leave to look for their family.

Going somewhere without me mama?

When Lucy was a puppy, she stayed with a friend when owner Sisi was away. Lucy’s separation anxiety kicked into full mode when she was left alone at home. She jumped out of her play pen, made her way up the kitchen counter, leapt out the window and squeezed through the main gate. Thankfully, she was eventually found at AVA. Lucy’s trigger was being left alone at home. This was remedied by addressing her separation anxiety issues right away.

For dogs that are afraid of loud noises or that startle easily, you can work slowly toward desensitizing their fears, but more importantly, being aware of their limits and not pushing them too much beyond that.

Loud noises do not bother me at all.

2. Being calm with open doors.

Any dog that dashes out of car doors, front doors and gates is potentially a dangerous problem. This behavior should be addressed before disaster hits.

• Before a walk, train your dog to sit and wait until you walk out the door first, then allowing them to follow behind. To train this, open the door wide and see if your dog tries to dash out. If they do, shut the door abruptly before they get a chance to exit – this will surprise them. If they sit, praise nd reward generously. Continue this until your dog sits and looks up at you for leadership before taking a step out the door.
• Before your dog jumps out of the car, they should also sit and wait for your instruction to do so.Having your dog learn the ‘wait’ command can be helpful here.
• For those who live in landed properties, front gates are always accidentally left opened. Your dog should get used to the gate being open without running out.

Can I come out now?

3. Not bolting as soon as the leash unclips.

Most dogs learn very quickly that the sound of the leash unclipping from their collar means they are free to go. Either to run free at the dog park, or any other open space. One of TFT’s friends, Leto, once ran away onto the road because her leash was unclipped accidentally when her minder was removing the leash from the cafe chair. Leto immediately bolted and it took several long and scary minutes to get her back.

You can address this by training them at home everyday after a walk. When you are about to unleash your dog, have them sit and make the unclipping motion/sound without actually releasing the collar, and only when your dog remains in a calm, seated position do you release them. This might take a few repetitions. If your dog runs off before you release them, bring them back to repeat the exercise.

Kaffy is leash trained by Lucy

4. Recall.

Your dog should always come when called. Apart from the fact that it could be very embarrassing to scream yourself hoarse while your dog happily ignores you, this misbehavior could also be potentially dangerous.

Awhile back, Olive was waiting at a traffic light with her owner, Vicky. Something spooked her and she pulled from Vicky’s grip and dashed across the road, in the middle of oncoming traffic. A loud “Olive, COME!” made Olive immediately turn and run back to Vicky. We dare not think of what would have happened if Olive did not have a strong recall.

Humans are bound to also make mistakes and leave gates/doors open, not leashing your dog before letting them out the car or your leash may snap at an inopportune time. Only time spent training our dog on its recall until it is perfected can “correct” this situation. As dog owners, unless we have this skill down to pat, we can never be truly assured that no matter what the circumstance, our dogs will return to us and out of harm’s way.

Gotta go! Mom’s calling me!

These are a few suggestions we have for minimizing the risk of your dog getting lost, and are by no means exhaustive. Share your thoughts and experiences with us.

Cruisin’ Together

Contributed by Sisi Soh
The Furry Tales recently won a Petfie contest and our prize was pretty awesome – a pet cruise! We’d always wanted to go on a boat with our dogs, so we were psyched. From spas to hotels to cruises, today’s dogs sure are pampered.

          Muddy waiting for his Rose

         The Wong Dogs with Muddy and Lucy

Tanya and I made our way to Marina Country Club to meet with cruise organizer Jerome and boat skipper Joe. Other guests on the boat included Bryan and his mother, and The Wong Dogs. After Joe’s briefing on safety and our route, we set off on the 30-minute ride to Seletar Island.

It was the first time our dogs were on a boat and Muddy absolutely loved it. He ditched us at the back of the boat to venture all the way to the front and gaze out to sea. All four dogs enjoyed the sea breeze and watching  passing boats. Just like any other cruise, except the guests on board were dogs.

        Tanya with Muddy and Sisi with Lucy

View of one of the few remaining working kelongs in Singapore

We docked at Seletar Island beach and were given 15 minutes to let our dogs play. The weather was perfect – slightly overcast with some sun. Muddy usually hates getting into water, and all previous attempts to introduce him to the joys of swimming had always failed, remaining firm in his stand that water is not to be enjoyed. However, on this one day, he took to Cole (Bryan’s dog) immediately and when Cole ran into the water, so did Muddy. We were so thrilled!

Bromance budding between Muddy and Cole

    Hello we’re waiting for a ball here! Anyone?

          Race back to the beach!

                         Island life

In addition to our beach play, Joe also allowed our dogs (and humans, if you so wish) an open water swim. The dogs put on their colorful life vests provided by Joe.

Spot of the day: a pod of rare pink porpoises!

Lucy gave us a scare and disappeared under the boat for a few seconds – Joe jumped in with his clothes on to rescue her! That’s a true skipper, thanks Joe!

The dogs had a blast. Even when I brought Lucy back up the boat after her disappearing act, she was upset to see her friends still in the water so she jumped right back in by herself. Quite a water baby, that one.

Lucy gets a cuddle for giving everyone a scare. Or ten.

We rinsed the dogs off again and dried them, then headed back to Marina Country Club where Jerome had ordered pizza for our lunch. Yum!

It was a fabulous day and we loved it! TFT is definitely planning to go on this pet cruise again, but this time with the full crew and husbands/boyfriends!

Pet Cruise: boat owner, Joe, started this boat company in 2012 and is the only pet cruise company in Singapore. His motor catamaran carries a maximum of 10 pax (including dogs – 1 dog counts as 1 pax). A basic cruise lasts 2 hours and costs S$300. To book, please call 96375009 or email: petcruise88@gmail.com

Sleeping is our favorite thing to do!

Our dogs sure love to sleep and sleep and sleep! Did you know the following facts:
• Around 50% of a dog’s day is sleep.
• Approximately 30% of the day is rest (mostly awake but inactive).
• Dogs are active only about 20% of each day.
(Source: The Dog Bible: Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know)

Kafka: Sometimes it gets hot during my afternoon naps

Lucy: My bed’s in the wash, don’t judge me…

Olive: Watching you got so boring I fell asleep, mama.

We are continuing our #TFTsleepingdog “competition” on Instagram so keep those posts coming of your dog’s favorite sleeping positions! Lucky winners get an adorable hand-crafted amigurumi (the Japanese art of knitting and crocheting small stuffed animals) from Little Yarn Friends. #TFTsleepingdog will close on 6 May 2015.

Enjoy more of our snoozing pooches. As Little Yarn Friends reminds us, “Do small things with great love.”

Leto: Watch out for that car! Zzzz

Olive: I like my reverse pillow.

Lucy: Tugging is so much work.