Excellent Handling Skills at Bubbly Petz!

Welcome to Bubbly Petz!

Olive and Lucy recently visited Bubbly Petz for Lucy to get a skin analysis by groomer Desmond and for Olive to get her nails trimmed. Can we say, we are so impressed by Desmond’s dog handling skills!

Sisi says: I wanted to see if there was anything that could be done for Lucy’s itchy skin allergies. She always gets so freaked out and stressed out at any groomer or vet. When placed on the high table, Lucy usually tries to clamber off in panic, and as a result, leaving me with scratches all over. In fact, when she was on the high table at Bubbly Petz, I actually whispered to Vicky, “She’s gonna jump off…any moment now.”

But she didn’t! Desmond managed to keep Lucy on the table without any restraint or leash! Lucy was surprisingly calm and didn’t struggle very much. While Desmond checked her skin and ears, she stood still while keeping her eyes on me. Never before!

Desmond checking out Lucy’s skin.

Lucy looking calm while Desmond combs her fur.

I was very impressed and told Desmond I usually have problems keeping her still at home. Brushing her teeth or trimming the fur around her face is near impossible because I would need three hands! One to hold her down, one to lift her lips and the last to brush! I was even more impressed when he showed me how to brush her back teeth and she didn’t even flinch.

Getting her teeth brushed.

This usually requires more than one pair of hands plus a leash (or two!).

After we were done, Lucy lay on the floor and took a dog nap. Usually after visits to the vet or groomers, she cannot wait to leave and pulls me to the door. I guess she liked Bubbly Petz! She was rewarded with a toy ball from the shop!

Vicky says: Olive has fearful aggression and is reactive to people, so it has been a real challenge to bring her to get her nails trimmed over the last two years. She needs to be muzzled either at the vet or groomer – whenever she is handled by strangers. When I heard that Desmond doesn’t use any restraints, I was very skeptical, and extremely worried for his safety. In fact, I offered Desmond the muzzle I had brought for Olive and said I would feel much safer if he used it!

Firstly, Desmond took the time to let Olive sniff him, and he fed her some treats. He was calm and un-worried.

Then, he went ahead to hold her firmly and cut her nails, as I was stuffing treats as fast as I could into her mouth!

   

Olive has NEVER been able to be examined or have her nails cut without a muzzle, so I am extremely impressed at Desmond’s confidence and handling skills! Several times, Sisi and I clutched each other or shared panicked glances when he went to hold her or examine her paws, when she could easily snap at his face.

When Desmond went to have a closer look at Olive’s paws, my heart jumped and I’m sure I also heard Sisi’s heart pounding harder!

We highly recommend the grooming services at Bubbly Petz for how Desmond was able to read our dogs’ body language and handle them with ease and confidence. Lucy and Olive are not easy dogs to manage, and yet he did an amazing job with both of them. Fearful or nervous dogs would really benefit from the positive methods which Desmond advocates.

These two got some goodies from the store for being such good girls!

Bubbly Petz also has a pet store which sells ethical, cruelty-free and planet-friendly products.
Address: 266 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427520
Opening hours: Mon, Wed, Thu, Sun 10:00am-7:00 pm; Fri-Sat 12:00pm-9:00pm; closed on Tue
Contact number: 63486872 or 96563786

See our previous post on the Bubbly Petz grand opening here.

Making the Most of Being Stuck Indoors

The haze is so bad – both PSI and PM2.5 crossed 300 this week, bringing the levels to the HAZARDOUS range! This air really isn’t good for our dogs, so we’ve only been bringing them out for a quick potty 2-3 times a day. Last year, we did up a post on 8 Indoor Games to keep our pooches occupied at home so we keep our sanity.

Our mamas won’t let us go out in this haze.

Now is a good time to review some of these games, as we’ve had to use some of them lately!

1) FIND YOUR FOOD – this is still Olive’s favorite game. It can keep her going for 15-20 minutes, and Olive is tired out by the end of it as she is using her nose power so intensely. Olive is commanded to “stay” in the kitchen or bathroom as her kibble or treats are hidden around the house (sometimes her “stay” is several minutes long in order to work her out further), and she is then told her favorite words: “Find your food!”

Olive has graduated from easy hiding spots, such as wall corners and on her cushion, to more challenging ones, such as under her cushion, behind books, under a pile of toys and on elevated window sills.

Lucy started with this game by trying to get it out from under a small towel. This sounds easy but she surprisingly took a little while to figure out how to either push the towel aside or lift it to reveal the treat. When this gets too easy, you can put the treat in between two towels on the floor.

Lucy figuring out how to get under the towel.

2) HOLE-EE BALL – the Hole-ee ball is a good toy to have when your dog is stuck at home with nothing to do. Sometimes Lucy can occupy herself for ages trying to get out the treats that Sisi has stuffed in it. Sometimes she makes it harder by rolling the treats up into strips of fabric before stuffing it in.

Can’t get it out, mama.

Help me?

Vicky also keeps Olive occupied with treats stuffed into old socks, which are then stuffed into the Hole-ee ball. Be prepared for your socks to also become ‘hole-ee’ as they try to get the treats out – this can keep them occupied for quite some time.

3) NEW TRICKS – this is always an excellent way to drain their energy and improve the communication between dogs and owners. The Furry Tales mamas use mainly clicker training to teach our dogs (see our post on it here). These are some new tricks Olive and Lucy have been working on due to the haze.

Weave ‘Poles’: since we don’t have agility weave poles at home, we creatively made our own ‘poles’ out of 1.5L water bottles and stuck rolled up newspaper on top of the bottles. See Olive getting the hang of it in the video.

Start with fewer bottles, and add on more bottles once they know what you want. Luring with food will help them start going where you want them to, and then phase out the food but keep the hand movements, and then phase out (or minimize) the hand movements.

Basket Trick: this consists of teaching several steps and then stringing it together when your dog is confident in doing each step. Through free shaping, Lucy has recently learnt how to (1) pick up an object on the floor, (2) drop it into a basket,  (3) close the lid, and (4) carry the basket to Sisi. It’s really fun to teach and watch how your dog eventually “gets” it.

For more ideas on how to keep your pooch occupied, check out our previous post! Let us know any other ideas or tricks you have that we can try out. In the meantime, be safe!

Puppy Love

Many of us bring home a second puppy without making plans for introducing a new puppy to dogs that already live there. Adult dogs often welcome a new canine pal but it’s important to try to choose compatible pet matches. Sometimes, resident dogs may feel naturally protective of its turf. Proper introductions are very important to start them both off on the right foot.

Mama, carry me too!

Recently, Sisi had a pug puppy stay with her for a few weeks. Her own Lucy isn’t the most sociable dog, so making sure all the correct steps were taken to introducing them was quite vital. Here are some the things that Sisi did (with helpful advice from trainer Vivien of Rao Canine).

1. Introduce the dogs on neutral ground.

When you bring another dog home, your dog might feel threatened and protect his territory. Meeting somewhere neutral helps ensure that your dog does not view the puppy as an intruder. Both dogs should be on a leash and allowed to meet and greet. After that, they ideally should take a walk together.

Lucy and Hugo met at the car park on neutral turf. They were both on leashes, allowed to sniff and get comfortable with each other, and then Sisi brought them up to the house. Initally, Hugo was placed in a play pen so he could get used to all the scents in the house without being overwhelmed. Later on, he was allowed to explore.

You mean this is not my house?

2. Personal space or timeouts.

Both dogs should have their own personal space where they’re not forced to interact if they do not want to.

Dogs get overstimulated when they play and sometimes fights break out. Any growling from Lucy meant she was immediately put into a time out. Whenever Hugo was overly jumpy and didn’t listen, he was put back into his play pen to calm down.  Knowing your dog is important so whenever Sisi felt that Lucy was tensed, she separated them both for a short while before letting them be together again.

How’s jail treating you, Hugo?

3. Supervised play time.

As with any two dogs playing, supervision is always a necessity. Puppies need to learn how to play, how to read other dogs’ body language and follow instructions from their owners.

Lucy and Hugo played. They liked chasing each other and Lucy was gentle with him. But he also annoyed Lucy  by jumping up in her face repeatedly, biting her ear and trying to pounce on her while she was sleeping. Although Lucy was tolerant and didn’t growl or snap, she was uncomfortable – each time Hugo jumped at her, she froze and looked away. So Sisi would call Hugo away and praise Lucy for not reacting.

A common problem with the new puppy is that they don’t yet understand many commands, and when Sisi tried to call him away, he either wouldn’t respond, or he would run away and then come running back in full force. Which would frustrate Lucy further. To solve this, Hugo was kept on a leash during play time, so Sisi could teach him how to play appropriately and also to reassure Lucy that she was safe. Hugo got lots of praise for not jumping, and Lucy got lots of praise whenever Hugo was beside her. On good days, they lay side by side for a few minutes.

Stay on your side, and I’ll stay on mine k?

4. Be careful around food, treats and toys.

Food, treats and toys are often triggers for aggressive or possessive behavior. It is important to supervise the puppy around these items and up to the owners to teach them boundaries, especially if the resident dog has resource guarding issues.

Lucy and Hugo were fed separately the first few days but within sight of each other. Sisi also made sure Hugo learnt right from the beginning that his bowl would only be placed on the ground if he was seated and calm. Once he could do that, Sisi started feeding them side by side, and she made sure Hugo learnt not to go near Lucy’s bowl (she has mild food aggression).

Calmest dog gets fed first.

Lucy wasn’t aggressive or possessive about her toys, but there were a few incidences where Sisi felt she was being very mean! When Sisi threw a ball for Hugo, even if Lucy was far away or sleeping, she’d sprint to get the toy and run away with it. Once, she even carried her toys from her toy box one by one up onto the sofa where she knew Hugo wouldn’t be able to reach them!

5. Individual love and attention.

Sometimes, we focus so much on the new dog that we forget about our first love. Both dogs will need some individual time and attention from us. It is also important the the new puppy bonds with the owners and not prefer its canine sibling, so that training will be easier.

Sisi made sure to give Lucy enough time and attention even though there was a new puppy in the house. That way, nobody felt neglected.

Can I please borrow your ball Lucy?

Pets Welcome, Humans Tolerated at Green Door Bar!

Contributed by Sisi Soh
Recently, we brought Lucy to Green Door Bar, located at the popular and hip Dempsey Hill. We’d seen an Instagram post announcing “Pets Welcome” so we were excited to try someplace new.

         Spot Lucy: Green Door welcomes me!

Green Door is the perfect place for a before or after dinner drink and snack in an open air space, where you can enjoy the garden atmosphere surrounded by foliage. Their indoor and outdoor setting have a rustic charm to it, and the best part about it are the big fans that are placed around their tables. Let’s face it, as much as we want to enjoy alfresco dining in Singapore, it is usually too hot! The fans were a major plus point.

                I love this place! So much green…

When we arrived, Lucy was immediately offered a bowl of water which we really appreciated. Not many places make our beloved pets feel welcome. Even the menu welcomes them!

                             Water bowl for Lucy

          Pets are welcome!Humans tolerated!

We didn’t try their alcohol but heard that their signature cocktails use fruits and herbs that are freshly grown from their garden. We shared a basket of truffle fries which were quite yummy (even Lucy couldn’t keep her eyes off them, and we had to wipe drool from her mouth!). The next time we visit, we plan to try their mini burgers which we also heard good things about. Green Door serves mains too. Some of their favorites are the roasted eggplant pizza and TGD wagyu beef burger. Mmmm…

      Can’t I just have a lick?

Pretty terrace where guests may also be seated at.

    I’ll be back with my friends!

 

We’ll definitely be back with the TFT crew. Hopefully, Green Door will be just as friendly to all our dogs (that’s the real test!).

Green Door is located at 13A Dempsey Road, Dempsey Hill. Opening hours: Sun-Thur 5pm-midnight, Fri & Sat 5pm-1am. Happy Hour: Daily 5pm-8pm, Brunch Sunday 1pm-5pm.