Category: Community Stories

Featuring stories from real pet owners and resources for all thing pets

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What are Singapore Specials like and are they right for you

Every person getting a new dog, be it first-time or experienced dog owners, would arrive at this question at some point during their decision-making process: What breed of dog should I get? There are the usual pedigree breeds that have been labelled as “family-friendly” like our adorable Golden Retrievers and “easy to train” Maltipoo cross-breeds which we have crossed paths with during one of our evening leisure walks. However, when one considers between adoption and getting their new furkid from a known breeder, a major deterrent against opting for adoption is the lack of information on the temperaments of Singapore Specials (SS) (our affectionate name for our kampong dogs, also known to many as “mongrels”, “mixed-breeds” or “strays”). 

As a first-time owner, I too hesitated on adopting a dog because I simply did not know much about SS. It seemed like an easier option to buy a pedigree dog whose temperaments, quirks, prey drive, receptivity to training was already analysed and readily available on the Internet. On the other hand, searching up “Singapore Specials/mongrels” on Google left me with few to no results about the things to expect from owning an SS. Thus, I finally decided to write about my experiences with owning an SS and behaviours characteristic to SS in hopes that this article will raise more awareness about our beloved local dogs and many potential owners will consider adopting a Special as their future companion, and best friend.

Before diving into the particularities of Singapore Specials, I felt that I should introduce myself first so you could put a name and face to this article. I’m Sabrina and this is my best friend, and “grandchild” (according to my parents), Kyla.

Kyla at 6 months old and still a compulsive worry queen

Kyla is nearly 7 months old and my family had adopted her from Mercylight in July 2020. While I am currently abroad for my undergraduate studies, I had spent most of my days in Singapore prior to my departure caring for Kyla and thus I will be sharing my experiences from that period (currently, my family is caring for her and I receive regular updates on her growth).  In the process of writing this article, I had also spoken to other SS owners to compare my experiences with them so as to give a more accurate representation of SS as a “breed”. Of course, given that SS were never specially bred for any purpose as was the case for many pedigree dogs, their personalities may differ from what I write so that should be kept in mind when you read my article. 

So without further ado, what are Singapore Specials like?

Past experiences can mean fearfulness and skittishness

While some SS may have been rescued when they were only a few days old, many others are often introduced to shelter life and exposure to humans after months or years of roaming and scavenging for food. Having spent their entire lives hiding from humans and sleeping near construction sites or fields, this means that they have never experienced living with humans in apartments, eating from bowls, being touched nor walking on leash. Naturally, SS which have not socialised properly are more fearful and resistant to a change in the environment. While I was fortunate enough to have adopted Kyla when she was still very young and thus could socialise her to new environments fairly easily, many other SS owners have to restart the socialisation process. This usually implies slowly introducing “unnatural” elements to them, even the smallest things like the TV or rooms in the house. One SS owner had shared with me that her SS was still very skittish even after four months of being with her family and had stayed in the same room for almost two months. It takes constant repetition, exposure to the same environments over and over again for Specials to recognise that these spaces are safe. Adopting an SS means harnessing that mountain of patience to go slow, and to reassure them that humans, other dogs and even their reflection in the food bowl is nothing to be afraid of.

Be prepared for a high prey-driven dog

See that rat that just ran past the pavement? The flock of birds minding their business on the grass patch next to you? You better hold your leash tight. Singapore Specials are your diamonds in the rough when you consider them as hunting dogs. Over decades of surviving on their own, they have acquired an acute sense of smell and sight valuable for sourcing out food. It is in their nature to hunt down birds and other small animals. Even Kyla, who never had to scour for food on the streets, was very attracted to rats and birds that she spotted on our walks. She would whine and tug very strongly on the leash when we prevented her from going closer to the rat hidden in the grass. On one walk, Kyla had found a dead flattened rat on our road and picked it up like it was a precious chew (and you can guess who had to forcefully take the rat from her). The point is, expect that SS have a high prey drive and if you ever thought of letting that rabbit next door be her new best friend, you should probably think twice. 

Reactivity and the importance of training

A similar point to how past experiences have shaped the personalities of Singapore Specials, another common characteristic to note is that SS have the tendency to be more reactive and sensitive to new people and dogs. In defining “reactivity”, I refer to behaviours such as growling, barking, and defensive stances. While Kyla is more sensitive towards people (barking) and very playful around other dogs, other SS I have met are reactive to the latter and easy-going with people. Then again, there are some Specials that are friendly to all and have no problems with interactions, so it may not be set in their personalities after all. Nevertheless, given the fact that they are generally more fearful and skittish, it would be a good idea to invest time into obedience training sessions to learn to manage their reactivity and to desensitise them to new environments. Group training sessions are useful as they allow you to practice managing SS around other dogs-in-training which provides a controlled environment for correcting their reactive behaviours.

happy girl passed her first obedience training!

Highly intelligent thinkers

Singapore Specials are very intelligent. Period. Their resilience cultivated from their survival instincts ultimately means that they are determined to crack that puzzle to obtain that bonus treat. It took Kyla approximately a month to figure out how to push the baby gate open to let herself up to the second and third floors of our house, and she was able to recognise her reflection in the mirror in our living room after one house visit (back when we were still in the process of adopting her). However, because SS are able to solve challenges fairly quickly, it is also important to engage them intellectually to ensure that they exercise their mental capacities. This may mean making them work for treats and spending some time engaging in challenging play (personally, I play hide and seek with Kyla to do so). 

Your best bodyguard, a fiercely loyal buddy

Last but not the least, SS are your residential guard dogs. Their sensitivity to new environments is also a valuable asset that can be harnessed. Perhaps it is the fact that they are eternally grateful to you for giving them a furever home and a lifetime supply of tasty treats, but Specials will reward you with their unwavering loyalty after they gain trust in you. One day, I was waiting at the void deck for my family to buy dinner with Kyla. She laid down 1m in front of me and was calm when people walked past us and went about their day. However, when one man had approached me to ask about her, Kyla immediately stood up and barked at him, always putting herself between me and the man. This was when I had realised that Kyla’s barking was due to the fact that she primarily wanted to protect and not to display dominance and aggression. You can therefore say that SS are amazing guard dogs, and their alleged “hostility” should not be taken for aggression but their strong loyalty to their owners. 

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If you have read till this point, thank you for your support and I sincerely hope this article has helped one or two potential dog owners to make an informed decision regarding their new family member. All I wish for is that this article sheds more light on the temperaments of Singapore Specials so that we remove the stigma regarding stray dogs and that many may consider adopting an SS now with better information on what raising an SS is like. 🙂

Many thanks to those who have helped contribute to this article in one way or another!

Our long-distance relationship now 🙂
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Seriously, it is Alright to Feed Kibbles and Raw Diet Together.

I’ve always seen this question and always hear this answer in response:
“No! You should never mix kibbles and raw meat together. It will lead to problems because kibbles and raw meat have different digestion speeds and require different pH levels, so you can’t eat them at the same time. You should feed a fully raw diet, none of that kibbles cr@p. That’s like feeding McDonald’s to your pet every day.”

It has also gotten really annoying to see raw feeders with a holier-than-thou attitude bashing on or criticising other pet owners for feeding kibbles or mixed diets. Let’s just start off by saying this:

Feed the pet in front of you. What works for one may not always work for the other. There is no one RIGHT or WRONG feeding, and you should do what is right for YOUR PET. No one has the right to criticise another individual for their decisions.

Of course I’m not referring to people who are just feeding their pets the most blatantly obvious and unbalanced meals, those should be called out. I’m talking about most decent and thinking pet owners in this situation, who does not deserve being called out for their decisions on feeding their pets.

I can’t emphasise this enough: EDUCATE people, not put them down. When we all first started, we all know what it is like to be in a position of confusion with so much mixed information available on the Internet. Why not take the time to share your experience, your learning resources, and allow them to then make a decision for themselves on what is right for THEIR FAMILY.

Raw feeding may be cheap or expensive depending on the country. The owners may or may not have the time to prepare a nutritious meal. There are many factors that go into why someone decides on feeding raw/kibble/HCF/any of the above combinations.

Also, just to address that whole idea of kibbles being MacDonald’s. That is not exactly right. Kibbles are essentially balanced meals that provide the necessary nutrition for the pet to live. MacDonald’s are unbalanced fast food that is poor in providing many essential nutrients.

Rather, try thinking of kibbles as army rations.
Does it taste good? Probably not.
Does it look or smell appetising? Not really.
But does it hit the minimal daily nutrients requirements? Usually*, yes.

* Disclaimer: I am referring to kibbles that are of decent quality which abides by nutrition guidelines in these situations.

This seems to have turned into a rant (lol). Now that the rant is over *sorry for ranting*, let’s get back to the point of this post.

What you see in a bowl is NOT representative of everything that goes into my dogs’ diets. Please do not replicate without knowing what is necessary for your pets.

So, it is not true that you cannot mix kibbles and raw meat. Yes, the digestion speed will definitely be slightly different, but this does not mean that you cannot feed at the same time. Do you have to wait a few hours before eating meat when you eat grains?

Note: Some pets may have diarrhoea when eating kibbles + raw meat, but this is not because of digestion problems, but because the stomach is not used to it. Any change in diets usually causes some problems (even among different brands of kibbles if you have a pet with a sensitive stomach).

Remember, your stomach does not have a pH level button, it will not change stomach acid when digesting kibble or eating raw meat.

Breaking Down “Digestion”

Geddit geddit? Breaking down? Digestion? (Okay sorry I’ll just show myself out.)

Digestion is the process of extracting nutrients from food and then transporting the released nutrients from the gastrointestinal tract to the body, where they are used for energy and tissue growth. The stomach and small intestine are the main parts of digestion. The stomach does not absorb nutrients, it releases them from food and destroys pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella. The longer the food spends in the stomach, the greater the amount of digestion (this is good).

It is the small intestine, not the stomach, that absorbs nutrients. The nutrients released from the food are absorbed into the blood through the intestinal wall. The speed of food passing through the intestine will affect the number of nutrients that the small intestine can absorb. Fast-moving food cannot absorb too much nutrition. (Note: This might be where the misinformation starts.)

A recent experiment was conducted to observe the digestion speed of dry food and raw meat (see picture below). The researchers used X-rays and barium (a radiopaque liquid mixed with food) to trace dry food and raw meat through the gastrointestinal tract. Although only one dog was examined, its original digestion rate was slower than that of kibbles, which overturned the general statement that “raw meat digests faster than dry food”. In fact, liquids are emptied from the stomach faster than solids, and carbohydrates are excreted faster than protein and fat.

On the left is the x-ray of the dog eating kibbles, and on the right that of the same dog eating a raw meal.
The first two rows on the left is that of a kibble diet, the right and the last row is that of a raw diet. You can see that kibble was digested quicker than raw meal.

The above images were taken from The Raw Feeding Community, a great online source for raw feeders. I highly recommend heading on over to their post for a detailed explanation on the hour by hour breakdown of the meals being digested. Click here to be brought over to the original post.

Back to the explanation, when food enters the stomach, it will be soaked in stomach acid. Then, depending on the degree of swelling, the stomach will release an appropriate amount of gastric acid to control the dilution, so the pH can be maintained at a high acid level initially. Dilution is part of the digestion process. It occurs gradually through the digestive tract. What you don’t want to do is to have undiluted acid coming out the other end. Just thinking about it is painful.

The stomach has an excellent design and has served dogs and cats for thousands of years. As an example, when calcium is felt in the stomach, more stomach acid is released because bones are expected to appear due to the calcium content. More digestive juices are needed to break down bones than meat. There are more “sensors” and feedback mechanisms in the digestive system, which can effectively extract nutrients from various diets ingested by animals in different foods. We are at a time where we have access to a lot of information, let’s not fall for false information. Detailed research on pets has shown that mixing raw food and kibbles does not produce toxins or digestive challenges.

People have been feeding their pets a mixed diet for decades. Only recently has the trend of avoiding mixing become popular under the influence of false or wrong news. Studies have indeed shown that mixing some fresh raw food with kibbles is much healthier than kibbles alone. Complete + balanced raw meat is one of the best things you can feed your pet. But there are exceptions. Some owners may not have the time or money to feed raw meat, so we should not blame others for their choices. We all want the best for our pets, so please also give other pet owners the same respect, and do not fault them for a decision that they may have also made with the same best interests at heart (within reason of course).

Seriously though, please do not take my words out of context. What I’ve shared above is information from research that I have done. You should absolutely do your own research, start by reading up the blog I linked above to read about the experiment in detail. Then, come to your own conclusion on what is right for YOUR PET. You know best from experience and trials what works for YOUR PET.

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How having a dog changed my life.

Processed with VSCO with p5 preset

It’s…. officially 9 months 5 days since I had my first dog, and it’s been a helluva ride for me. Well, do not mistake me when I say that. This helluva ride kinda changed my lifestyle, my habits for the better, though twenty percent of the time, I had my eyeballs rolled after every mess my dearest pup made:)


TIME AND COMMITMENT

My fiancé and I decided to get a dog as we were living in the same house and working in the same company. COMMITMENT, I would say is the distinguishing factor whether or not, you should, or SHOULD NOT have a dog. Living with a puppy is honestly underrated and definitely incomparable, to taking care of a baby as many would say.
We were really blessed to have flexible working hours to deal with the puppy period as the first few weeks of your life with them, is gonna be disastrous.

You cant get mad at this puppy face isnt it.
  • Meals

Prepping their meal isn’t as simple as what many thought it would be and to further clarify this misconception, it definitely isn’t just scooping a cup of kibbles and expecting them to feed on it for all of their meals, their entire life. Every individual puppy is different and do keep in mind that their body changes and reacts to different types of food as they grow.

We did have had quite an experience with my sheltie’s meal since he was a puppy.
From raw to kibbles, to freeze-dried, to raw again and then to home-cooked.
Was indeed a stressful process I would admit. HEH!

They could be receptive to raw at first but allergies could kick in after.
They could be receptive to kibbles at first but decided to be picky after.

The list continues and to sum it up, every type of food, be it commercial food, home-cooked, raw … etc, they each have their own benefits but it boils down ultimately to how your puppy reacts to each type of food and the commitment of every dog owner to formulate the meals of their pups accordingly so they can eventually live a long and healthy life.

  • Daily walks / Dog runs / Cafes

Oh.. daily walks. Some people lament the need to walk their dogs daily and soon after, they no longer walk their dogs anymore.

This is when commitment kicks in as walks are what your pups look forward to every day where they can run wild, play at dog runs, or even just a 45mins walk outside wherever. Pretty similar to the kind of break we look forward to after staying at home the entire day.

Walking them daily exposes them to different environments instead of being a country bumpkin. Some puppies react very much as they were not exposed to cars, people jogging, the sounds of the birds chirping …etc when they are young and become fearful as they age and these certainly are not fears that could be eliminated overnight. This is only just an example of my experience having a sheltie, however, there could be other problems owner faces depending on the breed of their dog.

Commitment to walk them daily eliminates bad behaviour and is a good form of exercise to correct them of their bad habits and to develop a healthier relationship between you and your pups:)

Let them have their fair share of playtime too. Cafes are really heaven for them.

  • Trainings

Obedience training, focus training, toilet training, or whatsoever training you have enrolled yourself and your pups into, please do not give up halfway as these are the essentials and know-hows which will definitely be useful to you and your pups. All in all, don’t get one if you cant commit and don’t resent them if they were to pee on your couch or your bed or your favourite cushion in the future. #JUSTSAYING

  • Showers

Be sure to shower them weekly / twice a week to keep them clean. You don’t want bugs or fleas up their fur. As my sheltie has dry skin issues, he has to be showered weekly with medicated shampoo. The process is really tiresome but you get a puffy, pleasant smelling, and happy puff at the end of the day.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND SACRIFICES

Waking up at several intervals during the night to clear his poop was a test for us. Both me and my fiancé struggled so much as we were logs before we had him. Puppies poop like there’s no tomorrow, and just so you know, they eat their own poop like it’s the best dessert they ever had. And yes, this is gonna be repetitive for the first few weeks. Ingesting too much poop is definitely not healthy for them in the long run and it could become a habit which would be hard to correct in the future.

It was madness for us at night and we were soulless in the day when we headed for work. But seeing how much he has grown and learned when and where not to poop, we know the sacrifices were not wasted.

As it’s only just me, my fiancé, and my pups living together, we could barely head out for a long period of time. Well, not until hapsie is an adult. heheh.
Staycations were also a no for us, temporarily. Covid’s here anyway.

HOW IT EVENTUALLY CHANGED MY LIFESTYLE

Having our own personal time has became a bonus for us.
Without a dog, you can travel whenever you want to, enjoying impromptu plans with friends and families, spending some time chilling while watching Netflix, popping chips into your mouth.

But when you have one….. you have to feed him on time, spend time walking him, playing with him, teaching and training him. Your energy will be drained by the time the sunsets. Zero time for dating or even just mere chilling. Times where we left him at the groom for about an hour or so, was the only personal time we had to have a cup of coffee, to lay back and chill for a bit. We even had to drop him off at our parent’s place occasionally to attend meetings/appointments and only fetch him when our day ends.

Waking up early has become a habit as we had to feed him. We use to be logs who only wakes up in noon. Now our body clock has changed.
Weekends have also been busier than before as we’ll bring him out to cafes, dog runs to meet his siblings and friends as weekdays were only walks and journey to the office together. Chilling and lazing on a weekend has become a once in a while event. It did change my lifestyle to a healthier one and I’m thankful for this change. 9 months into having a dog and I’m enjoying every second of it. Looking forward to having him celebrate the different milestones I’ll be achieving in the future and I’m really grateful for the change he has brought upon us.

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Ah, not forgetting the twenty percent of the mess I mentioned earlier, its nothing more than having holes in your favourite shirt, clean socks which are soaking wet, strings in your pants shredded, and tissue paper pieces all over your floor 🙂 But don’t worry, after all the mess that’s been made, you’ll be sure to see their most innocent, brightest smile which you can never get mad at 🙂

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Tips for taking memorable outdoor photos of your furkid (without using professional cameras!)

Our personal experience

We often receive queries from fellow pawrents who ask us where we take our outdoor photos, what camera we use, and how we managed to get clear and bright photos of Taro! While we are by no means professional photographers (PS. in fact, we snap most of our pictures with our iPhone!), we would love to share some tips on how to get some memorable and clear photos for you to keep (or post on IG!)

Photo snapped using iPhone 🙂

1. Is your doggo in a calm mood?

This is an important point often overlooked by most pawrents! There is no way you can snap a nice clear photo if your dog is in an overly-playful mood and is constantly breaking his/her sit-stay position. Tips – we usually start our photoshoot sessions by taking Taro for a long walk or letting him interact with other dogs. After the walk, Taro will be calmer and tend to stay better – more time for hoomans to snap photos!

Photo taken after a long walk with Taro.

2. Avoid crowded photo spots

This goes without saying – it is difficult for most dogs to stay focused when there are tons of people and dogs walking past. Furthermore, most people would prefer photos where there are as little photobombs as possible. We like to bring Taro to spots in a park where there are fewer people walking by – other than your doggo being less distracted, you also get to snap more photos in peace without feeling too conscious of yourself squatting in front of your dog with your phone for too long a period of time >.< Places, where there is plenty of room for walking and photoshoots, include Bishan Park (huge park, you can definitely find less crowded spots!), East Coast Park, and Lower Seletar Reservoir.

Photo taken at East Coast Park

3. Take advantage of the (good) weather

We love taking photos around 5 to 6.30pm. This gives you a good chance of taking sunset photos, and we try to avoid gloomy days because the surroundings can differ so much with some sunshine. Below are some sunset photos that we really love – disclaimer: they are definitely a stone’s throw from professionally-taken photos, but good enough for our own keepsake 🙂 Bonus – they are ALL taken with iPhone only. We love snapping photos on the go without carrying heavy cameras.

4. Make use of some blooms

This is up to your personal preference, but we love having blooms in our photos! If you use aperture on your camera or portrait mode on your iPhone, you can actually achieve some nice effects with a random flower bush.

5. Can’t get your furkid to stay still? Try putting them on a bench 🙂

Not all dogs are pawfect at sit-stay, and on certain days they are extra distracted! Sometimes, we love to make use of that random park bench to snap some photos 😉

Botanic Gardens
Sengkang Riverside Park

6. Basic Editing – simply use your phone photo-editing app or Lightroom

We usually do some basic editing of our photos – no complicated or paid app or Photoshop, we do it only using our iPhone photo app editing functions and Lightroom. There are many ways of editing a photo and different people have different preferences, so there is no right or wrong to this! For our own photos, we like them bright and vibrant. We would usually adjust the brightness and color of the photos slightly. Lightroom does this pretty well without making your photos look over-exposed or unnatural.

Places we love to go

Our frequently visited places for walks and photos are – Punggol Waterway Park and Sengkang Riverside Park (these parks can be pretty crowded though, but they are near to us), East Coast Park, Bishan Park, and a new favorite Lower Seletar Reservoir. We also love Botanic Gardens and Gardens by the Bay but they are a little further for us. Share with us your favorite places for photoshoots/walks below! And thank you for reading! We hope this article helps pawrents without professional cameras to take nice and memorable photos of their furkids for keepsake 🙂

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Facing Wild Monkeys – Our First Pet Emergency

Have you ever come across wild monkeys during your walks with your doggie? As residents of Singapore, most of us probably are not unfamiliar with the sight of wild monkeys. I grew up jogging near Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, and now walk my 6 month old puppy, Mako, near Labrador Park frequently, so these monkeys are definitely a common sight to me. 

Wild monkeys frequent many nature areas and parks in Singapore. It is not uncommon to meet them on walks

However, most of us also know these monkeys are not to be trifled with. I was taught to never have food or plastic bags in my hands around these monkeys, to never feed them, and to avoid eye contact with them. I always kept my distance as much as I could. I like monkeys – in theory – I think they are adorable. Unfortunately, a terrifying encounter with them has definitely left me more apprehensive about them.

An Outing Gone Wrong

My mother and I wanted to take Mako to the West Coast Park dog run. Mako has never been to a dog run, and I really wanted him to have that experience as he is really social. We were really excited! 

Let’s go to the dog run!

We drove there, parked at Carpark 1, and then I grabbed Mako’s leash to walk as we headed in the direction of the dog run. It was a large wide pedestrian path surrounded by grass and nature. My mother then realised she had left her phone in the car, and told us to go on ahead while she went to retrieve it.

Mako and I walked on, and I kept his leash short and had him walk close to me as it was a new environment. From a distance, I saw a monkey family! There was a mother, a father and tiny little baby! I remember thinking, how cute! They were on the far side of the same path we were on, so we just continued walking in their direction. I didn’t think it’d be a problem as long as I didn’t make eye contact and gave them enough space. Mako is not the aggressive type either so I figured he wouldn’t chase the monkeys. It was around this moment where my mother almost caught up to me and Mako. 

Mako, as is his habit, stopped and turned around to wait for my mother to catch up. He always does this on his regular walks, waiting for my family members who are behind. I followed him and turned to look for my mother too. This was a big mistake.

I got a shock when I looked down and saw the monkey family on the path running up to Mako. The father had reached Mako by the time I realised they were approaching. I was horrified and tried to pull him away. In the past when Mako and I encountered monkeys at Labrador Park, I’d carry him and walk away quickly. However, I was too slow because even as I pulled Mako away, the monkey had reached out and clawed him. I was in shock and didn’t even realise what happened until I saw a huge, red, bleeding gash on Mako’s right hind leg. I mentally froze and all I wanted to do was protect Mako. My mother, the hero of the day, saw everything and came up running and screaming at the monkeys, chasing them away. 

The gash was huge and bleeding. I was terrified his wound could be infected with the filth from the monkey’s claws. The poor boy did not fight back at all. Not a bark, a cry, a growl, or a whine. I picked him up, all 15+ kg of him and carried him about 300m to the car.

Mako’s wound. It was actually even larger but I was holding the wound closed in this picture.

Rushing To The Vet

We rushed him over the Gentle Oak Veterinary Clinic as it was nearby (GO also happens to be Mako’s regular vet). We didn’t have an appointment, so I called them, trying to contain my panic and hysteria.

“My dog got attacked by a monkey, can I bring him in right now?! I’m 10 minutes away”. I was crying by this point as I was so worried. I didn’t know whether he would be okay, and I felt so awful for not protecting him. In my head, I wish I had picked him up. I wished I had shielded him. I wished I was the one injured and not him. What if he got infected? What if he lost his leg? Why was I such a terrible owner? The awful thoughts wouldn’t stop coming. The entire journey felt like the longest in my life. 

However, Mako is such a blessing. I was crying, and failing to be calm and strong for him. The sweet, darling boy, despite his huge wound, lay on me and kept licking my hands. He tried to lick his wound but I covered it with my hand to stop him. Imagine, he was wounded yet he was comforting me!

Huh? Why we here?

I rushed into Gentle Oak, carrying him, crying and literally covered in his blood because it had gotten all over my hands and arms. The staff at Gentle Oak were calm and kind, and swiftly took him in for emergency treatment while I sat in the waiting room trying to calm down. Thank you Dr Travis and GO team for taking amazing care of Mako! They gave him local anaesthetic, various injections to guard against infections and viruses, and also cleaned and stitched the wound. Mako emerged from the treatment room slightly groggy but otherwise calm. 

His wound was large and deep. It needed two stitches.
Monkey who? I’m not scared, mama, I’m a brave strong boy! Don’t cry!

Post Attack

Mako had to wear a cone for 2 weeks so that he would not rip out his stitches or lick them. He HATED the plastic cone. The first night back, he trembled whenever the cone was on, and walked backward the first entire night. The next day, Horlick @horlicksiewdai gifted me their old soft cone and Mako loved it waaaaaay better! Thank you Horlick!

Don’t I look like the most adorable little sunflower?

I had to clean his wound 2 to 3 times a day with antibacterial wash and antiseptic. He could go on walks, but he could not play with his friends nor take a bath. During the first few wound cleanings, I was still wiping up so much blood every time. I had to check constantly for any signs of pus, oozing, or any indication the wound was not healing well. Mako took a couple of days to regain his regular appetite, but within 2 days he was back to his normal playful self! I updated Mako’s trainer via WhatsApp, and here is what he said:

“Mako is still young, and he will absorb like a sponge. He will take this as a correction from the monkeys but he will be okay in the future.”

And that is true. A week and a half later, I saw some monkeys again at Labrador Park, and Mako saw them before I did. He did not react excessively, but was a little more guarded than usual. However, he took cue from me and stayed calm, and we just walked away, and it was like nothing happened. 

Okay fine mama, I’ll take a selfie with you
Ooh, I get kisses? This is fine then.

This entire experience was really awful, but I learned a good amount of things from it that I wish to use this space to share, in the hopes you all find it helpful too. 

You never know when an emergency can happen. Thankfully, we had the car nearby, and I was not alone. My mum drove us to the vet. Here are some tips I have gathered for being ready to handle an emergency, and hope this is useful for first time pet owners like me. 

Handling A Pet Emergency

  1. Stay calm. Obviously I was not great at this, but our pets take cue from us. Mako was calm but other dogs may not be, especially if their human is distressed. I know it is hard, but the best thing you can do for your pet is to stay calm and get them help as soon as possible.
  2. Have vet information stored on your phone for easy access. In an emergency, it is easy to have your mind go blank. Store your regular vet’s phone number and address on your phone. You should also store a 24h emergency vet address and number for late night emergencies. This is so that you know where to go immediately once an incident happens as time is of the essence.
  3. Move quickly but carefully, and do not let your pet lick their wound. This is key to preventing infections. Moreover, it is key that you yourself do not get injured if possible, because then who will care for your pet? Looking back, if the monkey had injured both me and Mako, how would my mum manage to take me to hospital, and take Mako to the vet? Take care of yourself so you can take care of your furkid 
  4. Do your best to remember details of the encounter, e.g. if your dog got poisoned, swallowed something bad, fell, got into a fight etc., as providing this information to your vet once you arrive could be life saving. I could call the clinic in advance to tell them what had happened so they were ready to take Mako in once I got there. 
  5. Don’t blame yourself! I felt HORRIBLE for letting it happen to Mako, and I am still learning to forgive myself for it. However, my friends were great supporters, and everyone reminded me that it was unforeseen, and things just happen sometimes. It happened so fast there was really nothing I could do. Even if you go “what if”, it won’t help now. Focus on being there for your pet. 
This cone isn’t so bad… it’s like pillow I can take everywhere!

The biggest what-if I had to deal with was this: What if I had just picked him up and protected him? Then none of this would have happened? Well, I discussed this with Mako’s trainer, and he shared with me many tips about monkeys I never knew, including the fact that picking up Mako would have been a terrible idea. So, in this portion, I want to share with you tips on dealing with wild monkeys so you all don’t end in a situation like we did!

What To Do When Encountering Wild Monkeys

Not everyone may agree with this, but I am just going to share the tips Mako’s trainer (who is really knowledgeable about animals in general) shared with me, as well as a some other things I have learned.

  1. Never show fear and remain calm. Monkeys can sense your fear and you do not want to be an easy target. Moreover, your dog takes cue from you and if you get anxious, your dog might freak out too and this could trigger the monkeys to attack.
  2. Never turn your back or flank to monkeys. They see this as an invitation to attack. This is possibly what caused them to charge at us even though we didn’t provoke them.
  3. Watch out for monkeys with babies. These tend to be REALLY aggressive as they are protective of their babies
  4. Avoid eye contact with them. This is seen as a challenge and could provoke them. However, you will want to use your peripheral vision to make sure they are not coming too close to you. 
  5. Keep your dog on a short leash, do not let them approach. Mako is so friendly, he has a tendency to walk TOWARDS monkeys. 
  6. Keep distance as much as possible
  7. Back away and put distance between you and the monkeys. Your goal is to get yourself towards the company of more humans, to get your numbers up, discouraging the monkeys desire to attack. Monkeys attack based on calculation of risk, not instinct. Just continue backing until you are out of range and they will usually go back to doing their own thing. 
  8. Do not pick up your dog. This was my impulse but my trainer told me that they will then see it as a chance to attack. From the monkey’s perspective, they see 2 creatures become 1 unit, and the one unit is handicapped. This makes you a vulnerable target. Follow Tip #7. Back away slowly. DO NOT RUN.

And that sums up my first pet emergency with Mako. It was scary, and we learned a lot, and I hope this post has been helpful in helping you learn abou what to do in an emergency, and ESPECIALLY how to deal with wild monkeys to keep your doggie safe! Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and thank you to everyone who supported Mako with thoughts and love during his recovery. He now has his stitches out and has healed very well! Hope this was useful!

The cone is also a great way to hold your yak chew paws-free!

Love,
Mako and hooman.

IG: @makothetaco_

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How to make Bone Broth using pressure cooker

There are many benefits of bone broth for both humans and dogs! It makes a great addition to your dog’s diet and helps with joint aches, digestion, healthy gut etc. Simply search online and you will find a list of benefits.I have tried using a variety of different types of bone – pork, beef and lamb (did not try chicken since Bam Bam is allergic). I recommend using marrow bones or joint bones with cartilage as they contain a significant amount of collagen that gives you a gel-like consistency. I get lamb bones from the neighbourhood market at $6/kg, pork bones from Sheng Shiong at $7-$8/kg and beef bones from S.S.KIM at $4.50/kg or OMNI at $2.57/kg . I find bones with little to no meat take a shorter period of time and will yield more since there will be lesser fat.

What you need:

  • 2 kg of bones
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar (ACV) – I had more success in achieving a gel-like consistency using Bragg’s ACV as compared to HEINZ
  • 3 L water (approximately)
  • A dog to taste test 

Method:

  1. Place 2 kg of bones inside the pressure cooker.
  2. Add in 3 tbsp ACV and approximately 3 litres of water. A good gauge would be to ensure that the bones are fully covered with water or until it reaches the maximum capacity of the pressure cooker.
  3. Place it on high heat and cover with the lid.
  4. When the pressure has reached its max, lower the heat and let it boil for 8 – 9 hours. I use an induction cooker with a heat range of 1 – 9 and usually leave it on at level 4.
  5. After boiling, strain the bone broth and leave it to cool. Put it in the fridge overnight to allow the layer of fat to form at the top. This makes it easier to remove it the next day.

Tips/things to note:

  • I used to defrost the frozen bones before boiling but I find that it did not make a difference if I used the frozen ones immediately.
  • After boiling the broth on high heat for 5 mins, I would also skim off the scums before covering it with the lid. Again, not much of a difference when I skipped this.
  • It took me a few tries to get the duration right to achieve a gel-like consistency. Do not fret if you are unsuccessful the first few attempts. The following factors may play a part:
    • Types of bone used – joint bones contain a high level of collagen. Gelatin is the cooked form of collagen which gives you that gel-like consistency. I have tried using normal soup bones and was unsuccessful.
    • Amount of ACV – the acidity helps to extract the collagen.
    • Duration – You may need to boil the broth longer to extract the collagen out from the bones.
  • Gelling happens when you cool it down in the fridge. If you put it out at room temperature, you will start to see it ‘melting’ into a liquid form which is normal. Bone broth is still nutritious even if it does not gel after refrigeration! Gelling is just a sign that it contains more collagen. I found this article useful in understanding why my bone broth was not having that gel-like consistency:  Troubleshooting Bone Broth: Why Won’t It Gel?
  • Also, please remember to watch the cooker when it is on high heat. Once, I completely forgot about it and by the time I heard the noise, it was too late, and my pressure cooker was spurting broth and it flooded the countertop and floor! There was bone broth all over the wall as well, ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE!
  • You can also add in vegetables in your bone broth. I tried adding carrots and spinach once and the results were the same.
  • As homemade broths do not contain preservatives, it can sit in the fridge for only 3 – 4 days. Pack it in several containers and freeze it. You can also freeze it in big ice cube trays and defrost it before consumption.
  • If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can use a slow cooker but do note that it will take much longer (possibly 18 – 72 hours).​

Enjoy and have fun making bone broths for your puppers! I have yet to add it in my daily diet but I came across a bone broth recipe that said “Better than Botox”.  Time to reconsider!  ​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPK1mgscOMw&feature=emb_logo
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[Product Review] Mira-Pet Ultrasound Toothbrush

Our goob boys and goob girls embarked on a 3-week journey to test out the Mira-Pet Ultrasound Toothbrush. Read till the end to enjoy a special deal!

@taroiskaypo

The set consists of:

  • The Mira-Pet Dog Toothbrush
  • 2x Single-sided Brush Heads
  • 1x Double-sided Brush Heads
  • Dog Toothpaste (specially formulated for dogs and ultrasound)
  • USB Charging Cable
  • 2-year Warranty

The product promises to effectively remove tartar with the Ultrasound technology and destroy bacteria deep in the gums. It also keeps your dog’s teeth in great shape minimizing the need of visiting the vet for dental procedures such as removing tartar under the use of anesthesia. You can now save on dental anesthesia!

Let’s see what our goob doggos have to say about the product
@chai_thesingaporespecial

The ultrasound function is really interesting – by pressing the main button twice, the doggo-friendly silent and vibration-free mode is turned on. If it works well, I can imagine that expensive and stressful trips to the vet can be avoided in the future. I usually hate brushing my teeth, and usually clench while it’s happening. 

@chai_thesingaporespecial
@gemmathepomsky

Initially thought it would feel like the human type electric toothbrush but it’s nothing like it. No strong vibration or noise.

It’s gentle ultrasound produces, helps in tartar removal.

The toothpaste that comes with the set smells amazing! Gemma breath will definitely improve from now.

@gemmathepomsky
@taroiskaypo

It is soooo easy to use! Just turn on the ultrasound and hold it against your furkid‘s teeth. Compared to manual brushing, there is much less struggle and discomfort!

More importantly, you can see visible results even though we only used it for around 3 weeks.

Easy to clean, disinfect and maintain. We just wash it under running tap water with the ultrasound on to disinfect.

@taroiskaypo
@lokithetoast

It’s really easy to use! Despite it being bulkier than our usual toothbrush, it’s something we are willing to accept due to its features. With a complementing toothpaste which works effectively with the ultrasound technology, we will definitely be using this for long.

@lokithetoast

Not convinced? Check out these amazing results!

@taroiskaypo

At the end of 3 weeks, Taro enjoyed significant improvements. With reduce in plaque, he can now flash his pearly white smiles in photos! Isn’t it just amazing! And that means a lesser need to go for dental scaling which can cost a bomb in the long run.

@orithespitz

Despite using the device wrongly for the first week, Ori still had some amazing improvements with whiter teeth! Brown stains were visibly lightened in just a short period of time.

@chai_thesingaporespecial

In just one week, Chai had such noticeable improvements! The dark plaque near the gumline is lessened while the stains on his teeth are reduced.

As seen, the Mira-Pet Ultrasound Toothbrush is a great one-time investment for tartar removal and teeth cleaning. The product is on sale at about SGD370 on Amazon. However, The Woof Agency is holding a groupbuy where pet owners, groomers and vets can get them at a special rate of SGD300 per set! This price includes shipping, taxes as well as delivery to you.

Fill up the order form here to be part of the group buy! We will drop you a message regarding the payment.

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My first experience with an Animal Communicator

Have you ever wondered what your pet is thinking?

As an owner of 2 dogs – Lilo, a 12-year-old Maltese, and Cookie, a 2-year-old Pomsky mix Shetland, I have always thought “what if I can understand why she’s doing this or that, etc etc.” Hence, I decided to share more about my journey in engaging an Animal Communicator (AC)!

Cookie & Lilo (henlo everypawdy!)

As Lilo got older, I was making a conscious effort 1 year ago to search for a good AC in hopes of understanding more about Lilo so that I can make her remaining years the best ever possible, but my main motive was to know her bucket list! I also got the AC to check in with Lilo about her health conditions and some behavioral issues. As for Cookie, I wanted to understand more about her; her character likes and dislikes. 

While I was researching on which AC to engage, most AC allows up to 10 questions per animal, which I feel that it is enough to know everything important about the animal. For 10-15 questions, ACs usually charge between 80~180 SGD. Most ACs are able to communicate with any kind of animals, be it dogs, cats, reptiles, birds, etc.

I chanced upon Nicole, from @pawsandcrystals on Instagram as she was launching a “pay as you wish” initiative to kick off her animal communication journey. Nicole is currently doing this full-time and her current rates are as below which is super affordable! I felt this instant draw towards her and decided to drop her a dm. We clicked off and immediately set an appointment date for her to do her sharing via a video call. FYI, Nicole usually discusses with her clients over WhatsApp messages or IG DMs, and this special arrangement to do a video call was made as I wanted to share more about some questions you guys might have while contemplating to engage one.

Nicole’s very affordable rates! (Supporting small biz owners as much as possible)

But first, some funny stories that Nicole shared with me! An owner wanted to know why his pug kept getting shocked by his own fart sounds, and the pug told Nicole that he did not know that the sound was coming from himself LOL! Nicole communicated with the pug that not all sounds are scary and the sound came from him. The owner then updated Nicole that the pug smiled at him when he farted the next time! How cheeky is that!!

Nicole also shared that when she first started her AC journey, she chanced upon a chicken near her residential block that looked lost. To practice her AC skills, she proceeded to take a picture of it, went back home, and tried to communicate with it but there wasn’t any response. She thought that her AC skills were not working and then proceeded to bring her dog, Bubbles out for a walk. The moment she opened the door, the chicken was right at her doorstep! HOW IN THE WORLD?! 

Nicole’s very cute dog – Bubbles and said Chicken that appeared at her doorstep

According to Nicole, there are different ways that an AC communicates with animals. Some of them do it through visuals, taste, smell, etc.. For Nicole, it was visual while her friend was through taste. Example: to ask a dog what it likes to eat, Nicole will show different visuals of various foods and get the dog to show her the visual of their favorite food, while her friend will get a taste of the food in her mouth. Cool right?! 

So… What do you need to prepare when engaging an AC? 

In order for Nicole to communicate with our dogs, we sent her an individual photograph of the dogs that we took recently. Do make sure that their eyes can be seen clearly! We also sent her images of us (the dogs’s main caretakers) so that Nicole would know who the dogs are referring to when she gets the visual replies from them. You should prepare a list of questions which Nicole will communicate with the dog and share her findings with you via IG Dm or voice memos.

When Nicole starts her communication with the animals, she’d say hello, introduce herself to the animal as their papa/mama’s friend and give them a heads-up that she’ll be asking them some questions. For our dogs, Nicole shared that Lilo was more aloof like “Who are you? I’ve never seen you before, what do you want?”, while Cookie was really excited like “HELLO! OK! ASK ASK!!” reaction!

Now some of you might wonder ‘What questions should I ask an AC’? There is really no fixed set of questions to ask. You can really ask anything you want, really! 

Here are some of the questions you may consider:

  • What do you like/dislike 
  • Any pain in your body or discomfort
  • What is your bucket list 
  • What activity do you enjoy the most 
  • Do you have anything to say to us 
  • Who do you love the most 
  • Why do you do this (behavioral issue)
  • What type of food you prefer 
  • What do you enjoy most that we are doing for you now 
  • How can we improve your quality of life

Whilst Nicole was sharing with me her visuals that she got from my dogs, I basically went “omg ya omg ya omg yaaaa!!” the whole time because she was quite spot on! For example, she asked Lilo what she likes and Lilo showed her a visual of the milk balls that humans eat. This treat choice is pretty uncommon among dogs and I did not share any videos of Lilo eating the milk balls on any platforms, ever! 

Lilo’s favourite sweet potato milk balls for dogs that looks just like human’s!

We also asked about her behavior of lunging at other dogs first when we are outside. Lilo told her that she is territorial and now that she’s older, she wants respect from other dogs. What a diva! Lilo also told Nicole that she doesn’t like grass and does not understand dogs who chomp/eat grass on their walks LOL! You may want to ask about bucket list because Lilo expressed that she wanted to eat a plate of sausages but she has never tried sausages! So Nicole explained that sometimes, animals want the food that they see or smell when the humans eat. 

For Cookie, she communicated that she really loves zoomies, running in dog runs without leash. She also loves to come to me for sayang, and to play rough with hoodad. Quite spot on as this is what she does daily! This girl even complained that she hates the hairdryer because it’s noisy… which explains why she keeps trying to run away after a shower hah! Cookie also expressed her preference for meaty and dry food. Just for fun, we got Nicole to ask Cookie who she loves more, mama or papa? Interestingly, Nicole said that she saw Cookie jumping between us and told her that she can’t choose, she loves both of us a lot! 

Supawdawg! Cookie doing her zoomies as usual!

At the end of the session, I felt that I knew more about my dogs and how to improve their quality of life. I would suggest for all pawrents to try out AC as it does help to understand your pets better. Afterall, we all want our pets to live the best life possible, right? If you ever feel that there is a sudden change in your dog, you may want to consider speaking to an AC or feel free to reach out to Nicole. She’s super friendly! We are all learning how to be better pawrents for our furkids, so hang in there because you are doing great now!

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4 Simple Dog Treat Recipes To Make For Your Furkid + DIY Barkday Cake!

In today’s article, I’ll be sharing easy treats recipes and DIY Birthday cake for your furkid!

Disclaimer: I am not a professional. This article is written based on personal experience in making these treats.

If you’ve never done your own dog treats before I suggest starting with one of the dog recipes in the list below. In fact, I would recommend these recipes to everyone.  Who doesn’t love simple?

These basic dog recipes are easy to produce, even to beginner cooks like me. And if your treats don’t turn out to be as pretty as the pictures below, don’t worry — your dog will just enjoy them the same way.

Here’s some simple dog treat recipes are are made from human-grade ingredients and frozen choices, to DIYs. Owners can eat it too !

1. Quick & Easy Peanut Butter Treats

Does your dog love peanut butter as much as mine does?

LOL – over heated. try n error yourself.

Ingredients – 2cups flour, 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter or powdered (dog-friendly ones), 1/4 cup water.

Homemade Peanut Butter.

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Mix the ingredients together until combined, and then add water until it becomes wet enough to roll out as dough.

Two ingredient dog treats: about 10 minute cook time at about 150 – 180 degree.

2. Frozen Yogurt Apple/Banana/Blueberry/Strawberry Dog Treats

This dog treat recipe is so simple it doesn’t even involve any cooking.

Ingredients – 2apples/banana/blueburry/Strawberry, a cup of plain yogurt/kefir n some ice cubes trays or mould.

*Recommend you to get Farmers Union Greek Style Yoghurt – Natural

You’ve got yourself a yummy treat your dog will love. My dogs Snowy&Bella absolutely loves these treats.

Freeze for a couple hours.

You can also mix n match, your own innovation!

3. Yogurt Apple/Banana/Blueberry/Strawberry Dog Treats – eat on the spot !

This dog treat recipe is excetly same as frozen treat above but without freezing it.

Ingredients – sliced apples/banana/blueburry/Strawberry and a cup of plain yogurt/kefir. Additional ingredients Manuka Honey.

Pour the yogurt into the bowl, decorate with the fruits and serve it to your furkids ! Add a little of raw Manuka honey if you want to !

Image from @wag.n.co

4. Pumpkin Cookie Dog Treats.

These pumpkin dog treats are mega simple. They’re made with whole wheat flour, though you’re certainly welcome to use all purpose. Whole wheat flour just tends to carry a bit more nutritional value. Pump up the health value of those treats!

Ingredients – 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour all purpose is fine, 1/2 Tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 cup pumpkin purée, 1/4 cup water or milk, 1 large egg.

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
  3. Set aside.
  4. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, water or milk, and egg until smooth. 
  5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix gently until everything is combined. You may need to use your hands. /roll out dough onto a floured surface and use desired shape cookie cutter, reroll, and cut again until there is no more dough left.
  6. Bake dog treats for 30 minutes, flipping treats over halfway through baking. 

ingredient dog treats: 30 minute cook time. Store dog treats covered at room temperature. Treats may be frozen, up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

——————————————————————————————————————–

DIY Barkday Cake (homemade from scratch)

I’m super exciting recipe to share with you: a yummy Birthday Cake just for pups!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDtShEJj2Pk/

Ingredients List

(Cake) 300g pork – I use /beef/Tuna/etc… (steamed/baked – i baked) and 50-70g finely chopped vegetables (carrots/pumpkim/any vegetable you wanna add in)

(Frosting) 300g Mashed Potato – I use / sweet potatos (purple/orange) / Greek yogurt frosting , Liquid Food Colours – must be dog-friendly (any colour you like or you can use natural vegetable for colours)

(Decorate) Fruits – Strawberry, Banana, Blueberry, etc.. / dog cookies / dehydrated meats??

instagram @snowyxbella

STEPS

  1. Preheat oven to 160-180 degrees celsius.
  2. Mix together all the (cake) ingredients into a bowl
  3. Transfer it to a cake mould and bake for 15-25 minutes, (To check if the cake is done, place a stick in and remove. If stick comes out dry, it’s done!)
  4. Leave (cake) to cool.
  5. Prepare frosting: Mashed Potato together plain or if you adding the list below.
  6. Once cakes are cool, they are ready to frost and design to your liking! 

If there are left over mashed potato, you can use waffle/donut maker machine to cook it OR dehydrate it (personally I’ve never tried to dehydrate it, maybe you can let me know).

We hope you enjoy reading and baking it for your pup! Your pup will definitely like it because my pup likes it!!

Lemme know what other strategies did you use or what orther recipes you tried? Let us know in the comment below or DM us on our Instagram @snowyxbella , or what are the topics you would like us to share! 

Example – Dog-friendly (cafes, restaurants, hotels, daycare, services, fun places) , Organised for a doggie pawty, Training, Dog parks, Life (tips – photos, recipes – how to dehyrate treats), Shop pet suppliers (accessories, shops on stores/online/instagrams), etc…

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How I Deal With Frustration When I Don’t See Results?

I often get asked what do I do if I don’t see results in a training session with my dog. Everyone does it very differently, so please do not take this as the ONLY way. It’s been a way that I’ve used to raise all my dogs. There’s no formula, it’s just a set of principles that I live by.

PERSPECTIVE MATTERS

How and what you define as training matters. I don’t “train” my dogs. I RAISE them. It’s two very different perspectives because when we think about training, there are goals, learning take aways, a curriculum, objectives a format etc.

RAISING a dog is about teaching the dog to experience and do life with us. In this perspective, even a walk in the park with a reactive dog is training. It’s a lifestyle. A way of being. It’s like a artist taking in an apprentice and mentoring and coaching that apprentice by showing him/her the ropes. It’s takes a longer term view and it focuses a lot more on the behaviour rather than obedience. It’s an old school but instinctual way of living with a dog.

Raising a dog, however, is harder because it requires owners to always be present physically, psychologically and emotionally. It means owners have to always be ready to either reward their dogs because their dogs offered a behaviour that they want to reinforce or to give out an appropriate consequence for behaviours that they want to diminish. There’s no TURN OFF time as long as we are living with our dogs.

When I get a puppy, I immediately think about what I want the puppy to be able to do with me. What activities do I want to take my dog on? How much of my life do I expect my dog to share with me? All these has an impact on how much “training” is required and that forms the development plan for the dog from puppy to the day it takes its last breath.

This process is what I call the EXPERIENCE. Yes, like an employee experience. How do you communicate your company’s vision, mission, culture and values to a new employee?

I usually start with short walking drills. I use it to communicate a culture that I wish to set for my dog. It’s like an orientation programme for a new employee of a company. It’s an induction into the way of life, the way I communicate, my values, my vision and mission. It’s highly intentional. It starts out with an end in mind and each session is about creating a successful experience, meaning that the dog learns to trust my decision making all the time, every time.

From my perspective, anything and everything is training. I’m constantly mentoring and coaching my dog. I’m constantly evaluating our growth and making adjustments to facilitate learning and development not just for my dog but for myself as a handler.

DO MORE FUN THINGS TOGETHER AND LESS HOMEWORK

Nobody enjoys homework every day. I’m sure you’ve heard of the famous saying “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Similarly, no dog enjoys heeling every day for like the entire park. If I am teaching a dog to heel at a new environment, I usually don’t walk the entire park with it trying to teach it to heel. I just choose a spot and walk up and down with the dog at one area. The moment the dog heels well for 3 to 4 steps if it’s my first time there, I’d stop the exercise and reward the dog by giving it a release command to communicate, it’s now time to go do dog stuff. I don’t continue with the exercises after this either. Instead, I take the dog AROUND the park and we enjoy the sights, sounds and smells together. Why? Because I am still training the dog.

REMEMBER THE SABBATH

Everyone needs rest. Hey, even God needed a rest. The Bible says He created the world and He rested on day 7! So if a supernatural being needed a day off, I reckon, we need more!

I don’t just give the dog a rest day. I have several sabbaths. After each intentional session with me, if it’s a young dog, I’ll put it back in its crate or pen or space and allow the dog to rest and finally sleep for at least 2 to 3 hours. I want the dog to process all the information that we experienced together earlier.

I don’t have a designated day off. It depends on my work schedule. Similarly, dogs who live with me do not know when their day off will be but they do get one. On their off day, I don’t do any formal training. By that, I mean teaching the dog to “heel” or teaching the dog to “leave it” etc. So there’s no formal session. On a dog’s off day, I either let it laze at home, if it’s a lazy dog or I take it out to do something it likes! For example, my dog Lady-Mae either likes to snooze at home or she enjoys a romp in the off the beaten tracks of Singapore!

ENJOY THE PROCESS OR THE JOURNEY

Too many dog owners focus too much on the Obedience commands. I didn’t even teach Lady-Mae the obedience commands until she was 14months old. When I adopted her at 3.5 months old, I took the first year to introduce her to how life would be like with me. We went to all the places that I would want her to go with me.

Frankly, Lady-Mae was an Obedience School drop out. She only mastered basic obedience at 20months and at 2.5 years, she mastered the advance obedience commands reliably. Even though she didn’t know the commands, she was however a balanced dog by the time she turned 12months.

Knowing what you want from your dog will help keep you focused on your journey. It will stop you from following what is trendy. I take the perspective of raising a dog because I think about my dog’s development not just in the early days but I look at it from a life long journey.

Lady-Mae may be 8 but she’s still learning. As a senior dog, we need to start looking into her mobility. How do we help her continue to be mobile, agile so that she can continue to live out her best life. If you have just gotten a puppy, your current focus will take on a very different trajectory from mine.

HAVE AN HONEST CONVERSATION WITH YOUR TRAINER

The last thing to do is to have an honest conversation with your trainer. Don’t keep the frustration to yourself. Rant and learn to trust your trainer with your failures. This is the best way to grow and learn. I didn’t become a good dog handler in 1 or 2 years. It took me 15 years to encounter a full cycle of raising a dog from puppy to the day it passed on. During this time, I had people who were dog breeders, trainers, handlers and my vet coaching me actively. Your dog trainer became a trainer because he/she wanted to help people. If your dog trainer says I’m here to train dogs, then he/she isn’t a good trainer because in reality, YOU are the trainer of your dog. Your dog trainer trains YOU. When you are able to say I cannot do something, your trainer will have clarity about what you can do because there’s a gazillion ways to train a dog. Your dog trainer is trying to find a style that’s unique to you and your dog.

I hope you will find these five pointers helpful and I hope it’ll give you something for you to consider and try out. If you have a topic that you wish to have addressed, either leave me a comment or send me a DM on instagram @theroyaltail and if it’s something I have experience with, I’d be happy to share with you my perspective.