Tag: dog

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Dog Owners can Enjoy A Luxury Sunset Dinner Onboard The Royal Albatross Dog Cruise

Kicking off towards the end of April, Singapore’s shores will be playing host to Royal Albatross’s Dog Cruise, a luxury cruise catered specifically for our furry friends! This event will take pet owners and their furkids on a voyage through the straits of Singapore, with a wide variety of activities planned for them to engage in. The highlight of the evening is a sunset dinner for both humans and pets alike to enjoy! 

An extension of their famous “Sunset Dinner Cruise”, the Dog Cruise looks to give pawrents a night out for them to enjoy with their pets. The cruise is packed with activities that both you and your pet can enjoy (along with surprise goodies for your pup)! 

For those of you without pets, fear not! You can still sign up for the cruise and witness all the beautiful furbabies out and about.

Photo Credit: Momo Studios Singapore

In order to truly elevate the dining experience, Dog Cruise has worked hard to create a nutritionally balanced experience for your furkids. The food served during the 3-course gourmet dinner boasts no preservatives, so you know that your furkid is getting only the best nutrition. 

Be sure to bring them with a huge appetite, it’ll be sure to knock their paws off!

To provide you with further insight into this thrilling event, we attended the Dog Cruise on Wednesday to give you a sneak peek into the activities that they offer. During the media launch, there were only small dogs onboard but fret not! The Royal Albatross is looking to organise dates in June/July to accommodate larger dogs.

Check out our interview with Jane below!

What was the boarding process like? 

Jane: Smooth, fast, and orderly. Visitors are required to check-in and register at a booth. Afterward, there is a shoe station because guests are required to be bare-footed on the ship (some had bedroom slippers).

What were the safety measures set in place to ensure the safety of me and my dogs?

Jane: Safe distancing measures are in place, and there are always waiters around to help attend to the crew. Sunny Chong’s team were also stationed around the ship to help assist or resolve any potential fights between dogs.

To ensure the cruise is a safe and enjoyable experience for both hoomans and furkids, the Dog Cruise team has put precautions in place to make sure all pets are ready for the adventure of a lifetime. They’ve also teamed up with Sunny Chong Dog Training School to “interview” your pets to ensure that they’re suitable to be on the cruise. You can view their full list of policies here.

What was served to your dog during the gourmet dinner and did they enjoy it?

Jane: Dogs were served a 3-meal course prepared by BOM BOM. Guests can choose between BOM BOM’s menu or Home-cooked Food (HCF) prepared by the chefs on board if they don’t feed raw.

For the humans, we received a 3-course meal which included an appetiser, main dish, and desserts. Breads were also served beforehand and free-flow wine was available for peeps who take dining with a view seriously!

Photo Credit: Instagram @thewoofagency
Photo Credit: Instagram @thewoofagency

What was the ambience like? 

Jane: Really great! The ship sailed around Singapore within Sentosa. The breeze and night ambience made for a romantic atmosphere. At sunset, the ship was bathed in a golden light which made it great for photo taking. The ship was also lit with candles and fairy lights, but I much prefer the sunset view.

 Would you recommend this to family and friends, who have furkids?

Jane: Yes, especially since it’s SRV deductible! It is really fun and memorable to be out there in the sea with your furkids.

Overall, I do highly recommend every pet owner to attend the cruise at least once to give the experience a go. However, I do think it is important that your dog is obedient and well-trained in order to have a truly pleasant dining experience. The ship’s space is rather limited, hence it is difficult to move around much unless you have a very small dog. Your dog should also be potty trained (they have a grass patch dedicated for dogs to pee) but it is only within a designated area so accidents can happen.

It is also super important that you or your dogs are NOT seasick (I was, and it was pretty horrible); it really dilutes the experience since you feel like throwing up most of the time LOL.

Excited? So are we!

You can sign up now for the cruise via 2 packages. The $195+ package is open to both pet owners and non-pet owners alike, and is identical to the $420+ package excluding the 3-course gourmet dinner for dogs. Meanwhile, the $420+ package welcomes two adults and one furkid, and is inclusive of the 3-course gourmet dinner for dogs.

You can check out the full pricing list below.

If you’d like to keep up to date with the latest news, do follow @dogcruise.sg and @thewoofagency on Instagram. You can also take a closer look at their packages and terms and conditions by heading to their website. 

We hope you and your furkid are drooling in anticipation, because we sure are. 

Pawjourr+ members are entitled to 10% discount. Click here to reveal the code.

See you at the cruise!

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Top 3 Pet Cafes in Singapore

Pet cafes are hard to come by in Singapore, there are only a few of them in Singapore. These pet cafes are specialized and made for your furkid’s needs in mind.

Wooftopia 

@hoshi_sheltie

It’s hard to miss Wooftopia, with their incredibly cute CEO: Sushi. With spacious space and Instagram-worthy photo-taking areas, rest assured that your doggos will have plenty of fun. Wooftopia also offers event spaces reservations, for you to plan your fuwpawties!

Wooftopia also has an extensive pet menu available for your doggo, from sweet treats such as Fruity Pancakes to local favourites like Chicken rice. 

One of my favourite things about Wooftopia, would be the spacious space. As a pet owner, I really appreciate that my doggo is able to have space to walk around and interact with other pets. 

Head down to Wooftopia today!

Menage Cafe

@orithespitz

Known for its bright and youthful decorations, Menage Cafe is definitely on the list! With many instagrammable spots such as the iconic swing chair and heartwarming inspiration quotes, it’s the perfect place for petfluencers to shine in front of the camera.  

Of course, not forgetting about their food, Menage Cafe serves affordable and delicious food for both hoomans and furbabies. Similarly, MenageCafe also offers event spaces for pawrents to plan fuwpawties! 

Apart from all these good features, MenageCafe is located near Bishan Park which means you can bring your doggo for a dog run before visiting the cafe! 

Be sure and visit their signature dish: Carbonara at Mengue Cafe 

Sunray Cafe 

@sun_ray_cafe

Established as a multi-award-winning cafe, Sunray Cafe offers excellent customer service and mouthwatering food for both hoomans and doggos at an affordable price. Trying all of their signature dishes such as their hand-made coffee and ice cream is a must! 

They also offer private event spaces for pawrents to plan furpawties and hand-made personalizable birthday cakes for your furbaby. However, the cafe is dimly-lit, hence it would be quite a challenge to get good pictures. 

Sunray Cafe has created a very safe environment for your furbabies, by removing all ingredients that are toxic for pets. 

Indulge in Sunray’s freshly made coffee and food with your furkids.

Please be reminded that your dog must be leashed at all times, due to government regulation.? Do remember to clean after your pet as well, by using the tools provided by the shop. 

?Keep a lookout on Pawjourr website for more suggestion on Pet Cafes.? 

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Top 5 pet-friendly restaurant to visit

Pet-Friendly restaurants are hard to come by in Singapore due to the high difficulty of obtaining the Pets Allowed license. However, check these 5 pet-friendly restaurants, which strive through all the small inconveniences to provide pawrents a place to enjoy with our furbabies. 

Five & 2

@fiveand2.co

It’s always a great time to be at Five & 2, bustling with many furkids, hoomans, and friendly staff, there are always many people around the area. With a huge variety of cuisines available, including Italian, Thai, Korean and Local food. Their menu is never boring, it will surely guarantee you a slurp-worthy feast. 

What I love most about Five & 2 is their strategic location, it is located right next to Punggol Park, where you can take your furbabies on a leisure walk before or after your meals. Five & 2 also provide plastic water bowls ? for your furbaby. It is truly a wonderland for all furbabies and pawrents.

Attention to all Easties! Head down to Five & 2 at Punggol Park for a relaxing time with your furbaby.

Wildseed 

@wildseedsg Look at all these pet influencers shining in front of the camera! 

Housed in a colonial bungalow and surrounded by lush greenery, Wildseed cafe is the perfect place for you and your furbaby to relax on a weekend. With a spacious seating arrangement, there’s plenty of space for the doggos to walk around. One of the highlights of Wildseed, would be the exquisite decorations. The outlet at Alkaff Mansion, excelled in its floral decoration, presenting a peaceful and fairytale life- scene. 

It is pet-friendly and is filled with big spaces of greenery which is very useful for pawrents to bring their furbabies on walkies. If you have extra time to spare, do give Wildseed a visit this weekend!

Looking for an opportunity for your furkid to shine? Check out Wildseed Cafe today!

Lola Cafe 

@sammythespitz

Looking for a homely place to hang out with your friends and furbabies? Lola cafe is the place to go! Lola cafe identifies itself as a backyard cafe, that focuses on having a causal environment and serving food that is made from the heart. The menu is one of the best, with many signature dishes, you will surely have a slurp-worthy feast! 

#Protip1 – it would be good to call in for a reservation before heading down to the cafe, as there is limited outdoor seating. ? We hope this tip helps you to ensure your seat at the Lola Cafe.  

Be sure to check their signature dish: Honey Paprika Crisp Wings when you visit Lola Cafe! 

Cafe De Nicole’s Flower

Known for their incredible floral decorations, and all-day breakfast menu, you’re in for a treat for both your eyes and your taste buds. The service crew can be seen picking fresh flowers from the florist section, to decorate the plate. Be rest assured, that your plate of dessert is freshly made and served!?

Cafe De Nicole Flower allows your pets indoors so that you can enjoy the breath-taking view with your furbaby.

Be sure to visit Cafe De Nicole’s Flower over the weekend with your furbaby.

Kontiki

@kontiki.sg

Tired of garden-themed cafes? Try Kontiki for a refreshing change of scene. Kontiki is located near Marina Bay, where one can view not only the spectacular Kalling river but also Marina Bay City skyline.

They serve American cuisine, made perfect for a comforting gathering with your family and friends. Apart from the jaw-dropping scenery at Kontiki, the best part of Kontiki would be the pet-friendly feature. 

There’s plenty of space outdoors for the doggos to walk around. Rest assured that your furbaby will be protected from the scorning sun, as every outdoor table is attached with an umbrella. 

Looking for a scenic sea view ? ? Be sure to check out Kontiki!

That’s all for the list, we hope that you have found this article useful for you and your furkid. If you need more suggestions, do visit Pawjourr for more pet-friendly restaurants!

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Community Stories

What we thought was just a simple cough/cold

Symptoms, diagnosis, treatment
*We are no expert, just sharing our journey*

Cough can mean a lot of things; kennel cough, lung problems, heartworm, etc. Can’t be sure what the root cause is unless seeking help from professionals. 

Symptoms

Dusty started with what doesn’t sound like a cough in 2020 mid-December. It sounded like he was trying to exhale out deep from his lung with like a mini bark (sort of like sighing and barking). He only does that when he wanted to bark/is agitated/excited. So we thought it was him trying to express his emotions but in a different way?? 

After ~3weeks, the cough got more frequent and slowly started sounding like hacking coughs. Within ~2 weeks, it got worst and after cough, it always ends with him retching. 

That’s when we felt that something wasn’t right. 

Diagnosis

Went for a vet visit, did X-ray, and found that his lungs were cloudy. No heart murmur was heard, heart looks normal, just 2 fade white spots that can’t conclude or tell what exactly it was. We were given doxycycline and theophylline to help open his airway. But sadly he still cough and 2weeks later a follow-up was done and showed no improvements, which meant that it wasn’t pneumonia/bronchitis. 

A new medication was given, furosemide (water drawing med), which helps to release water in his body and he sure did pee a lot! Good news! It helps to reduce his cough but that also means that it might be the heart that has been causing the build-up of fluid. An echo was then suggested to check on his heart.

Indeed, after the echo, Dr came up with some conclusion:
Stage C CCVHD
Suspected DCM 
No pulmonary hypertension 

Treatment 

He will be on lifetime medication, pimobendan to be taken daily as well as furosemide when the cough gets worse. Medication will be adjusted on how well his body is reacting to it as we monitor his progression and with follow-up echos (1month from the 1st and following once every 3-6 months).

Currently, we are also adding in grain inclusive kibble in his meals to help counter the suspected DCM, which could be diet-associated that has been causing the weakening of the heart muscles. Eventually with careful diet, exercise and medication we hope to help him live more happily and comfortably.

What to take note/I realized or notice 

We have to pay more attention to his breathing rate when he’s at rest to make sure his heart isn’t overworking (If it is, probably need to adjust med), Coughing frequency (if it got worst or not), he might lose appetite just have to take note of that too, making sure to not overload him with too much walk.

After the diagnosis then I became more attentive to what are the little things that changed. Thinking of it I realized, in the past sometimes he would suddenly stand up from his nap/from resting and started panting. But when he goes back to sleep/lies down he stops panting. 

Now that he eats treats/chew that requires more work to bite he would pant afterward. 

Would appreciate it if you could share with us any similar experience you have and what we can do to help make a dog with heart disease live more comfortably. THANK YOU! 🙂

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Community Stories

Is laser pointer bad for dogs?

Everyone loves laser pointers. Although cats are obviously more well known to chase the red dot, many dogs, depending on their breed and personality, also find lasers amusing.

Dogs and Cats love chasing lasers because they move. The movement stimulates their inner predator. Dogs, in particular, have very light-sensitive eyes, which explains their acuity.

Is laser pointer bad for dogs?

IN MY OPINION, there’s no Yes and No answer because It really depends on your dog’s breed and personality. It also depends on your approach. So I guess if you want to play it safe, you can safely assume that it’s bad for your dogs. 

So why is everyone saying that laser pointer is bad for dogs? 

It is not because is bad for their eyes, but many people believe and claims that a game of laser pointer chase can be very frustrating for a dog and can lead to behavioural problems; which is lack of proof.

So the way you play with laser pointer triggers a dog’s prey drive, which means they want to chase it. It’s an unending game with “no closure” for the dog since they can’t ever catch that beam of light, like they can when chasing a toy or food.

Some dogs will continue looking for the light beam after the laser pointer has been put away; this is confusing for your dog because the prey has simply disappeared. This can create obsessive compulsive behaviours like frantically looking around for the light, staring at the last location they saw the light, and becoming reactive to flashes of light (such as your watch face catching the sunlight and reflecting on the wall, or the glare of your tablet screen on the floor). Dogs that exhibit behavioural issues are frustrated, confused, and anxious.

So if laser pointers might have a negative outcome, why do I still use laser toys to play with Kobe occasionally?

When I turn on the laser, MY dog’s hunter instinct is aroused, urging him to run after the light. This keeps him active, healthy, and engaged — a good thing, especially when on days when I am too busy or tired to walk him.

As dog dad, I am totally responsible for the health and wellness of my dogs.

My Kobe have never display any sort of franticness when the light disappear (Yes I know my Kobe better than you do. And if he is distress, I’ll be the first to know), he simply knows that its the end of the game, and goes back to his place to take a nap. 

Even so I do believe that most claims have some truth in it, so you can either avoid it to save you tons of worry and paranoia, or when you turn on the laser pointer next time.

One thing I do is leading Kobe to a toy or even a treat. Sometimes I do hide treats in corners or hidden spaces and land the red dot on the goodies so he found something great, which boost his confidence level too. 

This way, you’re exercising and rewarding your dog at the same time. It can also help provide some “closure” to the chase. 

The main reason why I love the laser pointer for Kobe is to give them some much needed and well-deserved exercise when I don’t have enough time or too tired to walk him. 

Most dogs don’t like to stay at home, by themselves for long periods of time. Laser games can help them to focus their attention in a non-damaging or disruptive way and keep them stimulated and moving.

Pet obesity continues to be a problem and it’s growing. Continued and various forms of activity, including games with lasers and other popular pet toys, keep your dog fit and moving.

  • Don’t point the laser beam directly to your dog’s eyes.
  • Limit game sessions to a few minutes at a time and note if your dog seems to get stressed out by the laser.
  • Complement laser playtime with stimulation from other physical toys and treats.
  • Remember that there’s no toy that can substitute for quality pet/pet parent time. Spend time with your pet 1-on-1 every day.
  • You know what is bad? Its to ignore reactive behaviour and think its ok. or to not entertain your dog because you’re lazy and tired, or allow your dog to socialise when your dog doesn’t have basic puppy manners. Thats bad. 
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Looking for a trainer? Start here

If you’re looking for a trainer for your furkid, there are a few things you need to consider –

  1. What category of training are you looking for

There is a variety of training available – puppy training, basic obedience training, behaviour modification etc. Before selecting a trainer, know what type of training you are looking for and proceed to look for trainers that offers/specialises in that type of training.

2. What method of training are you comfortable with?

In dog training, there are different types of training methods – Positive Reinforcement, E-collar, Balanced Training etc. Our advise would be to do your research & find trainers who use methods that you are comfortable with.

With these answers in mind, now you can start to look for a trainer for your furkid! In this article, Pawjourr has consolidated a list of recommended trainers that you can consider based on the different training categories & methods.

K9 Kampong

K9 Kampong

K9 Kampong trainer & founder, Su Lin, has a wealth of experience in dog training stemming from her many years of working & living with dogs. She is an AVS accredited dog trainer and is on the Project ADORE trainer’s panel for all 5 AVS endorsed Rehoming Partners.

K9 Kampong offers basic obedience & socialisation classes, puppy training workshops & behaviour modification training. They believe in using force-free, positive only methods in their training programs.

For dogs who require Project ADORE certification, K9 Kampong offers the obedience classes & certification.

Check them out here for more information

Wooga!

Wooga!

Wooga specialises in their 14 days Board & Train program that guarantees a number of obedience commands. They also offer services such as Daycare, Boarding, Handstripping and other unique training programs. 

The foundation of their training is based on creating a balanced relationship and unbreakable bond with the dog with clear communications and a solid foundation. Wooga uses markers and low level E-collar stimulation focusing on effective communication, motivation, enhancing and creating confident and balanced dogs.

They are the only training program in Singapore that guarantees results in a short 14 day period.

Check them out here for more information

Fuwang Dog Training

Fuwang Dog Training

At Fuwang Dog Training, they believe that all dogs can be trained with education & building a solid partnership between owners and their dogs.

Fuwang trained overseas extensively under the guidance of 2 Times World Champion Dog Trainer Ivan Balabanov. He believes that dog training is an art which one must constantly upgrade his knowledge.

Fuwang Dog Training offers services such as Puppy Assessment, Behaviour Modification, Basic Obedience & Extensive In-Depth Rehabilitation.

They are recognised for their behaviour modification & rehabilitation programs.

Check them out here for more information

Puppy Colours

Puppy Colours is a dog training school in Singapore that teaches dog owners to teach their dogs using methods based on behavioural science using positive signals and positive reinforcement. Their training focuses on real-life & social skills and problem prevention along with basic training skills.

Puppy Colours nurtures thinking dogs to make good decisions. They teach them what to do instead of telling them what not to do by finding things that motivates the dog and use that to encourage them to make good decisions.

Focusing on nurturing puppies into becoming a happy and well-mannered member of the family, Puppy Colours is known for their puppy training. They also group classes, private lessons & behaviour modification.

Check them out here for more information

Hop over to Pawjourr here to check out more trainers & their reviews.

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The Grateful Pet Redefines Food, Nourishment and Health Standards for Dogs

SINGAPORE (9 March 2021) – Bolstered by a year-on-year increase in demand for their fresh dog food, The Grateful Pet (formerly known as The Grateful Dog), a pet nutrition company founded in 2017 introduces two new ranges of ready-to-feed frozen food for canines packed with premium superfoods and nutritious ingredients, available either gently cooked or raw. Each meal is high in lean animal-based protein and boosted with functional Asian and Western superfoods.

Gently Cooked Dog Food Chicken Recipe

Targeted at modern pet owners who are on the go and want the best for their pets, the range of hassle-free meals takes out the guesswork involved in preparing fresh meals at home.  All recipes are calibrated to be nutritionally balanced and complete for dogs according to AAFCO guidelines. Ready in under three minutes, pet owners simply need to feed the number of pouches based on their dog’s weight as the daily caloric requirements are already accounted for.

Meals are made with 100% natural whole foods

Flat packed for easy freezer storage, The Grateful Pet meals are made with 100% natural wholefoods, with each ingredient clearly labelled so that pet owners can feed their companions with an absolute ease of mind.

How did the company start

The Grateful Dog has since been renamed to The Grateful Pet.

Founded by two friends who are passionate animal lovers, what began as a simple search for home-prepared recipes for their dogs, Lucy and Clash, sent the pair on a personal quest to create the healthiest and most irresistible meals for their best friends to enjoy. This served as the catalyst for The Grateful Dog in 2017, a fresh dog food company established in Singapore offering gently cooked meals. In 2021, The Grateful Dog was renamed The Grateful Pet to reflect the company’s expanded nutritional offerings for both dogs and cats.

8 Flavors For You To Choose From

There is a total of 8 flavours to choose from

All ingredients are responsibly sourced from reputable human-grade suppliers and prepared on an AVS-certified premise to ensure the quality of each meal.

The Grateful Pet product range includes:

  • Gently cooked Dog Food (8 flavors)
    Each box contains 8 pouches of the same flavor x 250g (total 2kg). Prices start from $38/box.
    Salmon & Sardine, Grass-fed Beef, Cage-free Chicken, Cage-free Duck, Grass-fed Venison, Free-range Lamb, Wild Kangaroo, Crate-free Pork
  • Raw Dog Food (7 flavours)

Each box contains 8 pouches of the same flavor x 250g (total 2kg). Prices start from $39/box.
Grass-fed Beef, Cage-free Chicken, Cage-free Duck, Grass-fed Venison, Free-range Lamb, Wild Kangaroo, Crate-free Pork

Feeding guide

As a way of giving back to the animal shelter community in Singapore, proceeds from each sale are donated through The Grateful Give Back—the company’s community outreach arm, to Causes for Animals Singapore.

Are your tails wagging already?

To learn more about The Grateful Pet and to place an order, visit https://thegratefulpet.sg or check out their store listing on Pawjourr here.

Pet owners can enjoy 10% off their first a la carte purchase with a discount code < DROOL >. The offer is valid till 3 June 2021. (EXPIRED)

This article is written by Jane Peh.

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#Puppyhood Training Treats

Hands up if your puppy works for the food, because mine definitely does ??‍♀️ Training is essential because it sets the foundation for puppies on how to act when they become an adult — especially if you have a husky like me (who is going to grow up to 35kg in the future), it’s definitely important to teach commends like sit – down – stay.

& what more to encourage these little pups than some treats and rewards for their good behavior? We’ve tried different treats and these are some of our favorites. A note that Oolong is extremely food-motivated and not fussy when it comes to food; so definitely check out Pawjourr’s sampling program to redeem free samples before committing to the full-sized products!

01. Instinct Pet Raw Boost

  • An old pencil drawing of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza sitting on their horses, by Wilhelm Marstrand.
Product packaging vs. Product size

Why I’m in love with this product ?

  • I’m super impressed with the entire process of manufacturing Instinct Pet! This brand is from the USA and uses High-Pressure Processing (aka HPP) to create extreme cold pressure for extreme food safety with pure, cold water—no heat, no chemicals, and no preservatives needed.
  • I’ve heard of horror stories of other freeze-dried brands containing worms and it just scares me; with Instinct, I’m really confident about the quality — also because it’s premium and pricey lah.
  • During walks, you are going to be really busy (all the distractions — smells, noises, pulling etc). The last thing you want is your hand being all sticky and gross (did it with his kibbles and urgh) — I like that the raw boosters are of a just-nice size and most importantly, DRY. So i will just pop into Oolong’s mouth when he is behaving well!

Some consideration points ?

  • With puppies, you will need LOTS of treats. Instinct can get a little pricey — selling at $25.90 for 156g on their Shopee’s store. If you are looking to try, you can opt for the smaller packs first to try out different variants and deciding which is your pup’s favourite.

?? Buy Instinct Raw Boost @ https://shopee.sg/pawjourr. Check out our coupon page for discount codes!

02. ZiwiPeak Good Dog Trainings

Ziwi Good Dog Rewards (85g)

Why I’m in love with this product ?

  • Definitely on the calories. It’s advertised to be a nutritious training reward under 6 calories each. I think this is really the main reason why I decided to get this product .. (perhaps also for the free snuggle mat they packaged together previously — please do not buy that dumb bundle set it’s bullshit for $48).
  • The size of the treat — i can’t really show you because i didn’t take a photo, but it’s shaped as a rectangle. Usually when your pup gets very excited, they might “bite” the treat and accidentally chomp on your hand – but because of the way the treat is shaped (in a long way), it helps that you get some “safe space” LOL especially if the teeth super sharp ah.

Some consideration points ?

  • To be honest, there are no consideration points but I guess because Ziwipeak has always been just … that brand that is not bad, I also don’t really see any unique factors that make me stick to them (?) Granted their price is not expensive — selling $15.90 for the lamb on their Shopee here but yeah like it’s just another brand lor.
  • I don’t really know what’s the “unique selling point” of Ziwipeak … so I bought it once and didn’t buy it again cause I felt super cheated by the dumb bundle set LOL.

?? Buy Ziwi Good Dog Treats @ https://shopee.sg/yappypets. Check out our coupon page for discount codes!

03. Wagg Puppy & Junior Treats

https://waggfoods.com/dogs/treats/

Why I’m in love with this product/brand ?

  • I know this is BS but OMG — can someone please give this design agency a pay raise?! I’m in LOVE with Wagg’s new packaging, website and everything just says YES to me when i walk into Pet lovers centre! Long story short, i was shopping for some training treats for Oolong because obviously I wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was — walked into PLC and the packaging just caught my eyes.
  • It’s definitely wallet-friendly (going at $4.00 for 1 packet over at PLC Shopee’s page here) but also that the products are categorized nicely into puppies – sensitive – low fat for me already, which I find very thoughtful and convenient for first-timer like me.
  • The biscuits are also a nice mix-up from the meat and freeze-dried food; though i must say that Oolong focus is much lesser when i use these as training treats.

Some consideration points ?

  • Yes, the treats are made in the USA but if you take a closer look at the ingredients, it might not be something you want to feed daily / a lot on a long-term basis. To be honest, I’m not against carbs or must die die only feed “single-ingredient treat”. I believe that my dog can eat everything, albeit in moderation — you everyday eat veggie also not enough nutrition right????
  • I’ve since stopped buying these though because Oolong has “upgraded” his palate to eat meat only (he started saying NO to these after 3 – 4 packets — woah free things still wanna be choosy ah). But all in all, I think it’s a great treat to mix up with the other food!

?? Buy Wagg Treats @ https://shopee.sg/petloverscentresg. Check out our coupon page for discount codes!

04. Dehydrated Treats

I have so many brands which I want to recommend, but here are just some of my favourites — maybe also because I know the owner personally! ☺️

Why I’m in love with dehydrated treats ?

  • Depending on what you buy — e.g. Chicken is really easy to break into smaller pieces during walks.
  • As I feed Oolong lots of treats during training, knowing that I’m feeding him non-commercialized treats does assure me to a certain extent that he is not just eating “junk food”.
  • Single-ingredient treats so I know that nothing goes in — it’s just 100% protein. Balance is key.

Some consideration points ?

  • Short shelf life. Since dehydrated treats are all-natural, it is important to note that their shelf life might not be as long as your commercial treats.
  • Takes time to deliver. If you are looking for something fast, you can pop into any of the pet shop to pick up your pack of treats. But if you are looking at dehydrated treats, you will need to wait for delivery which can take 3 – 5 working days.
  • Potential scammers. Yes, there are people who are out there to take advantage and I’ve heard of businesses who “MIA” after collecting payment. Make sure you do you research to avoid being cheated!
  • Eventually, all dehydrated treats are more or less the same. This is why it can be difficult to differentiate between brand A vs. brand B.

IN SUMMARY,

This is why we created a new category under pawjourr to help brands stand out from the crowd with reviews and coupons for customers to try. Often, pet owners will just buy from a “bigger” brand because #safe, #everyonebuysfromthem and #ionlyknowthem. I understand that, but maybe we need to give the new brands a chance too!

?? Head over to Pawjourr and leave a review for the brands whom you have tried before. Customer testimonials matter and your feedback (be it positive or negative) will also help other pet owners make an informed choice!

I hope this article gives you a brief idea on where to start looking for training treats for your puppies. Remember —

✅ Dry and doesn’t make your fingers dirty when it touches saliva.

✅ Low calorie — also check ingredients if you know you are going to be a treat dispenser.

✅ Switch up protein; I like to do Chicken, Pork, Lamb, Beef, Kangaroo, etc because I’ve heard of dogs developing certain health issues when they just stick to eating 1 protein (may/may not be true).

✅ Keep within your budget, no need to go broke buying expensive treats just for the Instagram game. It’s your pet — it’s not your followers’ pet.

Do check out our new categories — home-based biz and the coupon page and comment below what do you think! ??‍♀️

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Community Stories

Separation Anxiety Dog Training – Training Them to be Alone

Article originally published on SitStay. Refer to the original article here. Article written by Jessica Mabie.

What is Separation Anxiety?

Dogs with separation anxiety experience stress, confusion, and tension. Separation anxiety manifests when a dog is insecure when left alone and is separated from their human.

There are varying separation anxiety levels that dogs can experience, from mild whining to extreme behaviors like destroying their surroundings. Symptoms associated with separation anxiety include:

  • Drooling and panting: When dogs experience extreme anxiety, they may pant and or drool excessively.
  • Crying, barking, or whining: Dogs will display persistent crying, barking, or howling when separated from their family.
  • Urinating or defecating: Dog with separation anxiety will have absence when left alone, even though they are housebroken.
  • Destructive behavior: Dogs with severe separation anxiety will dig or chew on furniture or exit points such as doors, window sills, or other accessible objects. This behavior is not only destructive but can also be dangerous and cause injury to your dog.
  • Escaping: Some dogs will attempt to flee their home, yard, or crate to find their humans.
  • Pacing: Pacing often at the door their human used to leave is a common habit seen in dogs with separation anxiety.
  • Stress colitis: Dogs who experience prolonged stress from separation anxiety may even begin to suffer from colitis. Colitis is inflammation in the large bowel resulting in diarrhea.

Separation Anxiety – The Difference Between Dogs and Humans

Dogs and humans are very different when it comes to what feels natural when separated. Humans grow up to be independent to leave their parent’s home.

It feels natural for humans to leave to go to the store, out to dinner, work, and even on vacation. It feels unnatural and uncomfortable for most humans to stay home all the time, as seen in today’s world of social distancing and quarantine.

On the flip side, dogs are pack animals. Pack animals do almost everything together, from hunting, sleeping, eating, and even rearing their young. Though there are a few times that the pack may separate, they often do so in groups, rarely leaving any of them completely alone.

Pack animals find a sense of security together, it is easier to hunt together, and there is safety in numbers. And though our dogs no longer need that same security to survive, it is an ingrained behavior.

Separation Anxiety Dog Training

Whenever anyone gets a new dog, they focus on housetraining, recall, sit, and down, but often overlooked is training your dog to be okay when left alone. Proactive training to avoid separation anxiety is always the best choice when possible.

However, every situation is different, and dogs may develop separation anxiety for various reasons. One of the common reasons dogs suffer from separation anxiety is if they were previously abandoned. These dogs are more likely to suffer from separation anxiety in their new home until they become more confident.

Below are some different ways to help your dog get over separation anxiety.

What is Dog Training for Dogs with Separation Anxiety?

Dog training dogs with separation anxiety is about changing how a dog feels about being left alone. Training helps dogs associate feelings of calm and confidence instead of anxiety and fear when the owners leave.

Training aids your dog in understanding that when you leave, you will also come back. Training also helps dogs acclimate to being alone and shows your dog it’s safe for them to be on their own.

Separation anxiety training is about building trust between canine and human and teaching a dog how to live in a human world. Additionally, separation anxiety training helps build on the amount of time your dog can be left alone.

How to Train a Dog with Separation Anxiety

First and foremost, your dog must receive proper exercise before you leave the house. Dogs who are full of energy will not be content being left alone for hours on end. So, the first step in training is to drain that energy before you even step foot out of your house.

The second most important factor is your behavior and energy. Do you feel bad about leaving your dog? Nervous or anxious? Dogs pick up on our feelings and energy. If we are putting off nervous or tense vibes, your dog feels that, but they do not know why; instead, they just know something is wrong.

So be sure when you leave your dog that you are calm and confident. Do not become excited or go through a big goodbye routine. Instead, grab your wallet or purse and leave the house. When coming home, do not enter your home with exciting energy; instead, be calm, the same as you were when you left. You want to teach your dog that leaving and returning is not a big deal.

Next, it is all about baby steps. Start with teaching your dog to comfortable staying behind when you leave a room. To do this, you will want to find a focal point for them to wait on. It can be anything like a bed, mat, or training table. Put your dog on their focal point and take a step away, then come back and reward. Be sure you are rewarding calmly; this is a low energy exercise.

Never call your dog off the focal mat; instead, use a release command. With time build on this exercise with greater distance and duration.

Note this is not where your dog will stay in your absence; you are teaching your dog to be calm and confident being away from you. Your dog does not need to sit or lie down; your dog only needs to be relaxed.

Another thing to work on when training a dog is desensitizing them to their trigger points. Suppose your dog starts to show signs of anxiety when you put on your jacket, shoes, or touch the doorknob to leave. You will want to desensitize this action, meaning you need to remove any value that this action has to your dog.

Key Takeaways to Your Dogs Separation Anxiety

All too often, humans unintentionally trigger separation anxiety in their dogs, either by not teaching them to be alone in the beginning, creating too much nervous energy when leaving or by not providing enough exercise before leaving the house.

The great news is that many dogs can overcome separation anxiety with training.

However, in severe cases of separation anxiety, it is best if you seek the professional help of a dog behaviorist or veterinarian to aid you and your dog.

Categories
Community Stories

Raising Your Puppy: 6 Tips To Help With Housetraining

This content was found on dogtime.com, and the original article can be found here.

Few things can put a damper on the joy of bringing a new puppy into your home than unwanted accidents. If you are looking for ways to housetrain your puppy, you are not alone.

There are lots of ways to potty train your new puppy, and the good news is your puppy definitely wants to learn! Before you let your pooch get full run of the house, make sure to teach them the house rules and avoid accidents.https://27e34e16f580062fadce6db47bb2a679.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html

Training a puppy to do tricks, to not chew up your things, and not to have accidents isn’t as difficult as it may feel. Yes, it can be a daunting task, but you can do it!

Here are all the things you need to think about as you start housetraining your new puppy.

1. Confinement May Seem Like A Punishment, But It Will Help

Healthy Bernese Mountain Dog Puppies for sale in outdoor playpen

(Picture Credit: Laura Fay/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

For many, the thought of restricting a brand new puppy to a certain area of the house or a crate may feel awful. Hearing your pup cry out can definitely put your willpower to the test, but keeping your dog in a small enough area will quickly teach them not to relieve themselves inside.

Confinement training is effective for a multitude of reasons. Your puppy will not want to relieve themselves in a small space they can’t leave.

Crate or confinement training also helps keep your puppy safe. For example, if you are not home and let your puppy get free reign of the house, they could get into something toxic or get stuck somewhere.

Eventually, with proper training, your pup will come to consider that space as their own, personal territory. It will be a safe place for them to retreat to when they feel overwhelmed or just want some peace and quiet.

You may find them taking a nap there by choice before long, and they may even prefer it to your human furniture when looking for a resting spot.

2. As Soon As You Let Your Pup Out Of Confinement, Take Them Outside

Lovely smart puppy Border Collie nature, training, agility.

(Picture Credit: Levente Bodo/Moment/Getty Images)

When you first start crate or confinement training your puppy, you may want to play with them as soon as you let them out. Before introducing your puppy to their new favorite toy, take them outside and have them relieve themselves.

Use a command word, like “potty,” “outside,” or whatever works for you to signal to your puppy that it’s time to go out and relieve themselves. Even if you have a gated backyard, you should start with your puppy on a leash so they know it is time to eliminate and not to play.

If you’re home with your puppy throughout the day, you should still keep them in either a doggy playpen or a crate unless you are able to keep all of your attention on them. Let your puppy out every one to two hours to make sure they aren’t sitting in their confined space with a full bladder or bowels.

3. Reward Them Generously

A woman is training her puppy on a field at sunset.

(Picture Credit: Paula Danielse/Moment/Getty Images)

Keep some small treats on you whenever you let your puppy outside to go to the bathroom.

Once they successfully eliminate, be sure to heavily praise and reward them. Your puppy will quickly associate the positive reinforcement they get with relieving themselves outside, and they’ll get the idea that they’re supposed to go potty there.

4. Avoid Yelling At Them If You Find An Accident

Golden retriever puppy looking guilty from his punishment

(Picture Credit: Alex Sokolov/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

If you leave your puppy in their crate and you return home to a soiled situation, resist the urge to shove your pup’s nose in it or yell at them.

Your puppy will not associate the punishment with the act of soiling, as you did not catch them in the act. Yelling at your puppy could actually lead to the opposite effect of housetraining–they could start submissive urination to prove to you that they aren’t a threat.

They could also develop neurotic behavior, like hiding or even eating their poop to avoid punishment.

5. You Can Use Turf To Train Your Puppy Indoors

Puppy makes for the first time in the garden

(Picture Credit: Dieter Meyrl/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

If you live in a five-story walk-up or you get a puppy when it is freezing cold outside, it may be difficult to let your puppy out every couple hours. This doesn’t mean you can’t still successfully train your puppy how to relieve themselves outside.

Set up a space–be it in a mudroom, in the corner of their playpen, or near the back door–that you can designate for your puppy to use the restroom. There are pee pads made of turf that can help your puppy transition from relieving themselves inside to doing so outside.

6. Putting Your Puppy On A Sleep Schedule Can Help, Too

Dalmatian puppy is peeing on the tiled floor of its owners home.

(Picture Credit:SolStock/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Now, you won’t be able to magically dictate when your puppy falls asleep and wakes up, but in order to make sure your puppy is able to grow into a dog who can relieve themselves on your schedule, you’re going to want to set up a routine for your pup.

For example, puppies usually need to urinate within half a minute or so of waking up. If you want to get some things done in the morning before walking your pup, perhaps they should sleep in their confined space–not in your room–so they don’t wake up as soon as you do.

Conversely, many people find that walking their puppies first thing in the morning helps keep them from hitting the snooze button half a dozen times, so you may want your pup to sleep in the same room as you.

It may take some trial and error, but you and your pup will find a groove in terms of relieving themselves in the proper manner. By taking your puppy out at the same times throughout the day–moreso at first, and then slowly weening them to every four to six hours instead of every hour–they will know when they can expect to go outside and relieve themselves.

Dogs thrive on structure, and this will help stabilize your relationship with your puppy as well.

Do you have any tips or tricks on how to housetrain a puppy? Any frustrations you encountered? Let us know in the comments below!