Pet Boarding and Daycare January February 2020

VOL 10 • ED 1

JAN / FEB 2020

and daycare magazine UNDERSTANDING THE

NUTRITIONAL NEEDS OF PETS

WINTER

ACTIVITIES TO KEEP YOUR DAYCARE DOGS ENGAGED

Profile of Success

Hope2K9 Foundation

WWW.PETBOARDINGANDDAYCARE.COM PHOTO BY MOUNT PLEASANT AVENUE

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

1

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SINCE 1927 3

STAFF PUBLISHER Barkleigh Productions, Inc.

and daycare magazine

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Rebecca Shipman ART DIRECTOR Laura Pennington SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jenn Barraclough

JA N UA R Y / F E B R U R A R Y 2 0 2 0

CONTENTS

HOPE2K9 22 FOUNDATION

JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jenny Thomas WEB MASTER Luke Dumberth PRESIDENT Todd Shelly VICE PRESIDENT Gwen Shelly CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER Adam Lohr DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & CLIENT RELATIONS James Severs EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT / ACCOUNTS MANAGER Karin Grottola MARKETING COORDINATOR Alyx Robertson

FACILITY

UNDERSTANDING NUTRITIONAL

30

NEEDS OF PETS

46

SOCIAL MEDIA / PR Evan Gummo CONTACT

General: (717) 691-3388 info@barkleigh.com Editorial: rebecca@barkleigh.com

(717) 691-3388 (ext. 225) Advertising: james@barkleigh.com

(717) 691-3388 (ext. 224)

Copyright January 2020. Pet Boarding & Daycare is published bimonthly by Barkleigh Productions, Inc, 970 West Trindle Road, Mechanicsburg PA 17055. Postmaster: Send change of address to Pet Boarding & Daycare c/o Barkleigh Productions, Inc., 970 West Trindle Road, Mechanicsburg PA 17055. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. Editorial offices: 970 West Trindle Road, Mechanicsburg PA 17055. (717) 691–3388 FAX (717) 691–3381 Email: info@barkleigh.com

4

TO KEEP YOUR DAYCARE DOGS ENGAGED

Animal Behavior

By Ashley Caywood

30

6

5 Tips to Calm Anxious Pets

Business 8

12

18

Cat

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

38

Cat Training: Yes, You Can (and Should)

Facility

Two Important Pieces of Great Management What’s the Difference Between a Marketing Campaign and a Promotion?

Slow Website Load Speed: Your Biggest Problem in 2020

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

42

Training Your Team

Industry News 52

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5

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

T I P S TO CA L M

ANXIOUS PETS

P

ets are considered furry family members by most animal owners, so it’s a big responsibility to make sure they’re properly cared for while their owners are away. That means staying on the lookout for anxious pets, and knowing how to ease their nerves when you notice they’re uncomfortable.

Since dogs and other animals are parting ways with their owner to be in your care, it’s likely you’ll board a few pets who are suffering from separation anxiety. Pet anxiety can stem from many different causes; however, the primary sources are behavioral and situational nervousness.

Animals can also become distressed

6

By McKenzie Dillon

and apprehensive around other pets if they aren’t accustomed to that kind of setting. The cause of their anxiety could even be from a startling noise in your environment, such as vacuums or washing machines. Whatever the reason, here are a few things you can do when you have an anxious pet on your hands: 1. Play Them Calming Music There are particular chords and melodies in music that cause humans to feel more relaxed, and pets can be just as susceptible to calming sounds.

It’s essentially music therapy for animals. You can find music meant to soothe an animal’s anxiety on websites

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

like Amazon1, or even on Spotify where they have several specially curated playlists for different animals.

2. Give Them A Nice Cuddle Dogs are considered man’s best friend for a reason, and, at times, a human’s physical touch is the best way to help relieve their anxiety.

When an animal is anxious or stressed out, they can really benefit from something as simple as a loving stroke. Studies2 have shown they experience positive changes in serotonin, endorphin, prolactin, dopamine and beta–phenylethylamine levels after a session of gentle petting.

The presence of cortisol, a hormone

responsible for stress, also decreases after physical touch. 3. Provide Extra Exercise Sometimes anxiety leads to pent-up energy in animals, and exercise is one of the only remedies for it. If your attempts at soothing an anxious pet with methods like music and physical touch don't work, try letting them outside for a bit of extra exercise so they can get some space and tire themselves out.

You can also offer individual walks or one–on–one playtime as an add–on for anxious pets who might not be interested in group play.

4. Distract Them With A Toy or Treat Luckily for you, a dog’s short attention span can work in your favor, and you can distract them from their

anxiety with a fun toy or tasty treat.

An anxious pet can also benefit from a dog puzzle, such as a dog toy with a treat hidden inside. It will keep the pet busy, give them a sense of purpose, and they’ll be rewarded with a treat at the end. If you need something more readily available, a juicy bone or chew toy should do the trick, too. (Make sure any toys, treats or bones are owner-approved.)

5. Give Them Time Alone  If all else fails, the pet may be in need of some alone time—especially if they aren’t used to being in a space with several animals. You can probably relate to the feeling; when you’re in an unfamiliar, crowded space and you just want to step out for some air. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for an anxious animal in your care is leave them in a

secluded area where they aren’t getting any stimulation until they calm down and feel ready to join the pack.

References 1. Amazon. Calming Music for Pets. https://www.amazon.com/s?k =calming+music+for+pets&i=digit al-music&ref=nb_sb_noss_2 2. Health Benefits to Petting Your Dog. https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/ lifestyle/what-to-think-about-whenpetting-your-dog/ McKenzie Dillon is a blogger and sleep enthusiast for The Slumber Yard (myslumberyard.com), a reviews site that focuses on bedding products. In her free time, she likes attending music festivals, reading fiction novels and playing with her animals.

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7

BUSINESS

2

T N A T R O IMP OF GRE AT S E C E I P

A N A M

T N E GEM

a Laama

By L a u r

Being a pet care facility manager can be a very rewarding job, but it often comes with significant responsibilities.

Managers are often responsible for ensuring excellent pet care—but that’s only one part of what makes a good pet care facility leader.

8

n

S

uccessful management depends on skills most managers unfortunately aren’t trained for. Everyone has different challenges, but there are some techniques top managers find universally valuable—here are two of them.

1

KNOW

YOUR GOALS

The human mind is like a missile.

Give it a target, apply appropriate energy, keep focused, and it will usually hit its mark. Unfortunately, many managers walk around without targets. If a missile (or manager) doesn’t have a clear target, it will search and search until it runs out of energy and falls short of its true potential. Goals are generators of enthusiasm and targets for success.

The first step in management

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

success is to know exactly what your primary goals are. No two managers will have the same set of goals, but there are certain objectives managers often want to meet. Regardless of the number of management roles in your company, each manager was hopefully hired with specific ambitions in mind. Here are a few important goals managers might set to improve their company’s growth and overall success: • Hitting revenue goal posts • Increasing pet nights • Maintaining a high online review score • Successful cross marketing efforts • A small missed call percentage Regardless of how many managers you have or what their roles include, success depends on knowing exactly what’s expected. Managers should take the time to consult with the owner(s) to determine their individual goals.

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PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

Goals should be qualified and, even better, quantified. A qualified goal is a description, such as good customer service, healthy pets or low employee injuries. A quantified goal is specific and measurable, such as an amount of doggie daycare attendees or a certain new customer conversion percentage.

The strongest goals are quantified.

2

WRITE

IMPORTANT ITEMS DOWN

Most of us learn and retain information visually. This is true for dayto-day life and for official company policies/procedures. Effective written information leaves little room for interpretation, misunderstanding and forgetting. It’s a simple way to increase your and your team’s productivity— from simple written reminders to detailed instructions. Here are some ways writing things down can help improve management performance.

Write Down Your Goals Now that you have established the significance of having clear, attainable goals, writing them down can make them even stronger. Posting goals in visible places will help you achieve them. If you don’t write them down, they’re just dreams. Post your goals in highly visible locations, such as on your work monitor, your door and even your bathroom mirror. Anywhere you’re going to see them, read and re–read them.

Written goals will benefit your team as well. Ensure they know their goals and ensure they’re written down as well. Post them in the break room or by the time clock.

Write Down Your Priorities Time flies, especially in the fastpaced, ever–changing pet industry. The best managers don’t have any more time

in a day than anyone else, but they spend their time focusing on—and actually doing—the most important tasks. Writing down and prioritizing tasks helps ensure you’re being highly productive. Whether you have a paper notebook or an app on your phone, a visible and sorted list of daily tasks will boost a manager’s productivity. Steps to prioritizing include: • Write down everything you want to accomplish, no matter how trivial it may seem.

• Prioritize your to–do list with A, B or C, based on importance.

Your A items are likely the most challenging and important items.

Finishing them before the smaller, less urgent tasks will move your day and business forward.

• If it’s not possible to perform a task today, ensure you set time aside and write it down on your schedule for the following day.

• Most importantly—keep your commitments!

At the end of the day, you can reassess your list and see which items you’ve crossed off and which need to be added to tomorrow’s list. It’s always good to write the next day’s to-do list at the end of the workday to ensure nothing slips between the cracks.

So, how do we shift your brilliance to others?

• Take a minute to detail the 5–10 actions you’d take to clean the enclosure.

• Include the supplies you’d need to be properly prepared, as well as where the supplies are kept.

• Have someone else follow your steps to ensure they can implement the directions and ensure your new document details all the necessary information.

• If there are steps you have missed, add them as you go.

• Don’t forget to provide the expected time it should take to complete a task.

• Provide quality control measures (so no corners are cut).

Being a successful, well–rounded manager requires certain skills and training, and a good manager is an invaluable asset to a pet care company. By adding these tools to your arsenal, you and your team will be even more productive.

Laura Laaman is president of Outstanding Pet Care. Outstanding Pet Care guarantees to substantially increase the revenues of its clients with its proven services. One of our new services is management success training. If you’re interested in growing your revenues, schedule an individual consultation with Laura Laaman or one of her team members. Call Outstanding Pet Care at 1-888-735-5667 or go to www.

OutstandingPetCare.com

PETBOARDINGDAYCARE and daycare magazine

@BARKLEIGHINC

Write Down Your Guidelines One of the primary reasons a company might struggle with employee performance is a lack of clear, written procedures. Instead, the manager (and employee) makes assumptions. It’s best to manage any team with the mindset that everyone wants to do a good job. But does your team know exactly what a good job means and looks like? Taking a little time to write down your guidelines up–front reduces misunderstandings and clarifies what’s expected of your team members.

Take cleaning an enclosure, for example. Of course, you know exactly how an enclosure should be cleaned and the steps you’d take to do it, but without clear instruction, is it reasonable to expect your employees to do it the exact same way?

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

11

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BET WEEN A

MARKETING

CAMPAIGN AND A PROMOTION?

W

hether you’ve run your pet boarding facility for one day or thirty years, you know there are a million details. You also know marketing is essential to bringing in consistent business.

The businesses who master marketing enjoy more streamlined businesses.

Yet, it can be confusing—or the list of tasks may seem tedious or over complicated. Take the terminology of a marketing campaign vs. a promotion.

Do you know the difference?

By Jen Phillips April

12

Marketing Campaign vs.

One-Off Promotion A planned marketing campaign is different from a one–off promotion.

They have different goals. The campaign is usually more sustained with a longer–term goal in mind while the one-off promotion is just what it sounds like—a one-time thing.

Marketing Campaign: businessdictionary.com defines a marketing campaign as “The efforts of a company or a third–party marketing company to increase awareness for a particular product or service, or to increase consumer awareness of a business or organization. A marketing campaign has a limited duration.”

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

Marketing Promotion (One– Off): If you were to run a one-time discount during a slow period, then that would be a promotion. It’s shorter term.

Does it still sound confusing?

Maybe this will help.

You know how there are four seasons in the year? And how Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring each have their own holidays and weather–related events? You may already use some of these holidays to build your marketing calendar around. Or, you may have created new packages and you want to promote them over the next few months.

For example, if you offer pet grooming at your facility and you want to boost consistent grooms long-term, then you may decide that you’re going to create marketing materials around the importance of monthly grooming.

Your campaign materials may include: • Social media posts about the importance of good hygiene for your dog • Testimonials from happy customers • Meet–the–team photos/videos/ interviews • A postcard for customers to pick up near the check–in desk.

What’s your vision for the future of your business?

3 NO.

Questions to ask as you enter discussions with potential partners.

01

– Nicole Demoro, City Bark.

NVA partner since 2017.

NO.

02

NO.

03

Is it the right culture fit for your team?

Are there flexible deal structures?

How comprehensive are the support services?

As you begin considering your options for selling your pet resort business, it’s important to find a partner aligned with your values, respectful of the individuality of what you’ve built, and equipped to grow your business, while your team and culture remain intact.

Because selling your pet resort is such a personal decision, you’ll want to understand what types of options are available, and to what level they can tailor the terms to meet your needs.

As you contemplate transitioning your business, you’ll want to know every aspect is covered.

Seek out a partner with a dedicated team seasoned in marketing (including digital advertising and social media strategy), web development and hosting, client satisfaction surveys, IT, HR, accounting, taxes, legal, call centers and more.

Ask around to find out which buyers have the best reputation for caring for pets and the people who love them.

ASK IF THE BUYER CAN: • Make 100% cash offers with no finance contingency • Offer Joint Venture partnerships for growth and flexibility • Buy the real estate outright or lease from you

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13

PL AN YOUR CAMPAIGNS

weeks (or months) in advance and map out the content you’ll need. From photos to blogs to videos, what resources do you have, or what can you get access to so that when the time comes, you can plug n’ play?

You can slice and dice the content and the way you deliver it, but the intent is there; you’re promoting health and wellbeing through consistent dog grooming.

You could do the same thing for socialization or training for the boarding and daycare part of your business.

Set Your Marketing Goal With a marketing campaign, you set a business goal. Let’s say you want to boost your regular grooming clients by 10% a month and you plan the bulk of your content around that goal for one quarter.

Knowing that you want to have 70% of your messages around the importance of hygiene and grooming means you’re staying focused. Focus makes it easier to generate content ideas for your customers.

For the next quarter, you focus on the importance of socialization and training.

And so on. Over time, you can create marketing campaigns (and accompanying materials) for every quarter.

Maybe winter is when you promote regular doggie daycare visits and the benefits of a happy, well–socialized dog.

January is Train Your Dog Month so you can incorporate dog training tips. And Valentine’s Day is a built–in opportunity to shower gifts (like regular daycare packages) on your four–legged friends.

But a one–off promotion is different.

With a one–time marketing promotion, your goal is shorter term. It may be to increase business during a slow period.

For example, if you see that your bookings are low over the next week, you may opt to

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send an email to inactive customers inviting them back in. Often a discount or some type of add–on is offered as an enticement.

If you sell products and you have items that aren’t selling well, you may offer them as a gift or create a discount display. These types of one–off events are promotions and can help drum up business when things are slow.

Hopefully, you can see that both marketing campaigns and marketing promotions have their place, though they aren’t the same thing. And with well–planned campaigns, you have consistent messages going out which help you get and stay booked.

Plan your campaigns weeks (or months) in advance and map out the content you’ll need. From photos to blogs to videos, what resources do you have, or what can you get access to so that when the time comes, you can plug n’ play?

Label everything clearly in a folder you (or others) can access from multiple devices. Google drive, Dropbox, Microsoft 365 or other products all work. The key is staying consistent so whoever is in charge of scheduling your content knows where to find it.

If you decide to rotate four campaigns a year and keep them the same, then you’ll be able to reuse some of your content from year to year, even while you add new pieces to keep it fresh.

When you take the time to create marketing campaigns, you’ll find it easier to be consistent. Your marketing will be a coherent part of your schedule and your business will grow. What will you do today toward your next campaign?

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WEBSITE

SPE ED

Your Biggest Problem in 2020

By Alain Parcan

When building your website, it’s important to accurately and personally represent

ranking factor for their algorithm. In

to a successful website,

other words, they admitted websites

which is why it needs to

that load quickly are more likely

be revisited on a consistent basis.

Online users tend to have short

to make it on the top of Page One of Google than websites that load

attention spans, and if they feel like

slower. Not even a year ago, they also

your pet care

your website is taking too long to

made it known that mobile searches

company’s identity.

load, they may decide to call it quits

would be held to the same standard.

before your information ever ap-

What does this mean? In 2020, your

pears. Quick page–loads are the new

website needs to load quickly!

Your website is your number one marketing resource, after all.

18

U

ser experience is the key

normal for a successful website—a trend that’s becoming increasingly noticeable within search engines.

Back in 2010, Google made it official that page load speed is a

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

What is “Slow” for Page Load Speeds?

According to Google, a page that is “very slow” takes longer than

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

19

ten seconds to fully load. They actually

According to Google, a page that is “very slow” takes longer than

SECONDS to fully load.

prefer that your website loads in under three seconds, to be considered “quick.”

It may feel like Google is just making up their own rules, but using page load speed as a factor to determine ranking is meant to mirror user preferences. If a user wouldn’t wait to view your site, it makes sense Google wouldn’t rank your facility’s website high on Page One. To find out how your Website measures up, Google PageSpeed Insights1 is a free tool that can provide you with

Pet Care Facility DESIGN • BUILD • CONSULTING

metrics as well as suggestions for how to lower your page load time. Speaking of…

How Can You Lower Your Page Load Speed?

Our Experience Sets Us Apart!

Even though some strategies to lower load speed may require help from a professional web developer, that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways you can go about doing it yourself ! Below are three simple strategies you can employ to speed your pet care website up a bit: 1. Optimize Your Photos High-quality images can really help

• Designed over 70 facilities, including veterinary hospitals • Built 17 pet care facilities • 27-year owner/operator of a Pet Resort!

a website stand out, especially when they show off your company’s facility and guests in great detail. There is such a thing as too much quality and detail,

DESIGN

• Architectural – Engineering

Plumbing Electrical Mechanical

though. The larger (and clearer) the image is, the larger the file, which takes more time to download. The key is to find the middle ground where the photo

CONSULTING

• Site Selection • Business Plan • Feasibility Study • Demographics • Operations

is sized correctly and compressed, but is still visually appealing and clear. When your line of work includes adorable dogs and cats, it’s hard to say no to adding tons of photos. You need to make sure those photos aren’t bringing you

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photos is an excellent way to start speed-

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20

down, however.

ing up your page load speed.

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

2. Keep Your Layout Simple

sure your website doesn’t slow down

Some business owners have long

your business!

lists of website features they’ve seen on other pet care sites that they would like included on their own. We’re big fans of creativity, but we have to remind businesses often that it’s best to keep things simple when it comes to website design.

Every time you feature something like an interactive map, a rotating

can Reach Alain’s team at 888-381-6925.

References

Alain Parcan, Director of Marketing for Market Hardware, Inc., contributed this

1. Google PageSpeed Insights.

article. Alain brings nearly 10 years of

https://developers.google.com/speed/

experience in educating businesses so

pagespeed/insights/

they can market themselves more effec-

2. Picresize. https://picresize.com/

tively. Market Hardware helps small pet care businesses compete on the Web. You

slideshow or a video, you require an additional “request,” which the Internet must make to display the site. The result is a dent in your website’s load time. One or two features won’t hurt you too much, but too many can be a big risk.

When putting together your home page, identify the primary information you want your visitors to receive and make sure you only feature what you feel to be entirely necessary. This will prevent your page from becoming too busy, and it will decrease the time a user has to wait for your website to load.

3. Make Sure Your Web Hosting Plan Still Meets Your Standards Perhaps you’ve tried some of these strategies before, yet they haven’t worked.

This may be a result of your web hosting

Dick with Ace, Ruthie & Gaston

plan (typically a yearly payment made to keep your site and its files on the internet).

People just starting their pet care business tend to reach for more affordable hosting plans when they first create their website.

A lot has changed since you first started your company, so it’s important to make sure your hosting plan matches up with where you are now as a business. It’s possible you’ve added numerous pages, galleries and other content that may be too much for your initial hosting plan.

It’s no secret that people, especially online, tend to have shorter attention spans these days. Having a website that loads quickly is a great way to meet consumer needs while also setting your site

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21

PROFILE OF SUCCESS

educate EMPOWER•SUPPORT 22

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

A

By Kathy Hosler Photos by Lacey Michelle Photography

t Hope2K9, a lot of the work we do is to help prevent dogs from going into a rescue, even though we are one ourselves,” says Cameron Thompsen, President and Founder of the Hope2K9 Foundation.

“We work to educate and support struggling owners whose pets have behavior or other issues. We try to get to the source of the dog’s problem, and then resolve it.

“Our mission is to help stop the flow of dogs that are coming into shelters and rescues, and are ultimately unnecessarily euthanized or are just languishing and not living their best life.”

Hope2K9 is located in beautiful Valley Center, California, about 40 minutes from San Diego. They have ten spacious acres, and at present, have a new kennel building under construction.

“When we founded the organization it was initially a training–based rescue that provides trained,

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

23

“The services we provide are really about helping people

EXPERIENCE MORE TRUST, respect, and control in their

relationship with their dogs so their dogs can be included in more aspects of their life.”

– Cameron Thompsen, President & Founder of the Hope2K9 Foundation

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PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

adoptable dogs,” Cameron says. “When a dog is accepted into the Hope2K9 rescue program, it is fully trained before it is placed into a new home.

That training can take anywhere from 2–6 months.”

They have also incorporated a unique boarding program. The boarding fees are used to fund the rescue work they do, including training classes and socialization programs that they offer to the community. And the boarding fees are tax deductible for the client.

There is immense interest in the group training classes that they hold on site. It’s called Hope4Hounds and is a key pillar of the Hope2K9 organization and how they fulfill their mission to help people stay the course, especially with difficult dogs. Classes are donation-based and open to the public.

They have training seminars where other trainers are invited to speak. They also go into schools and the community to provide education and bring forward information about things such as how to prevent bites and improve behavior.

These are ultimately connected to why many dogs are re–homed or euthanized.

“The services we provide are really about helping people to experience more trust, respect, and control in their relationship with their dogs so their dogs can be included in more aspects of their life,” Cameron says. “It’s

very fulfilling to see the transformation in dogs that may have been slated for euthanasia as they become successful members of the family.”

Hope2K9 offers overnight boarding to dogs of all ages, breeds and behavior backgrounds. They can handle many dogs that other facilities cannot.

“A lot of people seek us out because

their dog cannot be boarded successfully other places because of their behavior issues. When a boarding facility is run by professional trainers, it’s very different than just having kennel staff,” says Cameron.

“Our boarding environment is a lot like the average family home,” Cameron continues. “We place a lot of emphasis on structure and that’s the main reason why

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

we can succeed with a lot of the dogs we take in for boarding, training, rescue, and rehab. For example, we will have the dogs practice a down/stay in the dining room while we eat dinner. Then later we all hang out in the family room and interact.”

They also board dogs for individuals who are deployed or have become temporarily displaced from housing so

25

“A lot of people seek us out because

THEIR DOG CANNOT BE BOARDED Successfully other places

because of their behavior issues.”

– Cameron Thompsen, President & Founder of the Hope2K9 Foundation

that their dogs are not at risk of being

because it provides a shade structure,”

a multitude of long–term benefits. It pro-

re–homed or surrendered.

Cameron says. “It also allows us to expand

vides all the electricity we need now and

and have access to solar all over our

in the future. Now, we don’t have to panic

shade over some training areas, and at the

property. Our outside enclosures can have

when we see our air conditioning bill.”

same time go green and save energy.

light in the evenings. Our solar setup and

Hope2K9 has a ‘cool’ way to provide

“We did an above ground solar array

our decision to move in that direction has

Hope2K9 offers shadow and mentorship programs. Trainers travel from all over to come out and see their programs—both for the professional dog training and also the non–profit aspect.

Attendees learn how to get the results that Hope2K9 gets with the dogs in their adoption program, adopter compliance, and adopters staying the course and not returning the dog. These are huge challenges for the average rescue organization.

With the mentorship program, people can get a taste of whether they want to get into the industry, how we set things up, what’s working, and what’s not worked in the past,” says Cameron. “We coach people and assist in burnout support. How you run any business is a reflection of your overall process. It really does come back to the core elements we preach about. We are helping people to step up, stay the course, and do right by their dogs.

“We present lots of classes and resources, both in person and online, to resolve behavior issues that often result in a pet

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being re-homed,” says Cameron. “We have a lot of content available on our website, www.hope2K9.com. We provide video

26

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

27

tutorials and community support to educate people.

“We look at social media as a way to give information and empower people to solve their own problems,” Cameron says. “Social media is how the bulk of people are attracted to our business. For us, it’s all about sharing tangible action steps and information about what we do and how we do it to build trust and familiarity in our prospective clients—and for them to feel comfortable about the training and activities their dogs are getting.”

A lot of the content Hope2K9 is presenting is geared toward helping the overall community of rescue find a better way to function and create a more lasting change in the issues around unwanted dogs.

Hope2K9’s goal to educate, empower and support has made a tremendous difference to the people and pets in their immediate area and far beyond.

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PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

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FACILITY

TO KEEP YOUR DAYCARE DOGS ENGAGED

By Ashley Caywood 30

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

I

f you’re like many pet care facilities, the seasonal fluctuations in weather have a tremendous impact on the way your operations run.

Where summer may mean long days spent outside enjoying sunshine and warm temperatures, winter may mean short days snowed in with quick trips outside, trying to avoid frost bitten fingers, toes and paws. And with shorter days, your puppy clients may be getting even less exercise at home than usual, which can make your job all the more challenging. But with some creative thinking, winter doesn’t have to be day after day of drab and dreary. Here are a few ideas for burning off those zoomies, even if you’re stuck inside.

Enrichment Enrichment is a common word you hear being thrown around in the industry. So what do we mean when we say enrichment? We define enrichment as interaction that gives your pups the opportunity to exercise their brains in a way that inspires their natural doggy instincts.

Most of your pet parents want their dogs to come home tired from play. But we believe that’s not enough; it’s critical for each dog to have a balanced physical, social and emotional experience when they’re with us. As such, enrichment is an important part of a successful dog daycare setting all year round. But, in the wintertime it’s a particularly handy tool to have in your tool box.

If you haven’t introduced enrichment in a structured way to your facility, you should start by putting together a list of standard enrichment activities that are acceptable for use at your facility.

Activities we use include: • Nosework • Puzzle toys • Obstacle courses using play/ agility equipment • Follow the leader games Training each of your staff on how to properly utilize these activities is going

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31

to be key to their success in your facility.

An easy way to make the most of

The more consistent an experience each

that indoor space is to build “up” with

pet can have from day to day and group

play equipment. Play equipment will

to group, the more likely it is that you’re

take the otherwise stagnant space of

going to see results.

an indoor environment and layer in

Giving your dogs the opportunity to

another level of play and interaction. It

exercise their brains as well as their bodies

opens up the possibility to working on

is going to do wonders in managing those

movement, challenging pups to figure

winter zoomies. And, bonus? It will facili-

out how to use each piece of equipment

tate their bonds with your team as well.

and play new games that could not be played in a fixed, empty space.

Play Equipment One of the obvious things that makes

You’re probably aware that there’s a wide variety of equipment—and price

winter a more challenging time of year

ranges—on the market specifically for

to manage dog play is that space is often

doggy play environments. A pet care

much more limited. It’s not unusual for a

facility is a dynamic environment, and

pet resort’s real estate to be heavily weight-

it’s smart (and cost effective!) to use

ed in favor of outdoor space rather than

equipment that can be configured into

indoor. When limited to playing inside,

an endless array of options to suit the

your space may be cut in half, or less.

ever evolving needs of your business.

Arts & Crafts A few times each year you’re bound to have one of those days—you know

Celebrating One Year of Our New

the type; everyone is snowed in and has a snow day or is working from

PRO–SERIES

home—except you, because your work

MODULAR

never ends! But you’ll likely have a few

SYSTEM

open, even in inclement weather, to care

doctors, nurses and emergency personnel who are so grateful that you remain

PLAYGROUND

for their dogs because they still have to be at work, too!

Have you ever considered an extra special art project for those special clients on a day like this? Admittedly, for most of us, it’s just not going to be a realistic option most days of the year when business is buzzing and attendance is high. However, on those days where the winter weather has most people hiding from the cold, why

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PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

not take advantage of the downtime by throwing in a little extra something that’s sure to surprise and delight your human clients?

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33

Here are a few fun ideas: Dog Paw Print This one is as easy as it sounds.

Dip a paw in some non-toxic paint, stamp the print on a piece of high-quality, heavier stock paper, add the pup’s name and voila!

For extra credit, try layering the print on top of some seasonally appropriate printed paper.

Paw Print Bouquet of Flowers This takes the basic dog paw print to another level.

Stamp the dog’s paw on a piece of paper a few times— these are going to be the blooms. Paint in some leaves and stems, and you’re as good as Georgia O’Keeffe!

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35

Diy Doggy Scarf Over the top? Yes. But will you get some giggles from surprised clients? Absolutely!

Buy a few yards of cute printed fleece at your local craft store. Cut a long rectangular scarf shape based on the size of the dog.

Cut a slit about 1/3 of the way from one of the short ends of the scarf. You’ll loop the other end of the scarf through this slit to help hold the scarf in place when the dog goes bounding out to show off his or her new look. Bonus points if the scarf is in your brand’s colors!

Are these art projects something you’ll want or be able to incorporate in the normal course of business? Probably not. But they are a fun way to demonstrate a little extra love and warmth on those few days of the year when you have the time to show off your creativity. And don’t forget to stamp your business’s logo on those masterpieces, as they’re likely to be hung on proud parents’ fridges all over town!

The days are short, but that doesn’t mean that winter fun has to be. With a little creativity, you can maintain those sunny summer vibes all year round.

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PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

Ashley Caywood is managing partner at Zolvy.com, empowering pet care entrepreneurs to take control of their business so they can continue to pursue their passion. Zolvy provides targeted solutions for the behind-the-scenes challenges facing business owners every day. In addition to her work with Zolvy, Ashley is founder and co-owner of Roscoe’s Bed + Bark in Portland, ME, the city’s first 24/7 supervised dog daycare, growing it to seven figure revenues in less than three years. Ashley holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Boston University.

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37

CATS

YOU CAN

By Steven Appelbaum

38

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

I

t is common knowledge that dogs

Now, let’s look at the cat picture.

can be trained to do extraordinary

Three point four million cats enter

things. Certainly most owners

animal shelters per year and 1.4 million

expect their dogs to learn some basic

are euthanized each year. Yet for many,

commands, and with a little patience and

many years there was little discussion

perseverance, owners also hope to ad-

of training. Now as people are realizing

dress a variety of behavioral challenges.

cats are trainable and professional cat

According to Statista.com1, there are

trainers are appearing, this trend is

an estimated 89.9 million dogs in the

finally changing—which is great news!

United States. This partially explains

Cats are extremely trainable. The

why the pet industry is so massive; how

key is understanding what motivates

dog trainers can make a full–time living

them and being clear on what types of

training dogs and why businesses like

behaviors they need to learn. When peo-

boarding facilities have been working

ple think about training, most visualize

with dog trainers for decades. It’s also

obedience. This is where you lose some

why pet groomers and dog trainers

of them. After all, can you teach a cat to

should work together to create recipro-

walk on a leash? If yes, what’s the point?

cal referral relationships.

Yet, there is another animal kept as a

m

CATS IN THE USA

m

CATS ENTER

SHELTERS PER YEAR

The truth is that cats can learn to walk on a leash, and being able to take

pet in this country that outnumbers dogs.

them on walks allows you to give them

Again, according to Statista.com2, there

exercise and get them used to respond-

are 94.2 million cats in the United States.

ing to you in public. However, most

While cats may outnumber dogs,

THERE ARE

owners are less interested in teaching

when it comes to perceptions about

them obedience than they are in ad-

feline trainability, people have very

dressing behavior problems, including

different ideas. Common sentiments

such behaviors as litter box training,

m

EUTHANIZED EACH YEAR

regarding cat training include: “You can’t train cats!”, “They don’t care about pleasing you”, “They’re not like dogs” and “What would you even train a cat to do?”

This perception is costly for cats and the people who love them. Shelter and rescue statistics illustrate part of the challenge. Roughly 3.9 million dogs wind up in shelters each year in this

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Many cat owners find it difficult, if not impossible, to take their cats to the veterinarian, groomer or boarding

animal trainer and founder of Animal Behavior College (ABC), a vocational

facility because they can’t get them in a crate. This is a

school specializing in animal career

perfect example of a teachable behavior.

for people interested in becoming pet

scratching furniture, accepting other cats and dogs, spraying and learning to go in a crate. This last one is critical. Many cat owners find it difficult, if not impossible, to take their cats to the veterinarian, groomer or boarding facility because they can’t get them in a crate. This is a perfect example of a teachable behavior.

For many cat owners, a well–trained feline is simply one who goes to the litter box, gets along with other pets in the home, doesn’t damage furniture, travels easily and comes when called. Every one of those behaviors is teachable!

This is relevant to anyone who offers

40

Steven Appelbaum is a professional

boarding or grooming for cats. Start to search for cat trainers. Once you find them, reach out to them and begin to develop relationships in which all parties refer clients to each other. When done properly, such relationships are

training programs. ABC offers courses groomers, dog trainers, cat trainers, veterinary assistants and aquatics management specialists. They will be introducing a zookeeper assistant program in 2019. The school also teaches a variety of continuing education programs on subjects including; pet nu-

beneficial to all—and your cat–loving

trition, pet massage, dog walking, pet

clients will thank you!

sitting and training shelter dogs. Aside

References:

from managing ABC, Appelbaum works as a freelance author, lecturer

1. https://www.statista.com/statistics/198100/

and pet business consultant. For more

dogs-in-the-united-states-since-2000/

information about Animal Behavior

2. https://www.statista.com/statistics/198102/

College, please visit the website at

cats-in-the-united-states-since-2000/

www.animalbehaviorcollege.com

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FACILITY

YOUR

By Teena Patel

The significance of staff training cannot be overstated; it is one of the most important components of growth and development of a successful dog daycare or boarding program, whose focus is on providing more than just supervision.

D

oggie daycare programs are evolving rapidly, and as their focus becomes

No matter who you speak to in our industry, whether a small doggie

more behavioral, owners of doggie

daycare averaging 15-30 dogs a day or

daycares and boarding facilities seek

a large doggie daycare averaging 150-

to provide their dogs with more mean-

200+ dogs per day, it's not uncommon

ingful stimulation in an attempt to

to hear them describe their new-hire

defeat boredom and keep high-energy

training process as “on-the-job training”.

dogs from “bouncing off the walls.”

Regardless of the type of interven-

While the initial investment of time and loss of money can be huge, this is

tion, with the focus becoming more

a temporary sacrifice and well worth

and more centered around the “whole

it for adopting a proper, step-by-step,

dog”, staff training has to become an in-

sequential staff-training plan.

tegral part of enhancing your program.

We take for granted that our

Educating your team is a respon-

subjects want to learn; that they are

sibility in and of itself. There are no

eager for our assistance. But without

shortcuts around this. Many people

a careful and considerate approach to

try, and even avoid the process entirely,

facilitate learning, members of your

but there is no getting out of this

team are likely to experience anxiety,

commitment if you want to decrease

lack confidence, become frustrated and even defensive.

staff turnover, build a rock star team

42

and lessen your responsibilities.

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Here are five preliminary questions

Think of each team member as a

you can ask yourself as you evaluate

gear; each gear functions in a particular

the efficacy of your new–hire on–

way, doing specific things that help

boarding regimen:

move all the other gears, giving us the

1. Do you have a plan?

momentum to do more, offer more.

2. What does it entail?

Think of each team member as a gear; each gear functions in a particular way,

3. How long is your new hire training program/protocol?

4. Ultimately, after the training, what will this prepare your new hire for?

5. Will what they have learned be fulfilling for your needs and

1. Who will be responsible for your new hires’ learning?

2. When and how will you evaluate their learning as well as your teaching?

your team’s needs?

doing specific things that help move all the

Now you are ready to address the next two big questions:

Training your team and not leaving It is imperative that each member of

them under–resourced is truly the most

your team fully understands their role

powerful and impacting contribution

and that role’s relevance to your goal.

to growth. And, it’s an important way

the momentum to do

Then, it becomes very clear for them to

to honor the people who bring your

more, offer more.

focus on the why, and develop proficien-

vision to life by helping them grow in

cy in the how (in time, with training).

confidence, aptitude and leadership.

other gears, giving us

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Protect your fence from wind

and lateral forces. This

fence uses plantings for screening.

they must be strong enough not to bend. Like for a wood fence, horizontal members must be kept low and high to prevent acting as steps, providing a foot hold and aiding a dog in climbing the fence.

• MASONRY & CONCRETE Masonry is a good choice for an outdoor fence.

A split–face block and staggered or offset blocks are good choices too for sound absorption.

I don’t like to use masonry for kennel enclosures because it is very high maintenance. Masonry is porous and a finish must be applied and maintained unprotected are more susceptible to it isand where urine wind loads keep water from getting inside placed The building code identifies the local forces the lateral The down. being blown to Out–of–doors, your specific area wall. this is not as critical open–type and the wind exposure loads for as rain are substantial, even for an fenceaway be designed for willon wash any signs of urine. can pass of the country. All fences should like chain link, where some wind fence A fence is more A masonry fence should cantilevered these loads as a minimum guide. designed,fence as is through. In a wind storm, a be outside of the required, to prevent need to easily protected from the wind if located feet high canThe wind six to eightturn–over. load behind a building on astanding solid fenceforces per lineal path of direct wind, for example, like pounds this can 500–1000 of be substantial, lateral and large trees, the resist footingmore, in the wind. or swale, or where heavy vegetation, betoable keeptostanding resist that load. The foot or mustjust out in the open footing etc., help to break the wind. Those will prevent any dogs from tunneling out as well. The masonry voids, or cells, should be grouted solid with concrete 144 Boarding Kennels: The Design Process and rebar that is turned into the footing and sized for the application intended as engineered.

Bond beams and control joints should be used according to the engineer’s design and local practices. The top of the wall should be tapered to shed water or melting snow. A cast–in–place concrete fence would use a similar structural design.

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• PVC & PLASTIC In the last ten years or so, PVC and other type of plastics have been appearing in the fence industry. The biggest reason is low maintenance.

The surface can be in many configurations, even solid panels, which would be hard for a dog to scale.

Often, the sun will deteriorate or discolor certain types of plastics making them brittle.

Check with the fence company to be sure the material you choose will hold up over time.

As noted before, some plastic fences are reinforced by wood posts.

Wood fences, or wood used to reinforce a fence will deteriorate over time.

Boarding Kennels: The Design Process

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ANIMAL HEALTH

UNDERSTANDING THE

NUTRITIONAL

NEEDS OF PETS BY PROFE S SIONAL

PET BOARDING CERTIFICATION Professional Pet Boarding Council

Both dogs and cats need

Prescription Diets

diets made up of proteins,

Major pet food manufacturers offer prescription diets for the treatment of certain illnesses and disorders CERTIFIED in pets. Examples of health issues that may be treated with specially–formulated prescription diets are: • Kidney disease • Liver disease • Inflammatory C bowel E R Tdisease I F I C A T I ON • Diabetes • Bladder stones or bladder inflammation • Heart failure • Arthritis • Cancer • Dental tartar and gingivitis • Overactive thyroid • Food allergies If a pet in your care is on a prescription diet, you should take care to make sure it gets the proper food.

If a pet receives a food other than its prescription food, it could suffer a relapse or worsening of its illness. Pet care facility owners often require that owners with pets on such a diet bring food from home for use during the pet’s stay.

carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and water; however, they have different nutritional needs and should not be fed the same formulation. In addition, there are different nutritional needs depending on the pet’s age (puppy, adult, senior), pregnant or nursing, breed, size and health status. Pets may need to be on prescription diets for health issues, weight management diets or lowallergy diets.

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Feeding The Right Proportions In addition to providing a well–balanced diet, part of your responsibility to the pets in your care will be to provide that diet in the proper proportions. Weight management of a client’s pet can sometimes be a very PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

PET BOARDING & DAYCARE

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The Overweight or Obese Pet An average Chihuahua should weigh around

6 LBS.

If a chubby Chihuahua weighs

12 LBS.

(6 lbs overweight), that is equivalent to an average human woman (5’4” tall) being

145 pounds overweight!

difficult job. If diet instructions say to feed, for example, “2 cups in the morning,” that means two level cups, not heaping cups. In addition, the cup should be a standard 8 oz. cup that would be used in baking, not a coffee cup, scoop or giant soda cup from the convenience store.

The Overweight or Obese Pet Just as human Americans are likely to be overweight or obese, so are our pets. No one wants to hear that their pet is morbidly obese, or that the special treats they so lovingly provide their pet could be harmful. Discussing obesity with pet parents should be done respectfully, without placing blame.

The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (https://petobesityprevention. org/) has good information for pet parents and pet care facility staff members. For example, an average Chihuahua should weigh around 6 pounds. If a chubby Chihuahua weighs 12 pounds (6 pounds overweight), that is equivalent to an average human woman (5’4” tall) being 145 pounds overweight!

The Pet Obesity Prevention website also has calorie contents for many commercial dog and cat food brands.

Different brands vary considerably— from 250 to 500 calories per cup!

The Special Cases Occasionally you will lodge a pet that needs to gain weight, although this is not as common. Some pets arrive at their proper weight, yet experience a change of eating habits due to the change in environment. In addition to providing these pets with extra attention in an effort to get them to enjoy the experience, you will need to make certain that they get adequate nutrition.

In both of these cases, you may need to get a little creative to entice them to eat.

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Food Allergies Food allergies are common in pets as well as humans. In pets, food allergies most commonly cause skin symptoms (hair loss, itching, ear infections and rashes) and/or gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea or loss of appetite).

Pets, like people, can be allergic to anything in their food or environment, but the most common food allergens for pets are chicken, beef, dairy, egg and wheat.

Food allergies are diagnosed with a “diet trial,” meaning that a hypoallergenic (low allergy) diet is fed exclusively for 8–12 weeks or more. Once stabilized on a food that does not cause an upset to the pet’s system, it is imperative that their diet be maintained. Even a single bite of a regular food to which the pet is allergic could cause a flare–up of symptoms.

There are two main strategies for the design of hypoallergenic prescription diets.

Some hypoallergenic diets, called “novel

protein,” utilize a major protein source that is different than the pet has previously eaten. Most commonly–fed over–the– counter diets contain beef, chicken and/or lamb, so hypoallergenic diets eliminate those animal proteins and use more unusual proteins. Examples are fish, rabbit, venison and even kangaroo meat! The novel protein foods also use non–corn and non–wheat carbohydrate sources, including green pea and sweet potato. Other hypoallergenic diets, called “hydrolyzed,” are treated so that the proteins and carbohydrates are broken up into such tiny pieces that the immune system “ignores” them, although they still provide all the nutrition the pet needs.

to sustain life. WATER. Although it contains no nutritional value, without it a pet will die. In fact, going without water will more rapidly cause serious side effects than going without food will.

All pets should be provided an ample supply of fresh, clean water. Be careful to ensure that water bowls are clean and free of detergent residue.

However, if a dog is to quickly lap down water, it can cause stomach upset and vomiting. In rare cases, drinking a very large amount of water can cause life– threatening electrolyte imbalances (cause water toxicosis). This can especially be seen in young dogs drinking water from a pool or hose. Some illnesses will cause a dog to drink excessively, such as diabetes

The Basic Element of Survival

and kidney disease, so the water should not be limited. If a dog tends to gulp

Last, but certainly not least—in fact, the most important after oxygen—is an element every living thing needs

down water too fast, you can try to slow it down by using multiple small bowls or putting ice in bowls to melt slowly.

As humans become much more health and nutrition savvy, it’s not

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health–conscious society, it’s no wonder pet foods abound in every size, shape and variety imaginable. Yet, not all are created equal. With so many pet foods to choose from, ranging from high–end premium foods and prescriwption diets

EXPERT HELP FOR

aimed toward disease management to generic brands labeled simply

EVERYTHING TO DO WITH KENNEL FLOORS

“dog food” or “cat food,” it becomes more and more difficult to determine which is best for the pets in our care.

However, you should begin gaining the knowledge you will someday need

Planning • Problem Solving • Installation • Products Get Help to Do It Yourself

concerning the basics of nutrition and the importance diet plays on the overall health of the pet.

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SURE PETCARE LAUNCHES SUREFEED® MICROCHIP PET FEEDER Sure Petcare, the pet technology specialist, announced the launch of the SureFeed® Microchip Pet Feeder Connect, the next generation of the best-selling SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder, which monitors the eating behavior of pets. The smart feeder monitors how much and when a pet eats, sending real-time updates directly to the pet owner’s phone. The new product also features integrated scales, which enable owners to provide accurate food portions to their pet at every meal. The SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder Connect records the time and weight of food consumed by a pet each time they eat from the feeder, reporting it directly to the Sure Petcare app. The SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder Connect is available to purchase online across the U.S. at www.surepetcare.com

Wisdom & Grace A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

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