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You probably love the pets in your care, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t have to deal with undesirable canine behavior from time to time—whether it’s from puppies or from older dogs who have not been properly trained.

As a professional pet sitter, your clients will look to you for expertise and advice related to their pets. While you should refer clients to veterinarians, professional dog trainers and animal behaviorists when needed, you can also improve your services by having an understanding of common dog-related issues and some tips you can share with clients. These tips will also come in handy as you care for their pets.

January is National Train Your Dog Month, the perfect time for pet-care professionals to highlight the importance of dog training and to take advantage of the many resources that are available.

By continuing to increase your pet-care knowledge and passing it on to pet owners, you can demonstrate what sets professional pet sitters apart from the hobbyist or the neighbor down the street. Continuing education is a hallmark of professionalism.

The following are some PSI resources that members can use to help increase their knowledge of canine care and common behavioral issues.

Caring for “problem pups”

Do some of your clients have dogs that love to bark? Or maybe they have puppies that chew things up? There are certain things you should and shouldn’t do when dealing with a dog that barks, just as there are some basic steps pet owners can take to discourage destructive chewing.

A post on The PSI Blog provides some basic tips you can offer clients dealing with the common puppy problems of barking and chewing: Professional Pet Sitters vs. “Problem Pups.”

Fighting like cats and dogs?

Perhaps dogs are not the only pets in your care. Many households have both cats and dogs, and no two households are the same. While some cats and dogs live in harmony, others do not get along—at all.

The PSI Blog offers a popular post on this topic—Who Rules? Dogs and Cats: Learning to Get Along. The blog post addresses common problems in cat and dog households and some ways to handle them.

Another resource is a PSI webinar featuring Jacqueline Munera, CCBC, PCBC, CAP2, the owner of Positive Cattitudes. In this webinar, Munera reviews some of the most common problems that occur in households with both cats and dogs and why they occur. She also provides information you can share with your clients on how to set up the environment and some techniques they can use to increase positive associations between cats and dogs.

This webinar is available on-demand: It Takes Two: Successful Cat & Dog Interactions.

Giving the best dog walk possible

Setting yourself apart from other dog-walking professionals can be a challenge. A fundamental way to distinguish your service is to offer the dogs in your care the best walk possible, but sometimes that will require teaching the dogs to have polite leash manners.

The PSI Blog offers a blog post with 3 tips for giving the best dog walk possible.

Handouts for clients

If you would like to provide your clients with some educational handouts that relate to the specific canine issues they are facing, you have access to those resources, too. In the Member’s area of petsit.com, PSI members can find various free client handouts.

Some handouts related to canine behavior include:

• Tips for crate training
• Using a crate to train your dog
• What size crate does your dog need?
• Need help with house training?
• Can’t get your dog to stop chewing?

To access these handouts, log in to the Member’s area of the site. These resources are located under Member Tools > Downloads > Type: Client Handouts > Topic: Pet Behavior.

PSI's CPPS-Certified Professional Pet Sitter® Exam

If you are not already a CPPS-Certified Professional Pet Sitter^®, consider getting this important credential. PSI's CPPS-Certified Professional Pet Sitter® Exam provides candidates with the only knowledge-based assessment designed specifically for professional pet sitters. PSI’s exam requires that candidates demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed and prosper as professional pet sitters.

To learn more, visit www.petsit.com/certification.

Pet Sitter World

Would you like to learn more about the pet-sitting industry and pet care by listening to informative sessions and networking with fellow PSI members? If so, consider registering for one—or both—of PSI’s conferences.

PSI is celebrating 25 years in 2019 and will be offering two conference opportunities:

• PSI’s Pet Sitter World ONLINE Conference (March 7)
• PSI’s Pet Sitter World Educational Conference (November 2-4 in Winston-Salem, N.C.)

The conferences will feature informative seminars that will address a variety of business and pet-care topics, including dog-related topics such as “Dog-Walking Safety 101” (online conference), “Avoiding Dog Bites” (in-person conference) and “Fear Free Strategies for Pet Sitters” (online and in-person conferences).

To learn more about the conferences or to register, visit www.petsit.com/conference.

You’re not alone!

Just remember, when it comes to training dogs and dealing with behavioral issues, you’re not alone—and neither are your clients. The items listed above are just a few of the many resources available in the pet industry, not to mention the wonderful dog trainers, animal behaviorists and veterinarians in your communities. And don’t forget to read your bimonthly copy of Pet Sitter’s World, as PSI publishes articles on a variety of pet-care topics.