Trish Wamsat's AdobeDogs Puppy and Dog Training
Training for Today's Dogs
about The Farm
The Farm is Trish's home. It's a great little place on two and a half acres of former orchard. It's securely enclosed by six foot cyclone fencing and the house is perfectly designed to have dogs spend safe and fun time.
Watch closely for fun activities and "dog days" where you and your dog can come and play!
Boarding rates are $45.00 per day for any day your dog is here after 10am
Please make reservations early, especially for school holidays! Space is strictly limited in 2009.
Boarding Cheat Sheet
MEET AND GREET:
Is
required if I don't already know your dog. You just drive down to the
Farm and we take your dog for a walk with the current guests and the
resident dogs. We walk FAST, in the beginning in a specific direction,
as a matter of routine for all of the dogs. Each dog that comes in,
takes the walk with us. It forms a solidarity and is comforting.
While you're here, I'll be looking at your dog's social skills and willingness to be a part of the group as well as follow direction from me. Now, that probably sounds scary, but there is NO TRAINING required. Just a desire to be with us.
I'll also hand out treats to
the group as I do many times per day and I'm looking for a lack of aggression. I'll also be watching his/her reaction to the resident farm
animals.
Otherwise, it's a great time to come and walk with your dog offleash with a bunch of others. It can be pretty powerful for some people...
CRATES:
I occasionally run errands in town and they may be crated then (usually only if they're not trustworthy in the house without a person). I usually try to schedule my errands for lunchtime as that's when the dogs are most likely to just sleep. They are never in a crate for more than 3 hours during the day.
They are crated, or left loose in their room, when I go to Los Altos to teach classes. This is about 3 hours on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. Whether they are in a crate or loose in the room, depends on how they react with the rest of the guests.
Because this is so important, it's great if they are used to being crated at home, sometimes, especially for getting bones, treats and other good things!
SLEEPING ALONE:
BIG NEWS! I've moved my sleeping area upstairs so I can feel like a person, again!
Your dog will sleep in the "guest bedroom", upstairs, just down the hall from me. Some dogs prefer to sleep in the kitchen, and I'm set up for that, too. The guest bedroom has a futon, a couch and a couple of crates for those dogs that can't settle without one.
Obviously, anxiety from a new place and being around new friends and new routines is normal and expected!
BARKING:
Excessive, "bossy", or protest barking is a real problem because I live with these guys nearly 24/7 and I need what brain cells I have left, to remain intact. The barking I'm talking about is barking that is insistent and doesn't stop with words from a human, or worse yet, is at the human who is asking for quiet.
Again, normal, "HOLY COW, LOOK AT THAT!" barking is completely expected; after all, it's a weird place with weird sights and sounds and they're DOGS! They just need to be ok with turning it off.
PREDATION:
Dogs that want to eat any of my animals are not going to work out here.
My goats and horse are confined in an area fenced to keep them
in and dogs out. Some dogs become obsessed with them, though, and end
up not having any fun and making everyone else nervous and miserable.
MOST dogs are fascinated by what's on the other side of the wire and enjoy watching the animals and even bark and run around the pen a little and I'm fine with that ... and if the animals were free and ran away, almost any dog will chase and grab. The true, prey-driven obsession is very different and we'll know within a few minutes of our meet and greet if it's bad.....
HOUSETRAINING (HOUSE BREAKING):
Dogs should be capable of not pottying in the house, except in case of emergency. Non-housetrained dogs will be accepted with an additional fee for training and extra cleaning.
COMPATABILITY:
Dogs should be social and like people and playing with other dogs. They should be able to take treats while in a group and not be growly or aggressive.
I know... sounds
impossible, but it's not and those dogs capable of it are VERY welcome,
here!
Arguments are normal and an important part of communication. I never worry about dogs telling other dogs off as long as there are no injuries and no bullying, so if your dog has had a couple of onleash scuffles or arguments at the dog park, it doesn't automatically mean he won't fit in, here.
EXERCISE:
All day, every day, rain or shine.... No one is forced to exercise, but they often push themselves to keep up with the others. It's a lot of fun and more exercise than most of them are used to, so I'm careful to make sure they get lots of rest, too.
FOOD, MEALS:
The dogs are fed twice a day; morning and evening. I usually discourage play for half an hour or more after eating, by encouraging a nap. We also have snacks mid-day to prevent hunger from causing grouchiness. I'm sorry, but, at this time, I'm unable to accommodate special diets.
I feed a mixture of high quality, easy to digest, and bland food to prevent stomach upset. In addition to what I feed them, they eat grass, horse poo, and other things they find in the pasture (ick... sorry...). I also offer raw beef bones a couple of times a week and most dogs love them!
Is
required if I don't already know your dog. You just drive down to the
Farm and we take your dog for a walk with the current guests and the
resident dogs. We walk FAST, in the beginning in a specific direction,
as a matter of routine for all of the dogs. Each dog that comes in,
takes the walk with us. It forms a solidarity and is comforting.While you're here, I'll be looking at your dog's social skills and willingness to be a part of the group as well as follow direction from me. Now, that probably sounds scary, but there is NO TRAINING required. Just a desire to be with us.
I'll also hand out treats to
the group as I do many times per day and I'm looking for a lack of aggression. I'll also be watching his/her reaction to the resident farm
animals. Otherwise, it's a great time to come and walk with your dog offleash with a bunch of others. It can be pretty powerful for some people...
CRATES:
I occasionally run errands in town and they may be crated then (usually only if they're not trustworthy in the house without a person). I usually try to schedule my errands for lunchtime as that's when the dogs are most likely to just sleep. They are never in a crate for more than 3 hours during the day.
They are crated, or left loose in their room, when I go to Los Altos to teach classes. This is about 3 hours on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. Whether they are in a crate or loose in the room, depends on how they react with the rest of the guests.
Because this is so important, it's great if they are used to being crated at home, sometimes, especially for getting bones, treats and other good things!
SLEEPING ALONE:
BIG NEWS! I've moved my sleeping area upstairs so I can feel like a person, again!
Your dog will sleep in the "guest bedroom", upstairs, just down the hall from me. Some dogs prefer to sleep in the kitchen, and I'm set up for that, too. The guest bedroom has a futon, a couch and a couple of crates for those dogs that can't settle without one.Obviously, anxiety from a new place and being around new friends and new routines is normal and expected!
BARKING:
Excessive, "bossy", or protest barking is a real problem because I live with these guys nearly 24/7 and I need what brain cells I have left, to remain intact. The barking I'm talking about is barking that is insistent and doesn't stop with words from a human, or worse yet, is at the human who is asking for quiet.
Again, normal, "HOLY COW, LOOK AT THAT!" barking is completely expected; after all, it's a weird place with weird sights and sounds and they're DOGS! They just need to be ok with turning it off.
PREDATION:
Dogs that want to eat any of my animals are not going to work out here.
My goats and horse are confined in an area fenced to keep them
in and dogs out. Some dogs become obsessed with them, though, and end
up not having any fun and making everyone else nervous and miserable. MOST dogs are fascinated by what's on the other side of the wire and enjoy watching the animals and even bark and run around the pen a little and I'm fine with that ... and if the animals were free and ran away, almost any dog will chase and grab. The true, prey-driven obsession is very different and we'll know within a few minutes of our meet and greet if it's bad.....
HOUSETRAINING (HOUSE BREAKING):
Dogs should be capable of not pottying in the house, except in case of emergency. Non-housetrained dogs will be accepted with an additional fee for training and extra cleaning.
COMPATABILITY:
Dogs should be social and like people and playing with other dogs. They should be able to take treats while in a group and not be growly or aggressive.
I know... sounds
impossible, but it's not and those dogs capable of it are VERY welcome,
here!Arguments are normal and an important part of communication. I never worry about dogs telling other dogs off as long as there are no injuries and no bullying, so if your dog has had a couple of onleash scuffles or arguments at the dog park, it doesn't automatically mean he won't fit in, here.
EXERCISE:
All day, every day, rain or shine.... No one is forced to exercise, but they often push themselves to keep up with the others. It's a lot of fun and more exercise than most of them are used to, so I'm careful to make sure they get lots of rest, too.
FOOD, MEALS:
The dogs are fed twice a day; morning and evening. I usually discourage play for half an hour or more after eating, by encouraging a nap. We also have snacks mid-day to prevent hunger from causing grouchiness. I'm sorry, but, at this time, I'm unable to accommodate special diets.
I feed a mixture of high quality, easy to digest, and bland food to prevent stomach upset. In addition to what I feed them, they eat grass, horse poo, and other things they find in the pasture (ick... sorry...). I also offer raw beef bones a couple of times a week and most dogs love them!
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