Here at our kennel free boarding facility at Doggie Care Resort, there is superb & professional supervision of the dogs. The dogs happily enjoy lots of exercise, adventure and socializing. However, with our experience of handling the dogs seven days a week & 24 hours a day, we can tell you that there are basically three things that can cause disagreements among dogs when being picked up:
> Food can cause problems when one dog receives a treat and another hungry dog is ignored. We are very careful to divide the dogs when we feed them; however, an owner sometimes will slip their beloved dog a treat forgetting the others and it can set off great jealousy among those deprived.
> Even though we seldom experience problems, there have been times when a toy can set off a disagreement. We know the personalities of our dogs and we take care not to toss toys when there are several high alpha leaders in the area. We are the human alphas but sometimes there are canine “wannabe” alphas as well.
> But perhaps the biggest thing that sets off disagreement among dogs is when an owner returns to pick up their dog and with high enthusiasm greets and hugs their dog while ignoring all the others. This can set off jealousy. We are extremely careful to give all our little dogs praise, love and lots of attention equally. However, an owner who hasn’t seen his dog for awhile naturally wants to hug their own dog and it can set off a lot of competition among the others.
Here is what we recommend when picking up your dog. Remain calm and assertive while quietly greeting your dog. Try not to incite your dog since that will incite others. Although we try to keep most of the dogs not being picked up in another yard, the ones being picked up that day will be with your dog. When you get to your car….Have a Huge Smooching Party with Your Wonderful Doggie. We encourage and welcome your comments and questions.