I said SIT…oh, excuse me. I thought you were a dog.

I had an interesting conversation the other day. We were talking about the dogs and what commands we use and how they transcend into other aspects of our lives. It made me laugh because I immediately thought about telling my nephew to “leave it” when he picked up something off the floor. It kind of started a thread of conversations with the staff, friends, family and colleagues so I thought I would share some of the stories that I found amusing:

There was a child misbehaving in public and a colleague couldn’t believe her owners allowed her to act that way.

I recently asked a customer to wipe her paws when she entered the lobby and we both paused, looked at each other and then busted out laughing. Thankfully, she had a sense of humor.

A friend told me she cannot go through a door without turning around and saying, “wait” to make sure no one rushes the door. I’m pretty sure that will become part of my repertoire.

You coming in?

I have turned into my mother with the “aat” correction that just seems to flow from my mouth. Not to mention, the “hairy eyeball” that can stop a dog in its tracks from across the room – now I know how my mom kept 4 kids in order all those years.

I use the “come” and the “sit” hand signal unknowingly in various situations: around my nieces and nephews, at dinner with my friends, at the park, out running errands…mind you, this is when I don’t have a dog with me. Hmmm…

Another colleague’s daughter was yelling the German word for “out” to the cat (who had brought her a mouse) when only her dogs are bilingual. Can you imagine, this cat is all proud of the wonderful gift she is bringing in and she’s getting yelled at in another language – oh, if only animals could tell us what they are thinking, those thoughts would have been priceless.

There are a lot of other examples of these types of faux pas; in the end, we work with dogs and while it is not intentional, the commands work with all types. We like and need to be in control of a room and it really doesn’t matter if it’s a room full of dogs or people. Sit, stay & come in with your dogs to Canine Crews – we’ll make sure they are loved and talked to just like they are human!

I see dog people.

Talk to the dogs? Oh yeah, that would be a monumental understatement! I can have full blown conversations with some of the dogs and I catch myself doing it while I’m on the phone at times. I’m sure I sound a bit crazy but I know the dogs get it. I was on the phone with a customer (who happens to be a friend’s fiancée ) talking about an upcoming training class when I watched a 14 year old Springer Spaniel stumble while next to me in the lobby. I immediately said, “oh, be careful sweetie” and Bill immediately responded, “I am”.
Katie thought she had hung up the phone after talking to a customer and started polling the playgroup as to whether they wanted to listen to music or Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me on NPR. It was just one of the many conversations we have about music choices and we like to go with a consensus – they decided on NPR that morning.
As a group, we discuss the dogs as if they are our children and how we are pretty sure they gave us a dirty look when we corrected their behavior or tried to sneak away to mark when they weren’t happy with a correction. Gizmo is notorious for waiting until you are changing a mop or in the closet disinfecting a water bowl so he can sneak off to the corner and do his business. You can literally watch him through the crack of the door looking over his shoulder to see if you’re still occupied. The other day, I waited behind the door watching him and then right as was about start, I ran out the door to correct him. I think I heard “foiled again” come out of his mouth – or maybe it was a telepathic communication, but it was what he was thinking. I’m sure of it.
TJ has much quieter conversations with the dogs. He can get them to wait and not crowd the doors, they sit quietly and wait for him and it’s just wonderful to watch. I sometimes think he’s bribing them but whatever he’s doing, we are scheduling some shadowing so we can watch his body language and other communication so that we can all consistently garnish that behavior from the playgroups.
We communicate in a lot of ways with the dogs and it is a two-way street. We know their personalities and pride ourselves on learning about the new dogs, as quickly as possible. We work to correct negative behaviors through positive reinforcement of the desired actions and while it can be a bit tedious for the newcomers; it’s a beautiful thing to watch a dog blossom into an integral part of a playgroup. We are like bragging parents when we tell each other about so-and-so not jumping or what’s-her-name not barking! I’ve left names out so the doggy parents don’t get a complex!

One of our better improvements - who still has some improving to do!

A Day in the Life of a Boarding Dog at Canine Crews.

Ding! Ding! Ding!  It’s breakfast time here at Canine Crews.  I just came in from my potty break in the yard but I haven’t met any of the other dogs because I came in late last night and they were all too tired for introductions.  I did sniff a few of their cages, though.

Chomp…chomp…mmmm….chomp…gulp…(burp).  Excuse me.  I just inhaled my food because I am ready to go PLAY!  The tall woman leashed me to go upstairs – I don’t know why because it’s just a huge dog play area we’re going to.  I already know my way because I got to see it last night when I came to stay.  They even let me play in there for a bit while they cleaned, up until they mopped.  So we are upstairs and I hear the pitter patter of little claws on the floor.  They let this cute dog into the holding area so I could get my sniff on.  She smells nice but she keeps barking in my ear so I am getting really excited to run after her.  Do a little tail-chasing, so to speak.

So in come Zella (she’s my new favorite).  She comes charging at me at full speed but I can tell she’s just telling me how to respect her.  I think she thinks she owns the place, whatever, as long as she lets me get a ball every once in a while then I’m happy.  She likes to run and run and we are already best friends.  I have a feeling I’m going to be worn out from Zella.  She’s a little bossy but so cute that I let her get away with it.  Women…they make me howl at the moon.

Next they bring in two more dogs and we get our sniffs on and they just go right into playing with me.    I’m playing in a small group, but I bet I graduate into the big pack soon.  They all seem to like me and I know they’ll love me once we chase a couple of balls together.  I think a couple of them don’t like it when I put my feet on their back or heads – they turn around and growl at me to back-off.  Don’t have to tell me twice!  Okay, maybe you have to tell me a few times but it’s hard to remember who likes what when you just want to PLAY!

I just finished my first potty break outside.  We played in the yard and ran around like crazy dogs!  I was SO relieved to go outside.  They have potty spots upstairs but my Dad taught me NEVER to go inside so I just can’t bring myself to use the spots.  Maybe I’ll get used to it but I heard we get to go outside a couple times during the day, so I’m not going to worry about it.  They seem to have a routine here so I hope to figure it out soon!  Did I mention the toys?  Boy, oh boy, they have lots of big rubber balls to chase as well as some other things for tug-o-war.  They also bring out this light that I never seem to catch no matter how long I chase it.  One lady even hid a couple of toys and we had to go find them (I found one under the cot).  Zella’s really good at that game – I like my girls smart!

I think it must be my naptime…they turned down the lights and put on some soft music.  It smells nice in here but I’m not that sleepy yet.  Okay, maybe I’ll just lie down for a bit and see what the other dogs are doing.  Hey, the lady even comes and sits down by us so we can get some special loving.  They took a few of the dogs downstairs – they must be eating or napping in the kennels.  Not me!  I’m a big boy and I don’t need a nap, maybe just chill out..phrump….(snore)….

…(stretch)…Wow, what a great nap!  We went outside for another potty break and some playtime and I’m ready to go for round two!  There are some new dogs in my group that just showed up.  They must not get the whole day to play like me, but they sure are nice.  I am chasing more balls with my girl, Zella, and my new girl, Bailey, and I can roughhouse with a few of the other dogs.  We also do a bit of school by sitting and staying while people come in and out of the doors.  We have to wait until everyone sits before we can go downstairs for a potty break.  Sometimes that takes a while because I think there are some ADD dogs in here, but eventually they get it and then we can go.  Every once & a while, I go take a look out a window to see what’s happening outside but I have too many friends to play with inside to really care.

Sorry, I didn’t write much for the last couple of hours.  I’ve been busy playing but now I’m getting a bit tired.  I can tell my friends are tired, too.  We take breaks and hang out on the cool beds they have here or I just sprawl out on the floor to take a breather.   Now they are taking me downstairs to eat and, boy, am I ever hungry!  I did my business outside like a good boy and now I’m back in my own kennel for the evening.

Whoa…the tall lady just came and let us all out for another potty break before bedtime.  She played with us and made sure our beds are all snuggly and refreshed my water.  She also gave me a treat and scratched right behind my ears.  You know, that perfect spot that humans can reach that us dogs can’t?  It felt so good.  She talked to me like I’m a baby, but I don’t mind, she must not know I’m over a year old.  I’m a big boy…okay, I did roll over on my back for some more loving but you would too!  Now, off to bed because I am just pooped!

What a great day!  I cannot wait to do it all over again tomorrow!!  Canine Crews ROCKS!

February Start

February is under way and love is in the air at Canine Crews!  Our doggie daycare kids are bonding with one another and get SO excited if their good buddy comes to play.  Lucy is our group leader and has been teaching those little whipper-snappers how to play her way.  She has great patience with the younger dogs and really loves it when some of the bigger kids come to play!  We have new fencing installed in our Bark Park room so we can better separate size and play style so those who like to play chase can be on their side with the bigger dogs do their rough-and-tumble play.  Chicago Off-Leash meetup group is coming for a private event on February 13^th and we hope to see a love match made with this event.  Saturdays are great days to arrange play dates during our Bark Park hours from 4-6pm or if you have at least 10 dogs, we can arrange a private time for your group.

Hi! Bailey here…I’ve taken over the computer at Canine Crews.  It’s not that easy to type when you have paws but my Dad will tell you that I must have opposable thumbs when he’s not looking!  Hmmm…one may never know.   Let me tell you about coming to play at Canine Crews – I come for daycare and Bark Park a couple times a week and I practically drag my Dad down the block!  If I ever sneak out, I’m heading here so I can play!  Okay…no reason to sneak out EVER but if I did, I would end up here.  I have some of the best buddies a girl could ever hope for and they have taught me how to get them to play.  I get SO excited that some barks might sneak out – I don’t even notice I’m doing it, but my friends let me know when I’m taking it too far.  We play and play and play and then I go home for some dinner and sleep the night away!  It’s exhausting having so many friends!  My life was crazy until my Dad rescued me, I wasn’t sure how to relax and have fun because my home was always changing.  Let me tell ya, being on the streets is not what you want in Chicago – it’s tough out there!  Now I have a Dad who takes me to training class, lets me come to Canine Crews for fun and takes me for walks every day!  It’s a dog’s life!  Come and play – we have a great group for doggie daycare.

I know I’m cute – come play & I promise I will never tire of chasing down a ball!

The purple ball is the only one I want now!

Rocky loves playing with the big kids!

January Round-up

What a fun month with the doggies!  We had our first private play-date and the dogs had a lot of fun playing with each other.  We also have some regulars with Tuesday & Friday being our busiest days – tuckers those pups out for a couple of days so you can have a social life and your doggie won’t even miss you!  We are excited to announce that we have partnered up with A Treat to Train to offer group training classes starting February 6^th.  We are starting with Smart Puppy and Family Dog but hope to extend our classes to offer advanced training with unique elements to challenge you & your dog.  Check out the website www.treattotrain.com – we love working with Elizabeth Foubert and her positive approach to training your dog.  She also trains our staff so you can know that what you teach your dog is practiced here at Canine Crews during doggie daycare and when you board your fur kid.

Sometimes you just have to take a break – even if it is in the middle of the doggie daycare floor