As much as we’d like to spend most of days at home with our pets, sometimes busy schedules, long work hours, and travel mean that our beloved pets are home alone for a majority of the day. Thank goodness for pet-sitters, who come to our homes to spend time with our pets, feed and walk them, and take care of house-sitting duties like taking out the trash, bringing in our mail and watering our plants. While there are many pet-sitting services available throughout the Metroplex, the Mid-Cities is lucky enough to have a company who is not only dedicated to providing you with quality pet care, but also helps other pet-sitting businesses to become better and more successful.

Protecting MaxTM is operated by Danielle Chonody and her husband Todd. Originally “Claws, Paws, and Jaws Professional Pet Sitters,” Protecting Max has been in business since 2003, when Danielle and Todd were first introduced to pet sitting. They saw a need in their community for quality, in-home pet care and decided to turn their love of animals into a family business. Their background in engineering provides the Chonodys with a unique skill set (attention to detail, dedication to customer service, and organizational skills) which they apply to their business every day. Danielle is so committed to quality animal care that she also runs a Pet Sitting Business blog (http://workingwithpets.com) that provides other pet-sitters with information to improve and grow their business.

Protecting MaxTM will care for almost any type of pet, including dogs, cats, hamsters, reptiles and guinea pigs. They are members of Pet Sitters International and National Association of Professional Pet Sitters, and have completed the PSI Pet Sitting Accreditation program and adhere to PSI’s Quality Standards for Excellence in Pet Sitting. (Click here for a PDF file of PSI’s Recommended Quality Standards. It is a great tool to help you evaluate any pet-sitting service.)

Clients of Protecting MaxTM have many service options to choose from. In-home pet sitting is available at two levels. The Standard Visit ($18 for 30 minutes) includes feeding and watering of pets, litter box cleaning, dog walking or playing in the yard, personal attention, and administering medicine. They will also water a limited number of household and outdoor plants and put out trash or collection bins as time allows. (Additional fees may apply for watering a large number of plants, extensive grooming requirements, and administration of certain medicines.) The Platinum Visit ($30 for 1 hour) includes everything in the Basic Visit but extends the personal attention and dog-walking time and includes daily updates via email or phone. Another great perk of this flat rate is that these prices apply to 1-3 pets and the cost for additional pets is only $2 per visit. Usually, pet-sitting prices apply for up to two pets and then extra fees apply. If you don’t need any house-sitting services and only want your dogs walked, you should choose the 30 Minute Dog Walking Visit ($18). This service includes a 30 minute walk for up to two dogs. Each additional dog is only $2 extra per visit. The best thing about this service is that training reinforcement is included. This means that if your dog is already being trained to walk at your side, the dog walker will continue with this training and not allow your dog to pull him or her wherever your dog wishes to go. Anyone who has spent a great deal of time training their dog will appreciate the consistency that this extra level of service provides.

In addition to pet-sitting, Protecting MaxTM provides their clients and potential clients with other resources via their website, ProtectingMax.com. Their blog offers informative articles for pet owners, such as caring for your senior pet, potty training tips, recipes, and more. You can also sign up for the bi-weekly newsletter and receive a Northeast Tarrant County Pet Services Guide and our Pre-Travel Checklist. Protecting Max is also offering a four-hour pet first aid class on Saturday, December 12 from 8am to 12pm at the Tarrant County Chamber of Commerce in Haltom City for the discounted cost of $50 per person for DallasDogLife readers. Please call or email Danielle ( cpjpets@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) to register and mention this article for the discount.

For more information about Protecting MaxTM or to schedule a free in-home interview, please visit the ProtectingMax website or call Danielle at (817) 692-4404. To learn more about the pet-sitting business, you’ll definitely want to subscribe to Danielle’s Working With Pets weekly newsletter, which is full of great information for pet-sitters or any other individual in the pet care industry. Whether you’re a pet owner or a pet industry professional, Danielle Chonody has compiled two informative websites that you’ll want to refer to again and again. Be sure to check them out!

· Poisonous plants – Believe it or not, there are a lot of plants that we keep in our home that can be toxic for our dogs. If you want to find out more on all the different types you can visit: http://www.cybercanine.com/toxicplants.htm

· Chewing – Puppies begin chewing at about four months of age, this means you need to make sure anything that can harm them, if chewed, is hidden or put away (electric wires, anything metal or plastic that will break or chip teeth). The same as baby proofing with a newborn, we must do this with a puppy, so chemicals or sprays need to be put up high. Puppies will chew on anything, including aerosol cans that can explode if punctured, and cause damage to the puppy’s eyes and face. Also put away anything you don’t want to be ruined, like your shoes or belts. Give them plenty of toys to chew on, so you will not have holes in the bottom of your furniture. There is also a great spray you can buy if the chewing becomes excessive called “Bitter Apple”. You can find it at your local super market or vet’s clinic. It’s a spray that tastes bitter, and makes the dog not want to eat or chew on anything that has the spray on it.

· Toilet – Always keep the toilet lid down. Puppies tend to play in the bowl, or drink the water. This can be very harmful if you use chemicals to clean the toilet, and may result in an emergency Vet visit.

· Crafts – If you have a craft room or are a person who likes to do crafts, make sure you do not have any needles, buttons, pins, or ribbons left on the floor or in reach of your puppy. Needles and pins can be swallowed, and cause internal damage. Ribbons, buttons or string can chock them, or also be eaten and be harmful. A good rule of thumb is if it’s harmful for a child, it’s harmful to a puppy as well.

· Pets – Small pets, such as hamsters, small birds, or just about any pet that a puppy could fit in its mouth, could be in danger. Be sure to keep all of your caged pets up high where the puppy cannot climb up to reach them. Not only are the small pets in danger of being eaten or killed, but your puppy can get injured as well. Breaking glass or the other pet fighting for its freedom can injure your puppy just as much. Never leave your puppy alone in a room with smaller animals!

· Children – Small children can be a danger to puppies as well as the puppy may be a danger to them. Children don’t know that squeezing the puppy can harm them. This goes especially for breeds with big eyes such as the Pug, French bulldog or Boston terrier. These particular breeds have pushed in faces causing their eyes to bulge. If squeezed to hard their eyes can actually pop right out of the socket, causing a lot of pain for the puppy, and a costly Vet visit for you. Puppies love to chew and what greater chew toy then a playful child who rolls around with them. The puppy is only playing, but this can hurt your child and may even cause them to not like the puppy or be afraid of it. Children also love to pull on puppy tails, and this is also a painful experience for the new puppy.

· Candy – Chocolate and raisons are toxic to dogs, so be sure to keep all sweets in an area where the puppy cannot get to it.

These are only a few things to watch out for when bringing a new puppy home. Only you know what hazards you have in your home, so get on your hands and knees and go through every room your puppy will be allowed in. Anything within eye’s view that can be chewed on, or harmful, needs to be put away or secured so the puppy cannot get to it. Your puppy is a baby, and much like a human baby, it needs guidance, training, and content supervision. Having a new puppy will keep you busy, but with the right environment and training, it can grow to be a loyal and loving companion for many years to come!

1.      Exercise – This is on the top of the list because a dog that gets good exercise is more likely to sleep most of the day.  They are more balanced and happy.  By exercising, that does not mean letting your dog out in the yard, it means taking them for a long tiring walk or run.

2.      Training – You can always hire a professional dog trainer, or you can buy a book and do it yourself.  Teaching your dog obedience is a great way to establish trust.  If you can get your dog to listen to you and want to learn, then you are becoming the boss, and in the canine world being the boss is the only way to get your dog to respect you.  If you need further guidance there are plenty of shows on TV you can watch.  A few of my favorites are Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisper) on National Geographic, and Victoria Stillwell (It’s me or the dog) on Animal Planet.

3.      Social exercise – A dog that is outside most of the day will need more social involvement from you.  Walks around the neighborhood, and dog parks are a good way to get them out and about. Bring them inside the house when you are home so they can feel a part of your life.  You can also come home and groom them for some one on one time.

4.      Attention – Your dog may be barking to get your attention.  If every time it barks you go over and give it affection, then you are training the dog that barking equals attention.  You can start by letting the dog bark once, and then let him go outside.  When it barks twice let him come back in.  Be consistent and only let the dog in and out when it barks the right amount of times.

5.      Quiet – You can begin to teach your dog a word to keep him quiet.  For instance you can use the word “Hush” or the sound “SHHH”.  When the dog stops barking for three seconds, give him a treat and lots of praise.  Each time that the dog begins to bark, repeat the training.  As you continue to use this exercise, increase the amount of time the dog stays quiet before giving the treat.  Before you know it you will see improvement.  You have to be patient and keep practicing. You may not see results over night, but if you stick with it you should see improvement with in a matter of weeks.

If your dog is left alone or confined for long periods of time without supervision, it’s more likely to bark. Dogs get anxious and sad when they are alone, much like a child does.  If you are gone during the day be sure to give the dog a lot of exercise before you leave for work that morning.  If you stay persistent, you are bound to see a difference.