Cool breezes, dewey mornings, red, orange & yellow leaves are everywhere… Fall has arrived! Ooh, that makes the am/pm pooch walks a little tougher. Be sure to bundle up! DDL now has a variety of plush wool sweaters & bomber jackets for you pooch to stay warm.

Come to DDL’s annual HOWL O WEEN Bash, Friday Oct 24 at our Cap Hill location! All well mannered pooches are welcome with their humans. No pressure to dress up, but there are prizes involved for both people & pups. Come thirsty.

DDL is open for BOARDING at all 3 locations (Belltown, Elliott & Capitol Hill). Please be sure to make your reservation early. We are booking up fast and can’t guarantee space at any particular location, so jump onto our site today and make a reservation.

Enjoy the beginning of the holiday season! Be sure to keep your pup safe, warm and away from the Hazards that he holidays can bring. (Chocolate, electric lights, confetti, cooked bones, poinsettias). Scroll down to read our article on pup safety.

For those of you that voted for DDL as Best Doggie Daycare of Western Washington, many licks & thank you's! We LOVE to win awards, but it’s you, the customer & pooch that mean the most to us. We are devoted to the socialization and well being of your pup and appreciate your continued support. Your loyalty keeps us strong!

ELECTION DAY is almost here… Bark the Vote! Put your paw down and exercise your right. If your dog could vote… would he/she vote the same as you? Get an ELECTION DAY WASHOUT BATH on election day afternoon, HALF PRICE for all dogs in by 10am. You pup will go home looking Presidentially ‘schnazzed out’… DDL style!



Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more information about our DDL WINTER SNOW SHOE & our next Adventure Hike!

Elise Vincentini
Owner

We are throwing another one of our famous Halloween Parties at our Captiol Hill location on October 24th at 7pm! Dress up yourself and your pooch and come join our costume contest. We will be awarding prizes for scariest, funniest, and most original dog costumes! Snacks and drinks (adult and kid versions) will be provided as a little "Thank You" for being part of our DDL family.

Dear Cora,
Our four year old pug, Hugo, has a wonderful personality, but has an annoying barking problem. When he wants a walk, food, water, play fetch, etc., he comes over and sits down and silently stares at us until we figure out what he wants. When he sees strangers through the window, we can usually get him to "whisper" instead of bark. However, when he sees skateboarders, or bicyclists out the window, he goes crazy. He barks, lunges, and charges at them through the window. He also will attack them on the TV screen whenever he sees them.
For our sanity, and the safety of the skateboarders and bicyclists, do you have any suggestions?
Janet

Dear Janet,
Thank you for contacting me, and you're right, Hugo is a great dog with a wonderful personality! I've met him multiple times at the Downtown Dog Lounge.

As far as his "barking problem" goes, I have a few suggestions. It sounds to me like he is reacting to the movement of the skateboards/bicycles and wants to chase them. Many dogs have the same issue (including my Rottweiler!). When this behavior first started it may have been that he was excited at the fast movement. Then, after reaching this excited state of mind he may have become frustrated when was restrained by a leash or blocked by a window/fence. After going through these emotions multiple times, he is going to see a skateboard and immediately go into a barking rage. The key is to correct the bad behavior then redirect his attention to a good behavior that you can praise. It's very important that you don't start shouting at him when he's barking. He will become confused and think that you are barking back at him (or at the skateboarder). You need to remain calm, but assertive. If possible, have him on leash. It would be best to catch him before he reacts to the skateboard and direct his attention to a command he knows well, such as "sit". Once he is sitting, praise him with his favorite treat or something that has high value to him. If he breaks his sit command to bark, correct him with a pop on the leash or a sharp "NO" (while clapping your hands) may be enough to correct him. Then redirect his attention back into the "sit". If he isn't able to focus on holding a "sit" you can teach him a "watch" command. This only requires him to look at you and he gets rewarded with a treat or toy. After practicing this over and over again, he will eventually react to your "No" command then be rewarded for the alternate behavior. Right now he is conditioned to bark and go crazy when seeing a bicyclist/skateboarder, but after teaching him to focus on you he will be conditioned to be calm and non-reactive. This will take some practice and time, but it will help make both of your lives stress free! If you have any more questions or need assistance with this problem, feel free to contact me any time and we can work on this together.

Thanks again!
Cora Wittekind

Puppy 101 - For puppies six months and under.
The class covers all of the basic commands, equipment, pooch problem solving, as well as supervised socialization time. We use positive training techniques that are fun for dog and human alike while building strong motivation and focus in your dog.

Basic Manners - For dogs six months and over.
The class covers all of the basic commands, equipment, and pooch problem solving. Builds a strong foundation for commands under the three Ds - distance, duration, and distraction. Small class can be tailored to your pooches specific needs and the fun training environment builds strong motivation and focus in your pooch.

The holiday season is rapidly approaching and we wanted to make sure your pets are safe. Below are a few reminders of common foods and items that may be dangerous for your pooch.

Halloween: Candy (especially chocolate!) can make your pets sick, so make sure you keep it out of their reach. If you usually have a lot of trick-or-treaters, it's best to keep your pets indoors in a quiet bedroom. This will keep them calm and prevent them from making an escape when the door is open.

Bones: Turkey, chicken & other small animals bones are very different from the large bones you find at pet stores. Cooked bones can splinter easily and can cause serious internal damage if swallowed, so NEVER give them to your pet.

Bloat: Dogs can experience what is called "Bloat". There are many causes of bloat, but gulping food and water too quickly due to excitement can cause this seroius condition. Try to feed your dogs during calm times, and allow them pleanty of time before and after eating to rest. If your dog starts to show symptoms of abdominal distention, salivating, retching, restlessness, depression, lethargy, anorexia, weakness, or a rapid heart rate please call your vet immediately.

On a "bloat" side-note, this is the same condition Elise's dog Lily came down with which inspired her to open DDL. Everything worked out ok for them, but we don't want to see this happen to any of our other DDL pooches!

Hot Containers: Your dog will most likely become curious when they smell something cooking. Keep an eye on hot containers so that your dog does not tip them over, causing severe burns.

Plants: Typically Pointsettia is a Christmas plant, but sometimes people get festive early. If you do, keep them out of reach of your pets. They are extremely toxic to dogs if swallowed.

We will have additional Holiday Hazards with decorations, holiday wreaths & trees in our next newsletter.

DDL has been operating for 5 years now and we have our clients to thank, along with our amazing staff. We’d like to take this opportunity to introduce the trainers, groomers, managers, and friends of your pooch. With 71 employees and growing, we are here for your pup and to answer any of your questions! Consider us your dogs best friend!

Check out Gunner G getting his teeth cleaned! This is a Non-Anesthetic Teeth cleaning that is very calming for dogs. See Urban Vet for details. It’s amazing, painless and easy on your pooch!