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Howdy, Dog Lover!

Noodle Doodle can be a Little Napoleon.

Most of our dogs are perfect angels, right?  I know Noodle is!  Well, the truth is, Noodle can sometimes be a pill around strangers who come in the house.

Occasionally, dogs who are great with their owners can be less angelic in public, and can sometimes even snap or bite.  Of course, we can help if you are experiencing this behavior.

But in honor of National Dog Bite Prevention week, I thought it might also be helpful to hear some tips from world-famous trainer, Victoria Stilwell.

Take a listen to this AVMA Animal Tracks podcast, and get tips on preventing dog bites.  Victoria gives advice about teaching your dog WHAT to do, when you encounter a situation that makes your dog uncomfortable, and a few things you can do to prevent your dog from biting at home and in public.

For more information about National Dog Bite Prevention Week, visit the AVMA website.  Until then, socialize your dog as much as you can – we can help with that too!

Take it easy,

DogGirl

photo by Nicole Mlakar Photography

It’s been a week and I’m just catching my breath to tell you all about our big Open House weekend.  What a wonderful time it was – celebrating with family, friends and staff.  We’re still smiling about it!

We kicked off the weekend with a pre-party, taking time to thank our builder, our bankers, our local vets, and many of the others who made this project possible.  We decided to give the Training & Wellness Center an informal nickname, Chelsea’s Place after our first dog, Chelsea Garbo.  She’s the reason we got into this business, after all!

We also announced some BIG news.  We have made a committment to a formal partnership with the Austin Humane Society!  We are SO excited about giving back to the Austin pet community, and can’t wait to get started.  DogBoy’s will be helping out some of their more active dogs – who really need to get out and run!  We’re giving a free evaluation and day of day care for up to three shelter dogs per week.  In exchange, DogBoy’s will have the honor of a dedicated run at the AHS, and will get to be a big part of their annual Rags to Wags gala.  We just love the work that the AHS does, and we’re so proud to be a partner with them.

I’d like to say a big THANK YOU to Nicole Mlakar-Livingston of Nicole Mlakar Photography for shooting the pre-party and Saturday’s Open House.  For even more of her great pics, you can read her blog.  We’re really looking forward to working with Nicole more in 2010!

I’d also like to send big hugs and thank you’s to my mom, dad & sister for all their help with Friday’s event.  We couldn’t have pulled off such a wonderful evening without their help! 

The Open House on Saturday was loads of fun too.  We had our wonderful trainers doing demos on Agility and Rally Obedience.  So impressive!  Lisa Knaggs, Owner of Bark for Peace gave some great mini-classes on canine massage.  She’s teaching her second class out at the ranch on Friday, 2/12 if you’d like to join us!

Marcella and I did three FULL tours and really enjoyed showing everyone around.  Thanks to everyone who helped out and please come join us at Chelsea’s Place soon!