I’m part of a business school team that has been tasked with creating a service to improve the lives of dog-owners. I wanted to try and gather a bit of input from you all about your dog experiences. If you have a moment to spare, please share your thoughts on problems you encounter with doggie ownership. Here are some ideas of problems we think may exist, feel free to talk about these problems or any other issues you find yourself experiencing.
Did you have trouble finding a dog in the first place? Was the experiencing of obtaining your pet easy?
Do you have issues relating to dog walking? Do you use a professional service? Are you happy with it?
Do you have any grooming-related problems?
What do you do with your pooch when you go on vacation?
Aside form the above, do you have any dog problems that you would consider paying for tomorrow if they could be fixed?
For anyone curious: we really plan to build a service based on your feedback so if you can help us identify a doggy service you need, We Will Build It!
Did you have trouble finding a dog in the first place? Was the experiencing of obtaining your pet easy? No. My mother runs a rescue shelter.
Do you have issues relating to dog walking? Do you use a professional service? Are you happy with it? Between me and the kids dogs get plenty of walks and exercise.
Do you have any grooming-related problems? No.
What do you do with your pooch when you go on vacation? Neighbors take care of them. I do the same for my neighbors.
Aside form the above, do you have any dog problems that you would consider paying for tomorrow if they could be fixed?
Ha! If you could tell Cujo to quit dragging his dead critters into the house that would be great. A dead bird I could handle but he’s bringing in shit like rabbits and possums. Sometimes I come home from work I feel like I’m in the middle of some horror flick. Gross!
Shakes, your dog’s name is Cujo - you are in the middle of some horror flick…
andrea_green I’m not sure I can help much; I have a 16-year-old Dalmatian. If you could take ten years off her, and vacuum every surface known to man, (and my car) daily, then you just name your price.
Did you have trouble finding a dog in the first place? Was the experiencing of obtaining your pet easy? Yes.
Do you have issues relating to dog walking? Do you use a professional service? Are you happy with it? I have time to do it myself. When I’m out my flatmates take him out
Do you have any grooming-related problems? Nope.
What do you do with your pooch when you go on vacation? I have the card of a local dogwalker - I might board him with her if I can’t get a friend or flatmate to look after him.
Aside form the above, do you have any dog problems that you would consider paying for tomorrow if they could be fixed? He’s a small dog, and he’s been playing with bigger ones, where he has to stand his ground or get bowled over. He’s started barking and growling a lot while he’s playing as a result. Other dogs generally know he’s playing and are fine with it, but it freaks the owners out. Is there any way to calm him down a bit without turning him off playing with other dogs?
- Did you have trouble finding a dog in the first place? Was the experiencing of obtaining your pet easy?
We were never “looking” for a dog. When we have had room and a situation arose, we have taken advantage of the situation.
- Do you have issues relating to dog walking? Do you use a professional service? Are you happy with it?
We live in a very rural setting. Walking with the dogs is my primary exercise.
*- Do you have any grooming-related problems?
*
We have a portatub thing that hooks up to our water supply and drains into the floor drain in the basement. Bathing and nail trimming as needed is all the grooming we do.
- What do you do with your pooch when you go on vacation?
In home pet sitter who also cares for the horses. - Aside form the above, do you have any dog problems that you would consider paying for tomorrow if they could be fixed?
Our dogs have each been through basic group obedience training. If more advanced one-on-one sessions were available locally, it might be fun. The gang. (crappy pic, but taken from horseback;))
Did you have trouble finding a dog in the first place? Was the experiencing of obtaining your pet easy?
We got our dog from the shelter and it was very easy.
Do you have issues relating to dog walking? Do you use a professional service? Are you happy with it?
We use a walker twice a week in the evenings so that we can come home later on those days. We use those days for grocer shopping, or going out to dinner, etc. We’re pretty happy with it
Do you have any grooming-related problems?
Our dog has a very thick coat, we shave her twice a summer or she is miserable. Our walker does it for us for a fee.
What do you do with your pooch when you go on vacation?
We have a pet swap arrangement with our neighbors, we look after each others pets when the other family is out.
Aside form the above, do you have any dog problems that you would consider paying for tomorrow if they could be fixed?
Not really, we have a very well trained mutt, the biggest problem we have is that she’s getting old and can’t really be as active as she used to be, but that’s life.
We had a “dead” possum dragged in won night . Gross. Then, it turns out it wasn’t dead. Hilarity ensued
To the OP, our only issues are hair and barking. Both kind of come with being a dog, and I doubt you could help. Dog sitting is a good idea, that’s sometimes a problem for us.
My dog was ‘free’, the breeder gave him to me.
Free is kind of a joke, because of his breed I’ve had to deal with eye problems, ear problems, skin problems, allergies and shar pei fever.
I don’t walk my dog, we have a big enough yard.
I took him everywhere when he was a puppy to socialize him. It didn’t work. Going for a walk stresses him out, he likes his house, he likes his yard, he likes his people.
It takes a minimum of 2 people to trim his nails. I can do it with one of my friends who breeds dogs and has the right attitude, otherwise it takes at least 3 people. Even when he gets them trimmed at the vets it takes 3 people and I have to leave the room so he is better behaved.
If I go away he stays with my mother and/or son.
I doubt I could leave him with anyone else. He won’t accept food, go outside or come back in for anybody else.
If you could figure out a way to clear up his chronic ear infection I would pay a bundle.
**- Did you have trouble finding a dog in the first place? Was the experiencing of obtaining your pet easy?
** Too easy. That’s why I have 6.
**- Do you have issues relating to dog walking? Do you use a professional service? Are you happy with it?
** Rural home, fenced-in yard and dog door - I’m covered.
- Do you have any grooming-related problems?
Actually, yes. My giant schnauzer mix hates grooming of any sort. I clip her down a couple times a year.
- What do you do with your pooch when you go on vacation?
6 dogs, 5 cats (including barn cats) and 3 horses. I don’t vacation. My stepfather will come out and look after them in the rare event that I do go away.
**
Aside form the above, do you have any dog problems that you would consider paying for tomorrow if they could be fixed?**
Pat is old and grouchy. Really, no pet is perfect, but neither am I. Mostly I’ll live with the flaws they have.
This is what’s needed, and what you should (if this wasn’t just homework). Any sub-specialty will be a much smaller market, and your customers will be asking you to do those things anyway.
I wrote recently about my Jack Russell mutt’s TERRIBLE latter day separation anxiety problems. I paid a lot of money to fix those, some effectively (a baby gate, a citronella bark collar, and Prozac) and some ineffectively (several devices and crates that were a disaster [did you know that a Jack Russell mut can chew his way out of metal bars? Or ever seen what happens to a crate when the dog has a full on panic attack?).
For a while I’d have gladly paid hundreds of dollars for these problems to go away. I had no idea moving was going to be as traumatic on him as it was.
And I would totally pay a professional walker for a few walks per week, but alas there are none near me.
Sorry, but I hate this attitude. Regardless of your yard size, or the dog’s breed, size or fitness level, all dogs need exercise, and are usually just not motivated to run laps of your yard on their own. And if your excuse for not walking your dog is that he’s “stressed” by walking, you really should consult with a behaviorist/trainer to work on those issues.
I would probably pay for someone to come around on a schedule and do her nails. At that time they can brush her backside, or at least hold her so I can do it. And help hold her so I can cut out any mats she has in her fur.
Those are about the only things I have trouble with being on my own.
Oh also I would have paid $1000 for someone to come help me when my dog got skunked a few weeks ago at 2 AM on a Monday morning. That was torturous! I’ve washed her 6 times since then in peroxide & baking soda, and she still smells.
Did you have trouble finding a dog in the first place? Was the experiencing of obtaining your pet easy?
It’s very easy to get a dog. Mutt #1 came from the pound. Mutt #2 was a stray off the street that discovered we were suckers enough to keep her.
Do you have issues relating to dog walking? Do you use a professional service? Are you happy with it?
Mutt #1 is a perfect walker, but Mutt #2 pulls and freaks out when other dogs walk by. We’re working on it, but don’t have any professional service (that’s what the kids are for)
Do you have any grooming-related problems?
Nah.
What do you do with your pooch when you go on vacation?
We have an exchange with a friend. We keep her dogs when they are out of town, and they do the same for us.
Aside form the above, do you have any dog problems that you would consider paying for tomorrow if they could be fixed?
Stupid Mutt #2 is house trained, but doesn’t know how to let us know when she needs to go out. So if you are in the other room and don’t notice her softly whining and standing by the back door, she’ll just pee on the floor. I’m trying to get her to scratch at the back door like Mutt #1, but she’s none too bright and hasn’t caught on, even though we’ve demonstrated every day for a loooong time.
- Did you have trouble finding a dog in the first place? Was the experiencing of obtaining your pet easy? No problems, mine have all been from local shelters or rescues, I work in pit bull rescue and volunteer at my local shelter, find a pet is easy, not taking them all home is the hard part
- Do you have issues relating to dog walking? Do you use a professional service? Are you happy with it? We exercise/walk our dogs ourselves, no issues with time or who walks them. We do have one dog who has become leash reactive. That’s frustrating. Not sure if that’s what you mean.
*- Do you have any grooming-related problems? * Not at the moment, two pit bulls require very little grooming. When we had a cocker spaniel mix we used to take it once in a while to PetSmart for grooming/clipping, it seemed fine
- What do you do with your pooch when you go on vacation? If we’re gong for more than one or two nights, we kennel our dogs. We’ve been going to the same kennels with our various dogs for the last 20 years. If it’s just a night or two, sometimes the neighbor girl stays at the house with them.
- Aside form the above, do you have any dog problems that you would consider paying for tomorrow if they could be fixed? Well, there’s the leash reactivity of the one dog, if we don’t fix it soon, I may have to call in a professional.
