Blog

Category: Customer Stories

December 10, 2017

DogWatch Dog Story: Nala

DogWatch customer Robin in Chanhassen, Minnesota has had her hidden fence for years. She has always had labs, and currently has two adorable, chunky yellow labs named Louie and Sidney. Recently, her daughter and husband convinced her to add a husky puppy to the family. She was a little hesitant knowing that huskies’ personalities are so different from labs.

Robin gave in and the family got Nala, the beautiful husky puppy with one brown eye and one blue eye. And she’s definitely not a lab! Nala is sassy, dramatic, independent and loves the winter. She always wants to be outside, and even takes naps in the snowy yard.

Robin and the three pups live on a busy corner, so they really need the dog fence to work. The labs are old pros and know exactly where to go and where not to go. But Nala had to learn the ropes, too. She got her own collar and set off on the training adventure this December. She quickly learned to watch out for the flags, but really looked forward to break times in the snow that accumulated during her training period.

After a week or so, Nala knew her boundaries and stayed in the yard, even when the neighbor dogs were outside and people strolled by on warm morning walks. We love our newest DogWatch dog!

October 23, 2017

DogWatch Dog Story: Blue

Blue is a Husky from Eden Prairie who became a DogWatch dog in 2015. Her DogWatch hidden fence has been around for 19 years, though, because that’s when Blue’s brother Louie came along. Louie is a Miniature Poodle, and he’s still around today!
Blue and Louie aren’t alone though.

There are two other dogs sharing their DogWatch fence, for a total of four. Blue’s sisters are a Chocolate Lab and a Pomeranian. It’s a busy house, so it’s so convenient to just let some or all the dogs outside and let them play without worrying about them. A school bus or a car full of squirrels could go by, and the four dogs will just watch from the driveway.

It wasn’t always this way. When Blue was a puppy, before she got her own DogWatch collar, she would run around the neighborhood so fast it was impossible to catch her. The only way to lure her back home was to shake a box of Corn Flakes, her favorite treat. The sound got her every time. While learning the boundaries of her yard, she required a little extra training and a high correction level because of her strong will and two layers of thick fur. But with some help from the DogWatch team, Blue is now staying at home with her canine siblings.

Blue the Husky running in the grass

September 27, 2017

Dog People

At DogWatch we meet lots of people, and the thing they all have in common is they are dog people. And so are we. If you have a dog in your life, you might have some different qualities than your cat-loving friends, or (heaven forbid) people who just aren’t animal people.

ADAPTABLE
Dog people tend to be adaptable. Getting a pooch means you have to make changes to your lifestyle and roll with some punches along the way. You can’t be too set in your ways. There aren’t many dog owners with immaculate white carpet or without a lint roller handy. With your pooch along for the ride of your life, you make adjustments. Maybe you wake up a little earlier than you’d like to, or you bought the Suburu instead of the Porsche. That’s what we do for our furry friends.

STABLE
If you have a dog in your life, you’re likely stable and responsible. You can’t hop on a plane and leave town any time you want or even stay out too late at night. You probably don’t move very frequently, and you’ve definitely had to pick up dog poo when you really didn’t want to. You have to be prepared for crises ranging from an unexpected jump in the puddle to an emergency trip to the vet. And if you’re like us, you’ve learned a lot from caring for a canine.

SOCIAL
Studies show that dog people are more outgoing and social than cat people. It makes sense – if you’re attracted to the in-your-face friendliness of a Labrador or the speed-of-light tail wagging of a Dachshund, you probably enjoy being social and interacting with people. Cat people generally are more introverted and enjoy their time at home, much like their feline companions.

SELFLESS
You know how to make sacrifices if you have a dog. If you’ve had a puppy, you’ve sacrificed sleep, shoes, and sanity. If you have adopted a dog, you may have sacrificed your dignity to earn her love. You’ve stopped what you were doing thousands of times and said, “I gotta go let the dog out.” But your dog (hopefully) greets you with a tail wag when you come home early.

Of course there is an endless variety of dog people, but we all have similar experiences and we’ve all been touched by the love and purity of a dog’s heart. At DogWatch of the Twin Cities, we love our customers and believe part of the reason is that you’re dog people like us.

August 2, 2017

DogWatch Dog Kira

Kira is a DogWatch dog in Champlin, Minnesota. When her owners, Jessie and Jason, moved to a new house with a nice big yard in 2016, they wanted to make sure Kira could take advantage of it.
Kira is an American Eskimo/Shiba Inu mix. That combination means she is independent and stubborn at times. It was important that Kira had a consistent boundary since she doesn’t always listen to Jessie and Jason’s commands, especially when there are squirrels and bunnies around.
The DogWatch hidden fence in Kira’s yard makes an hourglass shape – that means that Kira can be in the back yard or the front yard, but she can’t travel between the two. Jessie and Jason let Kira out the sliding door in the back when they’re inside with their 1-year-old son. That way they know she’s just playing in the backyard. She also joins the family for backyard activities like cornhole and campfires. But if she runs out the front door when guests come over, she won’t leave the yard.
Kira is able to go on walks with the family – they just escort her across the hidden fence line. That’s when she gets a chance to meet the other dogs in the neighborhood. She always gets attention from dog lovers when she’s out and about because of her unique look.