Blog

Name: DogWatch of the Twin Cities
Address: Chaska, Minnesota
Telephone: 612-562-8608

Category: Products

March 19, 2019

DogWatch Dog Story: Mudge

Mudge the St. Bernard from Chanhassen is a DogWatch dog, but his family didn’t always work with DogWatch of the Twin Cities. With their previous dog, Mudge’s parents bought a dog fence from another company and it worked well to keep that dog in the yard. When they got Mudge, though, they decided to call us at DogWatch to help train him.

We put up boundary flags to show Mudge the boundaries of his yard and got to work. Mudge’s mom told us from the beginning: “He’s the sweetest puppy ever, but he doesn’t want to walk on the leash. He won’t try to pull you around, he’ll just lay down and not want to get back up.” And she was exactly right!

We had to get creative to train Mudge. Typically, we bring dogs around the yard on a leash over and over to help them learn where the boundary is and to stay inside the flag line. But if a huge St. Bernard doesn’t want to walk, that doesn’t quite work. Instead we focused on showing Mudge one flag at a time, we got his favorite toys involved, asked the neighbors to let their dogs out, and walked around with him off-leash (not usually recommended!).

After four days, we were happy and Mudge was happy. Finally, he was able to just take a nap in the yard. And his owners were able to trust that he wouldn’t walk off, even if they went to get the mail or went inside.

March 11, 2019

The DogWatch Crew Got a Cat

Afton and Jake with DogWatch of the Twin Cities got a cat. It’s not news at this point, they got the cat back in May 2018. But almost a year later, here’s the update: we love it! Neither of us has ever had a cat before, not even as children. They’re so different from dogs. Afton would say they’re a little unpredictable. Jake would say they’re the worst.

2018 was our first year in a new-to-us house in Chaska, and we had some issues with mice. They were collecting the dog food from the closet and stashing it in the washing machine and dryer. Good plan for them, but not ideal for our clothes.

The mouse problem combined with our son’s inexplicable love for cats caused us to start considering adding a cat to the family. We started telling our friends, and one day Afton got a text about free kittens at a garage sale. Jake was out of town, so the timing was perfect!

We all instantly fell in love with tiny baby Murph. She was brave, adventurous, affectionate and friendly. It took just two days or so before she and our dog Moose were getting along great. They cuddle on a very rare occasion, but they like to play. More accurately, Murph likes to play with Moose and then run away.

Within the first couple months, she started bringing us mouse presents too! She has solved our washer/dryer issues, and we’re very grateful for that. But she has brought SO MUCH more to our family. She is such a fun addition. We love how easy it is to take care of her. We can leave town for the weekend and leave her home? Amazing. And we love how she hops on our laps and purrs, whether we pet her or not.

February 4, 2019

BarkCollar Mini

The newest training product from DogWatch is our BarkCollar Mini. We’ve been selling a BarkCollar for years, but it can be a little bulky for our smallest DogWatch dogs. We’re excited to have a product made just for small dogs, or any dog who could use a more compact, lighter collar.

If you have an extra small canine companion, you might agree that they can be the most excessive barkers. Certain breeds, including Yorkies, Beagles and Chihuahuas, are known for their big mouths. But their small necks can get weighed down by typical bark collar solutions. That’s exactly why DogWatch has been working hard on a collar just for them (and their owners!).

The BarkCollar Mini has the same essential features as the larger version, such as a Progressive training level that increases the correction as your dog continues to bark. It has a Bark Counter so you can see how your dog behaves even when you’re not home. The Mini version uses a standard replaceable battery that can be purchased from DogWatch of the Twin Cities, or from a specialty battery store.

The BarkCollar Mini is available now! If you don’t see it on our online store, give us a call to order yours today 612-562-8608

April 10, 2018

DogWatch Dog Story: Daisy

Daisy and her family moved to Eden Prairie from out of state, and they immediately had a DogWatch hidden fence installed. She learned about her new yard, her new neighbors, and her boundaries all at the same time, and she easily learned where she could and couldn’t go. She’s a sweet, loving girl. But like many dogs, she’s very attached to her owners.

The combination of that attachment and the new house caused Daisy to start getting into trouble when she was home alone. She would scratch at all the doors and ruin the frames. Eventually she learned how to open the sliding back door. When her family would come home Daisy was outside, and they were so confused! Luckily she stayed in the yard, but still it wasn’t ideal.

Indoor Boundaries were the solution for Daisy. We set up the IB-100 disc near the sliding door and put up some indoor flags keep Daisy away. She knew what the flags meant from her recent outdoor training. But if she felt brave and approached that door, she got a correction. She stopped letting herself outside and scratching at that door.

After she got used to her new house and got some new toys to keep her busy, Daisy and her family were settled and happy in Eden Prairie. They had to get some new doors, though.