Scampers Weekly Recap - July 8, 2016
Dear --Valued Customer--
It has been such a fun week. Many of our pooches are still in holiday mode, and we still have quite a few pooches boarding, and that means the fun continues late into the night and begins very early each morning. By the time our doors open at 7:00, the boarders are already partying it up in the yard.
Bellevue Four on the 4th
Thank you to all the great folks who dropped by our Scampers tent to visit us at Bellevue's Four on the 4th on Monday. We love seeing our friends out and about, and the pooches get such a kick out of seeing their Scampers friends in unexpected places.
Congratulations to our new friend, Amelia Piper, winner of a year's subscription to Barkbox. No doubt she'll be waiting for the mailman every day, in case it's a Barkbox day!
Congratulations to our July Pooch of the Month, Bear, the long-haired German Shepherd pup, who clearly has a serious fan following and ended up with the seriously definitive win! He sure is a cutie!
Check out the entire July album on our Facebook page.
Dogs learn faster and are better at solving new puzzles when they are trained with positive reinforcement techniques. Just like young children, dogs often misbehave because they have a hard time understanding what is expected of them. Providing clear, consistent direction and immediate positive feedback when a desired behavior is performed will make training for you and Fido a pleasant experience.
When teaching a new trick or command, get your dog's attention by gently calling their name. Your tone of voice tells them that this new work is fun! Using your chosen word (sit, stay, etc.) and a really extra special yummy treat, ask for the behavior. Try moving a treat above the head, towards the back to get a nose to go up in the air (and a tail on the floor) for sit, or a flat, palm-out hand with a low, drawn out "staaaaay" while taking one step back to help shape the behavior without trying to physically force the dog into position. Physically moving the dog into position can be interpreted as play, which is great fun for Fido, and greatly frustrating to you!
When trying to teach a dog to stop an existing behavior, use behavior extinction or substitution. Behavior extinction works for things like jumping or excessive attention-seeking barking, which are behaviors Fido uses to get your attention - either cheerful or grumpy will do! Ignoring the behavior completely (without the use of "no", "off", "down" or physical touch like pushing down). Follow your stonewalling with an immediate reward of attention when the dog ceases the obnoxious behavior. You'll see them try even harder a few times, but they will quickly realize that the path to love and attention is through the calm behavior you want!
Happy Training!
Thanks to Elise Poston for this submission. Look for more Did You Know tidbits from Elise in future editions of Scampers Weekly Recap. Learn more at www.thefoxandthehound.org
Chris Sugarbaker of Cut-N-Run, mobile groomer extraordinaire will make his next bi-weekly visit to Scampers on Tuesday, July 19th. His schedule fills up quickly, though, so make sure to get your reservations in early. If our current schedule does fill up, we recommend setting up a reservation for Chris' next visit, then, on August 2nd.
Feel free to give us a call to schedule an appointment for your pooch, or ...
If you've created your GingrApp identity, you can set up your reservations now on GingrApp. When you make your daycare reservation, you'll notice the option to select "Additional Services". Choose the service you'd like to add, then confirm by clicking the blue bar on the right, then choose the date (again), and choose from one of the times available.
Watch for the updates of our framed Friday Funny in our reception area.
We'll also make sure they're posted on our Facebook page so you can share them with your friends.
We'll also make sure they're posted on our Facebook page so you can share them with your friends.
We're a pretty close knit group of pooches - we form strong friendships, and we get to know each other very well.
When new pooches join us, we love to introduce them around and get them started in their Scampering adventures - that's why they call us the "Welcome Waggin".
This week, our welcome waggin' crew has had such a nice time welcoming our newbies.
They were charmed by Shamrock, a very young Shepherd-Malinois mix, who joined the pups on Wednesday. He's a fine fellow, and will grow up to be very elegant and smart.
Bernie's folks are visiting from far off places, and brought us Bernie on Thursday. He's a delightful Boxer, and makes a great addition to the playgroup. Meanwhile, fluffy baby Moko had a blast with Violet and Jemma in the Littles group. He surely slept well last night. Honey G, a yellow lab, found the entire experience very interesting. She enjoyed her time with a whole lot of new BFFs.
Today, we're showing young labradoodle, Sona, the way doggie daycare is done. She's having a lovely morning meeting all the wranglers and all the pooches.
Sachie is welcoming newbie Sona - the two are having a lovely time together.
Hey, Peeps, don't forget, if you're curious about how we spend our days and you're not quite sure what those report cards really mean, you can watch the adventures in the photos and videos our wranglers are posting on the Scampers Facebook page.
There's also a ScampersDogs channel on YouTube where you'll find all kinds of fun videos, and we update that selection periodically.
There's also a ScampersDogs channel on YouTube where you'll find all kinds of fun videos, and we update that selection periodically.
Kiska and Echo had a lovely time sharing a pool. Can you see the friendship developing?
Every once in a while we receive a photo from one of our customers showing us what their beloveds are doing after their day at Scampers.
We've seen many of our Scampers families expand recently, and we're looking for pics of our campers tending to their new humans. We hope we'll see lots more baby and pooch pictures! Click here to send your pics in via email.
Maggie O as Big Sister - she takes her job very seriously.
Abbey S is helping Leo as he starts his athletic career.
He's almost walking!
He's almost walking!
It looks like Pliny's baby brother is
learning to walk too - fun times ahead!
learning to walk too - fun times ahead!
Here's Aussie Ozzie O looking after his new baby, Tali. What a beautiful pair!
Luna Blue Pit is learning to enjoy her kid sister's attention. Emily is learning that Luna's a great big sister.
Gentle Golden Kenny is
taking very good care of
brand new baby Advay.
taking very good care of
brand new baby Advay.
Jemma took a day off from Scampers to keep her mom company at home.
Buddy T stretches out
at his mom's feet at day's end.
at his mom's feet at day's end.
Sera is pretty much wiped out after her day at Scampers.
Odie just needs a place to put his snout
while he takes a little nap.
Apparently, young English Setter Leica is getting lots of exercise when she comes to Scampers. Here's what she looks like at home.
Here's London giving us her impression
of a tired poodle. She's too pooped to notice
her lovely rawhide chewy.
of a tired poodle. She's too pooped to notice
her lovely rawhide chewy.
We loved this shot of Sadie - the look on her face says that she's not pleased that her belly rub got interrupted for the sake of a camera.
Like many pooches, Swiffer enjoys the world through an open car window, even if he so tired after his Scampers day that he sleeps through it!
Bliss is a place to rest my head, a hand to stroke my neck.
This category of owner-contributed pics features dogs enjoying their extracurricular fun.
This is where we'll post the pics we've received of your pooches enjoying summer vacations, beach roaming, ball games, and any other such general exploring.
Congratulations to McKinley, Blue Ribbon Pooch
Little Miss Chomchom is all dressed up and ready for her tromp around Whistler.
Murphy C surveys his domain!
We have also received some great shots documenting "The Real Reason" you bring your furkids to Scampers.
Ripley S' mom doesn't usually maintain
an open-door policy for her home office.
And this would be the reason.
an open-door policy for her home office.
And this would be the reason.
Buddy T decided to do a little remodeling
as a surprise for his mom.
The famous Odie is at it again.
Mr. Champion Counter Surfer has his eye on the beautiful beignet!
Pretty Abby G is a very helpful pooch indeed. This lovely picture shows her effort at helping to unpack mysterious things at the office.
Canine Nosework Classes at Scampers
Dogs have an incredible sense of smell and an inborn desire to hunt. The sport of K9 Nose Work is designed to develop the natural scenting abilities of your dog by using their passion for hunting and their love of toys, food and exercise.
It's a great class for your dog to have fun, build confidence, and burn lots of mental and physical energy and you get to find out just how good your dog's nose is.
Vicki Francks, owner of Cascade Canines continues offering K9 Nose Work Classes using Scampers facility. If you'd like some information on the next round of classes, give Vicki a call at 206-849-7643. More information is also available as Scampers front desk.
It's a great class for your dog to have fun, build confidence, and burn lots of mental and physical energy and you get to find out just how good your dog's nose is.
Vicki Francks, owner of Cascade Canines continues offering K9 Nose Work Classes using Scampers facility. If you'd like some information on the next round of classes, give Vicki a call at 206-849-7643. More information is also available as Scampers front desk.
Scampers Online Reservations and Account Management
Our online management system, GingrApp, is cooking along nicely now. If you wish, you are able to create your own login to make your reservations online for boarding and for daycare - whether full day or half day - as well as upload photos and documents, and, for speed and convenience, you can set up a credit card on file (encrypted to a fare-thee-well!) if you feel so inclined.
By the way, for users who have set up a credit card on file, you may use another card at any time, but please let us know before we run the transaction for you so that we can de-select that account.
Reservations, please!
We're filling up these days! Often!
Please make sure you get your reservations into our system, whether via the GingrApp Portal, or by phone or email. We are also very happy to set up recurring appointments for our customers who have predictable schedules.
(This picture is a little bit exaggerated, by the way. They all gathered around because they wanted to know what Amanda had in her hand.)
Our boarding facility has very been busy this year, especially over the holidays and long weekends. Remember to get your boarding requests in early to make sure there's room enough for your pooches.
Samson is a frequent Scampers boarder. Here he is greeting the morning staff with his great big grin!
A gentle reminder that Scampers daycare hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, and our weekend and holiday daycare hours are by appointment only, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In the case of an emergency, we are able to make the accommodation for extended stay. Please call us, though, to advise.
Dogs on Leashes, Pretty Please
Our reception area is often very busy, and we host many dogs with many different kinds of personalities. While we love them all, we know that some are inclined to jump up and greet new friends, and others are inclined to try to protect their beloved humans.
Our reception area is often very busy, and we host many dogs with many different kinds of personalities. While we love them all, we know that some are inclined to jump up and greet new friends, and others are inclined to try to protect their beloved humans.
To avoid any kind of mishap, please ensure your pooches are securely leashed and in control while in our reception area.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Very best regards,
Linda Olsen and Stina Hughes
Scampers Daycamp for Dogs
Scampers Daycamp for Dogs
Play all day - go home happy.
12532 124th Street NE Kirkland, WA 98034
T 425-821-9100 | F 425-821-4685
T 425-821-9100 | F 425-821-4685
