My Recommendations

Need a dog sitter? Or a dog trainer? Maybe just some on-line references for a specific dog training issue? Here are some resources that I have personally used and highly recommend.

Dog Sitter
No Place Like Home
In Home Pet Sitting
O'Fallon, MO
314-398-6697

Personal experience: I bid on and won a gift certificate for two nights of dog-sitting during our trivia night silent auction fundraiser. I called, and spoke with Kelly, and she fit me in during the Thanksgiving holiday. Kelly is awesome - her and her husband pet-sit animals in their home, and they only dog-sit for a few animals at a time so they can give them plenty of attention and care. She spoiled Remi and Noelle even though they tried to eat her floor while they were there! I even came home with ornaments for my tree - they have each dog's picture and are so cute. Oh, and did I mention she also fosters a dog for another group? Anyone who fosters homeless animals (especially ex-fighting pit bulls) is worth checking out!

Dog Trainer
Positive Paws Pet Training
St. Charles / St. Louis area
http://www.positivepawstraining.com/
636-352-3104

Personal experience: When I decided to hire a trainer to teach me to train my foster dogs, I did some research online. I choose this trainer based on reviews from her website, her background and education, as well as because I agreed with her training methodology. It's still a bit scary to hire someone without having a personal reference from someone I know, but I was very fortunate in this case, and can now give that personal reference for her to others. Kimberly Gracner, the trainer with Positive Paws, is very experienced, well educated, patient and friendly. She is always willing to meet my newest foster dogs when she comes over for training sessions, and she patiently answers all of my dog training questions - not just the ones around the subject that we're focused on at the time. I highly recommend her for any dog training issues you may encounter.

Other References
Have a specific issue with your dog that you need help with? Is your dog chewing up the sofa, or barking incessantly, or refusing to listen to you? Of course a trainer is the way to go, but if you can't do that and want some quick online help, check out these websites:

San Francisco SPCA Dog Behavior & Training Library

My Smart Puppy Library

Dumb Friends League - Dog Behavior Topics


Oh, and just for the record...

*The views and opinions expressed on this blog do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Heartland Humane Society of Missouri. The appearance of hyperlinks referencing sites outside this blog does not constitute endorsement of those web sites by HHS or the information, products, or services contained therein. HHS does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at this location.

This post was prepared as a service to the St. Charles County community. Neither Heartland Humane Society of Missouri nor any of its volunteers makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government, or by Heartland Humane Society of Missouri.

And yes, I borrowed that disclaimer from a military website - could you tell? :-)