The Ranch Pet Resort

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Dog News

Helpful Tips to Socialize Your Dog

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Women running with dogs - The Ranch Pet Resort

One of the best parts about being a dog owner is socializing your dog with other dogs and people. Dogs are pack animals who, for the most part, enjoy being around others for playtime, a gentle wrestling match, a game of chase, tug of war, hide and seek, or even naptime!

A well-socialized dog shows confidence, friendliness, and happiness! These behaviors are learned from puppyhood and carried on to adulthood. Some dogs learn acceptable and even non-acceptable “dog behaviors” from other dogs, so socializing your playful pooch is one of the best gifts you can give your dog.

Start Socializing Your Dog as Soon as Possible

Whether you just received your beloved pooch who is a young adult, have had him for years, or are the owner of a brand new puppy, now is the best time to slowly acclimate your dog to sights, sounds, and other dogs or people.

Dog Daycare - The Ranch Pet Resort

Dogs who are current on their shots can enjoy walks around the yard, the neighborhood, or around the perimeter of a nearby dog park.

Expose them to new sights, sounds, people, and even other dogs. Dogs of confident owners pick up their human’s cues, leading them to be better at not fearing new places, sights, sounds, and smells.

Let your dog ease into a dog park rather than introducing a newbie to the pack of dogs right away. Allowing your dog to take the initiative to approach from a safe distance outside the park will instill the confidence and excitement necessary for a fun first encounter inside the dog park!

Puppies Need Socializing, Too

Dog with little girl - The Ranch Pet Resort

Puppies develop the habits they form as adults during critical, developmental times in their lives. Beginning around 3 weeks and ending about the fifth month, the experiences a puppy has can determine his disposition. An under-socialized puppy tends to be more fearful and cautious whereas a well-socialized pooch tends to be bold, brave, and confident!

The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa recommends exposing your puppy to sounds around the home such as a vacuum, pots and pans, loud noises and TV’s or radios. Having people who have washed their hands over to pet, hug, hold, or even just be present around the pup teaches the puppy not to fear others.

Since your young puppy won’t have all its shots yet, do your socializing in your home or fenced yard. An unvaccinated pup is more susceptible to disease or illness.

There is still plenty of adventure to be had at home before the pup gets to experience the world outside from the other side of the door, window, or fence.

Socializing at The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa

Ask anyone of our furry canines what they love about The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa and they will tell you about the fun they have with their canine friends and our excellent staff!

Whether your dog is up for chase, playing ball, exploring our tunnels, tubes, and blocks, or just prefers the quieter time with our handlers, The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa puts socialization at the top of our priorities.

Have You Experienced the Fun at the New Water Park?

With weather in the 70’s in January, our dogs are having a howling great time splashing in the water, running through the squirt stations, or just lapping up the water in the shallow puddles.

The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa is the only dog park with the water feature, and it’s been rated one of the best parts of doggie daycare according to some very reputable and furry sources.

Events to Keep Your Dog Wanting to Come Back for More Dog Daycare

The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa is always coming up with creative activities for our fluffy guests. We get immense joy out of hosting events and watching your dogs eat, play, socialize, interact, exercise, and zonk out after a most pawsitively good time!

Whether it’s eating turkey out of a cone, chasing bacon flavored bubbles, or posing in front of the kennel’s first holiday party scene, our daycare and dog boarding friends get the royal treatment!

Stay Tuned for News About Puppy Bowl 2021 and Valentine’s Treats and Fun

Your dog will always have a great time at The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa. Whether she wants to visit for a day at our doggie daycare or have a slumber party at The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa, we promise a great time!

We are gearing up for Puppy Bowl 2021. Get your best athlete ready for some Puppy Bowl fun The Ranch style! Whether he is a wide receiver, the star of the show, or prefers to nap along the sidelines, there will be fun for all at Puppy Bowl 2021.

Then show your Valentine how much you love her by signing her up for our special Valentine Event. Dogs will be shown extra love and affection with something special for you at our Valentine Event.

More details coming soon!

Yappy Howl-i-days from The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa

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The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa wants to wish you and your furry family members a Yappy Howl-i-day Season.

2020 has been quite an adventurous year for The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa! We opened up our brand new luxury pet boarding, dog daycare and full-service grooming facility, complete with a doggie water park that has become one of the more popular features among our canine friends.

Our staff has enjoyed watching our canine guests romp, play, tussle, chase each other, and run up, down, and in between our agility blocks and water fountains!

If you need a taste of “aww, this is too cute!” to fill your holiday heart, please visit our Facebook page, like, and follow us! We promise to fill your heart and soul with holiday merriment!

The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa is the Happiest Place on Earth for Dogs and Cats

Next to Disneyland, we truly feel The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa is one of the happiest places on earth. Nestled among the gorgeous wine country that Livermore is famous for, The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa offers state-of-the-art equipment to make your dog or cat feel right at home.

Our staff offers plenty of exercise, love, affection, and extra hugs and kisses for those pups and cats that prefer human interaction over their own species.

Our spacious kennels provide the ultimate in comfort with radiant floor heating and raised beds and can accommodate your pet family.

Spa services feature full-service haircuts, soothing baths, deshedding treatments, luxury nail trims and paintings, and so much more. Dogs are pampered and well-cared for under the supervision of experienced groomers.

Contact us to learn more or book your reservation! We have special offers for first-time pet visitors!

Special Holidays and Events at The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa. Did you Miss Out?

At The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa, we want to spoil your pups by spreading cheer every month.

Who doesn’t love bacon bubbles? Our pooches just loved the bacon flavored bubble event in September! Every day for a week, our dogs enjoyed the flavor and fun of bacon bubbles!

In October, we featured a Howl-o-ween Costume Contest. Even the shiest pups were stars in front of the camera!

Our November activity was a crowd favorite! The dogs were treated to a tasty turkey, mashed potato, vegetable mash in a tasty cone! They created memorable Paw Turkeys for their owners to take home!

December featured our Holiday Photo and Caroling Event. All dogs who signed up for doggy daycare had their pictures taken and owners were sent home with a memorable holiday photo.

Looking Paw-ward to More Fun at The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa

May 2021 fill your family with health, peace, tranquility, and fortune. We appreciate you trusting us to take care of your doggie and kitty family members and look forward to what the New Year brings to all of us!

Happy Holidays from The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa!

Pawsitively Scrumptious Homemade Dog Treats

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Courtesy of Barks and Biscuits

The holidays are here and there’s no time like the present (see what we did there! 🐶) to make homemade dog treats for your favorite pup.

Whether it’s your best canine buddy or that of a friend, these delicious dog treats are sure to be a hit!

Best of all, these treats are all natural and made from good, wholesome foods you probably already have at home.

Three Ingredient No Bake Dog Treats

We at The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa love small treats that we can sneak pills in or use for training. This Three Ingredient No Bake Dog Treat recipe uses 1 Tablespoon oat flour, 1 Tablespoon peanut butter that is safe for dogs, and 1 Teaspoon water or chicken broth.

When combined and pressed into small balls, these treats are the perfect sampler treat. Hide a pill in it, keep a stash in your pocket for training, or simply share them with the canine in your life.

Bacon Topped Dog Donuts

The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa knows dogs love bacon! Our Bacon Flavored Bubble Party was proof of that!

So this Bacon Topped Dog Donut recipe is certain to put you on the Nice List! If you have flour, oats, coconut oil, peanut butter, eggs, Greek yogurt, and bacon bits in your cupboard, you have the makings for a simple and delicious dog treat that will have your dog eating out of the palm of your hand!

Click here for the recipe and prepare to be licked and loved by your dog!

Mouthwatering Watermelon Dog Treats with Parsley

Don’t allow the cooler weather to deter you from making these yummy dog treats. Their colorful holiday colors and ingredients make for a healthy dog treat that also freshens puppy breath kisses.

Made with our without Greek yogurt, these mouthwatering watermelon dog treats quench your dog’s thirst and also serve as a healthy snack.

Puree 2 cups of seedless watermelon and set aside. Add a snip of parsley to the bottom of your mold of choice, fill the mold with watermelon puree, freeze and enjoy!

For a tasty and colorful twist, top the puree with Greek yogurt before you freeze. For the complete recipe from Bark and Biscuits, click here.

The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa Wishes You and Your Dog a Happy Holiday Season!

We at The Ranch Pet Resort and Spa want to wish you and your family a very merry holiday season. Even though this year has been a bit unprecedented, we wake up every day so happy to be a part of your dogs’ lives!

If you are looking for some holiday spirit to brighten you and your dog’s day, we invite you to sign up for our Holiday Photo and Caroling Event. Our staff will be serenading your dog with holiday songs and using this opportunity to snap a memory for you to cherish forever.

If this is something you would like some more information about, please read our blog.

Ten Fun Facts About Dogs

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It’s just beyond sunrise on a Saturday morning, and all you want to do is sleep in. You roll over to take in that bonus sleep when you have an odd sense that someone, something is watching you.

You open your eyes and find yourself staring into the excited eyes of a pooch who just doesn’t understand why you aren’t getting up to take him on his morning run. You roll over and pretend not to notice that your fur baby is now whining softly, but methodically, and his tail is swishing in excitement. Suddenly, you feel a heavy paw tapping your back, until the entire body of your canine bestie is on top of you licking your face.

What is it about our beloved pooches that makes them one of the most popular pets to own? For anyone who has ever owned a dog, the answer is clear.

Dogs provide us with companionship, unconditional love and acceptance, a reason to get up in the morning (literally as well as figuratively), and fill our lives with joy and laughter.

Each dog is unique in their own ways which makes them such a popular pet and companion.

Here are some fun facts about canines that you may or may not know.

  • Dogs stare at us intentionally. They are showing their love for us; they are watching our behavior for cues to our emotions: sadness, excitement, loneliness; or they want something, such as a walk, attention, or food. With no voice, dogs speak with their eyes (Source).
  • Dogs’ noses are wet to absorb chemicals in scents which they can taste when they lick their noses.
  • A bloodhound’s sense of smell is so accurate it can be used as evidence in a court case.
  • Three dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic. Two Pomeranians and a Pekinese were among those rescued in the fatal shipwreck.
  • The cute, cuddly Ewoks for the Star Wars movies were based on George Lucas’ family dog.
  • Dogs chase their tails to get our attention, to be playful, relieve boredom, stress or anxiety, or because they have a medical condition that needs your attention.
  • Two types of dogs have black tongues: Chow Chows and Shar-Peis.
  • Zeus, a Great Dane, is the tallest dog in the world, standing at 44 inches tall.
  • Dogs can see color, but their perception and intensity of color is not as sharp and distinct as a human’s. Dogs are most likely to see blue, yellow, and grey, but unable to see red and green.
  • Newfoundlands are used as lifeguards due to their webbed feet and water-resistant coats. Owners of Newfoundlands often report their dogs try to “rescue” them when they are swimming. (Source).

Perhaps knowing a bit more about dogs may make you understand them a little more and have even more of an appreciation for them.

Bringing Home a New Dog or Puppy 🐶

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Dogs and puppies are so darn cute and irresistible. Add your own mini person to the mix begging for a dog or puppy and, depending on your answer, you either become the world’s best parent or the most evil parent on the planet.

Promises of “I will clean up after him,” “We will walk her every day,” or “She can sleep in my room!” combined with the whiny and unrelenting questions of, “PULEEEZE can we get one?” make even the most practical parent give in.

Congratulations! You have a new dog or puppy.

Tips for the Parent Who Gives in to a New Dog or Puppy

The first tip to abide by as a new dog owner is to recognize that the promises made by your unrelenting child will not last. But the responsible parent knows that. You will become the primary care owner, trainer, poop picker-upper, walker, and master of all canine needs.

New dogs and puppies are fun at first, but their needs do not often meet the timelines of a child who truly meant what he or she said when you got the pooch but didn’t realize it would interfere with sleep, fun with friends, or laziness.

Tip two: dogs and puppies live a long time. Responsible pet owners choose to have these animals as part of their family through their entire lifetime; so plan accordingly. Some smaller breeds can live well into their late teenage years.

Third tip to consider: dogs and puppies are expensive. They need to go to the vet, some might need grooming or teeth cleaning, others require medication, and all need healthy, nutritious food and treats! Don’t forget the toys, bedding, collars, leashes, microchipping, and crate

Fourth tip: dogs and puppies all need exercise to stay fit and trim! Come rain, shine, snow, and wind, dogs need to roam, walk, run, play! Keep this in mind when choosing your dog or puppy. Some dogs and puppies have higher exercise needs than others, but playtime with your pooch is an absolute must.

Exercise is a must!

Tip five: Dogs have many of the same emotional needs as people. Dogs are pack animals. If they do not have another canine friend in the family, or even if they do, they depend on their human friends to be part of their pack. Dogs and puppies count on you to be part of their family and need companionship. Nothing makes them happier than to spend much of their waking moments with you.

Tip six: Dogs need training! Much like a child, a dog turns to you, their Alpha pack leader, to correct their behaviors in a loving, patient manner. They will have accidents, chew, destroy if left unattended, and may cause utter mayhem.

Be prepared for this and take measures to train your dog. Look for advice from your neighborhood trainer, get referrals from friends and neighbors, look online, or read books. No two dogs are alike, so have an open mind to your dog or puppy’s needs.

Seventh tip: Your dog or puppy needs a time out. It sure is fun to play with your new puppy or dog, but they truly do need their own downtime. Allowing them to feel safe and secure without having to be with you 24/7 creates a secure dog who will not have anxiety when you are gone.

Eighth tip: Dogs and puppies are den animals and like crates. Contrary to the thought that crating a dog for a short period of time while you are gone or crating him at night is mean, dogs adapt well to a crate when introduced slowly over time.

Train the dog early to go in the crate; put toys or treats in the crate; leave the door open for her to go in as she pleases. All of these exercises will make having friends over more enjoyable, will keep the dog out of trouble, and will make for a happy pooch.

Tip nine: Dogs needs’ change as they age. Be prepared for a lifetime of adjustment. Changes in diet, activity level, and temperment are common. Dogs can’t show distress or pain, so watch behaviors carefully no matter the age.

Tenth tip: Dogs are the most loyal pets, and if given a lifetime of love and patience, training and care, they will reward you ten-fold. Constant companions who never judge or show disappointment in you, dogs and puppies will always be happy to see you.

They provide you with an excuse to get out of the house, meet new friends (often with dogs), and opportunities to explore. You just might find that dog or puppy your kids begged you to get will comfort you when those kids turn into adults and start their own lives.

Be prepared for your new dog or puppy to soften your heart and experience an unconditional love you never knew existed!

Good luck with your new dog or puppy!