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Monday 9am - 4pm Tuesday 9am - 4pm Wednesday 9am - 4pm Thursday 9am - 4pm Friday 9am - 4pm

Wanderpups Dog Walking

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Washington D.C., DC
Wanderpups Dog Walking

A wanderpup is a curious dog with an insatiable desire to explore, and WANDERPUPS is here to accompa Dog Walks: $17 for a half hour and $25 for an hour.

WANDERPUPS is a reliable and professional dog walking and pet sitting company based in Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. Pet Sitting: $55-$75
Cat Check-ins: $20

Contact WANDERPUPS to set up a consultation and work out what's right for you and your pet!

Operating as usual

01/20/2023

THE DOG TRAINING INDUSTRY IS NOT REGULATED!!
Read that again, the dog training industry is NOT regulated.

This means literally anyone with the balls to throw up a website and call themselves a trainer can absolutely do that. And so many absolutely do!

Red Flags to look out for:
-Guaranteeing fast results (or guaranteeing results at all) - that verbiage in itself is a sign of someone who has no clue how animal behavior actually works
-Heavy or full reliance on aversive techniques: ecollars (there are so many training companies with massive following that just slap on ecollars first thing-be very weary of this), prong collars, physical correction
-The use of phrases like: pack leader, dominance, alpha. You can read this as code for I’m an as***le who wants to control something to make myself feel and look powerful, and I don’t keep up with any science-based research on canine behavior. The dominance theory is not valid and has been disproven over and over again, yet our culture continues to latch onto it.
-Not allowing you to visit or have full visibility over your dog if it is a board and train

What can you do?

When looking for a trainer, always ensure your trainer is certified…there are a few different valid avenues, but a good starting point would be to ensure your trainer has a CPDT-KA next to their name, or for more complex issues, go to a board-certified Veterinarian Behaviorist (this is NOT the same as a veterinarian—veterinarians are not behaviorists)

Learn the difference between a confident dog who is well adjusted and responsive to training vs a dog who is shut down and exhibiting learned helplessness as a result of fearfulness caused by AVERSIVE training techniques.

Your dog needs an advocate, not an alpha.

01/18/2023

SOMETIMES the best thing you can do for you and your dog is to manage and monitor their behavior vs trying to train it out of them.

There are just some things that are going to be very difficult or downright impossible to stop your dog from doing. Especially something that your dog is bred to do. Sometimes nature trumps nurture no matter how many high value treats you have.

Example 1: a dog that loves to dig. If your dog loves digging and it’s an innate need for them, they will always try to dig and it is healthy for them to have that outlet. Instead of reprimanding them for digging in the yard, create a digging space for them and manage the behavior instead of trying to train it out of them. They will be happier and more content as a result.

Example 2: barking at the fence. Ok this is my dog’s all-time favorite thing to do. I never see him happier than after he has run the entire fence line barking his head off at oh, I don’t know, a toddler on a tricycle. I have tried everything to to try to get him to stop, but guess what, no reward is greater to him than terrorizing passersby. So we just try not to give him opportunities where he can bark at the fence. And if we do have to let him out for a potty break unattended, we know he is probably going to bark if someone walks by. Big whoop. We manage the behavior as much as we can because homeboy’s gonna bark and I don’t have the capacity or time to worry about it.

Example 3: your dog is a herder. Always circling and nipping at heels to get people in line. Herders gonna herd, ya’ll. Figure out a way for your dog to get it outta their system in an appropriate way. Let them be the dog they were born to be.

Example 4: your dog is reactive. This one’s a little different, but same concept. Yes, you want to improve your dog’s reactivity, BUT the first step is always management. Ensure you are in control of the environment by maintaining the proper distance from triggers so your dog doesn’t have a chance to react.

So that’s it. Choose your battles. And don’t try to train away everything your dog needs to live a happy and fulfilled life.

What’s a behavior that you’ve had to manage in your dog’s life?

01/17/2023

Sometimes we all make the mistake of assuming our dogs know more than they do. The truth is, if they aren’t listening or are doing something you don’t want them to do, they probably truly do not know any better or the same reward simply isn’t good enough to motivate them to do the right thing:

✨if your dog won’t come when you want to leave the park make sure you aren’t ONLY calling them when it’s time to go. Teach them that other fun things are possible (treats, pets, play) when you call them over.

✨dogs need mental stimulation and things to do at home. If they get bored, they will do things you don’t want them to do. Keep chew toys, kongs, food puzzles and other daily enrichment in the mix.

✨dogs need a safe space that children are not allowed to go. If you have small children, make those boundaries clear and protect your dog. Dogs growl to communicate that they are uncomfortable. Please heed the warning instead of punishing them for trying to communicate their discomfort punishing the growl increases bite risk.

✨always tell dogs what you want them to do. Give them an alternate behavior and reinforce the behavior with a treat.

✨if you keep repeating a command over and over your dog won’t understand it any better. In fact, it will lose its meaning all together and your dog will ignore it like it’s background noise.

These are just a few examples. I observe them often.

01/16/2023

Myth: I can’t socialize my puppy until he is fully vaccinated

Fact: if you wait to socialize your puppy until he is fully vaccinated, you will have missed the most critical socialization period in your dog’s LIFE.

Puppies are fully vaccinated at around 16 weeks

The critical socialization period for dogs closes at around 16 weeks.

This confuses so many people, and it is confusing. The answer?

RESPONSIBLY socialize your puppy during their critical socialization period. You want to positively introduce your puppy to all the people, things and places from day 1. Just avoid interactions with dogs you do not know. Do not take your puppy to places that are highly trafficked by other dogs like dog parks. Don’t let them roam the floor at the vet’s office or the pet store.

DO take your puppy places. DO introduce your puppy to as many new people as possible. DO set up play dates with other dogs who you know are healthy and good with puppies. DO expose your dog to as many sights, sounds and environments as possible. But do so in a controlled and supervised manner to ensure your puppy has as many POSITIVE experiences as possible during their Critical Socialization Period.

If you adopt your dog after this period, all is not lost. You can still work with your dog. BUT if you do have the incredible opportunity to influence your puppy during this time, you can really set them up for the rest of their lives.

Did you know about the Critical Socialization Period? Did you know your dog during their socialization period or adopt them later in life?

01/15/2023

I wasn’t ready for my closeup: a photo series. 😐😂

01/14/2023

“Let’s embrace who dogs are and not what society expects from them.”

I got asked the other day how I can call myself a dog professional when my dogs don't walk beautifully on the lead (They are rescue spaniels)

My dogs aren't here to showcase my work as a dog professional. They aren't here to prove what a good behaviourist I am, they aren't here to prove anything to the world. They aren't here so that I can use them to boost my career or my ego, they are here because I chose them to be my companions. They are here because I chose to adapt and change my life for them so that I can enhance theirs and in turn they have enhanced mine hugely! They are here because they are living souls with feelings, emotions and needs!
No, they aren't trained to an inch of their life, and they aren't robotic or obedient. They walk perfectly acceptable for me, and they have freedom to think, choose and live their life to the fullest. They are happy and content without strict unnecessary rules in place, they can be their own individual selves without being told how to act and feel.

I don't want them to walk beautifully on the lead, I want them to walk happily without either of us being uncomfortable and that is what we have achieved 🙂

Let's embrace who are dogs are, and not what society expects from them.

01/14/2023

I moved to the DMV from Colorado in 2005. I was a brand new lieutenant in the Air Force and my first duty station was Bolling AFB (now Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling).

I lived in Clarendon, then moved to Old Town, Alexandria. I worked at every base in the area.

In the fall 2010, I ventured to Eastern Market for the first time, stopped for a latte at and walked all around Capitol Hill. I loved that it was in the city but had such a neighborhood feel. It helped that I visited on a perfectly brisk fall day. There aren’t many places better in the fall.

My sister and I were selling our condo in Old Town and that day I decided I’d like to move to Capitol Hill. I worked for a few more years and eventually started Wanderpups as a side hustle. Fast forward 12 years (yikes!) and I’m still here and I’ve built a business walking the neighborhood.

01/09/2023

Just realized this is our tenth year in business! November will be the actual anniversary but what a (almost) decade of learning it has been. So this week I’ll post ten things a day I’ve learned about business ownership and dogs. Here are the first 10, in no particular order:
1) boundaries are the most important thing. If you are a business owner and you do not have boundaries, you won’t be a business owner for long
2) a dog walking business is a logistics business at its core.
3) proactive communication is key. If you messed up, it’s always better to tell your client before they have to tell you.
4) if you want to scale a dog walking business, then you are no longer in the business of dogs, not really. You’re in the business of finding and hiring people who are in the business of dogs. And hiring is hard. Very hard.
5) not every client is for your company and that’s ok.
6) if you are in business long enough, many of the dogs you know and see everyday will pass away and it really sucks. I wasn’t prepared for this one when I started the business. Dogs truly do not live long enough.
7) dog walkers work their asses off. It is a hard job and takes an incredible amount of dedication and compassion.
😎 I hate keys and everyone should have door codes
9) if a c**nhound decides their walk isn’t over and to lay in the grass then you better organize coverage for the rest of your dogs that day, because c**nhounds are heavy and stubborn.
10) dogs usually kick up the grass after they p**p, so always wait a minute before you bend down to pick it up 😒

Any dog business owners have anything to add?

01/06/2023

Closing out our first week of the New Year!

And we are hiring!

If one of your resolutions is to get outside and move more, then consider walking with us.

We hire two types of dog walkers:
✨Full-time midday walkers that walk a full route Monday through Friday.
✨back-up walkers that have limited availability of just a couple days a week or an hour or two a day.

If you are a responsible, reliable dog lover, we can likely work with your reschedule.

Email info@wanderpups.com for an application

01/03/2023

Anyone else getting stopped by your dog at every discarded Christmas tree so they can sniff every last pine needle?

I understand it can be annoying to not make any ground, but think of this as an excellent opportunity for some great enrichment for your dog.

Can you imagine all of the different smells on each tree coming out of a different house? They are smelling all the pets, people, cooking, everything that was in that house. Not to mention all the dogs who already made their mark on this incredible find.

Taking in so much information through their nose is your dog’s favorite thing and it’s what your dog was born to do. So turn on that podcast or call a friend and prepare to stand around while you let your dog get some great enrichment at zero cost (in time or money) to you.

Happy sniffing!!

Ps: mental stimulation is just as important and just as tiring as physical exercise.

01/01/2023

Strutting into 2023 with confidence, intention and maybe a raincoat. Just in case.

Happy New Year!!

12/31/2022

3 easy ways to enrich your dog’s life in 2023

✅FOOD PUZZLES/GAMES.
Serve their meals in a food puzzle. Ideally daily, but even a couple times a week will help. Most companion dogs do not get nearly enough mental stimulation. Boredom can cause many behavioral problems. By making them work for their food, you will challenge their brain, break up the boredom of the couch between walks, and let them do what comes naturally for them, searching and scavenging. Solving a task like this will also help them build their confidence. You have to feed them anyway, just serve it in a different way. Almost no extra effort for you.

✅DECOMPRESSION WALKS. This just means taking your dog to a nice non-stressful area and letting them sniff and explore on their terms. No agenda. No destination. Let their nose lead the way. These can work wonders for your dog’s mental health by lowering their stress levels. Studies show that cortisol levels in dogs are lower even after short sniff sessions. I guarantee they will be very relaxed and content after even a twenty-minute decompression walk. Work in as many as is reasonable and attainable but at least a couple of times a week. You don’t always have to cover lots of distance on walks. You’re out there walking them any way, so listen to your favorite podcast and let your dog do their thing.

✅SHOW THEM WHAT THEY SHOULD DO INSTEAD. This one is especially important if you have a puppy or newly adopted adult dog. Dogs do not inherently know what they SHOULD be doing. Many people tell their dogs “no” to unacceptable things but don’t show them what they should be doing instead. Example: dog is chewing on baby’s toy. Most will take baby toy away and say no. Instead, trade it out. Take baby’s then give them some thing they are allowed to chew on, like their kong. Example: dog is sitting on couch and you don’t want them on couch. Instead of just telling your dog to get off the couch, lead them off the couch to their spot (mat, bed, acceptable furniture) and give them positive reinforcement (treat, kong , toy, pets) when they sit there. Always give an alternate behavior.

Do you do any of these?

12/23/2022

We’ve got an unplanned head start to the holiday weekend.

All midday dog walks are cancelled today due to the weather conditions.
I didn’t feel it was safe or reasonable
to bring our dog walkers out on the icy roads and freezing temps. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

All vacation cat sits are still a go. Your kitties will not go hungry!

Merry Christmas!

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

❄️

12/15/2022

I can hardly believe it, but Jax is nine.

He isn’t a dog of the people. He hates all but a handful. And REALLY loves only two of us. Ironically, we could never use a dog walker for him despite that being my business because it takes him literally years to warm up to new people. Actually, that’s a lie. He’s never actually warmed up to anyone.

He’s territorial, possessive and terrible with children.

He’s not into hunting squirrels or rats or anything he was presumably bred for, but he’ll rip apart a perfectly good paper towel roll for a piece of hidden tortilla.

He barks at every package delivered, runs the fence terrorizing passersby, and completely loses his s**t if a stranger reaches out to pet him.

He’s beyond loyal.

The door could be left open all day and Jax would wait on that doorstep. No stranger would make their way in without a tooth in their ankle and he’d never stray from keeping watch. He once chased down a man who had hopped our fence, and came back with a piece of his pants in his mouth. A good boy if there ever was one.

On walks, a leash is more of an accessory as he doesn’t need one to stay at our heels. And while he’d be happy enough if our toddler never set foot in the house again and he could reclaim his permanent spot in my lap, he is her dedicated guardian away from home.

He is built like a watermelon and never met a sweet potato he didn’t like.

He’s clever.

He can do dozens of tricks, but only if you show him the treat beforehand. His favorite is to play dead if you dress him in winter sweaters or attempt to walk him in any type of precipitation (he doesn’t need a treat for this one).

I still remember the moment I found finding his scruffy three-month-old face on petfinder and knowing he was my dog before I even clicked “apply.”

Happy birthday to my heart dog, my jaxy waxy, my boo bear, my OG, my ride or die, my…well…you get the idea. Love you little buddy. You better figure out a way to live forever because I refuse to imagine life without you.

Address

Washington D.C., DC
20002

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4pm
Tuesday	9am - 4pm
Wednesday	9am - 4pm
Thursday	9am - 4pm
Friday	9am - 4pm

Telephone

2026881296

Website

http://www.wanderpups.com/

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Can anyone else relate? Sometimes on walks we pass 100 trash cans, but by the time my dog poops… there aren’t any in sight 😂 #doghumor #dogsdaily #dogsoftheworld #dogsbeingdogs #happydoghappylife #dogmomlife #dogmemes #lifewithdogs #dogwalkerslife #dogmomproblems #dogmeme #funnydogs #dcdogmoms #dcdogs

Gonna have a good day. #simplejoys #doglife

Actual footage of me trying not to catch Covid. Henry’s air bite at the end 😂😂 If you’re a current client, you might have been affected by our current Covid situation this week. We’ve had two out in quarantine until yesterday and one out today in addition to an unrelated outage yesterday. The stars really aligned this week ✨✨ By next week we should be back to normal 🦮🐕‍🦺 We go to great lengths to set things up so that there is always coverage for our regular walks, even when one or two people are out last minute. This week was the first week in 8 years that we just couldn’t make it to all our clients because of events outside of anyone’s control. We’ve had instances where a client’s preferred walker wasn’t available so they’ve cancelled, but never have had to cancel due to sheer numbers and unavailability. And honestly, that’s because we plan and work on logistics 24/7. It’s not an easy feat. ⚡️⚡️ Luckily, many people are working from home so had some flexibility, and we prioritized any dogs who were home alone. Even so, it felt 💩💩to cancel on people and dogs. Needless to say, it’s been a crazy week so I’m going to take a break to watch some Jax and Henry slow motion videos for a little bit. If you’ve never watched dogs play in slow motion, you are missing out! I’ll post some of their highlights in stories to prove it 🐶 #goawaycovid #overit #dogsinslowmotion #smallbusiness #dogbusiness #breaktime #dogs #dogwalkerlife #dog #terriermix #rescuedogs #dc #veteranowned #readyforfriday

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⭐In honor of , today we continue to reflect on ways in which we can serve our community. An AWESOME way to do that, is to support veteran owned and veteran friendly businesses! Check out this list we've compiled and let us know in the comments below if we missed your favorite business! ⭐
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Wanderpups Dog Walking Valor Brewpub Compass Coffee Red Bear Brewing Dog Tag Bakery District Cutlery 6 Bears & A Goat Brewing Company Glass Beach Mugs Combat Flip Flops Alpha Coffee Black Rifle Coffee Company and R. Riveter
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