Wags and Purrs Pet Sitter, Dog trainer and Animal Behaviourist

27/11/2025

Its been ages since I wrote on here. Just an update on my services.
I offer the following services. References are available.

Dog and Cat Behaviour consults @ R700 for a consult , report and a follow up visit if needed

House sitting @ R300 a night but it is more if you have 5 pets or more.

Dog Training- R250 a session- Lessons are done in the comfort of your home.

I use positive reinforcement training methods and am a gentle and patient trainer. I like to make training fun so will often make jokes while we are training and talk to your dogs and give them encouragement. I like set dogs and owners up to succeed and have a blast.

22/02/2024

PUPPY BITING - Dear Wags and Purrs readers again sorry for not posting for a while. I have had a few clients asking me this year about how to stop their puppy from mouthing them constantly. When they shout at the puppy or push the puppy away the puppy just becomes more frenzied and bites even more. I have just recently done a puppy course and heard some interesting tips on biting.

So the reason why puppies mouth /bite us is for the following reasons.
1. Teething - puppy teeth come through at around 8/9 weeks and then the baby teeth fall out and are replaced by adult teeth. This can go onto until around 9 months so it's quite a sore time for puppies. chewing things can help puppies with the pain. Try and give your puppies frozen kongs, tea towels dipped in water or chicken broth and then frozen etc the coolness of these things is very soothing for your puppy.

2. Diet- is your dog eating properly. If they are not eating properly and feel hungry this can make them feel a bit irritable and want to bite . make sure your puppy is eating their 3 meals a day and that they are having a good balanced diet.

3. Tiredness - this is something most of us don't think of. Puppies need to have a lot of rest time. They need around 14 hours a day of rest/ sleep. When puppies get over tired they can become very cranky and this can be shown in biting owners and not listening to the owners when they try and stop them biting. Think of an over tired toddler throwing a tantrum. Make sure your dogs is getting enough down time during the day. Put them in a puppy pen ,crate or a quite room where they are not being disturbed by people or other animals and let them sleep.

4. Play - \some puppies mouth just to play. They think we are siblings that they can play with and so bite and jump on us. You can try and replace your hands with other more suitable toys or stand up and leave the room when they get too much.

Hopefully this helps you with your mouthing pup!

All the best
Clare

21/12/2023

WHAT TOPICS DO YOU WANT ME TO POST ON THIS PAGE- Dear Fellow Wags and Purrs Followers I need to work on this page a bit more next year to make it more interesting. What dog /cat behaviour /training topics would you find useful for me to post on my page. I have notes for tons of things dog and cat related. So maybe you would like some tips shared on toilet training, spraying, jumping (dogs), exessive barking, choosing the right breed of dog, things to expect when getting a puppy etc .you can let me know .

28/11/2023

Hi Everyone
Sorry i have been quiet on this page this year. It's been a bit slower than the other years with business. I have been doing lots of cat behaviour consults and a few dog consults and dog training. i have also done 4 wonderful pet summits on Zoom this year all about dog/ cat anxiety and aggression.

Something that was raised quite a bit in these talks was giving your dog consent and listening to their needs. So for example if you have leash reactive or nervous dog and you take them a to a dog park and force them to engage with lots of different dogs you are not listening to their needs or allowing them consent. Rather take your dog out for a walk and let them decide if they want to go up to dogs or walk another direction and avoid those dogs. I have tried this with two nervous dogs I work with and it works well.

The one dog wanted to walk down all the streets in the neighbourhood where there were not as many dogs behind fences. When I tried to force him to walk down a street with lots of dogs he showed very nervous body language and would not walk. the course also discusses how to talk to your pets more. Explain things to them when you are out especially with nervous dogs.

So you'd say there is a dog approachng us on lead what should we do? He looks friendly but if you don't want to meet him its ok.

I know this sounds a bit odd and I was a bit skeptical of speaking to my nervous dog client like this but I did and he seemed much calmer.

So basically listen to your dog , observe their body language (what is your dog telling you with their body language) and consent to letting your dog walk away from the scary ting if needed .

07/06/2023

I am doing a course this week on Reactive dogs and how to treat them. Very fascinating course and certainly gives me a new perspective on how to help these dogs and cats.

29/05/2023

Sorry i have been so quiet in posting on this page. I have a Instagram page now called clarewagsandpurrs where you can see photos of animals I have house sit for. It has been a quiet year so far with some cat behaviour consults, dog training and also net working with other behaivourists to learn more skills. Watch this page for new photos soon

07/08/2022

07/08/2022

This weekend (6 and 7 and August) I started my group classes for wags and Purrs. There are still not many people in the classes but I am hoping in time this will change. the dogs still had fun meeting each other and learning some good lessons. Feel free to contact me for details on group classes xx clare

04/07/2022

GROUP CLASSES NOW AT BERGVLIET AND CAPRI- Dear Wags and Purrs followers. I am going to be doing group classes from 1 August 2022 at Bergvliet Girl Guide grounds and a school in Tokai and also at two properties in Capri/ Sunnydale on weekends. To book your lessons contact me on what app or e-mail xx

05/01/2022

Wags and Purrs is on instagram. My handle is clarewagsandpurrs you can see photos of dogs and cats I have house sat for and dogs I have trained.

02/01/2022

Happy New Year Wags and Purrs members. I have a few exciting ideas planned for 2022. I am also on Instagram now. My handle is clarewagsandpurrs. My prices have gone up so just message me for info on new prices. I have references now of training and house sitting clients if you need them.
Look forward to working with lots of new dogs and cats this year.