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Visit to Taz cafe

It's been awhile since we had the time to bring Amber to a dog cafe, we used to be a frequent customer of Doggiestyle Cafe at NEX, however after moving location with the deteriorating of services, we didn't get to visit any new cafes until recently. Taz Cafe & Bistro is located at Jalan Leban, along Upper Thomson Road, this along with the recent Poodle Cafe were located nearest to us, we had wanted to visit Poodle Cafe initially but after hearing reviews about the place, we decided to try out Taz Cafe first. We took a cab in, the place was not that hard to find if you have an IPhone, we had to guide the driver as usual, they are so pampered that leading the way had became our responsibility, we reached in about 15 minutes.

Choking tools

Seriously, if someone tells you to use a choke chain on your small dog, walk away. Even with large breeds, it's not always necessary to use choking tools to correct a dog unless they have serious behavior problems. Training a dog using steel only causes fear and neck injuries in the long run, those who see their dogs shying away when choke chains are presented will understand what we mean. Most if not all puppies will pull during walks initially, either pulling from behind from not wanting to walk, or pulling in front of owners and rushing. If a steel is tucked underneath their throat and when they start pulling, you are putting force into their trachea, it CAN easily collapse and we are not joking. Puppies are growing animals, no matter how big they will grow into, they should never be introduced to choking tools right away.

Making decisions

Note: this article may contain experience and pictures which are graphic to some people, please refrain from reading on if you are sensitive. I was on my way for the usual walk while waiting for Nicole to come along, as the lift door open, all of the dogs attempted to dash out, as they were all on leash so all i had to do was to hold tight onto the leashes to stop them from rushing forward. All of a sudden, i heard a *pop* sound, a collar came off one of the dogs! I do know that this particular dog was a special case with serious behavior problem, to be exact, he snaps whenever he doesn't like anything. Instinctively, the first thought on my mind was, "what should i do?" with my hands reaching out to grab the dog by it's body first, remember that during this period of time i only had about 3 seconds (at the most) to react , i didn't even have a choice to reconsider but to just grab the dog first, then decide later, the second thought was "am i getting bitt

What should your dog be doing when you are not at home?

I'm sure most owners had felt guilty at least once in awhile for leaving their dogs alone at home, well this short article shares our experience on a dog's feeling and message based on their body language (do note that there is nothing psychic *sarcasm*, just pure science and experience), hopefully this can help you understand better on knowing if worrying is needed. If your dog is: Sitting close to the door Take note! Camping at the door can either be a form of anxiety or guarding behavior, it could even be both. If your dog barks whenever there are passerby, it's probably a guarding problem, if there are random whining or barking and you can't figure out the cause, then refer to the rest of the list below. If your dog is just resting near the door, then you may need to monitor closely for now. Remember, guarding is not because your dog loves you or wishes to protect your house, it is a stressful behavior then can lead to depression. http://ambertoypoodle.blogs

Testimonial - Antonius & Patricia

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Testimonial - Wuan Chin

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Testimonial - Wuan Chin (text version)

我真的很感谢 Jeryl 和 Nicole 教会了我照顾小狗的基本知识。听起来很简单的小狗基本训练,其实一点都不简单。需要小狗主人原意配合,也需要很大的耐心去完成。 在上 Jeryl 和 Nicole 的课之前, 我最大的困扰是不知道怎么解决 Orange 在家里随地大小便的问题。在他们的指点下,改善了很多。 Jeryl 和 Nicole 细心的教导也让我学会去注意观察 Orange 的肢体动作,来了解小狗的心情。 上了三堂课,我觉得自己比之前懂得应付 Orange。重要的是,我觉得 Orange 也变得比较"开心"了。 Wuan Chin

Testimonial - Gina & Alvin

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Testimonial - Gina & Alvin (text version)

For those who have watched the Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan, will definitely be comfortable with the training from AmberToyPoodle. Their training was very professional and the trainer took time to understand our concerns and needs. As first time dog owners, both my hubby and I definitely made some mistakes. The training was also very similiar to Cesar's "Exercise, discipline and last affection". Through the training, we learnt to train our dog properly and not in a haphard kind of way. More importantly, the trainer taught us how to deal with our dog Rocky's separation anxiety. We would recommend the basic obedience class to first time dog owners like myself. Let's continue to be the best Pack leader we can ! Love Alvin and Gina (Rocky's Owner)

Pet Products Review - Snooza Pet Futon

Being strict with products quality and look, we had to decide among a wide variety of quality dog beds, after some research, our final decision were either Coolaroo Elevated Bed or Snooza Futon. Basic comparisons of the 2 beds Snooza Futon The Snooza Futon, which was made of Australian wool (lavender warmer) to maintain comfort, was said to provide coolness during warm weather and warmth during cold weather, the cover is removable for washing machine use, it came in 3 colors - Beige, Blue & Green. Coolaroo Elevated Bed As for Coolaroo Elevated Bed, it was designed like a tree bed to reduce pressure on the body of dogs using breathable and stretchy fabric, this could benefit dogs with joint and back problems. Coolaroo bed comes in only green color. Both Snooza Futon and Coolaroo bed had anti flea properties.

Dog myth 10: Psychics can talk to my dog

Dog myth 10: Psychics can talk to my dog As owners are spending more money on their dogs, it is natural that some people would find ways to make as much money as possible from those that are vulnerable, even if lying is needed, and animal psychics, or what most of them like to call themselves animal communicators, are actually one of them. As we start to meet more and more owners who's dog has behavior problems training under us, we noticed that some of them seemed to have completely misunderstood their dog just because a psychic tells them that their dogs are thinking of this and that. Many were still unable to solve their dog's problem after the visit, what makes things worst is that these owners are brainwashed about dog behaviors, which in return creates more stress in their dogs, this not only causes confusion in dogs and owners, but also make lessons hard for us to conduct as owners have the mindset that dogs can talk through images and telepathy, this may sound crazy f

Dental care for dogs

The teeth of a dog is very important, same for humans, having a poorly maintained set of teeth can affect your dog more than you think. I'm sure all owners who love their dogs have thought of bringing them for dental scaling at some point throughout their life, however due to certain reasons most don't. In this post we will talk more about the dental health of a dog and how professional dental scaling can help make your dog's later part of life better. What will happen to dogs with dirty teeth? 1) Dental diseases When your dog's teeth is dirty, it means that a lot of germs and bacteria can accumulate inside their mouth, this can lead to a lot of dental diseases like gingivitis, periodontitis (gum & bone infection) and accumulation of plaque and tartar. 2) Bad breath Other than dental diseases, dogs with dirty teeth may also start to produce bad breath, some are so bad (depending on how bad the condition) that owners can even smell it from a distance, licking

Testimonial - Cass & Ryan (text version)

​We adopted Crystal for about 3 months before we engaged Jeryl and Nicole for housebreaking training. It was very stressful as we don’t know when and where she was going to release herself. Through words of mouth, we got to know Jeryl and Nicole. By 2nd week of training Crystal was able to pee and poo in the right pee tray with only occassional misses. Jeryl and Nicole also generously share with us their indepth knowledge of how to walk the dog, care for her such as grooming her. Through their patience, we are able  to 'communicate' better with Crystal! We can now ask her to wait, call her name and she will come to us and also let her know when not to do certain things that we don’t want her to do. The lessons does not end when the training sessions end. They will follow up with us and we can still consult them for things that we don’t know. Thank you very much for your training. Cass & Ryan

Testimonial - Cass & Ryan

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Unethical dog businesses

From time to time we will share news and reports of claims about other owner's bad experience with dog services in Singapore, this although could be baseless claims, are actually very important for people to take note of. Our goal is not to side either parties, but to let viewers decide for themselves whether or not to take preventive measures, we stand on the side of dogs and will not tolerate them being made used of. We recently shared a claim about a pet store selling puppies that seemed to have contacted diseases when it was brought home, the conversation stated that this pet store promised the puppy is in good health before purchase was made, apparently after a couple of days this was not the case, the pet store then blamed on the owner for not bringing the puppy back right away when it showed symptoms, this was also not the first case from the particular pet store, hence we simply shared a screenshot of a conversation between a customer and the pet store, we hoped that if t

Tara & Tasha

Dog myth 09: My dog growls because it is just acting

Dog Myth 09 - My dog growls because it is just acting When a dog growls there can be a lot of meaning behind and no, acting is not one of the reasons. Growling is one of the very few ways that dogs can communicate verbally, in nature there are only two kinds of growls, which are both triggered by instinct, one is growling during plays/activities, you may hear this when a dog is hunting, playing with toys or with another dog, the other simply means warning, which usually sounds deeper than play growls, the dog is warning something or someone to back off, if the situation still does not benefit the dog it may then bark, snap, freeze still or back off, freezing still does not mean that the dog is not doing anything, it is a warning sign. Nowadays, a lot of owners do not want to understand anything about their dog, they like to humanize anything that looks cute to them, this is selfish and does not benefit the pet in any form of ways, it will only cause more misunderstandings and will

Paws & Friends Event 2014

Video here: August was a month filled with dog events, we had actually planned to leave the slots empty for this period of time but Fluffy's stay had to be extended due to unforeseen circumstances, so we decided to bring him along! Hana could not tag along with us to Discover Dogs 2014 as we were concerned about her heat period, which might cause issues with other male dogs out there, with outdoor events they are also prone to accidents like vehicles, aggressive dogs and picking up of food, after seeing incidents caused by irresponsible owners/people out there, we are now very careful about bringing more than 2 dogs out for events, we want to make sure that we can really control the situation and watch over them very closely to prevent any unwanted accidents. Tasha, Amber & Fluffy! We took a cab reminding the driver that Bishan Active Park was the destination but were dropped off at Bishan Park instead, so we took the chance to have a stroll with the furkids,

Hana

Coco~

Discover dogs 2014

Another year has passed and it's time for Discover Dogs again! Last year, we went with Toffee and his family, this year, we brought Amber and Tasha along. posing for the camera As we were pretty busy with work, we reached late at about 1pm. Before leaving our place, we let Tasha and Amber wore some clothes, Tasha had no problem wearing clothes, we gave her the one gifted by Shinee's owner previously. As for Amber, because we were concerned about her tail, we gave her the red Chinese New Year dress that can be buttoned underneath for better comfort, it was supposed to be worn for just awhile, she seemed to be better with it after a few minutes.

Sun Ray Cafe

Not viewing the photos or ask much about the place, we brought Amber to Sun Ray Cafe, we wanted to be surprised instead. Located at Brighton Crescent (Serangoon), Sun Ray Cafe is the closest dog cafe to our place since Doggiestyle Cafe had moved to east coast road (previously located at NEX mall). Transport We called a cab, in which the driver turned on the meter and started flipping his directory book, after 5 minutes he still couldn't find his directions so we called another cab, same thing happened and we had no choice but to find the way for him. Not sure what is it with cabs nowadays, in the past there were no GPS but every cab driver knew exactly which way to go, some would even offer to refund us if they made mistakes (though we didn't take the offer), they were also much more friendlier, down to earth and polite, nowadays we just meet rude drivers who simply command us to direct them, some even talk loudly on phone inside their cars. Views of the cafe~ Fi

How to be pretty in 5 simple steps

What to get after your dog arrive

After sharing on the things to get before your dog arrive (Click here to read) , we will be sharing on what to get after your dog arrive in this post! Note: * marks brand that we carry. 1) More Toys Toys may sound like an optional item but it is actually one of the most important thing you'd want to get once you bring your dog home, dog toys are great to reduce boredom and helps teething, toys also teaches a dog to chew on the things that you allow. Do get toys that suit your dog's size, get those that are good in quality too, some of the good brands are Kong, AFP * , Heardoggy * , Busy Buddy * , Nylabone * & Petstages * .

NDP 2014's Discount Booklet (RANT)

Recently circulated online, this is a picture of NDP 2014's Discount Booklet, right in the middle there is an advertisement which caused a lot of negative reaction from dog lovers in Singapore, this is an advertisement for sale of dogs, to make things worst, the pet store introduced an all new instalment system to attract more people to buy their puppies. Before we go on, it has to be clarified that this is a personal opinion, it can be considered a rant if you like, please refrain from reading if you are unable to accept harsh opinions. The problem with this is not as most complained, where they felt angry because the pet store treated animals like a car that can be paid with instalments Our concern was that this will attract even more people who cannot afford a dog but wants to own one, this can easily range from impulsive people to students who do not have income and has no one to support the dog in time to come, if one is not capable to purchase a dog, then up keeping t

May 2014 - Bedok Reservoir Trip

Recently we brought Amber to Bedok reservoir for her yearly vaccine, it's been about a year since we last visited this place as we had moved location. Happy when she gets to go out! Before the appointment for vaccination we took Amber to the reservoir for a walk, there seemed to be more people compared to the previous visit. As it was about to rain, Amber seemed to feel uneasy upon crossing the platform - the wooden platform was really shaky due to the wind and she was a bit confused. We then walked her to the end of the platform and practiced some tricks, this was also the time when we encountered a group of silverfish-like bugs, they were flying and knocking onto us, Amber got really uncomfortable and did not perform well, it just didn't seem to be a good day for her. Amber did had some fun as we started to put her off leash to play but it only lasted for awhile before it started raining, thus we had to let her rest in the carrier while waiting for her vaccination appo

Testimonial - Jacqueline (text version)

Coco was 5 months when I realized that she really need to attend obedient training. That was when I started looking for information and happen to came across Amber the red toy poodle. She was an impatient, active and misbehavior kid. I felt that I need to let her go through the training as soon as possible so that we can correct her mistakes. Jeryl and Nicole were very patient throughout the 3 lessons. After the first lesson, I saw big improvement in Coco.  I learnt a lot from them especially my mistakes as in not strict enough with her which causes her trying to be my leader. I got to know even better how she behavior and understands her every single movement. I can handle the leash better when we go for a walk. Now, she will wait for her food until I say "go" unlike in the past. Jeryl and Nicole will also do a follow up with us after all the lessons ended. Glad that we have made the right choice. I enjoyed the lessons with Jeryl and Nicole. Thanks for the advices an

Testimonial - Jacqueline

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Please, pick up after your dog!

While walking at the park, we always notice poo leftover by other dogs, though we are affected with whether or not people will think we are the culprit, we are also concerned about owners like this appearing as dog owners are increasing in Singapore. This not only causes unwanted hate towards dogs but also make the environment unpleasant to be in. One of the case, we caught an owner walking his poodle at the park, the poodle clearly pooped in front of him, he looked around and walked away without picking up after his dog. We followed him and approached to tell him nicely, he was surprised and seemed ashamed of himself, told us that he did not noticed it and rushed back to the same spot even though we did not say where. We kindly explained to him that there are a lot of dog complains in our area even though it's new, would be great if everyone can be responsible, he seemed to understand. Please, pick up after your dog!

Lowest rated dog food

Hi all, other than feeding your dog the best food, though there is no such thing as "best", are you unknowingly feeding your dog the "worst" dog food? Below is a list of Lowest Rated dog food in the market: Alpo Dog Food (Dry) Atta Boy! Dog Food (Dry) Beneful Dog Food (Dry) Beneful Dog Food (Summary) Big Red Dog Food (Dry) Bruiser Dog Food (Dry) Buckeye Dog Food (Dry) Caliber Dog Food (Dry) Chef Michael’s Dog Food (Dry) Country Acres Dog Food (Dry) Country Squire Dog Food (Dry) Country Vet Choice Dog Food (Dry) Dad’s Dog Food (Dry) Doggy Bag Dog Food (Dry) Everpet Dog Food (Dry) Eukanuba Dog Food (Dry) Extreme Dog Fuel (Dry) Gayoso Farms Dog Food (Dry) Good Sense Dog Food (Dry) Gravy Train Dog Food (Dry) Hi-Point Dog Food (Dry) Hill’s Prescription Diet W/D Canine (Dry) Hill’s Science Diet Adult Light (Canned) Hill’s Science Diet Mature Adult (Canned) Hubbard Life Country Balance (Dry) Hubbard Life Dog Food (Dry) Hungry Hound Dog Food (Dry) Hunter’s Spe

Testimonial - William, Livia & Jovan (text version)

Begin first time owner of a dog, we do not know how to train our dog, Cookie. While doing research on the internet, I came across Amber a red toy poodle story blog. Reading every single post from the website, I told my wife about it and we decide to engage Jeryl and Nicole for the basic training. As Cookie is still only 2 months old when she joined our family, she can’t start her training till her third jab. During those weeks of wait, we had a hard time with Cookie around and we are like “panda” and didn’t have enough sleep due to Cookie misbehaving and waking us up in the early morning. We feel the difference after first training, Cookie is better behaved and we had our “beauty” sleep now. Cookie is more responsive to the command taught by Jeryl and Nicole. In addition, before and during the training period when we encounter problems, Nicole is very patient to answer questions regarding Cookie. With the completion of the three training, we will like to take this chance to

Testimonial - William, Livia & Jovan

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Tips to prevent your dog from running away

Recently there had been more and more cases of dogs getting lost, in this post we will share with you the reasons based on our personal experience and knowledge, hopefully this can let more dog owners understand why dogs run away and take future precaution to keep their furkids safe from incidents like this. For owners The number one reason for dogs to run away is because of their owners, there are no excuses for this no matter how agile or intelligent the dog is, your dog is your responsibility to keep it safe from any danger so there is no one to blame other than the humans in charge. Even if you have tried 1000 times and your dog is still safe and returning to you might not mean anything, just one careless mistake and it might just be gone forever, a lot of owners regret after ignoring our advice and we do not want any of this to happen to anyone. Other than risking accidents when dogs escape, there are also 'dog thieves' that would loiter at places with dog owners, they

Tips on practicing proper dog manners outdoors

After sharing about the things you can do with your dog recently, we want to share some tips on practicing good manners when bringing your dog outdoors, this is prevent misunderstandings and also to minimize accidents that can happen to both you and other people's dogs. We want to keep the country as dog friendly as possible, there are more and more irresponsible owners appearing and this is not healthy for dog lovers like us, we hope everyone can work together to create harmony between dogs and people. Do note that the tips suggested are based on our knowledge, most of them do not reflect on the laws in Singapore, personally we do not feel that everything has to be forced to make peace, people need to learn and judge things based on their conscience than relying on fines to know what is right and wrong. Dos Keep untrained dogs on leash at all times This is very important, to always keep your untrained dog on a leash, dogs that rush to any people or dogs they see are very d

The risk of learning dog behaviours & health through Online Media

Recently, there had been a rumor spreading throughout the internet, it is about dogs getting gastric cramps and risking their lives after eating ice cubes or drinking ice water, here's how the story goes: " WARNING regarding Ice Water and Ice Cubes in your Dogs [sic] Water Bowl Hello Everyone, I am writing this in hopes that some may learn from what I just went through. We were having a good weekend till Saturday. On Saturday I showed my Baran and left the ring. He was looking good and at the top of his game. He had a chance at no less then one of the two AOM's. It did not work out that way. After showing we went back to our site/set up and got the dogs in their crates to cool off. After being back about 30 min. I noticed Baran was low on water. I took a hand full of ice from my cooler and put it in his bucket with more water. We then started to get all the dogs Ex'ed and food ready for them. I had Baran in his 48' crate in the van because this is the place h

Amber's update

We would like to share some updates about Amber, her progress as well as the obstacles she faced during these period of time. We were training her to be a semi working dog, to look after other dogs and help them learn good habits. To adapt Amber to look after a bigger area, we increased the size of her den, Amber's den used to be a 3x2 feet crate but now she is allowed to roam the whole room, it took her about a week to get used to the bigger space. Things were not so simple during the first week, Amber got nervous and would get startled easily because of the big space, she became rebellious and even turned aggressive towards us a couple of times during correction. Dogs need dens to feel secure and safe, they guard this place like their home, they also eat and sleep there, when you give a dog a bigger space, they will treat that whole space as their den, this is when they feel stressed out. If you know how to read a dog's body language, you will find that they will become muc

101 Dog Myths 08: My dog is portraying unwanted behaviors because of it's breed

Dog Myths 08 -  My dog is portraying unwanted behaviors because of it's breed We noticed that a lot of people associate their dog's unwanted behaviors with the breed, be it barking, aggression or even eating habits, the breed of the dog would always be the "number one culprit". This misconception is getting worst as more people start to spread fake information, just like the how Pit Bull rumors came about that caused a lot of dogs to be put down, we will elaborate further below. When we talk about dog breeds, we are talking about the features, size and characteristics according to what a particular breed is bred for, this although is important for owners to understand before deciding on a dog should not be relied on excessively. For example, poodles in the past are used as a hunting dog, so most of them are energetic, smart and good swimmers, this should tell you that the breed needs to be exercised daily because of the energy level, however most people misunderst

Being involved

During my service days many years ago, I was offered a side job to catch stray dogs and bring them outside, further into the forest they said. I was offered $300 per dog (at that point of time this money was useful for someone in the service), however I rejected the offer knowing what was going on, I was well aware where these dogs would be taken to, and no it's not to the forest.

Our Online shop has officially launched!

We have finally launched our online shop after 7 months of planning and design! In the midst of brainstorming we have also designed a logo to represent not only for our Online Shop, but also for Obedience Training and Rehabilitation service, we want to let people know that we are serious in what we do. The meaning of our Logo The word "Petit Pooch" means Small Dog(s), this is to emphasize that we specialize in small-medium breeds. Petit Pooch logo was designed in such a way that it looked serious from the outside, but within are hidden meanings to show a fun side behind the serious looks, the "i" word was replaced with a small paw to represent small dog, the two "o" in Pooch is joined together to show packs or teamwork (we work in a pair), we want to convey a message to say that even though we are strict when it comes to training dogs, we do play hard when it's time to play, thus the 3 distinctive colors are also seen as points to categorize our

Things to do with your dog

This post is created to list down the things that you can enjoy with your dog, a lot of people think that playing toys and letting their dogs run is the only activity to do with them. Dogs are highly intelligent and social animals, other than appreciating daily routine and exercises, they also enjoy surprises every now and then, we'd always advice owners to mix some new stuff and try different things to let their dogs feel fresh and enjoy more quality activities! We will update this post every now and then thus the date of the post schedule will be refreshed to the top every time its updated, this way readers can know changes have been made :) Before you read on, please click here to learn some tips on practicing proper dog manners outdoors.

Truth about the dog industry - Personal Opinion

Some of you might have seen this video circulating around the internet these few days, it's a video of what seemed like a dog trainer 'abusing' her dog. This was what one of the passerby said while sharing the video he/she recorded during an encounter at Expo recently, whereby there was an obedience competition for dogs.

Pet Products Review - Paw Care

Paw Care is a paw cleaning product made for dogs, the creators of this product aims to replace traditional cleaning methods with this invention. Paw Care's set comes with a container and a packet of compound, it's said to consist ingredients like jojoba oil and allantoin, which are good for the skin.

Testimonial - Pei Shi (text version)

I came across Amber-A red toy poodle story while searching for suitable behavior training sessions for my 1 yr old plus red poodle, Koko. After a total of 4 training sessions with Jeryl and Nicole, we have came to realise that often it is the indulgence of us that causes Koko to misbehave. Both Jeryl and Nicole are very observant in noting down our mistakes made when interacting with Koko and were very patient in pointing these out to us and coaching us the correct way of doing so. From the training sessions, we can tell that both Jeryl and Nicole have a deep understanding of behavior exhibited by dogs and their emotions. Carrying out the trainings at home was an added advantage as they were able to observe Koko's natural behavior at home. On top of that, they even offered advice and tips on pet care - even going to the extent of bringing samples for us. We are very glad to see a big improvement in Koko's behavior just after the 1st 2 sessions! All the aims we set to achieve du

Testimonial - Pei Shi

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101 Dog Myths 07: Dogs will be happier if they meet a new companion

Dog Myths 07 - Dogs will be happier if they meet a new companion Most owners believe that their dog will enjoy a new companion, since they look moody when being alone, why not get another dog to accompany them right? Well we can understand how logical it sounds but things are usually not that simple, we'll explain why. Imagine this: You have been living alone in your house most of your life, one day, someone suddenly enters your house, eats with you, sleep in the same house as you and claims that he/she is here to be your friend, how will you feel?

A trip to Seletar Farmway

We recently went to Seletar Farmway and had the chance to visit around the place. Seletar Farmway has this newly opened pet supply store called Sun Petgamart, we decided to visit this place as our supplies was finishing, a friend said their items were cheap so we just went to take a look. Seletar Farmway was located near our place, we took a cab and reached in about 10 minutes, the first impression we got upon reaching was similar to Pasir Ris Farmway - secluded area, lots of trees, shops are isolated.

Conversation with a Pet Communicator

As requested by readers to post up our experience as soon as possible, here goes. Elaborated from our post on Pet Expo 2014 ... I approached the lady from the booth, she told me that she was an animal communicator, I acted unfamiliar with the terms and politely asked her to explain the meaning of an animal communicator to me. This lady was claimed by a friend of mine to be one of the best in Singapore, this communicator is known to be friendly and do not mind helping her friends to read their dogs for free, we managed to meet this person and find out for ourselves! Though she was not very well spoken, the communicator was friendly and answered all my questions without hesitation, here's our conversation below: Me: May I know what is an animal communicator? Lady: We speak to animals and understand how they feel, we can also find out about their past life (reincarnation).

Dog selection tips Part 3 - Age

Age Other than knowing the proper way to selecting a healthy puppy ( click here to learn how ), understanding the pros and cons of a dog's age can help you to gauge their behaviors and health risks. This article is created to help people increase their chance of getting an idea dog that suits their lifestyle and personality. Though all dogs grow old no matter their age, it is still beneficial to know about the general character of a dog based on its age, this aims to eliminate concerns that new owners might have. Do note that this is just a guideline to give people a rough understanding of what to expect, we will never advice anyone to judge a dog's learning ability just based on it's age, therefore this guide is placed on the 3rd consideration among other factors. For example, inexperienced owners knowing that they are not prepared to handle a senior dog can choose to first get one that is younger, this gives them a couple of years to get used to handling a younger dog

Testimonial - Sharon (text version)

Thank you Nicole and Jeryl! It was about two months back when I realised Hana's housebreaking and behaviour was getting worse. I googled for dog trainers on the net and realised that they were NOT CHEAP - all ranged from at least $800-$1000. Then while browsing I came across Amber - A Red Toy Poodle Story. Their training fees were much more reasonable and they also had a toy poodle - Amber which was the same breed as Hana.  When I first met Nicole and Jeryl, the first thing that came to my mind was, "Wow, such a young couple." I admit to being a little unsure at first. But as young as they may seem, they are so detailed, very experienced, and not to mention, very friendly. Nicole continuously wrote notes in her small notebook during the training while Jeryl did the training and talking. They taught me about "positive energy" while training and explained to me why "negative energy" (anger and impatience) can affect Hana. I am so impressed with

Testimonial - Sharon

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A trip to Pet expo 2014

We are just back from Pet Expo 2014 event last weekend, this was held from 28 February 2014 till 2 March 2014, the event lasted a total of 3 days. Note: Below's post reflects our personal experience and opinion throughout the whole event, as usual, we do not hide any facts nor opinions thus it may not suit to everyone's taste, please refrain from reading if you are unable to accept sensitive topics. We went on Saturday, took a cab in and reached at about 11am, being early we managed to get into the event right away without having to queue. The set up looked similar to other dog events that we had attended, it was pretty huge, however we noticed that the speakers corner was pushed right to the end of the hall, which wasn't noticeable until we walked further in. Amber getting ready to go out!

Testimonial - Alicia

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Testimonial - Angeline (text version)

Dear Jeryl and Nicole, Thank you so much for taking care of Lele these few days. I couldn't have chosen a better place for Lele at be at. Just within a few days at your place, I really can see a difference with my pup. Sounds exaggerating but it's true! He's much gentler, less demanding and more observant within a short span of 4 days. We noticed the difference immediately once we got home. I signed up for an obedience class already before I met you guys or I would have engaged you guys for obedience training for him. Lastly, thanks for the great service and updates on the Facebook daily. It was really fun to keep checking onto Facebook daily and watch the clips of him making friends with Amber and other dogs while I was at Hong Kong. Thanks a lot for the effort to teach him and not simply board him. If his size permits, we hope to continue to board him at your place in future. Angeline View original version

Testimonial - Angeline

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101 Dog Myths 06: Dogs will become obedient by themselves once they grow older

Dog Myths 06 - Dogs will become obedient by themselves once they grow older We have seen many people that advice dog owners that they do not need to worry about their puppy's bad behavior, that this is just part of growing process and will gradually disappear once the dog grows older, now this is not true and we will explain why. You first need to understand the life stages of a dog and how they react and behave towards certain things, dogs grow and change as time passes so it is never wise to think that your dog will forever be as it is. Below we will briefly explain the growing stages of a puppy and how certain scenarios can affect them. When puppies are born, they have no knowledge nor habits, their first instinct is to look for their mother to take care of their needs. Once the puppies are strong enough to walk and have their senses developed at about 3 weeks old, they will start to be curious about things around them, this is also the time when discipline start, the mo

Dog selection tips Part 2 - Breed

Breed Introduction Be it sizes, character or appeal factor, most of you might have a particular breed of dog in mind before even deciding on getting a dog, however the breed that you like may not always be suitable for you. During breed selection process most people do not put genetics/character in mind, size and appeal factor are usually considered instead. Every dog comes from different background and is bred/born for different purposes - guarding, guiding, tricks, hunting etc. If you were to select a dog based on looks first then you might have trouble understanding your dog in time to come, stress will then build up in both owner/dog relationship and this will become very unhealthy for both parties. When talking about breeds that are bred for different purposes, you should also take note of the traits brought on from the past all the way till present date, leaving out gaps in between will not be advisable.

Pet Products Review - Yogi Water Bowl

Having tried and used many different kinds of pee trays, Yogi Pee Tray proved to be the best. Because of this we have recently gotten their water bowl and would also like to give our personal review on it. Yogi is a brand that was created in Korea, designed by POWDA, their list of pet products are fairly limited but every single item is known to be simple and innovative, this had inspired other manufacturers to create similar products that are of lower quality. Yogi Water Bowl is something that may look strange at first glance, it is a water bowl and yet you can't really any water in it, resulting in people wondering whether it is a food or water bowl.

Dog selection tips Part 1 - Buy or Adopt?

We would like to share some tips on Dog selection, the pros and cons of the decision you make and also what to expect, this serves to provide additional knowledge for those who have already owned a dog and those who are interested in getting one in future. This guide will be broken down into 3 sections and is advisable to be read from Part 1 to Part 3, feel free to ask if there is anything unsure. Introduction Usually when talking about getting a dog most people would put Dog Breed as their first step towards choosing a dog, however in this guide it will be different as we place Buy or Adopt first. Reason is because we feel that situations like birth environment and how a particular dog is brought up defines the dog's character, health and habit much more than the nature of the breed itself. Do note that we are talking about dogs in Singapore, breeds like pit bull terriers, wolf hybrid and other uncommon breeds that is rare or not available in this country should not be taken

Testimonial - Kenneth & Charlene

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Testimonial - Kenneth & Charlene (text version)

"As first time owners, we did not know what having a dog meant. Watching episodes of the dog whisperer made training the dog easy enough but they were not as simple after we got cupcake. We could never touch her ears, she growls when feeding and she would snap at us (we later realize that these were signs of fear aggression). When Jeryl and Nicole arrived at our doorstep, we were surprised to see a young couple. Nevertheless, they immediately showed their professionalism and love for dogs. They spent time talking to us and observing the dog. While Jeryl did the main training, Nicole had her handy notebook to record their observations. They were impossibly patient, repeatedly giving the commands till the puppy learnt and obeyed. What we really love is the customised experience. With the training at our home, they were able to give good advice on what we should or should not do (for first time owners, we really made a few faux pas). After telling them what problems we faced,

Testimonial - Jessica

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Testimonial - Jessica (text version)

A great Thank You to both Jeryl and Nicole that I now have an obedient and lovable dog, Tara. Few months back, I bought a two months old toy poodle after doing much research on dog breeds. Toy poodles are naturally intelligent and excellent for a first time dog owner. However, there were still many common problems that I faced such as toilet training, biting and walking thus I went online, hoping to look for solutions on how I should counter them. That was when I came across the Red Toy Poodle Story. I was amazed on the tips given and the clear instructions on many dog issues. I went ahead to email Nicole on the problems I was facing and she gave me one whole page of her opinions according to her experiences. She was not selfish at all in sharing her thoughts so I decided to engage them as trainers, believing they would solve all my problems. True that, Tara was toilet trained after the second lesson and all other problems were minimised as well. Jeryl would still constantly text

An encounter during walk

Recently while walking the dogs, I met a large breed mongrel, it's owner was waiting for the lift in front of us. They were pretty far away, about 100 meters from where I was standing so I couldn't see very clearly, then suddenly the dog came running towards us, I then found out that it was not leashed! I was in time to access the mongrel's situation to know that it was not aggressive, his owner was shouting his dog's name from the lift, apparently the dog didn't listen at all. Now, one of our boarding dog growled at the mongrel, in which the mongrel growled back at him, not wanting to risk any accidents (though the mongrel didn't show any symptoms of aggression), I shouted "No" and leaned my body forward at the dog and it backed off. The owner then started to apologize to me, not wanting to argue nor encourage his actions, I did not say anything but simply walked away. Even though the dog is probably adopted, I knew that the owner was very inexper