Question: How many sessions will my dog require at La Paw Spa? Answer: Well.. this is a loaded question… the answer to this one depends on about 20 different variables – maybe more. We first will want to discuss your situation with your veterinarian and come up with what our goals are for the work. Here are some examples of programs that have worked well with other dogs – and what we usually do is start slow, take notes and the answer …
Question: I see that all of your appointments are an hour long. I don’t think that my dog can handle that much activity. Do you have any shorter appointments available? Answer: Spa time is a lot more than just the time spent swimming! Along with swimming, we also spend time doing gentle range of motion and massage. We understand that swimming takes a great deal of effort (twenty times more than moving in air!), so we are very careful not to …
Question: My Dog does not know HOW to swim. Is water therapy really the right thing for him? Answer: First of all, it’s really important to understand that swimming is only a portion of the benefit of warm water therapy. With some dogs, swimming isn’t even a part of the program at all. We always begin with bodywork and ROM work at the steps of the pool and slowly get deeper in the water as your dog’s trust and comfort …
Question: Do you wear a wet suit or some kind of full body armour when you work with dogs in water? Don’t you get scratched up doing this work? Answer: This is another one of those soapbox questions! This question always makes me smile… I actually wear as little as I can getaway with in the water when I work – – – and as I tell my students – if you get a scratch, it’s because you weren’t listening! …
Question: I hear that you teach classes and that the dogs you use for the class get free sessions and have a lot of fun! How do I get one of these free sessions!? Answer: Yes !!! Just let me know and we’ll get you signed up! I teach 3 classes each year to students who have never worked in water and for these classes, I need easier dogs and usually draw on my client base. For the 2 advanced …
Question: What else do I need to know before coming to La Paw Spa? Answer: There are many things that will help us to keep the pool safe and clean for everyone. Here are a few tips: Please be certain that your dog is brushed before coming to the spa.If you are self swimming, please be certain to skim the pool of as much hair as possible after your session as a courtesy to the client who comes in after …
Question: You don’t usually answer your phone – how do we reach you? Answer: I am truly sorry about that… I tried to hire staff for the phone thing but I really want to talk to you personally – it is a bit of a challenge when you work in water all the time – – – please do leave a message and dare to be obnoxious about it – pester me… please… In addition to a phone message – …
Question: I notice you only provide sessions 4 days a week and don’t have a staff, how can I get my dog into see you? Answer: One of the big things I teach in all of my classes is to always be the best you can be, to take care of yourself and to be fully present when you are with a client. I practice what I preach here in providing therapy. I limit the number of people who I …
Question: Do you use hoists? How will you get my dog into the water? Answer: This is where I could get on a soap box and stand on street corners… I would never use a hoist… there has never been a dog that we haven’t been able to safely get into the water. I have learned that we need to protect the dogs emotions – especially in that first session as it sets the stage for how therapy will progress. …
Question: What do I need to bring to my spa appointment? Answer: After we have made an appointment for you, please go to the the website and print out the FORMS to bring with you to your first session. If you hit the submit button after you have filled out these forms,then I will get a copy to review before I meet with you – this will help me become more educated about your pup before I meet him/her. All …