About Katrina

Hi! Start here and please read these FAQs.

Me and my 6yo daughter love dogs and being outside. We spend hours outside every day and would be excited to share part of this time with your dog.

We walk in several local parks and know a few dogs in each of them but Oatley Park is our favourite. We have been walking dogs from small to large for over 6 months. Every day we are at one of local dog parks.

Please note that our walks are LONG, minimum 2 hours, sometimes 3, if the weather is suitable. This is why price is higher – it reflects the length of walk.

WHAT DOES DAY CARE INCLUDE?

Dogs that come for day care go with us everywhere. A typical 8-10 hour day will include up to 4 hours of park time, walking on quiet streets of Oatley, beach in Oatley if weather permits and tide is high and time to rest at home. The walks can be spread (morning and afternoon) or all in one go depending on the dog's ability, weather and your wishes.

HOW MANY DOGS DO I TAKE?

You can be sure your dog will get a good time away from home and undivided attention as we will only take one dog at a time.

WHAT DOGS I DON'T TAKE

Note that I cannot take dogs that are reactive to other dogs or people or resource guarding.

WHAT IS MY WALKING STYLE?

As mentioned above, my walks are 2 hours long minimum (unless it is way too hot).

In terms of exercise we keep it tailored to the dog: either light and relaxed or more exercise if the dog is up to it. We stop to sniff and make it enjoyable for the dog. If the dog must be on leash then we will do scent tracking to keep pup's brain busy. I also have a long 5m and 10m leash.

You will get several photos to see what your pup was doing. It may be: tracking in the park, quiet street walk, beach, visiting a dog-friendly cafe, games, relaxing and observing hoomans and other animals.

Every time your dog will get to release some of pent up energy and then relax. We can play some training games such as Look At That, 1-2-3, do some sniff puzzles for brain in a quiet spot once your dog is ready.

Please also remember to prepare a good amount of food to take on our walk. I do make my own sardine treats too and they are very popular.

HOW WILL YOUR DOG BE TREATED?

I ascribe to bond over obedience and non-violent, positive only training principles. I do not yank the leash and so on.

As a child I had a budgee, hamsters, and looked after cats that lived nearby. I have taught my own child that all pets have boundaries and personalities just like people and they need to be respected. We have been reading about dogs a lot. One of our favourite books is by an Australian author Laura Vissaritis called Rescue Dog, which taks about bond between dogs and their people, three books by Steve Mann.

We have also read books by dog behaviour specialists: "On the Other End of The Leash" by Patricia Mcconnell, "Plenty in Life is Free" by Kathy Sdao, "On Talking Terms With Dogs" by Turid Rugaas, "Behaviour Asjustment Training BAT 2.0" by Grisha Stewart to name a few.

WHAT I NEED TO CONFIRM

I prefer to take dogs with a good recall and ones that can go well on leash and off-leash without running away and can be fine with riding in a car. And obviously the dog needs to be OK with a calm 6yo. Size wise it can be small medium or large dog, for example a labrador retriever.

Your dog will come with its own:

1. Collar, harness, leash

2. Your contact details and your vet's

3. Favourite toys (I have a standard size Chuck-it ball launcher but if yours is small include it as well please).

We will need to meet you and your dog beforehand to make sure we will be a good team. ...