Spóla Dogsitting Guide

	Name	Spóla
	Breed	Golden Retriever x Border Collie
	Weight	21 kg
	Age
	Born	22 July 2024

Daily Schedule

Before 8:00	One of you will wake the other one up. Breakfast, then 15-min pee-poo walk.
12:00–15:00	Extended 30+ min walk (she sleeps most of the morning).
18:00	Dinner, then 15-min pee-poo walk.
18:30–20:30	Playtime - she gets bored and wants attention at some point(s) during this time.
20:30–21:00	She asks for final pee break, then she takes herself to bed after.

She typically will pee during every walk, and will poo twice a day. Sometimes she needs an extra pee walk - she will let you know.

Feeding

⚠️ Allergy Warning: She gets really itchy if fed chicken - please do not feed her chicken.

Main Food (Breakfast & Dinner)

Food: Royal Canin Golden Retriever
Where: Available at Dýraheimar, Byko, sometimes Garðheimar

Amount: One plastic cup (~200–250g), enough to fill her bowl. Add water to half-fill the bowl.

Bowl: She is fed in a tricky/slow-feeder bowl due to speed of eating.

Supplements: With breakfast only, add a sprinkle of psyllium husk + a prebiotic tablet.

Treats (For Commands & Training)

Treats: Josera Lamb and Rice
Where: Available at Gæludýr

Usage: Give treats during walks and training to reward good behavior and commands.

Feeding Ritual

Place food bowl down
Have her do some simple commands
She waits and holds eye contact
Say "Okei" to release
She inhales food at maximum speed
She walks to you/the door and does a small burp

NOTE: she is a known drooler when waiting for food💧

Walking

Walking typically involves lots of sniffing and asking for treats. Make her earn treats with commands.

Tips

If she pulls: She's probably trying to eat street food (e.g. cat or bird shit, discarded meat, lost clothing). Don't let her. Stay still until she gives up.
If she wants to greet other dogs: She wants to play with everyone. If the other dog looks unsafe, go off-path before she sits down and locks you in place. Be careful that she doesn't jump on the owner or other pedestrians (she wants to!). She will also try to steal items from kids 🥷. She tends to circle back to snoot people from behind after passing them.
If she stops/locks onto something: Block her vision, be more exciting, give "in place" commands (upp, heilsa, spin), then a movement command (heel, komdu, cross).
If she gets suddenly playful: She might bite the leash, growl, and run around 😈. Just stop and wait - she'll calm down in a couple of minutes. Distracting with commands might also break her out of it.

After Walks

Always wipe her feet with a towel before releasing her leash. Say "Heilsa" and she'll offer each of her front paws.

Commands

Command	Gesture	Meaning	Reliability
Sestu	Flat palm facing dog	Sit	A+
Bíða	Index finger pointed up	Wait	C-
Komdu	Two fingers pointed down	Come (she must touch your two fingers with her nose to complete the recall)	B
Okei	—	Release word	A+
Heilsa	Open palm facing up	Shake/give paw	A
Spin	Finger pointing down behind her, rotating in a circle	Spin in a circle	B-
Upp	Point at object	Jump onto object	A
Leggstu	Palm facing down, lower	Lay down	A
Search	Point in direction	Find hidden treat	C+
Stand with legs apart	—	Come sit between legs	B
Treat fingers	Fingers look like they have a treat (without having one), move into position you want	Lure to position (quick upward motion means sit)	A
In your crate	Point at crate	Go to crate (usually given a chew-stick when crated)	A

Praise words: "Good girl!", "Yesss!", "Dugleg"

Note: If you have something she wants, she might randomly perform some of these commands to convince you to give it to her.

Signals She Needs Something

"Hrrruhhhhh" or lots of stretching	Needs to go outside (gets more panicked the longer you wait)
Aggressive yawns (yawn becomes air bite)	Needs to poop
Brings you toys	Bored, wants to play
Goes under furniture and cries with eye contact	Bored, wants attention (or might be overtired and need to be put to bed)
Pulls out her bedding	Bored
Rests face on your leg ("cutes" you)	Wants attention/play/food/anything

Note: She is used to regular 6-7 hour crate times.

Boredom Busters

Give her 15 minutes of one of these:

Basic training: Run through her commands
Fetch: If she lets you have a ball, throw it. Warning: She will try to chew a ball on your lap - do not let her, she is not careful with her teeth. Also, do not play tug with her ball - she hasn't grasped that she needs to drop it for you to throw it.
Tug time: Play tug with a toy (but not with balls)
Hide the treat: Have her sit and wait, hide a treat in another room she can't see, then say "Search"

Sometimes she will play on her own, running around the house growling demonically with toys in her mouth. This can last up to 10 minutes. If you're lucky she will be play with two or more toys at once. She may hurl toys around.

House Rules

Not allowed on the bed
Sleeps on the sofa or in her crate (takes herself to bed)
Feet wiped after every walk before leash comes off

Personality Notes

Sleeps a lot, especially between breakfast and afternoon walk
Not aggressive - won't escalate with aggressive dogs, but won't run either. She might tuck her tail and hide behind people if really unsettled by a dog.
She licks a lot to show affection
Good with kids, but gets a little overly excited with them too. Remove dog if child is unsure about energy levels. Don't let kids hold the leash.
Teach kids to give treats on an open palm - she can be clumsy and her teeth might touch skin (spooks kids, because she is fast)
Not very affectionate, but wants to be near you constantly
May cry if you don't let her in the bathroom with you
Favourite pets: bum scratches above tail, belly rubs
When sleepy, might sleep against you on the sofa

Things to Watch

Recall isn't reliable - don't trust her off-leash or around vehicles
Walking harness: She will try to avoid having it put on, but will give up once caught.

Vet Information

Primary: Dýralæknaþjónusta Kópavogs
Hamraborg 10, 200 Kópavogur
Phone: 556 2700
Web: dyrko.is

Backup: Dýralæknaþjónusta Hafnarfjarðar
Stakkahraun 1, 220 Hafnarfjörður
Phone: 552 2244
Web: dyrhfj.is