The Ruff Break

read moreThe Ruff Break was founded to give anxious, high energy, high intensity dogs the exercise they need to live happy and fulfilled lives while living in big cities. Our unique Ruff Breaks enable dogs to run and exercise to their full potential while being guided by one of our exercise specialists. We are dedicated to your dog's happiness and health while you are away at work or on vacation. Explore the site for more details on what we do and how we do it.

read moreThe Ruff Break believes that a tired dog is a well behaved dog. We go the extra mile to ensure your dog has had a great workout so that it can comfortably rest in your home for the remainder of the day. To that end we use the following activities to exercise dog to ensure its energy needs are being met: biking, Skijoring, swimming, inline skating, weight pulling, jogging and walking.

read moreThere is always a big need for volunteers looking to work with their shelter dogs in any capacity. If you are interested please visit the PCHS Volunteer Website for more details. Here is a clip of Owen, a Paws and Claws dog waiting for his forever home, who we taught to pull weight while volunteering. He absolutely enjoys the "work"!

read moreRuff Breaks are exhilarating experiences for dogs. The Ruff Break comes to your house to give your dog the exercise it needs, with one of the activities listed below, so that it can enjoy the rest of its day in a relaxed state of mind. Nature provides the gym, we provide the exercise! Ruff Breaks last for an average of 40 minutes and fall under one of the categories listed below. During these activities, dogs learn to ignore distractions such as unfamiliar people, cars, barking dogs, etc. The emphasis during Ruff Breaks is on pack cohesion, which is a primal activity, and one that has been ingrained in them for hundreds of years.

read moreThe Ruff Break gives you peace of mind when you are away on business or pleasure by offering in home pet sitting services. Dogs are naturally more at ease in the comfort of their own home. While local kennels are an option, many do not provide the daily exercise needs for your dog, especially if your dog does not get along with others. Kennels can quickly become expensive if you have multiple dogs, and sometimes meeting the requirements to be accepted at kennels can be time consuming. The Ruff Break cares for your dogs with multiple daily visits, together with our unique Ruff Break exercise sessions, feeding, medicine administration, and potty breaks all in the comfort of your pet's home.

read moreThe Ruff Break is committed to helping local rescue shelters by educating shelter staff and volunteers on the need for daily exercise and how to properly exercise dogs. We volunteer our time with shelter dogs by taking them out for Ruff Breaks. We attend local pet adoption events and look for ways to educate the greater community on the importance of regularly exercising your dog. You may even find us competing in local dog sporting events like Skijor races or weight pulling competitions. The Local Shelters area has information on what we are doing to help our local rescue shelters and how you can contribute.

read moreYou can now see Ruff Break content and use the My Ruff Break features via our mobile friendly website. Paws and Claws Humane Society (PCHS), located here in Rochester MN, is one of the most forward looking animal rescue shelters we have ever known. We have been volunteering with PCHS for many years, and along the way have formed lasting bonds with their staff, fellow volunteers and of course the dogs. We approached PCHS. The Ruff Break Clinch is a unique leash grip we came up with to use when teaching dogs to run next to bikes and roller blades.