Three of my favorite things!
A breakdown of the things I have learned over my three years!
Well guys, it's official. I am 3 YEARS OLD *WOW*!!
Throughout these 3 years of life on this tennis ball, I’d like to think I’ve learned a thing or two and to celebrate my latest milestone I want to make sure I share a bit of what I’ve learned with you all! In my opinion, the three most important topics for us pups are ADVENTURE, TREATS, & TOYS!
Now before I get too far, our humans are obviously a VERY VERY important topic for us as well, but that is a lesson I cannot teach. Each of you speak your human’s specific love languages; giving them the puppy eyes at the right moment, knowing how to get attention, and how to instantly cheer your human up - things that my experience can’t help you with. But as far as places to explore, the tastiest treats, and the BEST toys on the block - I consider myself an expert!
Places & Adventures
Let’s start off with my favorite types of adventures!
Huntington Dog Beach ( I don’t expect you to be surprised… )
The beach is hands down one of the best places to be! You got the sand, the surf, and the sun. From a young age we learned that water was my home away from home (besides starbucks). But what really makes it my favorite place is that it’s a wide open space where I get to run around off leash and make new friends. The beach is truly my happy place.
Breweries
I haven’t found a brewery yet that didn't welcome me in with open arms, greet me with my own dog bowl, and have patrons willing to dole out lots of attention and affection. Breweries are one of the most dog friendly places to go and the humans seem to really enjoy this place too!
When my parents first started taking me out on adventures the biggest question was “is it dog friendly?” and the next one being, “but how dog friendly is it really?”. I think if you’ve been to a dog friendly brewery before you can probably back me up in saying that this is one of the best places a dog can enjoy!
Our Daily Walk
Ok, I know this doesn’t sound like the MOST exciting adventure, but us doggos really really thrive on routine. Luckily for us we live in a very walkable suburban area that allows us to take SO many different routes to spice things up. Our morning walks have become such an important part of our daily routine and our training. Being in a familiar location is a great set up for working on training because it gives us pups the confidence to focus on the task at hand.
Treats
I am a HUGE treat enthusiast as I'm sure all of you are as well! However, from a young age I have had some issues with my tummy not always agreeing with my food choices.
We went from diet to diet, treat to treat, to find something that works for me! This was a long process because we were constantly using treats for training, and we did A LOT of training when I was a pup. Here are some of the types of treats we found work best for us!
Single Ingredient Treats
The fewer the ingredients, the easier to tell what is upsetting my tummy. A lot of treats have multiple ingredients, fillers, etc., but with single ingredient treats we were able to test it for a few days and see if it upset my stomach. It would be clear that specific ingredient I didn’t agree with and this made it much easier for my parents.
No Hides
The next type of treat we found were the Earth Animal No Hide treats. These are our “special” treats we use instead of raw hides or bully sticks. I sometimes get too excited about TASTY treats and proper chewing goes out the window, leaving me with digestive issues the rest of the day. These No Hide treats are much better for digestion and don’t cause the many issues that other tougher chews can.
DIY Treats
Next up, my mom LOVES to cook, which usually works out great for me. We can use organic, minimal ingredients that we know I enjoy and will know exactly what’s in it! From hydrating berry pupsicles to 3 ingredient peanut butter treats, there are endless recipes out there for us to try! So many fruits and veggies are very healthy for us pups so taste testing several recipes can be a fun bonding experience with your parents!
Toys
Toys…man, have I gone through a ton of them. Mom is kind of embarrassed to think about how many toys have been purchased over the last 3 years. Finding what toys excite your pups and what will actually last was a process, but we think we’ve finally got it down!
Stuffies
Let’s all be honest…stuffed toys ARE THE MOST FUN! We learned the hard way that stuffed toys, although the most fun, are the easiest to destroy! Searching for a solution, we found the GoDog brand and got the best of both worlds - a stuffed toy without all the stuff. Instead, a thick/tough enough exterior that I have yet to destroy. There are quite a few other brands that have these types of toys and finding them was a game changer for me and my pawrents wallets.
Tough Chewer
Another tough lesson we learned early, bones and “tough chewers” were actually too hard for my teeth. Early in my exploration for my favorite toy I cracked one of mine on a benebone. After a trip to the vet, I learned that this issue is actually super common and that it is smart to supervise your pet when they are chewing on something as hard as a bone.
If you find yourself in my situation, all hope for a hard toy is not lost. We found West Paw toys. Toys that are tough enough for us heavy chewers, but soft enough not to do any damage! The quality in these toys are AMAZING and they come in so many fun shapes and sizes! We have had most of ours for over two years now.
Puzzles
Next was finding something mentally stimulating for my crazy puppy energy! Physical exercise is important, but mental exercise is the key for a pooped puppy. That’s when we discovered the huge variety of doggie puzzles out there. There are so many different types of “puzzles” you can even make at home with your everyday house items and your dog's food or favorite treats. We also found several on amazon, along with snuffle mats and lick mats.
As you can see, in my three years of living life to the fullest I've gained some knowledge on very important topics. Through trial and error, unsuccessful outings, a broken tooth, and some upset tummies I think we’re starting to get the hang of what works best for us!
What works best for us isn’t going to be the best for all, but hopefully some of my experiences can help you find more fun adventures, delicious and tummy accepting treats, and alleviate some frustrations along the way.
With that, I ‘m going to go run around in the sprinklers. Talk to you next week and as always, stay friendly!
Graham