While Jenn is away...

Apparently, Jenn is going on a trip. She says that she'll be at the APDT dog trainer conference in Kentucky for five days. When she told me I felt like hiding my head. But then, I thought about all the things I might be able to get away with. Yehaw! Eric will be in charge of everything while Jenn is away. He's really going to have to watch those remote controls and his shoes. We'll see how well he manages things...

Do you know about Secondary Chewing Phase?

I must chew, now more than ever! Why must I chew you ask? I'm not such a puppy anymore, but a teenager. Teenage dogs can actually chew more than younger puppies because we are in the secondary chewing phase. This starts around 6-10 months of age and happens because the puppy's teeth are setting in the jaw.

Lots of people don't know that puppies go through this and assume that the puppy is acting out when they destroy things. Actually the puppy is just chewing everything in sight because of how uncomfortable and painful our jaws/mouths feel. Imagine teeth as big as ours coming into your mouth!

What can help? Jenn keeps me well exercised, she supervises me or puts me in my crate when she can't, provides lots of safe, indestructible chew toys, and she gives me things that I can destroy like my favorite cardboard boxes.

Click here for a great article on the secondary chewing phase and what you can to do help your puppy through it (and save your stuff!)

My Birthday Party

I waited all weekend for my birthday surprise! Jenn said something special was going to happen and around 4pm yesterday my friends started arriving. My surprise was my own birthday party with a few of my special friends: Niamh the Gordon Setter, Ruby the Aussie, Sky the Golden-Doodle, Mona the German Shepherd, Trudy and my special friend Oscar, both Italian Spinones. My housemates Big Sandy and Bernie were happy to share my special day too.For an enjoyable and safe dog party, be sure to invite the right number of guests. You want a 1:1 human to dog ratio and probably no more than 10 dogs total. A fenced back yard is a great place for a dog party. You want to make sure all your guests "play well with others" and enjoy the company of dogs and people. We ran and played...The people tried to keep the dogs moving and not bunching up in one area...I was very happy to share my water with my special girlfriend Mona. Even on a cool day, you must provide lots of fresh water for your party goers.
Bernie had to take a break in a hole under the stairs. Some dogs need time out from the crowd and place to crash and chill.
Every birthday boy needs a cake and here is my birthday peanut butter carrot cake which Jenn made from a recipe for "dog birthday cake". It has cream cheese, dog biscuits and sprinkles. Click here for this recipe and a few others.
Everybody sang a song for me wishing me a happy day!
Then I got to test out the cake. I must say that it was unlike anything I've tasted. It definitely passed the taste test.
We cut the cake up and every dog got to eat some. Jenn's friend Mimi brought some yummy doggy "ice cream" made with plain yogurt and peanut butter that went perfectly on top of the cake. We all had small pieces so we could share. Jenn says that small pieces are best for dogs, even if the cake is special for them. She didn't want anyone to get an upset stomach. No one complained! Then we did our gift exchange so everyone could go home with a new toy.
Wow! I am bushed. What a super special day. Thanks to all my friends and their humans for coming out and sharing their day with me.

It's my first birthday!

Today I am one year old! Jenn says that she cannot believe that a whole year ago, this was me...
Here I am with all my brothers and sisters, who I have not seen since I was 10 weeks old. I'm second from the right. I'd like to wish them all a happy birthday too: Happy Birthday to Rockstar, Jazz, Onyx, Topaz, Flash, and Justice!
Jenn says she has something special planned for me next weekend to celebrate my birthday. I can't wait!! I'm sure that I'll get some new toys or maybe we'll take a field trip somewhere exciting.

My Favorite Toys: Kool Dogz Ice Treat Maker

Here's a new addition to my favorite toys list-the Kool Dogs Ice Treat Maker.
It makes a giant ice cube treat that lasts for hours. Jenn takes some treats and toys and freezes them inside the tub. Here she put in a stuffed Squirrel Dude (see previous post), some dog biscuits, and some baby carrots and then she adds water immersing all the goodies. You always want to use healthy things that your dog likes, but no more than just a snack.Once the tub is completely frozen, you take it out in the yard and plop it on the base which is pushed into the ground. Viola! A super fun frozen treat that keeps me occupied.

Big Sandy has Spondylosis

Jenn told me that my best girlfriend Big Sandy has something called spondylosis. Spondylosis is a very common condition that comes with dogs getting older. Lots of times people don't even know their older dog has it unless they have an x-ray. People get it too. Spondylosis happens over time as the spine becomes deformed from boney growths. Sometimes the growths create fusion of the vertebrae, which is what's happened to Big Sandy. For her it is probably more of a problem because she only has three legs. She's just not as flexible and she gets pain sometimes. So Jenn started to take her for acupuncture and she give her lots of TTouch, which seems to help a lot and she'll give her medications from our vet for pain and inflammation.


Jenn says that I have to play more gently with Big Sandy from now on and give her lots of breaks. People should monitor their puppies when they play with their older dogs. Puppies can be overwhelming for an older dog, especially if they are feeling stiffness or pain from aging and you need to step in and give the older dog a break.

You can learn more about Spondylosis by clicking here.

My Favorite Toys: Squirrel Dude

Next on my favorite toy list is my Busy Buddies Squirrel Dude. The Dude is purple and shaped somewhat like the Kong. It is rubber, bouncy and it is made for holding treats or kibble. It has prongs inside so the food is held in. I really have to work with my tongue to get it out or I throw it and bounce it. So cool. You can cut the prongs out to make it easier, or leave them all in for a real challenge.
Here's my new friend Will who gave me the sit command before handing me the Dude. Will is super fun and stayed the night with us with his parents Mel and Ax. Jenn says the I have to learn to respect and listen to little people too, so Will asked me to do commands before giving me anything. The Dude seems to come out more when little people are here making me like those little people even more.
Here I am "working the Dude". Sometimes I'll use my tongue to get the treats out and sometimes and pick it up in my mouth and throw it to get the treats out. Using the Dude is a great way to feed your dog their meals instead of from a bowl. This can be really helpful for dogs that eat quickly or dogs that need more to do with their mouths.

My Favorite Toys: The Kong

Here I am with one of my Kongs. This morning, it was stuffed with these stinky salmon treats called Kronche that drive me crazy, Charlee Bear treats, and Canidae snap biscuits. Jenn really packs the goodies in so it is more of a challenge for me to get it all out. You can even freeze the Kong to make a puppy popsicle (best to give this as an outside project). Below is an example of superior stuffing technique:


A couple of simple rules to follow with the Kong: Be sure that the goodies you put into your puppy's Kong are safe for puppies to eat, supervise your puppy while they work on the Kong, and be sure to get the proper sized Kong for your pup. My Kong is a large, because frankly, I am large as well.

Today my Kong was a blue and white "Puppy" Kong. It is slightly more springy and softer than the red or black Kongs. Since I'm not a heavy duty chewer, the Puppy Kong is still OK for me. If your puppy is really into chewing, then the red or black Kongs are good to have around. They also make a purple and white Kong for "senior" dogs.

Here are more suggestions on how to stuff the Kong for your dog: Click here or here

I'm 11 months old!

Can you believe it? I'm 11 months old. One more month and I'll be a whole year old. Which makes me think about my upcoming birthday and what special presents Jenn and Eric might be getting me. I think that I need some new toys. Since Jenn says that she needs to keep my busy mind and my busier body even more active. My favorite toys provide mental activity, not just plush toys with squeakers, which don't seem to stay around very long. I like toys that make me think, make me figure things out, and reward me. Which are my favorites? Well, the Kong toy rules.

A Kong is a bouncy, rubber toy that is hollow. It's made for stuffing with goodies. It comes in red (for moderate chewers) and black (for more voracious chewers). This is a great way for puppies to get their meals instead of from just a bowl. You can put the whole meal inside the Kong and pack it all together with biscuits, etc. Your puppy will then have to work to get the food out. It makes mealtime mental activity time and it also gives your puppy an job when they need it. And if you have a herding dog puppy, you better have a good supply of Kongs around. Kongs are also one of the most widely available dog toys around. There are all sorts of ways to stuff the Kong too to make it continually interesting for your pup.

Check out the Kong website by clicking here with all sorts of great info on the Kong.

Click here to learn how to stuff the Kong and get creative stuffing recipes.

Topsail Beach Adventure

I just got back from my first trip to the beach! We went to a wonderful house owned by Jenn's friends Julie and Gary. I was so excited to see, smell, hear, and feel the ocean. Jenn put my light line on, so I could romp on the beach and she could still have control of me.
I wasn't quite sure at first about the ocean. The waves were loud and water came rushing at me. Jenn said that it was OK and jollied me up to go into the water a little more. It wasn't so bad. Actually, it was amazing and fun. All this water and I could get all wet. It just didn't taste so good. Yuck.
My friend Mona came down for a day and we had great fun walking on the beach together. Lots of nice people were on the beach and wanted to meet us. I got to wiggle my butt for them.
At the end of the day, I was so tired I feel asleep in my empty water bowl. How embarrassing! Anyway, I can't wait to take another beach trip!