Comfort with Change

Our pets are very sensitive when it comes to change in their day to day routines and habits. The slightest difference can set off a pet in the way they act, sleep, eat and even interact with others. Anytime you know as a pet parent that a major change it going to occur try to find to someway to alter the situation to allow the maximum amount of comfort for your pet. An example being a situation we see a lot at work is a new addition joining your family and a baby is now the newest funny smelling thing thing in your pets life. Sometimes we allow our pets to feel like they are 2nd place in a household to the newest "baby" in our lives. Always try to allow special attention to make Max or Bella feel like they still are #1 and possibly try to familiarize them with the baby's smell before their first meeting by laying a used baby blanket down with their dog/cat bed. When our pets start to feel hints of replacement or that they're not the center of attention to mom and/or dad they can sometimes act rebellious and act out of character. Maybe you bought a new car and now you find Felix doesn't want to willingly get in or out of the big scary moving box. Try a familiar blanket and a special treat to allow comforting smells and a positive reinforcement snack to ensure everything is OK. Try a toy or bone if they prefer these to foods. Moving to a new house? Try confining your pets to a quarter of the house first before opening them up to free roam. This can sometimes feel overwhelming and can be kind of a scary situation with a large new area. Always try to bring the same bowls, bedding and toys from the old home to show that this is their new home too and then your pet can adapt to their new castle at a more comfortable pace.Change always settles a little easier with some familiar comfort.

One on One Time

Like children, all pets in pack form feel the need for one on one attention. Any child would greatly benefit from individual time with each parent getting the attention they needed to grow. Each of our pets has certain things they love and we give that to them during individual time periods and yes, it is in front of the other dogs so that there an understanding that each of them is "our favorite". Every time each of them is pulled apart from the rest for that moment of time it shows the others all are treated with one on one attention and get that time needed. 

Nanook being the weakest of the pack gets his time above the others with special snack time. Food powers everything in a pack. Seeing him eat human food (avocado in this case) shows them he is not in fact weak but above them fore this moment. Mommy chose to give him her food. Sometimes he will be the only one for a special bone or chew toy. 

Kodak enjoys joy rides. ALl the dogs love car rides but one on one with the windows down shows the others he gets that special time doing something they all love to do. Swimming and being the only one pulled form the during during work hours shows this as well. 

August like you know is the only one who gets soft toys. During this special time she gets her toy and will participate in a ravishing game of fetch. The others would like to join in but know this is her time to shine. This is when she babies her favorite "boo".

Dublin was previously a desk dog and this was her special time. Now that she isn't at the desk and she craves the same attention, her special time focuses on one on one affection. Belly rubs, ear scratching, etc. She eats it up. 

All of these moments are important and each of these moments help keep a balance, happy pack.

Our Goofy Girl

August is quite the character and we see her little quirks non stop all day long. Lately shes been babying her newest "boos" (soft toys) which are very comical. We have a client donate some toys to our swim instructor for the pool and some were soft toys which obviously are not ideal for the water. Well, she said I could take my pick of the ones that were soft and boy did August have a hay day! They are fun food related items. 

Here she is with her "Spicy Mustard" jar. Fancy Pantsy. 

Her favorite toys so far has been a banana. How hilarious is that? My wolf loves bananas lol. 

Last but not least is her baked potato. It's supposed to look like a potato that has been cooked and cut open (hints the white fuzzy top) Comical food toys crack us up when she carries them around. We allow throwing THIS kind of food in our household ha ha, 

Here is a video of her being her plain goofy self. For some reason the video turned into a "gif" or a multi clip video with no sound but it still captures the crazy jumping, spontaneous howling and overall nuttiness of our girl. We love her. 

Hosting a Guest

So this week we've had some family over while building a frame for our newest purchase. A hot tub. Travis's dad came out to help him build the frame and his little sisters came over as well. The pups deal with guest every now and then but I cant help but laugh as how "friendly" they are to new people compared to how they are with us. 

This is the new hot tub in progress. Lots of outside work so the kids head to share the yard for a but they didn't mind! New things all over the yard to sniff at and explore. 

As his dad would sit down they all immediately want to say hello and give lots of kisses to show their affection. I guess it's better than unwelcoming them into our home. Dad was a good sport about it. :)

Natalie and Allie came over to hang out for a bit and the pups LOVE kids. Being a lap dog is in every one of their "pet" descriptions. Kisses are free in our home. 

Overall a good week hosting from the kids and their kisses warmed the hearts of many....and the faces and legs and hands...well anything they could reach to slobber on. lol.

"Oh Nanook!"

Nanook is quite the character and we finds ourselves saying it daily "Oh Nanook!" Whether he's causing mischief or being down right silly we always revert back to those words.

I groomed all 4 pups the other day and at his first chance he was rolling in the mud out back. He never he liked the small of perfume and he would much rather smell like a dog. "Oh Nanook!"

I was driving home from work and Nanook hopped in the front seat without permission to get a birds eye view of the windshield to look out. The others were quite jealous. "Oh Nanook!" 

Travis and are will be watching TV and he will jump up on the window sill to look outside. It never fails but every time he does it he toots a little making us laugh. "Oh Nanook!"

I don't know where we would be without him. We love him!

Break Time!

 I worked a long double shift this last week and instead of running out and grabbing lunch or sitting in the break room playing on my phone I spent it, well...as a dog! I decided to join the pack in their room for my hour lunch to see what it's like for them during my work shift. They staying in 2 double sided rooms each measuring out to be 4x6 feet with a guillotine door connecting each room. 

Nanook and Dublin were eager to snuggle!

Kodak was chillin' in the doorway ready to relax.

Can we play mom? Or better yet do you have cookies!?!?!

The kids were quite excited to get to spend some one on one time during work hours seeing that I never take lunches. August was ready to wake up from her nap and spend some quality time!

No lunch would be complete without some kisses!

Patiently Waiting

 While the fireworks burst above us and the thunder rolled over the last week we had to make the best of indoor playtime. The grass was sopping and the mud was overwhelming so the indoor wrestling and toy chewing began. 

Kodak was ready for his indoor softball.

Nanook was ready for a bone.

August wanted her "Boo".

And Dublin wanted her antler to grind her teeth on. 

We had a wonderful holiday and a wonderful time staying indoors. We grabbed a big old bag of rawhides and kept the pups busy while their energy overwhelmed their tiny bodies in our tiny home. With a trip to work with mommy each day and plenty of toys to choose from we had a happy tired bunch regardless of the weather.

Balancing a Pack

Our family isn't perfect and neither is our pack. Every family has their issues and small flaws that make them imperfect and naturally normal. One of the issue we struggle with in our pack is balance and it's not a balance in whole, but just with two of our four pups. Dublin and Nanook. Since puppies, both of them have been very loving and "needy" for attention, cuddling and love to be lap dogs. Some dogs like August and Kodak are more aloof and only want attention when needed. Because Nanook is the oldest and has been around longer he has always slept at the foot of our bed and was always allowed in our lap and once Dublin came along with the same sort of personality she wanted to fill that place as top dog. In all reality there's plenty of lap space, bed space and love to go around but she never saw it this way and would lash out on him to dominate and make him be the underdog for love and attention. 

When she started at the desk with me at work that extra attention filled that void and gave her special "mommy" time so she felt special just like Nanook did sleeping on the bed. Over time it got to be a little too much and her ego grew with time. She would steal his toys, nip at him walking through doorways and would push herself in between him and us when he was on our laps. 

Over time we found a balance and she was able to work the desk with me and not lash out on Nanook at home as they were both equally loved and they finally saw it this way. Now that firework season is here Nanook has started showing weakness daily fearing the loud pops bangs and cracks outside just like the thunder that has been raining down on us the last week as well. Dublin has been feeding off of this fear for dominance once again tending to pick on him. So the answer you ask? Balance. She is feeling superior and with this weakness feeds off of this to grow more powerful and more loved to our eyes. We have since cut her off from the desk and she now stays in the kennel with the other 3 daily. This "dehumanizes" her and makes her one of the pack balancing out any tilting in the way this family functions. She has nothing on him to feel like the top dog. 

We notice now she starves even more so for attention at home to replace the 8 hours she missed during the day but she is learning that she gets it as we decide to give it. She cannot throw herself at us and force love onto herself. Balance has been restored and Nanook doesn't have to fear being the lowest man on the totem pole in our house. Our pack is all equal in every aspect and we will make sure it stays this way. Overall attention need to be equal and when there is a disturbance in your pack you must nip it in the butt immediate or it can grow to be a larger issue. You are alpha and you should make sure your kids all  feel loved equally. 

There's a deer in our house!

 Our trainer goes to an earth event every year where you can buy herbs, spices, minerals, bark, bone, and anything else you can think of that comes from the earth. To our luck they sell antlers and at a CHEAP rate in bulk and as you know we use antlers as durable long lasting bones in our home. She told me about event last year and promised me first dibs on her selection since I have such a pack to provide for. She brought in a bag full of gorgeous antlers and I bought a few of the whole racks. Sliced antlers wouldn't last too long in the mouths of our beasts as it exposes more marrow. 

This is one of three racks we bought for the crew and boy do they love um!

After some cleaning and sterilizing they were ready to for some chewing! Kodak didn't complain one bit, he was a happy boy. 

Here's the pack with all the antlers we have in house. Some logs have been chewed down to nubs but those have been around for months and months. Look at that will power to not chew on what is right in front of them! We'll have some sparkly white teeth here in the next week or so!

New Toys?

If the pups see the same toys all the time, they get bored. This blog will give you the key to making your dogs stay interested in what you have without spending a ton of cash on new toys. I do what we call "seasonal rotation" in our home and this allows me to exchange toys that have been sitting in storage to come out and have a turn being the primary toys in our home or yard. The dogs forget about the older toys with time and once they make a reappearance, they are like new to them! This gives me a chance to repair ripped seams, wash soft slobbery toys, and assess if they are even worth saving.  I do this usually with every season change seeing not each toys is right for every type of weather.

This week we brought out the 8ft rope! I bought this last summer but used it indoors which was a mistake. It was seen as a chew toy (which produced string on the carpet) and now that it's outdoors with the appropriate weather, it's the perfect tug toy! Nanook and Dublin love to play along!

Kodak's silver ball became an outside toy which sparked his interest again. 

Apparently it sparked Dublin's too. "Mom she took my ball!"

A lot of times when dogs see the same toys day in and out and they start becoming destructive in your yard by digging or even tearing up carpet/walls/furniture in your home. Would you want to watch the same old TV shows everyday?

This process keeps you constantly checking your toys for safety hazards and with time you learn what your dog really does love to play with. This can help you to avoid buying toys that go unplayed with.

Even with our chewing antlers, rotating them allows me to soak them in broth and give them a new smell which sparks their interest while they work on chewing on another one. 

Nanook's happy face tells me we have lots to play with and it is all fun in his book!

This has been my view this week, watching the kids enjoy their new summer toys . It's a new mystery around every toy box. 

Peanut Butter Pups

Need a good laugh? Give your dogs that last little bit of peanut butter from the bottom of your jar that you cannot seem to scrape up. The pups LOVE peanut butter and when they get to lick the jar they are in heaven! Even if they can't reach the very bottom, you can let them try!

All 4 try to get in all at once but the most we could fit were three snouts. 

Even after you trade "snouts out" they are licking for minutes at a time cleaning the top of their mouth. Hilarious!

I'll even dab a bit on their nose for some extra entertainment.

Enjoy this video of Kodak trying to lick some PB off his nose/the top of his mouth. lol.

Socializing

It is extremely important to socialize your dogs starting at an early age. It's the same with children. Dogs who meet new friends and learn how to fit in and play with others are well rounded and are generally very happy dogs. I made the mistake of over socializing and causing my dogs to "own" their daycare by bringing them daily. This is a hazard as well. It can such dominance issues and unwanted alpha behavior. We took new steps today in hopes to reopen our pack from it's confinement of 4. I want my dogs to be well rounded again and not stuck with the same four faces everyday. It is important to take each dog as a separate case as their needs may need to be met individually such as August or Kodak. 

Today was a big day for August. We did daycare for the first time in over a year! She did extremely well and with alpha role models in the room and structure she went back to her roots of making new friends. The dominance issues tend to come out when not corrected just like children. Sometimes they require discipline and guidance. She even made a few husky buddies and possibly a new boyfriend. :)

Dublin has many friends and will go into daycare more than her other siblings. Though she doesn't typically enjoy herself  as much as she does being with me up front, it's good to allow that socializing time with "stranger" dogs. 

After daycare she enjoyed spending time with her BEST friend Eva. Eva loves Dublin to pieces and Dubs loves the one on one time!

Nanook did daycare today too! He enjoyed the puppy pool and keeping his paws wet. Having him in their with Dublin at the same time helps to support their insecurities they may have about foreign pack play giving each other a known face. 

Even though Kodak isn't a "daycare" dog as he's gotten older he still enjoys his swim time with Sherry. He screams with excitement just by seeing her at work. What a fish I have! Some dogs are wonderful, gentle kind dogs but not all are meant to be socialize in a large group setting due to their personalities. He does wonderful in small controlled groups. We don't mind letting him swim all day long if he'd like. 

A Dog's Smile.

The kids wanted to share their big smiles with you in hope to brighten up your day! These faces always make me smile the moment I see them regardless of the day I'm having. Each of these wet noses love me and depend on me to provide whatever it is that they need. Why sit and mull on a terrible day when I have 4 wagging tails ready to make my day as exiting as I'm willing to make it? Below I've posted each of their bright smiles and happy mugs. :)

Nanook

His smile will bring puppy-hood back into your heart. It gives you that feeling of playing with a carefree puppy again as he licks your face and rolls over for a lovable belly rub. 

August

Her smile will make you want to get up and put that pep in her step. Throwing her "boo" or just chasing each other around the yard is a blast! She wants to chase you and make you feel younger for 5 more minutes while she licks your ears until you chuckle. 

Kodak

His smile makes you want to give out hugs. He has that big burly bear structure that will have you wrestling on the ground in minutes laughing and forgetting all your cares. 

 Dublin

Her smile makes any and everyone smile right along with her. The lines on her face create this super smiles and when you start laughing at it shes right up in your lap cuddling and making you feel like the most important person on Earth. 

A smile can go a long way and in our home we have 4 bright smiles waiting to make us happy every single day. Who could ask for more?