There are times in my life when I am so damn happy to have a website/twitter account/love for the internet. Mainly these times happen when I need advice because I have NO IDEA WHAT I’M DOING.
Hello. Inexperienced Dog Owner here. NEEDS OPINIONS AND ADVICE by Clicking Here. (Thanks for indulging me in the dog talk lately. It’s just an ENORMOUS life change for us, so that’s why it’s sort of all I can think about.)
When it comes to shopping for your dog as stated by https://www.ridgesidek9denver.com/programs/puppy-training/, it’s important to find out what dog accessories reviews say about the various items available. Whether you’re shopping for a collar, a harness, or something else, it is important to make sure that you’re getting a good deal and that you’re getting what you need in order to make your dog safe and happy. The more research you do, the better you will feel when it’s time to shop. It’s also a good idea to check reviews on sites like DogBlogTv.
So, while it may be premature since we technically have to wait 30 days to legally chip this little dog, I’m just going to say it: WE ARE KEEPING HONEY BOO BOO. It was a no brainer really. After 2 weeks, we love him. And that’s really all you need right? The Beatles said it, I believe it.
Ok, so anyway, in the midst of freaking out, spamming Instagram with pet pictures like an ass, and snuggling this little pup, I am scouring the internet for dog related things and putting holds on Cesar Millan books at the library. I also checked out online sites like Canine By Design for an additional information about dogs.
Not really. Well, Ok YES REALLY, I’M SORRY I AM A LOVER OF PLANNING AND INFORMATION. Sue me. I know we will eventually take the dog to a vet and Pet Dental Care Services and we will get, you know, professional dog care advice there (as well as an idea about his breed/age) but I would like some internet opinions. You guys are smart and I like to hear what you have to say. (Don’t worry, you won’t need to be a dog owner to weigh in.)
So, if you have a second, riddle me this:
1. Dog Name Suggestions, we are taking them — The other day Honey Boo Boo found the tiniest little gap in the fence and pranced through it into our neighbor’s backyard. At like 6am. And proceeded to crap on their lawn. In the middle of it all I was climbing on the fence (in my pajamas!) yelling “COME HERE HONEY BOO BOO” to a crapping dog. It was really a sight, I tell ya. And in that moment I realized that this dog needs a legit name. What were your pets names growing up? What is your dog named right now? I feel like we will know when we find the right one, but we haven’t heard it yet. I used to have a cat and I noticed one night that the cat has been staring at the wall for hours before going to sleep. I also think about of buying these cedar fence nails and screws to fix the gap in the fence so that my doggy won’t escape or hire fencing company to do it for me.
2. Paleo Peeps With Dogs — what do you feed them? — I mean there is a freaking RABBIT HOLE of people feeding their dogs raw food, meaty bones, meat and vegetables, cbd oil for dogs, organic hippie kibble. So many options. I’m just curious what you do with yours. Don’t worry, we are feeding HBB. Right now it’s a grain free kibble with organic turmeric for dogs served on the best lick mats for dogs to make the eating as a fun activity, but I’m wondering if we could be doing better. Just gathering information. And I trust you guys. HBB obviously would like a burger and fries please, with a large diet coke on the side. He’s watching his weight. 🙂 We also already had him take NexGard Soft chews this month.
3. Training and Play — HBB knows how to sit and shake. But that’s about it. I’m happy I found a fence company near me in Fort Lauderdale for an installation because we train him outside.
We need to teach him how to do some other stuff outside the house so it’s a good thing that we’ve found a fence contractor to install fences. You can visit sites like https://www.konnectbuilding.com.au/blog/how-to-handle-damage-caused-by-a-contractor to learn more on what to do by the damages caused.
Also, he has no idea how to play fetch and it took him 10 days to figure out how to chew on a bone (and now he doesn’t want to leave that bone alone. ha!) How do you teach a dog to play fetch, yo? And what is the best nail clippers for chihuahuas? As a dog owner, if you are wondering how to train your dog, consider ridgesidek9ohio.com to understand various training methods and teach your dog the desired behaviors. Anyway, I’d love to hear about your training methods, and thoughts.
4. Any other advice you’d like to give. Go for it!
We are all ears.
Have you heard about the Von Willebrand disease? Von Willebrand disease is an inherited bleeding disorder. Learn about von willebrand in dogs if you have a dog or planning to buy one.
Awww! I’m loving all the picturse and information on HBB and I’m hoping desperately that he’s a permanent addition to your family. I wish I had some advice to give you but I’m currently only a cat owner. Is it bad that I want to buy property solely so that I can get a dog? A French Bulldog to be specific. 🙂
Not bad at all. French bulldogs are so damn cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!
If you figure out how to teach your dog how to play fetch, please share!!! My stubborn little 4-year-old pug looooooooves to play fetch, but doesn’t get the whole concept. He loves to run after a ball and loves to bring it back to you, knows he wants to run after it again, but has never grasped that he needs to give the ball up in order to keep playing. it’s always a struggle
as far as food goes, i would love to feed him grain free food, but i just haven’t found a reasonably priced option…. and we have a good friend who works for Purina and gets us a really good deal. We do make sure meat is the first ingredient in his food, so it’s the main ingredient, but for now we’re a little stuck. We did give him a bone with some meat on it from our dinner last night (i don’t think we’ve ever done that) and he loved it and so far, no negative reaction to it.
I have no suggestions for names. Our dog is Mister T… because from the moment we started living together, my now husband begged and pleaded for a dog and i wanted no part of it. jokingly, he said we could get a black dog and name him Mister T and get him a gold collar and teach him to sit when we say “i pity da foo'”…. he was kidding, but i ran with it. I’m pretty sure we peaked with names and any future dogs or children’s names will not be awesome…
I will let ya know FO SHO!
And I love Mr. T. 🙂
Emliy, try using two balls while playing fetch with your dog. That is what we have to do. When he brings the first one back, show him the second and say drop. Then toss the second ball for him to reterive. It worked for us!
I have cats so I’m super unhelpful in most of these things from personal experience. But I have a few things to toss your way.
You could just shorten her/his name to Honey. His color is sort of light honey colored and he seems pretty sweet.
My step-Mom makes food for her dogs and we aren’t exactly on speaking terms so I can’t check for sure, but I think it’s got brown rice, cooked turkey, peas, carrots and maybe a thing or two other than that. They have pugs and they swear by this food.
Good luck, he’s a really cute dog.
Yeah we have debated about Honey, so we’ll see. It might be easier since he comes when we call him Honey Boo Boo (oh, poor dog! ha!)
HOKAY.
1. I am SO happy that you’re keeping him!
2. I like “human-y” dog names.
3. I can’t quite bring myself to pay the premium prices for “fresh” primal dog food (hello, one of our dogs is 100lbs and would eat us out of house and home), so we settled on Science Diet’s grain-free formula. The pups also get a raw egg cracked into their food once a week, which helps keep their coats nice and shiny (especially the longer-haired one, like HBB), and I drop a generic CVS fish oil capsule into their food when I feed them (Eric doesn’t usually “remember,” I call it “lazy”). That’s about as good as we get around here at Chez Jensen. Also, I have a couple of cow livers from our meat share that I’m going to try and make dog treats out of in the oven/dehydrator… I’ll let you know how that goes! At the very least, we buy the “chicken jerky”-type treats vs. ye old Milkbone assorted flavors box (shudder).
4. If YOU are worried about your newly-adopted pup running away and not being able to find him, I highly recommend the Tagg GPS system: http://www.pettracker.com/ We LOVE ours!
That’s all I have for now!
xoxo, B
Excellent! Thanks for all of that, B!
I love HBB! I’m so glad you guys are keeping him. It is a big life change, but so so worth it!! My pup did the same thing with the fence. Little imperfections in your fence that you had no idea about, they will let you know!! We always name our pets after favorite literary/movie/song characters. My dog’s name is Atticus. My cats are named Olive Hoover and Lady Goodman. 🙂 (I don’t know why the cats get two names and the dog just the one).
We took our dog to the first three levels of the training at PetSmart and it was great! He can do all kinds of stuff (come and no jumping, most importantly) and now he is always eager to learn more. That program is all about reward and repetition, which worked pretty well for us. As for food, we feed him the Kirkland brand Chicken and Rice food from Costco! It has a lot of protein, but it does have whole grain rice, but that is supposed to be good for the digestion. And I love all things Costco. Also, the bully sticks from Costco are awesome. They are disgusting and the only ingredient is “bull pizzle” whatever the hell that is (I try not to think about it), but the dog LOVES them. And they aren’t rawhide, so he can’t choke on them. There’s my two cents, hope it helps!!
OH I AM SO ON THIS.
1) Agree on human names. When he responds to new name give him a treat.
2) Grain free (Innova, Evo) is great. JJ has farting issues so he is on California Natural, which has a smidge of grain (isn’t just pure protein aka fart making). This site was passed along to us when we got JJ & we used heavily when researching. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/
3) Some dogs just don’t play fetch. I know. JJ plays it in the house but not in the yard or at dog park. If he likes bones, try getting natural Deer or Elk (or moose!) antler from a local hippie pet store. They don’t smell and dogs LOVE THEM. And they aren’t messy. Does he like squeaky toys? Try the Cuz brand (www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHHCR0) Usually most pet stores have these too. Some dogs don’t like balls but like the necks/tails of the Cuz toys to carry around is. Does he chase a laser pointer? Does he like the ‘brain games’ where you hide the food in a puzzle and he has to try and get it out?
3a) If you love him, get a Kong, put a couple tbs of PB in there, and then freeze it. Will keep him occupied for an hour. Best thing ever.
4) He’s fuzzy, right? Might want to look into a Furminator (cheap on Amazon, don’t get a knockoff) to help w/ shedding/hair maintenance.
Make him work for food & treats. Does he lay down on command? That’s what I would work with next, then on ‘stay’ commands. Get a long rope or lead and take him to the park and work on him with sit stay (so he keeps focused in busy spots/distractions). How is he on walks? Pulls?
We must now discuss again how dangerous Amazon buy with one click is. OMG. Thank you for all the suggestions!
Now that I am looking at his face more closely, he definitely looks like some sort of Shepherd breed – possible Aussie. Aussies LOVE to be challenged/trained…so the ‘working for food thing’ might help out. Does he seem bored/destructive? If he’s content just napping then DREAM DOG.
Someone mentioned the pumpkin below. It’s great for settling upset tummies or if they have the barfs. Or poo’s. Or just for treats.
For what it’s worth, I’ve always wanted to name a dog Sprout– like a bean sprout 🙂 Whatever you name him, HBB is ADORABLE and so lucky to have found such a great home!
Thanks Mary!
Also: Sprout is a nose-scrunchingly cute name! Love it.
I second the moose antlers. I get them at the all-natural pet store in my area. You can also try bully sticks, they are supposed to last awhile but mine gobbled his down in under 15 minutes, so no more of them for him. His absolute FAVE is these bones: http://www.amazon.com/Filled-Bone-Large-Peanut-Butter/dp/B000633Y4A
I’m sorry but I have no advice on training. I’ve tried everything but he still jumps on visitors and sticks his nose in people’s butts. Charming, I know 🙂
Oh man, my amazon cart right now is OVERFLOWING. 🙂 Thank you!
Yay, I love this dog! I’m so glad you guys are keeping him!
I agree with Chelsea above about the Kong and the Furminator — both are really great products that I have and love, too.
I don’t have any advice on food, but I’ve started buying Iams “Simple & Natural” for Egon because it has no corn, wheat, soy, etc. It seems to do well for him and has been giving him (sorry, TMI alert) smaller poops.
As for training, you might consider taking him to a dog obedience class. It’s really more about teaching dog owners and gives you a good sort of bonding/learning experience with the dog. I learned some good basic training principles and it definitely was worth it.
As for names…I like people names and food names. My hypothetical next dog will be named Ramona if a girl and Tofu if a boy.
Tofu! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. I love that. Yeah I’ve been eyeballing the furminator and didn’t realize they are so much cheaper on amazon. We are all over it!
We got both of our dogs when they were older and already named. We have Cacey and Mylee. I like two syllable names for dogs, I feel like they get the emphasis and inflection. If we had a male dog, I’d love to name him Henry.
One of our dogs has food allergies and we’ve had luck with Blue Buffalo Fish & Sweetpotato. I’m shortly going to switch to the grain free option for a few reasons (my own eating habits being one of them)
They also get fish oil and Cacey who is 10 gets some extra things for her joints.
They snack a lot on produce – carrots, apples, cucumbers…
We adopted one of our dogs at 7 and one at 4 years old (both retired from a breeder) and neither one of them know how to play with toys. If we stuff a treat in a kong, they will chase it, but they don’t really retrieve. And they are labrador retrievers. They also hate to swim. We’ve given them frozen kongs with treats in them as well as antelope antlers to chew on and both are well received. And the antlers help to keep their teeth clean. We have a dog friendly beach near us so they get walked there regularly for socialization and exercise.
We took some dog training classes with Cacey but that was more for us than her. Mylee was less socialized and we paid for two in-house sessions with a dog behaviorist and that was money well spent. A lot of what we learned was common sense, but only seemed that way after we’d learned it.
I really, really wanted a dog and when the opportunity came to adopt Cacey, we jumped at it. Then I freaked out because it was a lot of responsibility and suddenly we couldn’t just go out after work because we had to get home to her. It was an adjustment and it was work, but so worth it. Mylee wasn’t in the plan, but we were contacted by the same breeder and it seemed like a good opportunity to get a younger dog. Owning two dogs is actually easier than one in a lot of ways since they keep each other company. I approach them a bit like children and the key is routine and consistency. I couldn’t imagine our home without them.
Have fun with your new dog!
Routine and consistency are the things we are most concerned with. I think that is why we are being such nerdy info gatherers up front. I’m sure HBB is already confused enough with the new environment, etc, so I want to make sure we move forward with a plan. Thanks for your suggestions!
Hi!
HBB is super cute! Looks like a white Duck Toller, (they’re orange and white though) so is probably more like an Australian Shepherd or something?
I second Bethany on the ‘human’ dog names. How about naming him a ‘cool’ name that you wouldn’t want to saddle a child with? Some great examples are ‘Winston’, ‘Grover’, and ‘Ezra’.
I tried ‘fancy’ dog foods for years but honestly, taste and good sense are the determining factors. We use a fairly middle of the road dry food but our dog goes bananas for it every day. Introduce fruits and veggies. Dog are omnivores and tomatoes and watermelon are awesome treats.
Definitely go to a training class. The instructors will understand how to help you communicate with your dog and give you the basics for ensuring your dog is a good canine citizen.
All the rest is an adventure. Congratulations!
I have never even HEARD of a duck toller, and that just sent me down a rabbit hole. He does have two orange patches and an orange ear, so maybe he’s a mix or something? Iiiiiinteresting. 🙂 Ezra is such a cute name!
1) We have Alfred the puppy. It just sounded right to us even though most people look at us like we’re crazy.
2) Alfred is a mostly paleo dog. He eats Honest Kitchen wet food (expensive so I mix it with a grain free kibble – Acana). For snacks he eats dehydrated sweet potatos from Sam’s Yams but they are also expensive (are you seeing the trend?), so I’m looking into a deyhdrator to make them myself. We also have grain free training treats, by Bravo, I think. All of the above I buy on Amazon. He also eats peanut butter because when I suggested we feed the dog almond butter only my non-paleo fiance looked at me like I’d finally lost it.
3) He started fetching on his own at 3 months. I thought this was normal, but according to the fiance who has had dogs in the past, he’s never had one that truly learned to fetch. Guess we just got lucky, he is part retriever. Our dog is very motivated by food so we can teach him pretty much anything by rewarding with food several tries in a row.
“He also eats peanut butter because when I suggest we feed the dog almond butter only, my non-Paleo fiance looked at me like I’d finally lost it.”
Best. Line. Ever. 🙂
🙂 When I went Paleo early last year I really should have started a Twitter feed with all his comments. For the most part he is totally supportive and goes along with it all, but there have been a few moments…
Ha! I like Alfred. My mom has taken to calling HBB “Albie.” I like people names for dogs. Thanks for the food suggestions. I’m looking into all of it.
Oh. The dog. You’re keeping him!
I’m so happy for you guys.
Thanks! We’re
freakedexcited!I like the name Zeke.
HBB looks and sounds like he has some border collie in him which is the breed I have so my advice is what worked for my big sweetie:
No oily treats like pig ears and even some sausages. Sensitive tummies.
I know you love the library, so do what we did and get this training video from there: http://www.rayallen.com/product/obedient_minded_dog/Obedience_DVDs
It’s how we trained our dog to jump into our arms, stay off the furniture unless invited and even heel by our sides when walking with or without a leash. She doesn’t come anymore because she’d lost her hearing which seems to be a bc trait as they age.
(Disclaimer–if you reward your dog for laying down by rubbing his belly, “lay down” will become “roll over”.)
I thought something was wrong when our girl started whining but it turns out, that’s her happy noise. It makes my ears bleed but it’s worth it to see her excited.
Good luck and enjoy that sweet pup!
Video: Reserved!
Thanks for the suggestion!
To me he looks like Data from Star Trek! Call him Data…. Or pick your most favorite book character name. Dinah was named after Alice’s cat.
We use NOW! Grain Free and the dogs love it. I order it through http://www.petflow.com, which you can order all dog food from and its a bit cheaper, plus convenient.
Another thing I do is take food that is about to spoil or become freezer burned and cook it all up for 12 hours in the crock pot and throw a bit of “dog stew” on their meal for fun. If you cook chicken with bones over twelve hours, they become like dust and give the dog marrow…mmmm…marrow. Just google what dogs can’t eat.
Don’t leave dark chocolate low. National Geographic has a chocolate chart that shows what types of chocolate are poisonous and quantity (also don’t use cocoa fertilizer)
As for training, Data looks like a great fly-ball dog. Its a super fun dog sport, and I know there’s a great classes in your area. There’s also agility (which is pretty involved) and nose-works. Nose works teaches the dog to detect odors. I have some super doggy friends.
Be careful of dog parks, not all dogs play well. And not all dog owners are smart about that.
Finally, if you are out of town and you need to board….. board at the WAG hotel in West Sac if its still around. A little pricey, but the facility is amazing and the staff is awesome.
Oh, also… if he’s busy, get a Buster Cube. Fun little puzzler for him.
I have to tell that to Garrett — he will love it. Data! He’s such a Star Trek lover. Thanks for the other suggestions too. I need all the help I can get! 🙂
We also like Innova Evo plus some people food, such as chopped up chicken, egg, veggies. If I have pumpkin or sweet potato, I give a spoon of that. A vet friend swears by a raw diet, too, so it is worth looking at. I second or third taking him to an obedience class. They will teach you how to train him and it is great for bonding and getting him to pay attention to you and to teach you how to teach him. For getting him to come reliably, start with a six foot leash and ask him to sit, then wait. (Hold up your hand like a stop sign.) Walk a foot or two away, then call him happily. Honey, come! Then give him three or four tiny treats. When he does that, have him wait a little longer and a few steps farther away, then to the end of the leash, then to the end of the leash with your back turned. Then get a long training lead or a piece of clothesline and work with him on that. Always pet & praise when he comes to you. Also, don’t chase him…run away from him, then praise, pet and treat when he follows. Play hide and seek, too. Until he learns, some recommend that you always take him out on a leash or long line so that he does not have the option of running from you or not coming to you when called. Have fun!
Oooh, good ideas. Thanks!
Okay, you know how everyone has an opinion on what people should and shouldn’t eat and how sometimes you just want to tell people to shut the heck up? Yeah, the issue of dog training is kind of like that too. Everyone seems to have Very! Strong! Opinions!
That said, I would say PLEASE do your research on Ceasar Milan before you start trying out any of his methods. There are many ways to train a dog and they don’t need to be fear-based or involve ‘dominating’ your dog. I would really recommend books like The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller. Also look into clicker training. We had a lot of luck with it and it’s actually really fun.
What we found the MOST helpful when we got our dog was to hire a trainer to come to our home. We got five sessions with someone who specialized in positive dog training, and she taught us SO MUCH about our dog and how to handle him and what his body language meant and what to do when he did certain things and so on. Seriously invaluable. It was so much more helpful than reading things blindly on the intranet and trying to figure out if it applied to your particular dog. It was kinda pricey (about $350 for five sessions) but SO WORTH IT.
Thanks for that, Andrea! I’m not even sure the book I requested was a Cesar Millan book (like I said, I don’t know ANYTHING) so I had no idea it was controversial. I appreciate the input 🙂
Oh, no problem. And honestly, different things work for different people (and different dogs.) It just irks me that he’s the defacto name when people think of dog training, since there are so many other wonderful ways to train your dog.
Also, I like how I said “intranet” instead or “Internet”. Can you tell I’m typing this from work?!? 🙂
We feed our dog a grain-free, organ meat dog food by Back to Basics (http://www.backtobasicspetfood.com/). She seems to like it okay while not gorging herself. She poops less with that than she did while on other foods.
I also put a teaspoon or two of salmon (from just regular chicken-of-the-sea salmon packets) every morning because she goes psycho for it. She’s also only 5 pounds, so she doesn’t eat a whole lot! I gave her about a 2-lb (yes, it was nearly as big as she was) soup bone to knaw on this morning, and she didn’t leave it alone for hours.
My husband picked out her name: Turbo. My hubby is a gear-head, but the name fits her and is pretty unique. I told him he wasn’t allowed to name the kids. Hah! 🙂 Looks like you’ve already found out the hard way about HBB.. make sure it’s a name you feel comfortable yelling in front of neighbors! 😉
Good luck training!
BTW, I love the thought of a 5lb dog named Turbo. HA!!!! Cute.
I give my Frankie a heaping spoonful of coconut oil everyday and he eats it up like I do with chocolate. It keeps his coat nice and silky soft and no itchy dry skin either. He also loves melon and grapes and will sit at my feet looking at me with those brown eyes until I give him a piece or two. Other than that, it’s just Iam’s food. I know, horrors as it does have some grain in it!
To help with the dog hair (lots with a long haired doxie) I comb/brush him daily. It only takes a few minutes and it’s our bonding time in the morning. Try it with HBB. It helps with the hair in the house problem tremendously.
When he’s especially good he gets a raw, grass-fed marrow bone that I keep a huge bag of in my freezer (not cooked…definitely a no no). Oh my. That will keep him occupied for at least a day.
We also love human names with our dogs and cats: we’ve had a Reilly, a Marley (this was waaaaaay before “Marley and Me”, in fact he was named after Bob), and a Dala (short for Queen Amadala). Oh and also a D.O.G. (pronounced DeeOgee). I think that was my most favorite name.
Give him lots of love and he will return it a hundred times over! Yay! I’m so happy you’re keeping him!
Our dog growing up was named Winston (for Winston Churchill), because my dad is a big history buff.
I am so glad you’re keeping him!
1. I like people names. We went the typical route and named our shepherd mix Sasha, but next time we want a more human name {yes, I know some humans are named Sasha}.
2.We feed Sasha the Kirkland dry chicken food. SHe likes it and she’s pretty healthy, plus it’s full of good stuff.
3.BA HA HA Please tell me if you get HBB to play fetch, because I have spent 6 years trying to get Sasha to play this game and it’s an epic fail every single time. I end up doing more running than she does!
For sure.
Every time we have tried both Garrett and I are running all over the backyard and HBB is just looking at us like “You suckers.”
Name ideas- a baby name book is a great brain buster.
I have an Emory, a Hubble, a Bobby (I did not name that one), a Ches (sounds like Chess). Had a Farley. Had a Tinkerbell. For Ches, it took forever to find something that fit him. I love that your dog has two different colored eyes. He’s such a beautiful dog.
I feed my dogs Nature’s Recipe. They have some good options that cured some allergies my dogs had early on.
You have gotten some great pics. I love the one of him upside down in the grass and the look on his face below the meat on the stove.
Best wishes!~
I’m so glad you’re keeping HBB! He’s so adorable, and seems perfect for you. He looks a little like my childhood dog Benji. We actually had two dogs named Benji (not at the same time) because we couldn’t think of a better name that we all agreed upon. Now that I think about it, that was super lame. I have female guinea pigs, so I’m not much help in naming, but food and people names sound good to me.
I haven’t had a dog as a grown-up, so I can’t weigh in on food and toy stuff. But I do know that some dogs loooove fetch and some are meh about it, so it might just be HBB’s temperament. Or maybe you just have to find something he’s really motivated to run and get. Have fun figuring it out!
My rescue dog is named Keepers – because he’s a keeper of course.
We aren’t grain free so he eats the Lamb & Rice food from Costco (we’ve got three dogs – lots and lots of food gets eaten!)
He learned to fetch using treats – we’d throw the ball and when he got it, we’d hold out a treat (the 99 cent chicken nuggets from Wendy’s are our high dollar treat of choice) so he’d come tearing back, sit down and drop the ball. Very motivated by food.
We don’t know where he learned it but he greets everyone that comes in the door with a toy in his mouth. When he’s got the stuffed heart that says “woof” on it, hearts melt. Obviously, not a guard dog.
Aaaaaaaaaw, Keepers!!!
Yeah, I don’t think HBB is going to be a guard dog. He does bark when people come up to the gate that he doesn’t recognize, but like 10 seconds in he’s nuzzling up next to them. I grew up with golden retrievers so I’m kind of used to that. I like a melty heart dog 🙂
from what I heard, canned wet food solely is bad for the dogs teeth, but that could also be resulting from the fact that there’s fake, carb-loaded “meat” in a lot of those cans and carbohydrates do contribute to tooth decay.
but I do advocate bones… just none of the pig or poultry variety.
and for a hilarious and thoughtful take on feeding dogs, Jeffrey Steingarten does a whole chapter on it in his book “It Must Have Been Something I Ate” which focuses on him cooking for his dog.
My childhood dog was Christy, named for the baseball pitcher, my brother had a thing. I’ve always wanted a dog so I could name it Rex. Like in the 1st reader. Now that I’ve dated myself, (old), my opinion about training dogs is love them and make them a part of the family. My dog growing up was like my little sister. She stayed in the house alone all day and didn’t wreck the place. We didn’t buy anything special for her, we tied socks in knots for toys, she ate a lot of table scraps. I taught her the basics, sit, roll over, stay, etc. by repitition, and the patience of an 8 year old. I crack up when I see people spending fortunes on crates and toys and worrying about socializing at the dog park. I’ll be considered a really bad dog owner if I ever have one.
You know, attention and respect go a long way, I think. Crates and toys are nice too (well, toys — I never really got crates, but again — I KNOW NOTHING) so I think you are probably a better pet owner than you are giving yourself credit for. 🙂
Hi Holly, I have had dogs for years and currently have 2. (you may or may not know I write a dog blog too, “Roxy the traveling dog”) Anyway, to answer some questions.
Name- Short and simple. I heard once that dogs respond better to names that end in the Y sound. I have no idea if this is true. But I have had a Lady, Roxy and Torrey and have had good training success. But short is for sure the best way to go.
Food- I eat Paleo and so do the dogs. I recently switched them to The Honest Kitchen, they are also a sponsor on my blog. They have never whined for food like they do for this. It’s grain free, human grade, and 10 lbs will make 40 pounds of food. It’s a soft food but hard kibble really is not what dental health is all about. They spend 5 mins eating, and hopefully longer than that chewing on something that is actually good for their teeth. Which brings me to, elk antler chews. Awesome. Torrey loves to chew stuff and these don’t splinter, erode, get slimey, or any of that nasty stuff.
Training-Treats are also a good incentive while learning to heal, sit, fetch, shake, whatever. I am not a dog expert but I have well behaved dogs that respond to voice command, and are great socially.
Your new pooch is adorable, good luck with everything and keep us posted.
Thanks for the suggestion, I will check Honest Kitchen out…and also your adorable doggy blog! 🙂
I have some samples of their food if you want me to send them your way.
Congrats on the new dog!! Coming home to a dog is the best thing! We feed our dogs a grain-free diet and get the food at Costco. It is a fish and potato kibble and it is very reasonably priced. I have also used this website to do research on food before- http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/
We have a dog that needs a lot of exercise, both for the mind and body and fetch is a great way to tire him out. To get him to drop the ball we use two balls. Have him fetch one and then when he brings it back show him the second one and tell him drop. Also use treats to get him to bring the first ball back.
Dog names in the past: Barney, Earl, Ginger, Amber, Miles and now we have Tessa and Max.
Good luck and enjoy!!
p.s. if he isn’t great on a leash, the gentle leader easy walk harness works wonders!
Just by looking at him, he might the type of dog that needs to wear sunscreen on his nose since it is light. Might want to look into it. Sorry to add more to your list. 🙂
He is!
It was really bad when we first picked him up, but it has gotten better, but he is definitely very fair, so it is something on our radar. Garrett’s dog growing up had to wear sunscreen on his nose too, and always ended up licking it off. Do you know of any sunscreen that dogs won’t lick off? (Thank you for all the suggestions, by the way!)
I don’t. I use sunscreen for babies in the pink chapstick like tube. My dog LOVES to bake in the sun so I try to put it on her pink spot on her nose if she is out there for hours.
Congrats on the new dog!! Coming home to a dog is the best thing! We feed our dogs a grain-free diet and get the food at Costco. It is a fish and potato kibble and it is very reasonably priced.
We have a dog that needs a lot of exercise, both for the mind and body and fetch is a great way to tire him out. To get him to drop the ball we use two balls. Have him fetch one and then when he brings it back show him the second one and tell him drop. Also use treats to get him to bring the first ball back.
Dog names in the past: Barney, Earl, Ginger, Amber, Miles and now we have Tessa and Max.
Good luck and enjoy!!
p.s. if he isn’t great on a leash, the gentle leader easy walk harness works wonders!
Aww, yay! Might I suggest looking at Patricia McConnell’s work? She has more cred than Cesar (here’s her blog http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/)
1. I like food names. My current pup is Brisket (Bacon was in the running).
2. I feed Acana, but have also fed Innova Evo, Orijen, and some other ones I can’t recall.
3. I have a trainer I lurve and have been taking my dogs to her. May I recommend this blog: teamunruly.com. It’s fairly new, but they touch on a ton of different topics regarding dog training (and general dog ownership, like what to pack for a doggie first aid kit).
We feed our dog a grain free salmon and sweet potato food from Costco. Relatively inexpensive and we found that the original Purina (that we bought in desperation the night we brought her home) apparently still smelled like food even after digested and expelled. (Dogs are gross, ewww) Freeze dried liver chunks are great treats. We like the Zuke’s mini naturals as training treats or small guys to keep in a pocket. Oh and the farmers market dehyradated beef liver.
Our dog already had a name when we got her. Her name was Maddie, but we have a good friend named that so we switched it to Maggie. If HBB kinda gets Honey, you could name a similar sounding name? Or something that ends in “y” might be enough.
Our dog is pretty darn smart (border collie and lab) so she needs a little “work” to do. We like the KONG wobbler and the Busy Buddy Tug-A-Jug, and she eats at least one meal a day out of them. Also, a regular KONG and some Peanut Butter go a long way to a happy and distracted dog.
We use a Gentle Leader nose leash with our dog, because it gives us a little more control when she freaks out about cats on a walk. But it also taught her not to pull on a leash. She was about 3 when we got her and she easily learns new tricks with a little dedication on our part. And enjoys knowing them.
I’ve had 3 dogs in my life. One I got from a construction worker who found a laid back little pup on the construction site. The guys on the job started calling him 2 by 4 because he’d carry a scrap of wood around every where he went. It was around Christmas when I got him and didn’t think I could keep calling him 2 by 4, it doesn’t exactly roll of the tongue, so I named him Nicky for St Nicholas. So then he became known as Nicky 2 by 4 like a gangster hit man.
The best we could tell he was a shepherd/boarder collie mix. Very smart and very athletic and needed obedience training as did I. He also did really well with agility as long as there were no small dogs around which would distract him and he would want to chase them. He was a notorious bunny chaser and the rabbits who happened to wander into our yard were definitely not safe. I guess he looked at those little dogs in agility like they were the bunnies.
Another dog was called Indy because she came into my life on the 4th of July–Independence Day. She would half way play fetch. I would throw a ball and she would chase it, pick it up and then wander away somewhere and chew on it. I think she was mixed with every sleek, slinky, pretty breed there is. Not very bright, but super friendly and always wagging her tail and smiling. Yes, she smiled. She reminded me a lot of this: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2011/04/wild-animal-simple-dog-goes-for-joy.html
The family dog we had when I was growing up did not have a special diet at all. It was whatever she got out of a bag from the grocery store and some table scraps. She lived to be nearly 18 years old and was quite healthy . She especially loved un-cooked dry fettucini noodles. Her name was Puddles because –well I’m sure you can guess.
So, I would suggest naming him something that will remind you of where you found him or one of his traits. I had a friend who had a dog named Friday because that’s the day of the week she got her. Or, go with what your mom has already started calling him. Albie. I like it.
Ok, so I have worked in the animal industry for 10+ years, but I refuse to be one of those people who plays know it all. Because who does really?! Two pieces of advice that come to mind are:
1. Pet Insurance- it helps with cost. Especially for those unexpected instances in life. But, do your research as there are many companies and they all cover different things. I work for one in particular, but I’m not going to suggest you go with mine simply because I say so. I always encourage research!
2. Food- There is a company I know about called “Just Food For Dogs” and I think if you go on their website or speak with someone at that company you may get some good insight. I’ve heard from several people that they LOVE this place. I have a friend who works for them so I can see about getting you some sort of like “starter info kit” or something?
I LOVE animals, sometimes more than people sadly. I wish you the BEST with this little guy. He’s lucky to have found you guys 🙂
Hi Holly! I’m so excited for you and excited to give you some help. I love dogs!
Name – When I look at him I just see Tucker.
Food – Stay away from Diamond Products – one of their most popular is Blue Buffalo (just had a mass recall this year). Your pup looks small so it might be feasible to do a raw diet. This is what I currently do, my dog is 35 lbs. I do a mixture of raw from Answers, Natures Logic and Untamed. Before I went to raw, I was feeding him Blue Buffalo, then the recall happened at the same time he wasn’t feeling well. One of the best kibbles out there is Natures Logic. I done plenty of review and verified with independent sources. Aka http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/. Or you can do a mixture of kibble and raw (this is what my sister does).
Training – it would be best to find out if he is treat or toy motivated. This will help training. How is he walking?
Other – Yea! Congrats to you both. And when times get tough check out this website – http://dog-shaming.com/.
Sorry and Taste of the Wild was apart of the recall too. That is what Oakley was on.
How about “Bay” for a name since you were going to the Bay area when you found him. Or the name of the street he was on. I dig human names, too … we have a Jackson and Ty that never answer to their names because we call them Chocolate Face, Vanilla Dog, Chunky Britches etc so clearly, we’re into stupid names, too.
We feed ours Blue brand food. It’s pricey but supposed to be the bees knees and they seem to be into it.
Good luck. He’s a cutie!
No ideas for name, but we have 11 year old Abby the Brittany who loves her meals of 1/3 c Taste of the Wild Grain Free kibble, a hand full of cooked organic green beans (courtesy of Costco) and 1/4 lb raw meat/veggie patty. I vary the meat with each purchase. These amounts are perfect for her 38 lb weight. The green beans are to keep her trim, but make her think she’s getting an “enormous” meal. She is fed twice a day. Honestly, she never met a meal she didn’t love, or a treat for that matter, but she’s slim and trim and looks much younger than her age, except for all those white hairs on her muzzle. When I stopped eating grains, it suddenly occurred to me what dog (or cat) would ever have been eating grains in their natural environment. We never looked back!
I always wanted to name a dog Meatball. Just sayin.
Food – We feed B.G. (Before grain). We fed a raw diet (or google BARF diet) for a while, but as Kyla got older her stomach got too sensitive. BG is great because she’s very sensitive to grains, and it seems to be a good balance for her.
Training – Just do a puppy class! Your dog doesn’t have to be a puppy – it’s a great way to bond with him, and he gets to play with other dogs and be around a lot of people. Socialization is awesome. Usually they’re quite reasonable. Something like 6-8 weeks for $60-80 in our area. I highly recommend it. We did it when we adopted Kyla, and later with the other dog we had for a short while (Jasper), and it was wonderful. Plus they learn SO FAST.
He looks like he might have collie in him. His face is similar to my old dog, Angelou, who was half-Border Collie. Does he try to herd you guys at all? She was smart as a whip and excellent at herding cats and people. 🙂 I tend to name all my pets after writers (I’m a dork like that) so I’ve had Angelou (we called her Lou or LuLu), Dot (Dorothy Parker), and Dash (Dashiell Hammett). Growing up we had pets with the names: Sam, Sox, Dumbo, Sunshine, Happy, and Emmett. He looks like sugar to me but that’s not the best boy dog name. I’m sure you’ll come up with a perfect name for him (that isn’t Honey Boo Boo ha ha). As for what to feed him, the vet will probably have advice on that.
This is where I’m going to delurk 🙂
I work at All The Best Pet Care up here in Washington, so I’m going to give you a run down on what we would normally recommend.
If you can feed raw (pretty much dog paleo) good inexpensive brands are K9 Natural and Vital Essentials. You can also do part of the diet with meal replacement bones such as raw turkey necks, duck necks, etc. Just make sure you source these products as meant to be consumed raw or find a local farmer who you can trust.
A good option if you can’t do raw is a dehydrated food from Honest Kitchen. They are a great company and I really like their products.
If you do feed a kibble, I would make sure to add digestive enzymes and fish oil to it. There are a lot of good brands for both. Kibble companies do spray the outside of the kibble with fat, but it’s not nearly enough.
I also second the recommendation to read truthaboutpetfood.com. Love that site.
My pug is paleo… he gets a scrambled egg with spinach for breakfast, a piece of chicken jerkey for a snack (and to make us feel better about leaving him all day), and for dinner it is half a cup of grain free kibble with ground meat of some sort with broccoli and carrots. Rarely do we give him food off our plates, but when we do it is lean meat and sweet potatoes (without skin, as its bad for their blood count or something like that). When it is hot out (WHAT UP SACRAMENTO VALLEY) we give him frozen berries and watermelon and sometimes frozen pupsicles made from mashed banana and almond butter.
PS His name is Boris… from Snatch
I should say Boris’ dinner is cooked. Not quite down with the raw food diet and his teeth are too small for bone chewing. Since going grain-free/paleo his coat is softer, less shedding, better breath and eventho he is pushing 8 he plays like he is a puppy.
I am so happy for you guys! I was hoping you would be able to keep him from the beginning! Looks like you got a lot of good advice – so I’ll only add one thing based on another comment: Don’t feed him grapes! They are bad for dogs. Seems like a weird thing, but there is something about them that make them sick. Hope you have a great weekend with your doggie! Happy training 🙂
Dogs are the best so I am glad you are keeping him.
Ditto on the Kong and the Furminator. I have a smooth dachshund called Enzo who has destroyed a Kong and a (generic) Nylabone but it took him ages. Most chewy toys are gone within 20 minutes so I don’t bother with them.
I feed Enzo mature dog food from Costco. Grain-free and breed specific dog foods are way too expensive but I supplement heavily with his favorite vegetables: lettuce, frozen spinach, frozen broccoli and frozen green beans. I’ve seen him run past meat that fell on the floor to eat lettuce and he runs from wherever he is in the house when I start to cut one up.
Just remember that onions and grapes are toxic for dogs (grapes/raisins are a never ever item)! 1 tablespoon of pumpkin is great for firming stools if the dog has diarrhea. Sometimes I measure out 1 tbsp blobs from a can of Libby’s and freeze them, put them in a baggie and then just give them to him when he needs them.
Dachshunds are notoriously hard to train but I had some good results with the methods in ‘Think Dog!’ by John Fisher. I didn’t have much luck with his method for teaching ‘lie down’ because he recommended to get the dog to walk under something low so he could crouch. Enzo can walk under EVERYTHING without crouching.
Good luck!
Lula came with her name and it just fits her. I like to think of her as being Talullah, but have actually never called her that. I like names from literature – like Holmes, Mr. Darcy (he kind of seems like a Mr. Bingley actually!), etc.
As for dog food, we are not fancy around here. I grew up feeding my dogs generic stuff that probably was terrible for them, so feeding Nutro Lamb and Rice seems super posh to me. 🙂
Some dogs just don’t fetch… Lula is a fetcher, but mostly she likes to play keep away. Have you tried throwing a kong filled with treats yet? Show the HBB the kong, let him smell the treats and then throw it? I don’t know. I have never taught a dog to fetch, maybe you should leave this one to more experienced people! I will say he looks like he’s got some kind of herding breed in him (judging by the hair and the face) and possibly retriever? So if you can access that part of his breed brain you might be in luck. Does he follow you guys around weaving near your legs? (herding behavior!)
Finally, I think the thing that most new dog owners don’t usually realize is dogs need strict boundaries and firm correction. I hear people scolding their dogs like they would an old lady, “No, no, Buffy, don’t attack the pretty puppy…” when it should be, “NO!” (Or whatever the current no-no word is in dog training circles…) With a firm correction. The best part about dogs is they know when they’ve done something wrong, but they need you to use proper tone. You know what I mean?
Anyway, HBB is gorgeous. But invest in a furminator! And get the number of a good groomer. You don’t want that hair clogging your shower drain. BELIEVE ME.
Oh also! We have an agility place in Los Angeles called The Zoom Room, and it is a fantastic way to exercise a working or sporting breed, which I suspect HBB is. And it is super fun for the human too. Lula loved it and so did I. It doesn’t look like they have a Sacramento location yet, but there is probably something similar in your area.
I don’t have time to read all comments, we had a huge windstorm last week and our internet has been down for 10 days. Thank goodness for the library! Anyway, here are my answers to your questions.
1. Dog names- growing up, we had a little dog Hey-Hey (long story), and the names for pets I have had as an adult are Sam, Jake, Cody, Belle, Mickey, Dory, and Lucky.
2. We aren’t strict Paleo, and we feed out dogs Eukanuba. I was an animal science major in college, eons ago, but one thing I took from our animal nutrition class is that dog food companies do a LOT of research into what they put into their dog food. We have had long lived dogs, it hasn’t seem to done them any harm.
3. Training-certain types of breeds simply don’t fetch. We have had two Belgian Malinois, and they are the smartest dogs ever-they will chase the ball, but they will never bring it back. I guess they figure if you are stupid enough to just throw away your ball, they aren’t going to bring it back to you. In terms of the sit, lie down, stay and come (which to me is the MOST important one) there are probably numerous DVD’s you can rent to get an idea. The other thing is a dog obedience class is great for socializing your dog and and giving you pointers. In our area, the SPCA does classes, so you are giving your money to a good cause. My husband is good with the training basics, he uses cut up hot dogs as a food reward.
4. Other tips-nip bad habits in the bud. Be the pack leader, as Cesar says calm and assertive. Dogs really do pick up on your moods-the more nervous and tense you are, the crazier they can be.
Oh, very important and something that absolutely drives me nuts when I see it neglected-groom your dog regularly and for all that is holy-either learn how to trim the nails or have a groomer do it. When I see dogs with super long nails, it drives me nuts-it must be so uncomfortable for them. Sometimes I think owners feel it hurts the dog, but it doesn’t. Lots of dogs aren’t used to having people mess with their feet, so they squirm and yelp. It is actually a fairly easy thing to do, just be sure you know where the quick is-because if you hit that it will bleed and that does hurt the dog.
This dog is absolutely the cutest, congrats on the new addition to your life!
1. Name — anything you love that he responds to!
2. Food — Merrick makes a WONDERFUL grain-free line of dog food that includes dry kibble and wet food. Our pug Oscar is 14 and has lost several teeth and has digestive issues, so he has been grain free for a long time. We generally will mix a tiny bit of kibble with some wet food (in accordance with what the vet says is the appropriate amount of food) for his meals. I often will make him chicken in the slow cooker and shred it up and mix it with rice, which is good for their tummies. We’ve tried every grain free food out there though and Merrick is the best.
3. Obedience — the BEST thing you can do is enroll in a dog obedience class. Tricks and stuff are nice but ultimately you want him to be a good leash walker and responsive to calls. It just takes practice and he’ll do great with it!
4. Make sure he’s getting enough exercise and then some. When I worked a job with really long hours, i.e., 12+ hours daily, I hadmy pugs at doggie daycare 2x a week and it was GREAT because they were passed out and sleepy the rest of the week from the activity.
5. ENJOY being a dog owner! It’s great:)
I know a few good Sacramento resources if you are interested. The Right Steps is a training school in Fair Oaks that is really great (therightsteps.com). She focuses on positive training and the “nothing in life is for free” approach – in other words, all interactions are training opportunites. I’m also a big fan of Launder Dog (launderdog.com) on Arden Way. Its has a fantastic selection of high quality dogs foods and toys and the owner is very good about helping you find a food that will work for your dog. Lastly, I recently found an amazing dog toy – google “pickel pocket. My dogs love it and it keeps them out of trouble for hours!
Yay! I’m so glad you are keeping him! He is adorable. I have had dogs my whole life and worked for a Vet for a couple years so I’ll throw my two cents in…
Names: Try to think of something to do with his personality or how you found him. Could be something like the street name you found him on. Or you found him while he was wandering or exploring, could be something to do with that like Nomad, Magellan, Ferdinand is Magellan’s first name if you wanted to be a little more original and do some variance on that, Lewis or Clark… you get the idea. You found each other so there could be something related to lost or found, like Chance. Or a good movie or book character always works too!
Fetch: If you can get him some play time with a dog who already plays fetch that can work… my dog taught my sisters dog fetch just by playing together.
Food: Nothing with Corn, Soy or Wheat. These can all cause problems. It is more expensive, but not crazy bad. We pay around $30 for a big bag and it lasts a little longer than a month. We have a 70lb Golden who gets one cup in the morning and one cup at night. He doesn’t look too big, so his servings would probably be a little smaller and it would last longer. Premium Edge and Fromm’s are both good brands. There are others,but those are the ones we have used and I know off of the top of my head. Same goes for Treats. No Corn, Soy, or Wheat. Zukes brand is really good and has some tiny ones that are great for training. Again, a little more expensive, but totally worth it.
I suggest don’t give him rawhide, it can cause obstructions. Give him knuckle bones, not long bones, they can splinter. I know plenty of people who do these things and their dogs haven’t had problems, but they can and that’s enough for me. Yes I’m slightly paranoid about anything that could hurt my dog! =)
Also, make sure to pull up the list of plants and foods that can harm animals (grapes, onions, etc) Some of them may surprise you. Just good to know. I believe ASPCA has a good one.
Enjoy HBB! He is so cute and will fill your life with love. Soon you won’t be able to imagine life without him =)Have fun!
I did not read all of the comments so pardon me if I get repetitious 🙂
Get some Kongs and stuff them with peanut butter and then put those suckers in the freezer. The frozen peanut butter Kongs last longer and keep our dog much more occupied. We also put pieces of treat in the peanut butter before we freeze it as a little surprise.
Nylabones are another good chew toy; Hurley seems to prefer the S shaped ones to the regular bone kind. We feed him Nutra grain-free dog food because he has some sort of allergy. The grain-free stuff makes his itching better, plus there is no chicken/beef/pork meal in it.
Regarding treats: go for fresh stuff. The packaged stuff is great, too, but Hurley loves apples, bananas, broccoli, squash, and baby carrots. Here’s a slideshow of foods to not give HBB: http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/ss/slideshow-foods-your-dog-should-never-eat
I bought Victoria Stilwell’s dog training book and it’s been so helpful regarding teaching commands. Repetition, positive reinforcement, and plenty of exercise make for a happy, easy-to-train pup.
SO GLAD you decided to keep him! It looks like you’re using a halter with him which I am also SO GLAD to see! Be patient through the next few weeks – this is a big transition for all of you!
We have quite the houseful (I am a sucker and all the strays know where we live), but we feed our rescued chihuahua a grain free kibble. She is a somewhat fickle eater and it has been difficult to find something that she likes. We considered going the raw route, but with 4+ pets it is just too difficult.
She absolutely loves dehydrated beef tripe as a treat. I stuff the pieces into her tiny Kong (it makes them difficult to get out – but she’s discovered that if she rolls it down the stairs enough times they will pop out) and she is good for a few hours. She was not so interested in antlers, but she does love bully sticks. They just don’t last long enough in our house. She also enjoys raw baby carrots. 🙂
I currently feed my pup, Edie, Orijen dog food and she seems to love it. I love it because of what’s in it, its fresh (never frozen) and it’s good for her. It’s expensive, but worth it. My local farmers market also sells grass fed beef bones for dogs, so she gets those as a treat 🙂
From Orijen’s site:
Formulated to match your dog’s natural diet, REGIONAL RED contains an amazing diversity of local free-range red meats, including wild boar, beef, lamb, heritage pork and bison, plus wild-caught fish from Canada’s northern lakes and cool Pacific Ocean — all delivered FRESH and preservative-free to nourish your dog completely.
Hi Holly! I’m new to your website but not new to doggies and training and feeding them. 🙂 I don’t know if this was mentioned before but Whole Dog Journal is a great resource for nutrition, training, and maintenance of doggies. It’s the number one thing I tell folks who are researching for dog info especially when it comes to feeding (I did raw plus some cooked with our dog).
There’s also: http://www.thecrossovertrainer.com/
http://notesfromadogwalker.com/
Hope that helps! 🙂 Congrats on your new fuzzball!
Thanks for the suggestions Andrea! I’ll check them out.