Author: Smiling Dog

It’s not all work at Smiling Dog. When our pups aren’t pursuing their Puppy PhD, they like to have some fun with their favorite toys. These are two of our newest golden retriever puppies. They arrived on the coldest day of the year and a day or so later, we got a blizzard. They’ve had lots of snow fun, but they need to spend time indoors where it’s warm, too. Right now they are just starting to get used to a potty schedule and shared crate time. They have already aced the cute test!

If you like the toys in the video (we love ’em because they are washable and durable), visit Pridebites.com. Use code: smilingdog to get 20% your full order. It’s a tail-wagging benefit of being a Smiling Dog follower!

PrideBites is giving away a Puppy Starter Kit that includes a bed, blanket, placemat, collar, and leash to one lucky winner!

It’s free to enter.

Click Here to See The Giveaway

We love PrideBites products for our pups. They are durable + customizable. Our puppies love the beds + create beds + blankets + toys. Yours will, too!

PLUS, you’ll love getting 20% off your purchase at PrideBites! Enter: smilingdog as your promo/discount code at check-out to save.

It’s time. Time to start thinking about those pesky little ticks that like to climb all over our dogs. Usually, this time of year ticks aren’t a problem. Winter typically does that to bugs. However, when we start having 60 degree days in February, nature can get a little confused

I’ve yet to pull my first tick off a puppy this year but I know it’s coming. As the weather warms and the ground dries up, the tiny ticks start appearing. They like to hang out in tall grass, leaf piles and of course, on Bowser’s back.

While I’m generally a fan of all things nature, with ticks, I make an exception. Ticks are nasty little creatures that are likely to find their way onto our pets and into our homes. Once there, they’ll attach to our pets (or family members) and start doing their best Dracula impression.

You’ll most likely find a tick on your pet after it’s been attached for a couple of days. They will often swell up to the size of grape. When they burst/break… well, let’s just say it’s a mess. Aside from the gross factor, ticks can harbor a multitude of diseases. Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are just a few of the tick transmitted diseases you and your pet are in a position to contract if that little tick gets ahold of you.

Fortunately, there are a number of good preventative measures you can take. Consult with your Vet about the types of products you should be using on your own dog. There are many different kinds of all natural sprays that you can apply to your pet. These sprays, however, need to be applied regularly to be effective.

Frontline is a popular tick repellent as well. This is a liquid you apply monthly to the dog’s skin. It absorbs into the dog’s fat cells and prevents the ticks from attaching.  We currently use a pill called NextGuard that works great and isn’t as messy.

Brushing your dog after a romp in the outdoors is always a good idea as well. When a tick first hops on a dog, they are usually attached to the end of the hair so a quick brushing will knock them off the dog before they come into the house. Minimizing romps in tall grassy areas helps too (but your dog probably won’t like it). By using a combination of preventative meds and some landscaping maintenance, you will be well on your way to having a tick-free summer.

It’s time to start thinking about ticks, before they start thinking about you.

Valentine’s Day is a favorite in the Smiling Dog house. Well, at least for one of the human residents and any and all of the puppy boarders. In addition to rushing to order flowers, candy, and make dinner reservations, we also like to show our pups a little bit of love.

If Cupid has struck you with a puppy love bow, here are some sweet ideas to add some puppy hugs and kisses to your holiday.

Valentine’s Milk Bones Minis

Cozy, Personalized Blanket

Gourmet Truffles

Dog’s Obsession Toy Pack

The best way to make sure you have access to a Smiling Dog trained puppy is to contact us in advance to learn about when our breeders will have puppies for us to train. Many of our clients are already on a list to choose their pup before they are ever born (which is why we often get “sold out” before we have a chance to post the pups our website). Of course, we do often have puppies that are not already spoken for, so…

Like + Follow + Subscribe to Stay In the Know

We typically share updates about our upcoming Puppy PhD candidates on our:

Smiling Dog Pet Services Facebook page (@trainedpuppies)

Smiling Dog Pet Services Instagram profile

Smiling Dog Newsletter (the PUPdate)

Whether you are in the market for a puppy today or in the future, or you just plain love puppy cute-ness in your social media feed or e-mail inbox, you will want to like, follow, and subscribe to our updates.

Types of Puppies

We haven’t met a puppy we can’t train, but our breeders (who are all personally vetted) typically breed: Mini Golden-Doodles (F1 and F1B), Berner-Doodles, and Golden Retrievers.

What’re you Doggone Waiting For?

Contact Bill today to inquire about trained puppies and take the first step toward your best possible puppy ownership experience.

I’ve never been a fan of the retractable leash. There… I said it. I mean, c’mon, have you ever seen a super well-behaved dog on one of these things? Now, I’m sure in some remote corner of the world we could find one if we really tried. But as a general rule, when strolling along the beach or visiting the dog park, you most often see retractable-leash dogs, over-excited, lunging and pulling in all directions. Not a great recipe for a calm, cool day with your dog.

For those of you unfamiliar with them, a retractable leash is a long thin cord (20-30 ft long) wrapped tightly around a spring loaded device. When the dog pulls, more leash comes out. When the dog gets closer to the owner, the cord wraps back around the spring device.

From a training perspective, I can’t think of a single reason why it would be advantageous to to have my dog 30 feet away in public. Even though the dog is still attached to me, the further away she gets from, the more my magical powers dissipate.

Whenever I take my dog into a new or potentially exciting environment, I want to let her know that I’m still in charge. I’m purposely not going to let her go flying into the tornado of excitement around me until I’m sure she’s in a position to handle it.

Let’s throw the training aspect out for out now (Blasphemy!). From a safety standpoint, I find these leashes dangerous, especially around kids or others who don’t know how to use them. They’re an accident waiting to happen.

Accident #1 – You drop the leash

Who hasn’t accidentally dropped their leash when out with the dog? Well, here’s what happens when you drop the handle of a retractable leash. If the leash is not locked, the heavy handle (with the spring loading device inside) is going to fly like a two-pound missile toward the stationary end of the leash (your dog’s head).

If you grew up with an older brother, think of it like him holding the heavy end of a 30-foot tape measure and you ignorantly holding the other end. Naturally, the older brother thing to do is to let go of the heavy end and smash the younger, sensitive brother’s little hand. That happened to everyone, right?!?

Keep in mind, the reverse is true as well. If, for whatever reason, the dog’s collar suddenly comes off, expect Fido’s collar to be briskly flying back in your direction. Not a big problem if Fido is a Chihuahua but…

Accident #2 – You grab the leash

Once in awhile your dog will just take off after another dog, squirrel or leaf.  When they do, it can be a little surprising, which can lead to losing your grip on the handle. Instinctively, you grab the thin cord of the leash —voila!— you get a world class rope burn.  I’m not proud to admit it, but this one has even happened to me.

Accident #3 – All wrapped up and nowhere to go

An excited dog and 30 feet of leash can wreak havoc on a dog owner and anyone/thing within it’s radius. One of my favorite parts of a rodeo is the calf roping competition. A good cowboy can lasso and hogtie that calf in less than 10 seconds. I’ve seen a chocolate lab do that to his owner and a bike rack in half that time.

Go ahead and Google “retractable leash and bad”.  You’ll see that many others share my view. Spare yourself the pain and embarrassment of telling your friends you hurt yourself “walking the dog.”

Get a Good Leash!

A good leash should be one of your primary tools in training and owning your dog. A simple six foot long leash is what you want, what works best, and hurts the least! Here are a couple we like.

6 ft, ¾” thick, Leather Leash

We recommend you use a leather leash while you’re still training your pup, as it’s easier on your hands. It’s also advisable if you have a larger dog (think 80lbs +), where the sturdier construction can come in handy.

 

 

 

Customizable Nylon Leashes

We love the PrideBites leashes because they come in 6 ft lengths, a variety of colors/styles, and are customizable with your pup’s name. These are great for your trained, small to mid-size dog. And, if you use code smilingdog at checkout, you receive 20% off your order. It’s our gift to you!

We can’t stop ourselves from filming our puppies in the snow. They love playing in it so much that it gives us a smile and a reason to bundle up to get some (cold) fresh air, too. Watch the adorable video below of Smiling Dog trained puppy, Little Red, having a (snow) ball after our latest storm. Then, strap on your boots and coat and head outside with your pup!

Will my pup get too cold in the snow?

If you’re going to be outside for an extended amount of time or if you like your pup to look as fashionable as you do, you may want to get him or her a cozy coat. We love the selection at Pride Bites because most are available with customization. You can select your inner and outer colors, piping color, and add your pup’s name. Even better? Use code: smilingdog at checkout to receive 20% through our pawtnership.

Ready to get your own snow buddy?

E-mail bill@smilingdogpetservices.com to get added to the list for a trained puppy for spring.

When I met my wife, she didn’t love dogs. While she didn’t dislike them, she had an overall impression of puppies and dogs as being completely out of control. She assumed that if I was training puppies, my house and furniture would be covered with fur (a big drawback for her since she’s actually allergic to dogs). She expected that if she did clear the fur off of a patch of couch to sit down, she’d be swarmed by the puppies/dogs—they would jump up on her, crowd her out, and slobber in her face while we tried to watch a movie. Moreover, she figured they’d all pretty much pee and poop where they pleased, beg for food (or steal it off counters), drag her around if she tried to walk them, and torture guests and unsuspecting passersby alike

If You’ve Never Experienced a Trained Puppy, Your Perception Could be Off

Sound familiar? Do you or someone you know have this impression of puppies and dogs? Are you crazy enough to have gotten one despite this perception? Well, if you own a Smiling Dog or have used the full Puppy PhD program, you are among those who know that this perception is wrong. Everyone else, read on! Let me be clear, my wife was not wrong about some puppies and dogs (my wife is never wrong, of course…), she simply had never met a trained puppy or dog. She certainly didn’t know how to train a puppy. A trained puppy is a joy, a trained dog is a companion you are proud to call part of the family. A trained furry friend will not be a relationship deal-breaker! My wife is now a certified dog lover. You and yours can be, too.

Not sure what the difference is? Check out the video below.

Having experienced trained puppies and dogs, my wife is now a certified dog lover. You and yours can be, too, by bringing a trained puppy into your home.

Ready to Have a Trained Puppy?

So, now that you know how great a trained puppy can be, why would you choose to have anything else?

If you’d like to add your name to our list for future available trained puppies, e-mail bill@smilingdogpetservices.com. Or, if you’ve got a fairly new puppy and want to use expert training strategies to get the dog of your dreams, check out our Puppy PhD online program.

Happy training!

If you’re anything like us, your new year’s resolutions get swept under the rug fairly quickly along with the last scraps of wrapping paper and pine needles. But, that doesn’t mean your puppy can’t stick with some resolutions for 2017. A couple of them may even help you have a happier new year as well.

Goal #1: Your puppy is dying to hear “good puppy!” more. How do you do that? Training! A trained puppy is a happy puppy with even happier owners. If you don’t have a Smiling Dog, you can still  help your puppy with this goal. Ideally, your puppy is trained in their first few months, when they are most easily able to learn routines, rules, and socialization. Missed the first few months window? Provided you still have a stitch of your sanity left, you can get our infographic on The Four Puppy Training Concepts and consider enrolling your pup in Puppy PhD.

Goal #2: Your puppy wants to party all the time, party all the time. And by party, we mean, play. Make 2017 the year you get outside more with your puppy. Oh, it’s cold out right now, you say? Well, your puppy has a fur coat and you will just need to bundle up. Our favorite snow day game? Catch the snow ball! Your puppy will be amazed by your wizardry when you create a ball that magically disappears in their mouth. Some of our other favorite snow games include follow-the-leader through the snow (your boot prints make a nice track for your buddy) and find the toy (strategically placed in a snow pile). Resolve to make more time to play with your pup this year.

Goal #3: Your puppy craves a crate upgrade. You know we advocate for using the crate—not as punishment, but as a safe, cozy place for your pup to chillax while you’re occupied or he/she needs a break. If your pup is past the point of accidents and can be trusted, let this be the year you pimp their crate. Start with a soft crate bed without filler. We are in (puppy) love with the customizable crate beds from Pride Bites. You can add your pup’s name and picture, feeding their desire to lounge and look at their own cute mug

p.s.: Use our link and the discount code: smilingdog at checkout to get 20% off!

Goal #4: Your puppy desires thinner thighs and tighter abs. Er, well, maybe that is a little projection. However, whether your furry best pal needs to drop some puppy poundage or is at a good weight, but could stand to eat less beer, steak, and pizza, you can add some healthier snacks to their menu. Consider substituting heavier treats with apples (cores and seeds removed),cucumbers, or carrots. Be mindful of not overdoing these treats and other people food lest you be stuck with a pup who turns their nose up at their regular chow.

Goal #5: Your puppy needs to catch that darn tail. Your puppy will have this goal on their list for years to come and, just like so many humans’ goals, it is unlikely to happen. But hey, there’s no shame in trying. For your part, we suggest video taping or photographing attempts and laughing a  lot. Then share them on our Facebook page!

Bonus: A few things we hope you resolve NOT to do

1. Teach your puppy English. Your dog doesn’t speak English and he/she isn’t going to learn. Better that you learn to speak dog by learning how to capture your dog’s attention, deliver commands that are clear (in tone), and give-off calm, assertive energy.

2. Give your puppy too much freedom (before it’s earned). Your puppy needs to earn your trust and, with it, additional freedom. You wouldn’t hand your newly licensed teenager the keys to the car and a six-pack, so don’t do the equivalent with your puppy. Keep your puppy’s world small and monitored until they can be trusted, then gradually increase their freedom.

3. Let poor behavior go unchecked. If your puppy is behaving badly, it’s a.) likely partially your fault and b.) something you need to address as soon as possible. If you think your pup’s mishaps make for funny stories, by all means, keep giving him/her free reign. Then, when they go too far, roll up a newspaper and hit yourself on the head with it. Bad owner! Confused puppy.

We could go on, but instead, we’ll wish you and your pup a happy, healthy, and fun-filled new year. May your cuddles be many and your worries be few.

Cheers!

Dear Santa,

I’ve been trying really hard to get on your nice list. I will admit that I may have been a little naughty at first — barking, whining, jumping, and potty-ing wherever my puppy heart desired. However, I have been diligently pursuing my Puppy PhD from Smiling Dog and my “bad puppy!” days are a thing of the past. I’ve mastered sleeping over night in my safe, cozy crate, doing my business outside, and showing my best behavior on-leash.

I’m a good puppy! I get told so all the time. My fur is soft and warm — just right for petting and cuddling. I will offer up my belly for a rub whenever my owners want and I will even make their hearts skip a beat with a perfectly-timed head tilt or puppy kiss. When I’m not cozying up with my people, I like to play with my toys, chase my ever-elusive tail, chow down or snooze it up.

So, Santa, whaddaya say? Will you check off my list?

Kisses and Paws!

1. H204K9 Doggy Water Bottle & Bowl
I love hiking, running, and power walking with my people, but I can get a little parched in the great outdoors. This doggy water bottle is perfect because it will keep my water cold and has a handy cover that doubles as a bowl, in just the right shape for me. It comes in a bunch of fun colors to go with all of my accessories!

2.  Tennis Balls – 24 Pack

Ball? Ball! I love playing catch! I may not always bring the ball back (I’m still learning), but I think a bag of 24 tennis balls is waaaaay more fun than a barrel of monkeys. My people don’t like the smelly, dirty ones as much as I do, so they’ll appreciate having plenty of clean ones on hand.

3.  Chuck-it! Ball Launcher

Wait, you mean you can throw a ball even further away? I can run for a longer time and wear myself out for a nice nap? And my person doesn’t have to touch the slobbery ball (they seem to hate that, yet, they let me kiss their faces… I’ll never understand them)? Plus, I hear that humans have a lot of fun chucking tennis balls and it makes my outside time a blast for everyone. Win-win!

 

4.  Fun Feeder Interactive Bowl

Sure, I was a little hurt to have my eating habits described as “hoover-ish,” but I guess the truth is, I eat a little fast now that I’m growing. My Vet says that isn’t the healthiest thing for me; eating slowly can prevent bloat, digestive issues, and obesity. That’s all over my head, but I do know that my regular bowl is boring. A feeder that doubles as a hunt through a maze of ridges and valleys makes meal time more fun!

5.  Kong Classic Dog Toy

Um, real talk? I love to chew things. I know I’m not allowed to touch your stuff, but it would be swell if I could have a sturdy chew toy that can also be filled with peanut butter or other food treats. I’m told Kong toys are a favorite of dog owners for their durability. I can play solo or you can bounce that thing around for unpredictable motion that will keep me entertained.