On Working Dogs

Every couple of weeks we put Teddybux to work! Well not literally. He just comes to work with me at the animation studio I work at in Glendale, CA. He's not the only dog put to work at the office, so there's a little bit of play time mixed into the day.

We bring along Teddybux's water bowl, treats, blanket and a couple of toys to play with so that he won't get bored. He hangs out in my cubicle most of the day but gets to get out and explore during lunch and break times.

While Teddybux loves being by my side he is not entirely a fan of going to work. For one there are not nearly enough play breaks or cuddle breaks, all people do there is work work work. Secondly, the work day is way too long. In a perfect world Teddybux would be off the clock by noon. (A perfect world for all of us, really)  For me having Teddybux can be a little distracting, it's hard to focus on work when you have such a cute puppy wanting to play.

There are some plus sides to going to work, lots of treats and new people to play with. A chance for Teddybux to get familiar with a new environment. Teddybux enjoys the excitement of hanging out with someone all day instead of sleeping alone in the apartment. Although we are pretty sure he likes that too.  It's a great option for those days where we need to get him out of the apartment and really tire him out.

At the end of the long work day Teddybux is rewarded with some well earned cuddles! What more could a working pup ask for?

Photobooth

Teddybux at 7 months cuddling with one 

of his favorite things!

On Dog Toys

Saying that Teddybux is a chewer is a bit of an understatement. When he was a puppy his chewing was a bit destructive leaving us remnants of a shoe and the arm of our couch to prove it.  Lucky for us he quickly outgrew that destructive chewing and now focuses solely on his toys. It took quite a bit of trial and error to find toys that could not only survive play time but also provide enough entertainment to keep Teddybux coming back for more.

While it's great to watch Teddybux rip to shred any fabric toy he comes in contact with, we tend to shy away from them. It takes him less then half an hour to rip to the stuffing and has to be watched too closely to be sure he doesn't choke on anything. Likewise squeaky toys are out except for outdoor trips to the park. They don't hold up well to aggressive chewing and are, lets face it, also quite annoying.

We have spent the past year building up a collection of toys that have been deemed indestructible. Many of them have not passed the test but there have been a few that have held up over time. The trick however is finding a toy that won't fall apart but will also keep Teddybux's attention. Considering this criteria there are a few clear winners:

In first place we have Petstages Orka Tire
Teddybux loves all his orka dog toys but this one stands up as the best because it can be used for both fetch and chewing and has survived months of heavy use with no sign of letting up.

In second place we have the large Planet Dog Orbee Tuff bone.
This one also doubles as a fetch toy but is mostly the favorite for chewing.

In third place is any rope toy. Depending on frequency of chews Teddybux's rope toys can last anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple of months. Our favorite ropes can be found for 99 cents at target and help keep our pup and our wallets happy.

Now Teddybux and I are off to do some more toy testing. Happy playing!!!

On Dog Beds

Having a shedding, slobbering, and drooling Bulldog can lead to quite a few clean house dilemmas, one of which was finding a dog bed that fit snugly into his crate and could stand up to numerous washings. The first bed we got was a west paws Eco-nap and while Teddy Bux loved it, after a couple months of weekly washings it had shrunken and lost most of its shape. The next bed we got was much tougher and thicker, but was too big to fit in our apartment sized washing machine. Not wanting to spend my weekends washing dog beds at the laundromat,  I returned to the internet for answers and eventually stumbled upon Molly Mutt bed covers. The med/large size fit right over Teddy's existing bed, is super durable, and has so far held up to numerous washings. You can use the covers over your existing dog beds or purchase a stuff sac and create a bed out of old sheets, towels, pillows or anything else you find lying around. Teddy Bux gets some major geek cred for the adorable robot design, but there are many styles to choose from.

You can check them out at www.mollymutt.com

Now keeping Teddy Bux's bed clean is no longer a chore, so drool away tired pup, we've got you covered!

On Dog Blankets

Now as a Southern California resident we have nothing on the rest of the country when it comes to the cold. But as the temperatures here dropped below their normal sunny 70 degrees we noticed teddy cuddling just a little bit closer. Because it's southern california we don't like to turn the heat on and tend to just throw an extra blanket on the bed when the nights get chilly. So in order to keep Teddy Bux warm at night we figured he'd benefit from a nice warm blanket of his own. So I made him this neat little blanket.

The blankets are a cheap easy to make alternative to those pet blankets you find at pet stores.

Just go to the fabric store and get two pieces of fleece cut to the size you want the blanket to be. (I made this one about half a yard so that it wouldn't take up too much space in Teddy Bux's large sized crate.)  Be sure to pick out the non-pill fabric in order to save yourself the headache of adding little pieces of fleece to your home decor.

Next lay the two fabrics on top of each other so the back sides are touching and the good sides are facing out.

Then cut squares out of each corner. (6 inches is recommended for a full sized blanket. For this one i did roughly 2.5 inches.)

Next cut slits 1 inch apart and as deep as your square (in my case 2.5 inches).

When you have cut all the way around tie the top and bottom pieces of fabric into square knots and now you have a great little blanket!!! Once you've got the hang of that, go ahead and make a full sized one for yourself because you are sure to be jealous of your cozy warm pup!

Stay warm everybody!