On Puppy Drama...

Friday was an interesting day at the office. One of the office dogs had an accident in the hallway, (thankfully not Teddybux) and unfortunately someone else stepped in it and carried a trail of gross back to his desk.  In the spirit of the moment, because there was really not much I could do but laugh, I made these t-shirts:

What do you think? Would you wear these shirts?

Watch where you're stepping!

On Odd Behavior

The first thing we learned about Teddy Bux was that he had not read any of the dog training or behavior books that we had.

Case in point number 1: There are tons of articles about what to do when your dog tries to pull ahead when walking, there's even the heal command for preventing it.  But you will be hard pressed to find an article about what to do when your dog refuses to walk. Our Teddy Bux is a fan of the "I'll just sit here while you try to pull me down the street" command. That and the "I'm going to sniff may way back to the apartment" command. Where's the book on how to stop that?

Some of the articles and personality traits came straight from the bulldog breed. When picking a bulldog as our perfect apartment dwelling dog we had read those beautiful words. "Bulldogs are Low energy." This was just another thing that Teddy Bux forgot to read. As I type this between rounds of fetch in the apartment I have to laugh. Just because he won't be running a marathon any time soon doesn't mean we can call him a Low energy dog.

Bulldog eating habits was another misconception. We had been warned that bulldogs liked to devour their food and that you must be careful because left to their own devices they will eat everything in sight. Our bulldog on the other hand spits out treats that he doesn't like, will leave his bowl full of food all day, and will take breaks while eating by walking around the apartment.  This is another trait we were pleased to have gotten wrong, with all the other issues he has, it is a relief to not have to add constant stomach ache to the list.

Teddy bux's personal space bubble was another trait we were surprised about. While we are happy that he does not run and jump on every person he meets we are a little embarrassed about the fact that such an adorable attention grabbing bulldog runs away from any new person who tries to pet him. This is something we are still trying to work on and I do hope that one day Teddy Bux will let you pet him.

One thing we can say about Teddy bux's behaviors, they are sure to keep us on our toes. Whether it's playing with a bouncy happy puppy or convincing a tired lazy bulldog it's time to get out of bed we can't help loving the dog that we have and the adventures that he brings. As a result we have learned to abandon all those books and articles  and just follow our instincts. With all the things we discovered I will leave you with our favorite peace of advice:   "Bulldog's Love to play in alley ways."  While we remember that line every time we take Teddybux outside, I think we will leave that to other bulldogs and let ours keep playing fetch in the apartment.

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In honor of the hail we got in Los Angeles last weekend here's 

a picture of Teddy sporting a comfy scarf.

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?

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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!