A P-update…

This week I finally filmed Nala’s six month update (slightly overdue as I think we are a little way over but… Maths.) In addition to a video I wanted to do a blog update too, complete with a few pictures from one of her walks this week. When we picked Nala up I was so excited for Josh and I to finally have a little something of our own (after eight years together it felt like a very natural step), but I never imagined just how much I would love the little brown furr ball who was no bigger than my hand.

Aside from being the sweetest and most gentle dog I’ve ever met, she’s a total princess (they say you project some of yourself in to your dog – clearly it’s true) and gives the best side eye and awkward seal face I’ve ever seen. I don’t think working from home would be the same without her wedged between my chest and the keyboard, head on my left arm (as is currently the case, again. or curled up on my lap whilst I film.

In celebration of us keeping a living creature alive for this long, I thought I’d scribble down some little tips, in case you’re thinking of getting a little fuzzy of your own. There are the obvious things like make sure you have enough time to dedicate to them and brace yourself for sleepless nights. But these are a few things that you aren’t always told, but can make your life so much easier.

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT. ALWAYS: I’ve hear awful things about how people have chosen to train their dogs, but Josh and I decided from the beginning that we would only train Nala via positive reinforcement. We didn’t shout at her if she did her business in the wrong place (this can mean they just go out of your sight) and gave her lots of praise for doing the right thing. We did the same with everything we taught her, and she learnt so quickly!

THE FEAR: That stage in development no one tells you about! I was doing some research on development timelines one day and came across a stage that kicks in any time up to six months. Puppies suddenly seem to forget everything you’ve taught them for a short period. This made total sense when Nala went through a naughty stage (and I mean naughty – at one point she wee’d on the bed right in front of me) and helped us to keep calm and not worry that we were doing things wrong. We continued to praise her for doing the right thing and suddenly one day she started doing everything exactly as we’d taught her again. We didn’t say anything out loud as not to jinx it, but were secretly high five-ing each other the entire time.

YOUR TOYS VS. THEIR TOYS: When Nala was very small we bought her toys that she would be able to easily recognise as her own toys. We never bought her toy boots (that’s just asking your dog to chew your shoes really) and made sure that most toys were in primary colours (there are so few that dogs can see in comparison to us), in a hopeful attempt that she wouldn’t chew our neutral toned items. It could be coincidence but it seems to have worked. She’s never chewed a shoe (although it could just mean she’s not a chew-er) and very rarely chews something thats not her toys/bones. HOWEVER. She has a soft spot for makeup brushes. RIP MAC 217’s.

SHORT & SWEET: Keep instructions short and sweet. I cringe when I see people getting frustrated with their dog whilst giving instructions in full sentences. One word commands work best – the most we use is two for tricks like high five – however this trick is more associated with a hand movement. Dont give up on training either. No matter how small the dog is. It makes your life so much easier just for them to understand the following:

SIT – Great for photos (obviously)… and standing at crossings, clipping their lead, training them further – distracting them from noises/other things that might be going on. It’s just a good skill for a dog to learn in general as it makes them appear better behaved. 

STAY – This one is not only useful for developing a puppies object permanence (understanding that you will come back and that you haven’t run off the second they can’t see you), but is useful when you’re setting down food, cleaning… and taking photos of them.

PAW – This is an optional one that I thought I’d mention for those who have young family members. Paw is a lovely one as it makes puppies appear far more friendly to young children who might be scared of even the smallest dogs. It’s like they’re saying hello with a handshake!

HEALTHY HABITS: Without sounding like an all natural, all organic, over protective kid of mum, I always try to feed Nala the best food. The original puppy food she was fed by her breeder had either wheat or rice (something along those lines) as the first ingredient, with meat appearing WAYYYY further down the list. Nala doesn’t have the understanding or choice on what goes in to her body, so I made the decision early on that it was our responsibility to feed her the best quality food for our budget. We did our research and found a brand we liked from a local independent pet shot with meat as the first ingredient. We noticed a change in Nala’s fur after the change in diet and it now looks so much glossier. Fingers crossed her insides are happy too.

36 Comments

  1. Rachel
    09 Jan 2015 / 10:44 am

    aah she is the cutest little dog and i love the tips you've shared, definitely going to save these for the day i decide to get a dog πŸ™‚

    Rachel // Style Soup

  2. Kimberley Miller
    09 Jan 2015 / 11:12 am

    She is so unbelievably cute! The sweetest face I've ever seen. You're a lucky lady πŸ™‚ x

    thelensaffair.com

  3. Champagne Lifestyle
    09 Jan 2015 / 11:45 am

    Such an adorable face!! πŸ™‚ great video of little Nala

    http://www.champagne-lifestyle.com/

  4. Maeve ThriftO'Clock
    09 Jan 2015 / 11:53 am

    Aw she's such an adorable wee thing!
    Maeve // Thrift O'Clock

  5. Amanda
    09 Jan 2015 / 11:57 am

    She's adorable! I have a pomeranian and he's also really smart and easy to train πŸ™‚ Did you mention that you run with her? I just have to tell you that it's not recommended for young dogs (under 12 -16 months) to go running/jogging or train agility. As for her being scared of things: you could try to create the scary situation yourselves in a controlled and safe environment like your garden, and praise her and give her treats for looking at them(if she's too scared to even eat the treats then wait until she has focus on you and the treats, before you bring in the scary object). Just an idea πŸ™‚ that is what I did with my pom, he was scared of everything when I got him. You could give her treats thats just air-dried meat – it's much healthier than regular processed treats – and more exiting for her than her normal food πŸ™‚

  6. Georgia renee
    09 Jan 2015 / 12:43 pm

    I love your blog I'm looking into getting a bearded collie pup! I struggled reading the writing at the bottom though had to zoom in but none the less great post, makes me excited for a puppy they add so much to your life!
    georgia
    http://ohgeorgiarenee.blogspot.co.uk

  7. charlotte samantha
    09 Jan 2015 / 12:45 pm

    She is unbelievably cute! I just want to cuddle her

    CharlotteSamantha // www.charlottesamantha.co.uk

  8. missthing
    09 Jan 2015 / 1:17 pm

    Nala is so freakin' cute! I can't wait to get a dog with my girlfriend. We talk about what kind of dog it should be all the time. These are great tips for the future!

    Theatricality by Mariah

  9. KayPage
    09 Jan 2015 / 1:22 pm

    How cute! I want a dog soooo bad, might have to use this as a persuasion technique!

    Kay, ohkay-dohkay.com

  10. Kazzie Athena
    09 Jan 2015 / 2:17 pm

    Such a little cutie! I have two dogs and they're are little rascals but they are the loves of my life. My dog is practically my little baby. I cannot express how much you love those little creatures and in such a short space of time. It's such an unconditional love and what shocked me most was how much they love us.

    I can certainly see how much joy Nala brings to you and she will continue to do so. I've had my dogs for 3 years and they're my little buddies.

    ~ Kazzie | Kazzie Athena.

  11. Isa Urnes
    09 Jan 2015 / 2:20 pm

    The font on this post is very small, making it difficult to read πŸ™

    Nala is adorable. Thank you for choosing to use positive training methods.

  12. Liv Cheryl Williams
    09 Jan 2015 / 2:28 pm

    Oh my god I love her!! She's so cute some great tips I have never even thought of too thanks! Xx
    OliviaCherylx.blogspot.co.uk

  13. hira s
    09 Jan 2015 / 2:39 pm

    How adorable! It's nice to see different methods of how people look after their pets, I've always been scared of getting one as I'm pretty awful at taking care of myself let alone another living thing! Maybe one day.

    Love, Hira | http://www.theartofexisting.co.uk/ xx

  14. Maja Lasić
    09 Jan 2015 / 3:48 pm

    Love her so much xxx

    majalasic.blogspot.com

  15. Amy Liddell
    09 Jan 2015 / 4:15 pm

    She is absolutely adorable! Love how chilled out she is, I have a jack russell chihuahua cross called Luna who is 2 years old and she's tiny but absolutely crazy ha!

    www.saltandchic.com // UK Fashion Blog

  16. Neeltje | Thoughts in Style
    09 Jan 2015 / 4:29 pm

    Nala is such a cute puppy!
    http://www.thoughtsinstyle.com/

  17. laurakathren
    09 Jan 2015 / 4:46 pm

    She's a lovely little addition to your family!

    Laura // laurakathren.blogspot.co.uk

  18. Savannah Giersthove
    09 Jan 2015 / 4:49 pm

    So cute! I really want a dog as well x http://www.justsavxnnah.com

  19. Neesha Rees
    09 Jan 2015 / 5:07 pm

    I'm desperate to get a dog of my own but financially it's not viable at the moment. Nala is super cute. I didn't know about the 'naughty stage' definitely going to remember that
    Reinventing Neesha β™₯

  20. Mimmi
    09 Jan 2015 / 6:29 pm

    Nala is just adorable. Seems like you're doing everything really seriously, which is great!

    xx Mimmi, Muted Mornings

  21. Charlotte Roberts
    09 Jan 2015 / 6:35 pm

    Lovely post as always Suzie! πŸ™‚
    http://charlottesophiaroberts.blogspot.co.uk

  22. Clever Girl Reviews
    09 Jan 2015 / 7:03 pm

    I agree with you on what to feed. It's always best to feed a dog less filler. Our food is a lamb and rice food. Corn and wheat are the biggest problems for dogs. This is what we feed http://www.nutro.com/natural-dog-food/natural-choice-dog-food/dry/lid-adult-lamb-and-rice.aspx I'm not sure if it's available in the UK.

  23. Saffy Needham
    09 Jan 2015 / 8:40 pm

    She is adorable! Lovely post and video πŸ™‚
    http://sapphiresaysfashion.blogspot.co.uk/

  24. Jordan
    09 Jan 2015 / 9:44 pm

    Nala is adorable! It's wonderful that you're training her so well she's going to grow up to be even lovelier than she already is I'm sure! She's such a perfect size as well.

    hellomissjordan.blogspot.co.uk xx

  25. Frankie Boo
    09 Jan 2015 / 10:05 pm

    oh god, ive wanted one for ages and now i want a puppy even more! so beautiful, those eyes!!!

    Frankie Boo Blog

  26. Amy
    09 Jan 2015 / 10:20 pm

    Aww she's such a sweetie πŸ™‚ http://akamidge.blogspot.co.uk/

  27. Lucy-J
    10 Jan 2015 / 9:47 am

    She is such a little cutie! I'm glad you're getting on so well with her, and it's really nice to see that you've embraced the positive reinforcement method of training. It's so much nicer than getting cross with them when the do something wrong xo

    LJLV | UK Personal Style

  28. niniel555
    10 Jan 2015 / 11:02 am

    nice pictures πŸ™‚

    http://allornothing-blog.blogspot.co.uk/

  29. Kate Wilson
    10 Jan 2015 / 2:18 pm

    Aw! She's so cute x
    http://my–socalledlife.blogspot.com.es/

  30. Erin Bailey
    10 Jan 2015 / 11:17 pm

    She is so cute!!!

    www.heavenlyclutter.blogspot.com
    xo

  31. Hannah
    11 Jan 2015 / 8:47 am

    She is such a sweet puppy, and you have done a great job being a first time Mumma! x

    poundingyounghearts.blogspot.com.au

  32. Jana
    11 Jan 2015 / 9:44 pm

    So cute! My dog also likes to sit on my lap and put his head on my arm. Not very easy when I'm studying but I can't say no, it's just so cute!

  33. Shannon Cobain
    13 Jan 2015 / 11:44 pm

    Awww I love Nala she's so adorable! I have a 'teacup' chihuahua called Bentley and he's my baby. Always seeing Nala makes me want a new puppy like her!

    Shannon x
    http://littlebutt0nbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/

  34. Anonymous
    15 Jan 2015 / 5:56 am

    ugg boots for cheap
    red wing shoes
    ugg boots uk
    ugg sale
    ugg boots clearance
    uggs on sale
    ugg sale
    ray ban sunglasses
    uggs sale
    moncler jackets
    uggs for sale
    uggs outlet online
    ugg boots for kids
    nike store
    ugg boots uk
    ugg boots sale
    marc jacobs outlet
    belstaff outlet
    ugg boots cheap
    hollister outlet
    uggs sale
    ugg boots sale
    ugg boots outlet store
    cheap ugg boots
    uggs outlet
    moncler outlet
    uggs on sale
    cheap uggs for sale
    ugg boots outlet
    cheap beats by dr dre
    uggs outlet
    uggs on sale uk
    louis vuitton outlet online
    cheap ugg boots for sale
    louis vuitton outlet store

  35. Dandelion Blue
    15 Jan 2015 / 7:43 pm

    Ahh. She is the cutest thing. You are so very lucky. What type of dog is she? My boyfriend and I want to get a dog. After his training he will be working from home. But at the moment we are saving up for a house. So not just yet. The trick with the primary colour toys sounds really useful. I will keep that in mind for when we do finally get a dog. xx Dandy I www.dandelionblue.co.uk

  36. Unknown
    11 Dec 2016 / 1:26 am

    mont blanc pens outlet around
    cheap oakley sunglasses have
    nike store uk we
    moncler jackets found
    kobe 9 elite today!
    michael kors handbags where
    michael kors outlet store drawing.
    ralph lauren outlet online am
    vikings jerseys products
    nike blazer almost