Our Newest Family Member + My Best Puppy Tips

Most of you already know, if you follow along on Instagram, we added a furry member to our family! I wanted to formally introduce him and share some of my best puppy tips. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a puppy… Finn was an oddly easy pup, and Cash was an adult when we rescued him. Therefore, I think Emmett and I had forgotten just how difficult puppies can be. If you’re planning to get a puppy or have a friend who is starting life with a new dog, I thought I’d share some products and suggestions that are helping us survive the rough first week. Click through for the post and meet Crosby!

We picked the little guy up a little over a week ago, and the day after we got him, Emmett left for Africa(!) on a work trip. I’ve been home alone with the pups for the seven days, but luckily he comes back home tonight and all will return to “normal”. I suppose he can thank me for getting Crosby into a good sleep schedule and potty training routine. Ha! But really, I did the hardest part of the job- week one is always rough. It’s a good thing he’s cute!

For those of you asking about our wire fox terrier, Johnny Cash… he’s doing great with him! As always, it’s an interesting dynamic to introduce another pet into the family, but Cash was feeling really lonely after losing Finn. It’s probably the main reason we got a new dog this quickly. I think it’s the start of a great companionship for the two of them. Cash has been playing (a little too rough out of excitement), smiling, and instigating- per usual, but he’s doing really good… I’ll take that as a win. If he’s happy, I’m happy- even if I have to play referee for a few weeks until he learns the word “gentle”.

If you’re new to puppies, they’re pretty demanding. I don’t have human children, so I can’t make an accurate comparison to babies, but I will say- I haven’t had much sleep this week. Despite their cute, but needy behavior, I’ve found some products that have really helped with crate, house, and sleep training… consider these my week one “puppy essentials”.

P U P P Y    E S S E N T I A L S

• smart pet snuggle dog // This thing simulates a littermate. It has a pulsing heartbeat, heat source, and mimics an actual puppy. It’s supposed to help puppies sleep and soothes them through the process of leaving their mother and family. I’ve also heard it works great for dogs who have lost their companion. Read the Amazon reviews- it’s pretty amazing! It has really helped calm Crosby down in his crate at nighttime and I’m getting more sleep. I guess I can thank this snuggle pet for that?
• plush blanket // I’ve found that beds tend to get destroyed by puppies. We always start out with a blanket while crate training until the dog learns that bedding isn’t a toy. This plush blanket gives extra padding and washes easily (because let’s face it… there are accidents).
• kong cozie // We’re big fans of Kong toys around here, and this happens to be Crosby’s favorite right now. Cash also has one and they both love them.
• dog crate // We’ve crate trained all of our dogs, and we use this basic crate to start. It’s nothing great to look at, but it’s safe and durable until they can graduate to the large one in the laundry room. It’s important to start with a crate that isn’t too large for potty training purposes. You’ll want to make sure they don’t have a ton of room to move freely, otherwise half of the crate will turn into the bathroom section.
• calm dog speaker // I’m aware this sounds ridiculous… but I’ll take all the help I can get to make Crosby fall and stay asleep during the night. I’m not sure if it’s the snuggle pet or the playlist, but I swear the combination works. I think there’s a Pandora station that does the same thing… maybe we’ll graduate to that, or music we actually like listening to? Ha!
• training treats // We always keep training treats on hand- for Cash and Crosby. They’re basically in every room in the house right now. Good behavior should always be rewarded and the little guy has so much to learn. They’re really helpful in training, teaching, and reinforcing positive behavior.

With Finn, we immediately enrolled in “puppy kindergarten” once he reached 12 weeks old and continued training for his entire life. He was the most obedient dog ever, but it was also a ton of work and a giant time commitment. Cash is still a work in progress, but he knows basic commands and is a pretty good listener. With Crosby, we’ll probably combine the training methods… obedience, socialization, and lots of bonding. He’s still a little young though- we have a few weeks before he can really start absorbing, but our goal has always been to take the dogs everywhere with us. They’re part of the family.

Last thing and then I’ll stop rambling about dogs, for those of you who are just here for the decor and renovating! Lots of you were asking about his breed. He’s an Irish Setter mixed with Poodle (an Irishdoodle), and we’re hoping he’ll be pretty hypoallergenic and shed minimally. I’ll keep you updated, if anyone is interested.

Happy Friday and I’ll try to keep the puppy Insta stories coming, per your request… I only had one person say “stop” out of a couple thousand, haha! Leave any questions in the comments below and have an amazing weekend! xo