All posts by Meaghan O'Hara

Dog Parks

Hii Loves,

This week is one of my favorite topics ! DOG PARKS!!!

My dogs love the park, especially in the summer. Its important to get your dogs exercised and active to promote a healthy lifestyle just like humans. We try to take our dogs to the park once a week, to get their blood flowing and for them to socialize with other dogs. THEY LOVE IT. If you’re from Walworth County, some of my favorite parks include:

  • Price Park (Elkhorn, WI)
  • Nature Land (Whitewater, WI): although this is not a dog park they have plenty of trails for the pups to explore and lots of people to get them socializing
  • Tails-N-Trails (Milton, WI)
  • Whitewater Bark Park (Whitewater, WI)
  • White River Dog Park (Lake Geneva, WI)

The majority of these parks are off leash parks where your pup can run freely in the gates and not have to worry about escaping. We normally go to Price Park because they have two large play pins that the dogs can run and meet new dogs often. This is one of the more popular parks in our area. Willow loves the park, her Daddy and her run laps together and she always passes out on the way home from a long workout. She is a feisty one that’s for sure! Kobe is a bit more reserved but once he gets going he never wants to leave.

Important rules of most parks include:

  • Clean up after your dog
  • Make sure your dogs are vaccinated
  • No aggressive/mean dogs
  • No littering
  • No smoking

Basic rules to keep the park clean and safe. I think Its important to know these rules in order for you and your pups to have a fun time.

Stay Cool,

Megs 🙂

Willow
Dog Park days

Bonding

Hi Loves,


Bonding is super important with a new pup! You want them to get to know you, trust you, and love you. Give that puppy some love ! Show dominance, but don’t be too aggressive they can read you like a book. You want them to love you but not take ADVANTAGE of you. Make sure they know you are the boss. Bonding with your pup is the best part, they need you, they need love and you are the only one who can make them trust you. Dogs are smart lil guys, and they can tell of something is up with you. If you have a bad day, lean on them don’t take it out on them. Dogs are a mans (or woman’s) best friend. Enjoy your pups, they will worship you!

Bonding with other dogs can be harder. Getting your pups to love one another is important for a happy household. Make sure they have space at first, get them to play! Grab some tennis balls an take them to the park! Healthy competition = happy dogs.

this my baby Scooby! My first pei baby, my best friend forever 🙂

stay cool,

Megs

Homemade Treats :)

HELLO MY PUPPY PEOPLE!

This week were going to be talking about homemade treats. No… its not hard, easy simple ingredients that will make your dog flip!❤

  •  ¼ cups grated carrots
  • 1 ¼ cups quick-cooking oats
  • 1 cup grated apple
  • ½ cup natural peanut butter
  • 2 eggs

SIMPLE SAFE HEALTHY INGREDIANTS

This is my favorite recipe!

  • Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Step 2 Mix carrots, oats, and apple together in a large bowl. Whisk peanut butter and eggs until thoroughly combined in a second bowl. Pour into the oat mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.
  • Step 3 Drop 1 1/2 tablespoonfuls of batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Flatten each treat with your hands until they are 1/2-inch thick.
  • Step 4 Bake in the preheated oven until treats are firm to the touch and begin to brown on the bottom, 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Homemade Dog Treats

They don’t look perfect but your pups will love them !

Making treats can be fun too, if your friends have puppies make a date of it.

Till next week…

STAY COOL<3

Megs

Puppy Training Article

https://petcentral.chewy.com/how-to-potty-train-your-dog-in-7-days/?utm_id=303377802&msclkid=dcad07cd173916b151d358623a4d8e77&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Text%2FNew%20Pet%20Owners&utm_term=how%20to%20potty%20train%20a%20puppy%20fast&utm_content=Puppy%20Potty%20Training

Puppy PAds???

Potty training is tough enough with a kid yet alone a dog. Repetition is KEY. Dogs learn slowly, with Willow for me it was easy to potty train her, Kobe was tough! Being that Kobe was rescued at 4 months he was already trained that going on the floor was acceptable. Getting the right potty pads is important. Personally I use Pet All Star brand, they have an attractant inside that makes it easier for the dog to smell. It is also SUPER ABSORBENT, and has odor control. That pee smells, candles do not do justice. I recommend leaving your pups in a cage when they are younger to get them crate trained, and I found that my dogs will not pee or poop where they sleep. Let your dogs out before you leave and as soon as you get home, realize they have small bladders. I will be posting a potty training article shortly with some more tricks and tips.

Little update on Kobe!

He is all cleared for his skin infection and ear infection. His skin is still healing but he is really opening up to and getting comfortable with our little family. He is such a little character! Loves watching football and cooking shows with me and just stares at anyone who talks about him. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. LOOK into adoption, there are so many pups looking for a loving furever home. Give it a shot.

Stay Cool,

Megs

PUppy Playdates

Hi GUYS!

This week we are going to talk about something very important…. SOCIALIZING those pups. Socializing your dog at a young age is essential, you want them to get used to playing and sharing just like a human kid.

First off, if you have more than one dog you may not need to socialize them as much as a dog who is solely living its best life.. alone and spoiled. Starting them by heading to the dog park once a week when they are dogs is great for interacting them with other dogs. You want your dog to learn the correct way to socialize with other dogs and not become a grumpy dog. Dogs need to sniff and analyze each other when they first meet, if you rescued a dog it may be harder because of the life it had before moving into its furever home (no I did not spell that wrong 🙂 ) With Willow our younger pup we started taking her to the park immediately when she was around 2-3 months. We took her to our local dog park and she made so many friends! One tip: make sure when you are interacting them you put them with a dog around their size , you don’t want to put a puppy with a huge mastiff and expect your dog to not be scared or intimidated. With Kobe it was a bit harder, since the abuse he endured in his previous home he was very skiddish even to our dog Willow, so when we introduced them, we did it very slowly. We made sure Kobe was comfortable with us and held Willow on a leash to let them sniff each other. Luckily for us they were playing within 10 minutes of meeting each other but it can go either way. I recommend when you take them to the park put them in a separate areas from the other dogs to let them get used to their environment then when they seem ready introduce them into the pin with other dogs.

Take it SLOW! Don’t rush it, and don’t give up. Puppys need friends too! Get together with your friends dogs and let them have a puppy play date! It will be nice for you and your dog 🙂

Stay Cool,

Megs 🙂

Willow
Dog Park days

halloween special

Hi my dog lovers!

Tomorrow is Halloween! You know what that means? Time to find that perfect costume for your pups! This year we decided against it because of Kobes skin issues, but I think its important we talk about costumes for dogs… Where do you find them? Honestly my local Tractor Supply has the cheapest costumes and the cutest! Otherwise Petco Petsmart are also great options. Do not over dress your pups, I promise you they will hate it, and most likely give you the evil eye all night. Find a comfy and soft costume and nothing too tight. Go by the sizes listed on the costumes, they are usually by weight and height. So to save you a trip either bring your pup with or measure them before you take a trip to the store. The last few Halloweens have been CHILLY keep your pups warm! Be sure your dog is comfortable around children before you take them on the streets, you do not want your dog jumping on or attacking any sweet little children.

MOST IMPORTANTLY!

Be safe and cautious, those pups will be eager to steal your candy, stay away from giving them any.

Stay cool,

Megs 🙂

BOundaries

What type of boundaries do you set? What’s appropriate? How do you set them.?

Hello my puppy lovers! Boundaries are important especially with a new pup, making sure you respect their boundaries and they respect yours. First rule, NEVER FEED TABLE SCRAPS WHILE EATING. Yes they are adorable.. but once you start its a horrible habit to kill. If you want to give them a treat feed them after dinner so they understand begging is not a good habit . Second rule, depends on how you are but if you don’t want them in your bed, start young! Same with your furniture, don’t allow it period. Get a spray bottle, most dogs do not enjoy getting splashed in the face , and it will kill the habit !

Boundaries don’t have to be hard to set, just stick to your rules and they will follow!
Stay cool,

Megs ❤️

Toys & Kobe update!

Hello, my fellow dog lovers❤️.
When you get a pup try to get a VARIETY of toys. That means you need: plush toys, ropes, squeakers, and throwing balls. Personally my dogs LOVE plush toys with rope arms, but with plush, you must clean up the mess when they destroy it :(. Don’t buy expensive toys! Especially when they’re stuffed, go to the clearance! Go to goodwill, walmart, pups go through toys quick.

Quick update with Kobe!

My significant other and I a rescued him from a breeder who had to take him from his previous home for neglect. He has serious skin issues, and is learning everything from scratch. We just took him to our vet, and now he’s on FOUR medications. My poor pup has a double ear infection, and a yeast/bacterial infection in his skin. I will post updates, as we see his skin heal!