Calvin is now officially one year of age…
so I had to do a retrospective post, taking a look back at how he’s grown since last spring. [Read more...]
7 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Bought the Puppy
November 7, 2012
The day Meat-And-Potatoes-Guy and I picked up puppy Calvin (he was 8 weeks old and weighed in at a heartbreakingly miniature 4 pounds), we felt prepared.
We’d had our yard completely fenced in. We’d bought the dog food, the crate, the chew toys. We thought we’d thought of everything.
About one week in, we realized there was a lot we hadn’t considered.
Now that Calvin is eight months, I thought some readers may appreciate learning from some of the little surprises Calvin has thrown our way:
1.) You’ll Be The Shadow
I thought it was the puppy that was the loyal shadow, trotting faithfully at your feet as you move from room to room.
Doesn’t quite work that way.
Here’s why: during the course of the two minutes you turn your attention to making a phone call or fixing a snack, your puppy has time to knock over a houseplant, rip a pillow to pieces, and have an accident in the hallway.
Until puppy is fully housebroken (which can take several weeks, by the way) count on becoming his 24/7 devoted shadow.
2.) You’ll Be Gifted With Plenty of Fresh Air…
If you spend the majority of your day glued to one type of screen or another, be prepared for a minor life change when you get a puppy. Because in addition to 20+ outdoor trips per day during housebreaking, puppy has a few hours worth of boundless energy to burn daily.
This is actually wonderful when the puppy is your reason for getting outside for a walk on beautiful, crisp, early fall afternoon.
Not so great when it’s 10:30 pm, cold, raining, and you’re just waiting for him to go to the bathroom please so everyone can go to bed.
3.) …As Well As Plenty of Guilt
I no longer remember the feeling of stepping outside my door without a slight pang of guilt.
Because a sweet puppy with sad puppy dog eyes is clearly not happy to be left behind.
Chris and I used to stay in the city for dinner after work once in a while.
Those days are long gone.
We now hurry home every day because we know Calvin has been cooped up inside and he needs company and time to get outside and play.
4.) You’ll Become A Vacuuming Pro
Take the time you currently spend cleaning and multiply that by 5 to anticipate your new life with a dog. Because not only do they shed like crazy, they also have a knack for redistributing the dust and dirt from their paws and coat all over your floors and furniture.
Accept that, along with your dog, your vacuum will be your other new best friend.
5.) You’ll Spend a Small Fortune
Chris and I never intended to spend a small fortune on a dog, but it definitely happened to us.
Here’s how: toys, replacement toys for the ones he chewed apart, and replacement toys for those too, vet bills, obedience classes, dog bed, second dog bed to replace the one he chewed, dog walker for days we’re at work, fence to keep him in the yard, baby gates to keep him out of the living and dining rooms, dog groomer to trim his nails…
…and that’s just part of the list. It all adds up very quickly.
6.) You’ll Laugh Out Loud – Often
A typical evening scene in our rec room these days: Calvin becomes overtired and, instead of laying down for a nap, he “snaps” and starts sprinting around the living room at full tilt, literally bouncing off the back of the couch, ears pressed flat out behind him with the speed.
The show he puts on is more entertaining than anything on TV.
The other day, he grabbed a shoe box and went prancing off, head in the air like he’d just been crowned king. Then the box flapped up, covering his eyes, causing him to stumble, almost fall, and careen full-speed into the couch (he was okay).
If you need more laughter in your life, I’m convinced a puppy is your best cure.
Because Calvin’s antics have kept Chris and I cracking up daily since the day we brought him home.
7.) You’ll Realize You’d Do It All Over Again
I may be exhausted from a day of cleaning (please see #4 above) and in need of a shower from an afternoon of throwing tennis balls and sticks (see #2).
And then Calvin will look up at me with his big beautiful eyes and I’ll scoop him up and feel his little heartbeat, his soft warm ears tickling my face.
And I remember that there’s not much better than the feeling of your heart completely melting.
Would I do it all over again if I knew everything then that I know now?
No question.
And A Bonus #8: You’ll Find Yourself In The Kitchen, Spoiling Your Puppy Rotten With Homemade Pumpkin Dog Treats
This homemade dog treat recipe, with healthy pumpkin, may come in handy when you completely cave to big puppy dog eyes.
(Yes, these are Calvin approved – he loves these!)
Here is the complete printable recipe:
Easy Homemade Pumpkin Dog Treats
Author: The Scrumptious Pumpkin
Recipe type: Homemade Dog Treat
Total Time: 25 minutes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Yield: 25 small treats
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Yield: 25 small treats
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons 100% pure pumpkin purée
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 egg
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (or rye flour or brown rice flour)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Knead dough on a well-floured surface and, with a floured rolling pin, roll out to about one quarter inch thick.
- Cut treats with a cookie cutter and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until treats are firm to the touch.
- Before freezing or storing, allow cookies to cool and harden, about 50 minutes.
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Puppy’s First Taste of Summer (And a Frozen Dog Treat Recipe!)
June 25, 2012
Summer descended upon New England with all the sweet and graceful subtlety of the driver of a yellow Hummer SUV, cutting off traffic and laying on the horn.
Our summer weather so far has alternated between 100 degree heat and humidity and drenching thunder storms.
But sweet little puppy Calvin has already fully embraced his first summer, and he intends to make the most of it.
He’s already got a long list of summer favorites:
Summer Favorite #1: Collecting tennis balls.
I say “collecting” because he’s not so much into Fetching.
Once he retrieves a tennis ball, he likes to keep it.
He’s most often seen running after tennis ball #2 while still carrying tennis ball #1 in his mouth.
Smart Cal feels he earned those tennis balls, and he’s not giving them back.
Summer Favorite #2: Finding a comfortable spot in the sun to lie down and chew on a stick or a wood chip.
True, Cal’s only been alive a few months, but he already knows “it’s all about the little things in life.”
Summer Favorite #3: Chewing on grass.
This is one hobby Calvin tried to embrace, but it just wasn’t meant to be.
One day he just started eating our lawn like it was his new favorite treat.
Despite our best efforts to stop him, every time we turned around, there was Calvin, smacking his jaws lazily like an MLB coach sitting in the dugout, grass hanging out of the corners of his mouth.
He tried to hide the grass chewing from us. (See that little bit of green evidence dangling from the side of his mouth.)
But this face gave him away.
That sour look spells out exactly how his tummy reacted to a day of grass chewing.
And he hasn’t gone back to the ‘chewing on grass’ hobby ever since.
Summer Favorite #4: Training for Puppy Summer Olympics.
Calvin keeps Chris and I cracking up by suddenly breaking into all-out Sprinting Drills, tearing back and forth across the yard.
He’s impressive. So impressive, I can never capture a good, clear oncoming photo.
We literally can’t keep up with him when he makes up his mind to run.
And he loves to do flying leaps and sometimes somersault to retrieve his tennis ball or frisbee.
He knows he’s good.
He panted for the first time after a good run on the first really hot day.
And I couldn’t get enough of this face with that adorable tiny pink tongue.
Summer Favorite # 5: Sniffing.
Anywhere, anytime.
Cal’s a beagle.
Enough said.
Summer Favorite #6: Sitting and looking irresistible, thus earning heaps of praise, kisses, and treats.
Calvin has perfected the I’m-So-Cute-You-Can’t-Resist Look to such a degree, a complete stranger at the vet just scooped him up and kissed him on top of his head.
Summer Favorite #7: Taking summer road trips.
This is a hobby-in-training at the moment.
Calvin wasn’t big enough to see out the window on his first weekend road trip.
So he mostly slept.
I know I’ll eventually get that snapshot of him with his head out the window, ears flapping in the wind.
Summer Favorite #8: Snacking on his very own frozen summer treat.
I noticed Cal looking longingly at my healthy Triple Berries and Cream Swirl Pops and wondered if he would like a healthy frozen treat of his own.
So I made him some yogurt and berry mini treats, and I was surprised to see how much he loved a snack so healthy and good for him!
Cal’s such a fan of these healthy treats, he couldn’t wait for the photo shoot to be over already.
The best thing about these treats: they’re extemely quick and easy to make, with just three ingredients.
Because this energetic little guy’s antics keep me too busy to have time for much more.
(I’m still wondering what this super mischevous look says about what Cal just did or is about to do…)
Here is the complete recipe:
Blueberry Frozen Dog Treats
Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
Prep: 10 minutes
Inactive: 6 hours
Yield: 16 treats
Ingredients
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
Directions
Puree all three ingredients in a food processor. Spoon mixture into ice cube trays. Freeze for at least six hours. If treats do not release from ice cube tray by tapping on countertop, run the bottom of the ice cube tray under hot water for several seconds to help loosen the treats.
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Puppy Wreaks Havoc (And Gets A Homemade Cheddar Biscuit Anyway)
May 19, 2012
I haven’t spent as much time photographing my recipes lately.
Mainly because I’ve become obsessed with a four-pound, furry muse.
Who happens to occupy all my free time.
So today I bring you: a typical day in the life of my 10-week-old puppy.
Along with a recipe puppy Calvin loves for healthy, homemade cheddar dog biscuits (recipe at the end of the post).
We’ve finally received some sunny weather, and Calvin has been loving it.
If he had his own way, he’d spend his entire morning, afternoon, and evening roaming our yard.
Calvin’s first and foremost rule in life: he must always have something in his mouth, every moment he’s awake.
This could be anything, so long as it’s something my husband Chris and I don’t want him to have.
He especially loves to chew all the following things that we especially don’t want him to have: leaves, plants, grass, and (as shown) wood chips.
Once in a great while, Calvin takes a rare, introspective moment to sit and ponder the great mysteries of life.
But don’t let this sweet face fool you…
Six seconds later, Calvin is on the loose, sprinting so fast my camera can barely catch him.
I’ve learned that this look means, “I may be doing something bad, but I don’t care. I’ll get away with it. Someway. Somehow.”
In this case, Calvin stole the hair tie I dropped on the ground.
My husband tried to win it back for me.
But Calvin commits himself to every game of tug-of-war with the devotion of a top athlete training for an olympic event.
Calvin throws all four pounds of his furry self (he must think he weighs 400 pounds), gives 120 percent and Does.Not.Ever.Give.Up.
Naturally, Calvin wins the tug-of-war.
My husband likes to scoop Calvin up and let the tiny pup see what things look like from his 6’3 height.
Calvin loves the view.
It gives him the perfect opportunity to really survey the scene and determine what to chew on or dig through or destroy next.
At the end of a long day, Calvin sometimes gets a bath, which he hates more than any cat.
Here, he desperately tries to escape from the tub: Pure Puppy Panic!
But all is forgiven quickly. At night, before bed, Calvin is allowed on our old couch in the basement rec room.
He likes to dive into the throw pillows, which are all bigger than him.
It must feel like a never-ending obstacle course to Calvin, making his way through those pillows.
Naturally, he prefers chewing the pilllow to chewing on his own toy (the orange ball in the background that he’s completely ignoring.)
Finally, Calvin falls asleep.
Sometimes he’ll bark quietly or flutter his paws while he sleeps.
And Chris and I know he’s dreaming about what havoc he can wreak tomorrow.
As much as Calvin exhausts me on a daily basis, who could resist baking homemade treats for this cutie?
The latest recipe I tried out, from the book Beagle: Smart Owner’s Guide, is a cheddar and applesauce biscuit.
I found these adorable dog treat cookie cutters at the website GoodDogExpress.com.
Calvin adores these treats so much, he will ‘sit’ or ‘heel’ for any length of time, just for the smallest bite.
These treats are healthy and easy to make, with just four ingredients.
Your dog will love you for making them!
Here is the complete printable recipe:
Cheddar and Applesauce Homemade Dog Biscuits
Author: The Scrumptious Pumpkin
Total Time: 25 minutes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Yield: 30 treats
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Yield: 30 treats
Ingredients
- ¾ cups whole wheat flour (or rye flour or brown rice flour)
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 3 tablespoons all-natural applesauce
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Knead dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to about half an inch thick. Cut treats with a cookie cutter and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until treats are firm to the touch.
- Before freezing or storing, allow cookies to cool and harden, about 50 minutes.
Adapted from the book Beagle: Smart Owner’s Guide
Share and Enjoy
Welcome Home Puppy! Peanut Butter and Honey Homemade Dog Treats
May 8, 2012
Over the past few days, I haven’t had as much time for my blog as I’d like.
I haven’t had much time for anything, actually.
I’ve had my hands full with the new addition to our family: an eight-week-old beagle named Calvin.
He is:
two parts ‘boundless tornado of energy.’
He performed a flying backwards somersault when leaping out of my lap for a rope toy this weekend.
Completely unintentional, of course.
It was pretty impressive, actually.
One part ‘sweet angel.’
He likes to curl up in my lap when he’s getting sleepy. It makes me wish he could always stay so small so that would never change.
And two parts ‘little devil.’
He grew bored of all his new toys within a couple days and now favors chewing on everything he shouldn’t.
Here he is chewing my meat-and-potatoes-guy’s sweatshirt.
And now here he is chewing my slipper (to give you an idea of how tiny he is, he’s about the length of my size 7 slipper).
I have to watch him every second.
I left him in the kitchen (sealed off with baby gates) to brush my teeth and fix my hair.
When I returned, he had somehow forced his way into the guest bedroom and climbed into a large potted plant. The pot is taller than Calvin, but he crawled in somehow. And he started digging, scattering dirt all over the floor.
I’m amazed at how much chaos 4 pounds of puppy can cause in under three minutes flat.
So I guess I should make that four parts ‘little devil.’
We haven’t even had him a week yet, and already he has me tied around his tiny little baby paws.
I’m completely head-over-heels for this little guy.
So naturally, I had to get into the kitchen and cook something special for him.
I found a recipe for healthy and homemade peanut butter and honey dog treats from the book Beagle: Smart Owner’s Guide.
I baked them up for Calvin and snapped some shots of him trying out his first homemade treat.
Here’s Calvin, ready and eager for his taste test.
He went nuts for the smell of the dog treats and bit off half the treat before my husband has time to break it into the small, bite-sized pieces that his small puppy jaws can handle.
He loved the treat so much he sniffed out and lapped up every last crumb.
Calvin loves these treats. Loves, loves, loves them.
Turns out, my sweet little guy loves peanut butter just as much as his Mom.
These treats are really easy and they take no time at all.
With peanut butter, honey, eggs, and whole wheat flour, they’re healthy and completely all-natural.
Of course, they’re meant as once-a-day treats, not a meal.
They have Calvin’s seal of approval!
Here is the complete printable recipe:
Peanut Butter and Honey Homemade Dog Treats
Author: The Scrumptious Pumpkin
Recipe type: Homemade Dog Treat
Total Time: 25 minutes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Yield: 20 treats
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Yield: 20 treats
Ingredients
- 1½ tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter, no salt or sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (or rye flour or brown rice flour)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Knead dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to about half an inch thick. Cut treats with a cookie cutter and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until treats are firm to the touch.
- Before freezing or storing, allow cookies to cool and harden, about 50 minutes.
Adapted from the recipe Peanut Butter Bites from the book Beagle: Smart Owner’s Guide
