I cannot for the life of me believe that our little buddy is already SIX months old. Yes, we might have celebrated last week with special treats and such, but I wanted to hop on here today to chat about some of my favorite puppy products as well as life with a puppy, also known as our third child. It’s so funny because I’ve never considered myself a “dog person” but goodness I am over-the-moon obsessed with Tucker and with that sweet face. How could you not???!
Star Sweater | Destructed Shorts | Woven Black Belt [all 20% off with my code NATASHA20]
I first introduced him in this blog post back in December, but here is a little refresher for new readers:
Tucker is a Teacup Golden Doodle. The smallest of this specific breed, fully grown he will be about 11-13 pounds and he currently weighs 9.2 pounds as of his last 6-month checkup at the vet. He is apricot in color with a little white spot on his belly and has the sweetest little personality. He came by way of Blue Ridge Golden Doodles in Sevierville, Tennessee and I’d highly recommend them if you’re thinking about bringing a new doodle into your family! They have new litters throughout the year and range from teacup all the way to standard size. We waited for Tucker for about 4 months and it was most certainly worth it!
As for disposition, he is your typical puppy with TONS of energy… seriously he wears this mama out!!! It’s been a blessing having the girls and Jeff home, though, so that we can share in the day-to-day responsibilities of taking him out, walking around the neighborhood, cleaning up the messes and of course getting all the kisses and cuddles in. He loves nothing more than to lay with me in the bed each night before bed and I can’t lie… I’m totally smitten with my little sidekick.
He is SOOOO good with the girls… like their absolute best buddy and they always want to show him off to neighbors and friends. He loves to tuck them in with us at night and of course cannot wait for them to come down the stairs each morning = warms my heart in the sweetest way to see them so happy to have a new puppy to love and grow up with.
My girlfriend Marnie is also chatting about her beloved fur babies today, so be sure to head to her YouTube channel AKA Ms Gold Girl to get the lowdown on her pups, Rowdy, Wrigley and Mimi and her top 5 tips on all things puppies [including a smart idea on “treats” to save money and make snack time easy]! She has become one of my dear dear friends within this crazy industryover the last few years and I might have solicited her expertise way too many times already because she’s a professional at all things dogs–I mean, check out her adorable babies:
Life With Tucker So Far and My Favorite Puppy Products
Moving right along, I’m going to be sharing what life has been like for us with Tucker man: I’ve seen an influx of families bringing home furry friends now that everyone is at home [genius idea if you ask me], so I thought it would be super helpful to give some free advice on things that have worked for us:
This spring, we brought in The Nashville Dog Wizard for one-on-one dog training and they have been AMAZING so far. It’s incredible to see how much we as a family have learned on how to work with dogs and Tucker has mastered sit, stay, come, and “place” so far… P.S. I can’t wait for quarantine to be over so we can have Ms. Gretchen back to finish our last few sessions before our buddy graduates! We’ve been working with Tucker each and everyday on all the various commands and it’s amazing what they remember with 10 minutes of practice… keep that puppy routine in place!!!
In terms of grooming, another major plus of a golden doodle is they are hypoallergenic and don’t shed = another win for our family!! We take him to Happy Retales Grooming and Mr. Trey does an amazing job. We also brush him out 1/2 times a week and these are the brushes we have: Soft Bristle Brush + Slicker Brush. So yes, he is pretty low maintenance which works well for us, considering we opted to have an indoor dog this time around.
As for Tucker’s diet, he eats Life’s Abundance dry food with a bit of the Pork + Venison each day as well. That was the food the breeder started him on, so we kept him consistent for ease and it’s been great. He gets fed twice a day–at breakfast and dinner and a few training treats throughout the day, too. These Chicken Bites are our go-to because they are small and work perfect for mastering his commands. Other Tucker-approved treats include the Kong Puppy Dog Toy filled with Puppy Treat, Bully Sticks and then a few times each week he gets these Chicken Jerky Treats.
As for play, our main man LOVES to play fetch and is obsessed with his toys! He loves his Raccoon + Fox Toy, Chew Bone and Rope Toy and then sleeps with his Snuggle Puppy each night [our favorite new puppy friend–you turn it on and it mimics a heartbeat so it soothes them to sleep]. I keep everything in his room, AKA the laundry room, in a big wire basket so it’s all in one place [oh yes to major spring organization]. I also took my Mom’s advice and got Tucker his very own sound machine so that helps calm him to sleep, too.
When it comes to other puppy must-haves, you know accidents are going to happen so my best advice would be to be as prepared as possible. A friend told me about Nature’s Miracle Advanced Stain Remover and it has saved us countless times. It’s super simple to use, the cleanup is a breeze and it takes away all the stain and odors = still a clean home over here! Tucker has been fairly easy to potty train, and consistency is key = I take him out every 2-2.5 hours to prevent any accidents and that works well for us, keeping him on track. Of course you also need a fun Waste Bag Holder [we have the Licorice Check One] and scented Waste Bags, as well.
Finally, let’s talk about the fun stuff: the accessories. I fell in love with The Foggy Dog last year and that’s where I purchase Tucker’s collars. I just grabbed this Sky Blue Gingham Collar for spring and love the bright color + gold hardware [he is wearing the XS for size reference].
At night, he sleeps in his crate on a bed, but I think my dear little Tuck has been having separation anxiety when we leave since he’s spent so much time with us, therefore peaceful nights are a thing of the past as of late. Any advice??? I’m all ears! We also have a bed out in the family room that he lounges on during the day when he’s out and about.
Seriously though, life with Tucker has been a dream come true and he certainly makes it better to be at home right now. Lots of outside walks, evenings spent relaxing on the patio and plenty of family movie nights snuggled on the couch!
Do you own a dog? If so, what are your favorite puppy products? Let me know in a comment below!
So great! We are getting our puppy on Friday and can’t wait! Where did you find his leash? Definitely ordering that adorable collar!
his leash came from our local Petco 🙂