**I was sent these products in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own**
So I know it's kinda cheating to do a sponsored post as a link up but these pictures of Lil are so cute and I'm really happy about the treats so I wanted to share it with all of you!
When By Nature contacted me about trying their products I was a little nervous. Lil wants to eat everything she can get to but her tummy is a bit pickier. We had finally found a food she liked and was good for her but we're still trying out different treats. I chose to try out the Mixed Berry Flavor Biscuits hoping for the best. Here's how it went:
receive mysterious package in the mail that smells yummy
have mom open package and sniff everything for about 3 minutes straight
check with mom to make sure you're allowed to eat them (not like it matters)
beg mom to give you some of the deliciousness inside the package
look like you totally deserve treats
do something that actually warrants you getting treats
make sure you get every last morsel
lick your chops
try really hard to look like you deserve another treat
Lil loved the treats (if it wasn't obvious). The Mixed Berry flavor is an antioxidant formula which I figured would be great since Lil eats about 17 cigarettes a day off the sidewalk. She's been eating/using them for a few weeks now and (besides chicken) these are the only treats that can convince her that putting on her leash is worth it the first time she's asked. BIG DEAL. If you read this post you know it isn't normally very easy.
There is a decent amount of variety in flavors and on top of that they have organic, grain-free and 95% protein choices. And both dry and wet food options! Finding a brand of dog food you and your dog love is super important and you want a company you trust. I think Lil (and I) have found our go to treats!
They are sold in most pet stores and on Amazon.com. Plus they have a great frequent buyer program where if you buy 10 bags of dog food you get one free! Free is always good since you know you're gonna have to get the food anyway! So go read up more on them (I did!) and you'll see the reviews are all looking prettttty good! If you have any questions about the products or brand let me know and I would be happy to get you in contact with a representative!
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pups, kittens, bunnies, lizards, birds and hamsters!!
When 2 of your favorite bloggers host a one day link up you don't skip it. These two Dallas geniuses hosted one wayy back that I couldn't participate in cuz was SUCH a baby blogger, I didn't have any search terms...
ANYWAY this link up I can definitely participate in! It's about where my bloggy inspiration comes from. I get inspiration from everywhere when I'm writing my blog posts but these are the big/general 5:
1 // Lil. She is was my inspiration to START this whole bloggy adventure. She's nuts and keeps on my toes. Plus the more I get distracted as I write, the more ideas I get! And she's great at distractions.
2 // Booze. I mean obviously on this one. Any drink. Wine, beer, margs etc. Drunk experiences or drunk thoughts or just a straight up drunk post is always inspiring.
3 // News or internet stories & articles. I have gotten more ideas from articles I've read on Refinery29 than any other place. Really after I read something I use my blog as a place where I can weigh in on the subject. 4 // Other bloggers. I read other blogs because they're entertaining and intelligent and fun. Most of them are more successful than me and know what they're doing more better than I do. I try to ask/mention to them that I want to do something similar and 99% of the time I get a "go for it!" More often than not it's more of a variation rather than a replica post but people just have great ideas! The blogs I end up saying "hmm good idea!" to most are by Helene, Sarah, (both hosting this link up!) Erin and Stephanie.
5 // My rando mind. Dreams or daydreams I have, hypothetical conversations, thoughts that just find their way into the front of my brain- they come out on my blog! This is quite a useful resource to have.
Also. Since my IRL friends and Tom's family read this blog I will NAHT be using this article as an inspiration for a post but you guys need to read it. It's hilarious. Thank god I love Shannon and saw this tweet:
Training Lil has not been an easy task. She's still working on things. But the best way to train a dog is to figure out the best way to train YOUR dog. What works and what doesn't work is going to be different for every pup. So after living with her for a year and a half I've come to find the best way to get her to do something is to ask politely, or be incredibly passive aggressive.
Typical Scenario 1:
Lil is on our bed, chewing our comforter
Me: Lil! Off!
nothing
Me: Lil, come on! Get off!
nothing
I walk over to her
she growls at me
I back off
she starts chewing the comforter again
Me: Lil honey, off please!?
she hops off and runs and grabs her ball and starts chewing it on the floor.
A S S H O L E.
"this is comfy for me so I hope you're comfy too"
Typical Scenario 2:
It's time to take her for a walk but she hates putting her leash on so she starts playing "try to catch me, jerkface"
Me: Lil, come on! Wanna go oousideee?!
she looks at me from across the apartment
I grab the leash and collar
she gets in a crouched position
I take one step towards her
she runs behind the couch and looks at me
I chase her around
she always gets away
Me: FINE! I'm just gonna go myself! It doens't matter to me! BYE LIL!
she runs over to me
I go to put the collar on
she dodges and looks at me and then the treat jar
I give her a treat and put on her leash and collar
she runs away
Me: Ok bye Lil. I'm leaving! See ya later. I don't care anyway!
she runs over and stands by the door like "Mom, hurry your shit up."
A S S H O L E.
probably why she has such a false sense of entitlement
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When we got Lil she didn't make any noise except crying/whininng for what seemed like a year (but was probably about 3 and a half weeks). We thought she didn't know how or couldn't bark. Then one day, as we were discussing getting her some barking lessons, the ballon that I was trying to craft with fell off the counter and Lil pounced. Not ON the balloon, but near it. She was incredibly concerned. She then barked for the first time. We clearly thought it was adorable so we filmed it.
She didn't really bark again for a while. Then when she got a little older she got more anxious. This is when the "boughing" started. That's what we call it. She doesn't really bark. It's more of a growl hiccup. Anyway. Now she does it all the time.
She's also not afraid to really go for it when she feels we're in danger. You know, when the lint roller is out, or in this case when I hurt my foot and had a bag of tots to ice it. Just go ahead and listen to Lil trying to figure out her shit
She tries so very hard. And she definitely is such a good guard dog. As long as the intruder is an inatimate, harmless object that can easily be over powered, we're safe.
Sorry this is basically just vids, I love them and I'm tired. I have a great post for next week tho, promise.
Grab a button and link up your posts about your
pups, kittens, bunnies, lizards, birds and hamsters!! Tweet your post with #talltails THIS IS NOW OFFICIALLY A WEEKLY LINK UP!!
So I'm an ass and totally forgot about the link up being today since I'm still recovering from the wedding weekend. BUT here I am (thank god I napped earlier) with a story about Lil being awkward as shit.
The first time Tom and I went away and had to leave Lil behind was when we went to Dallas to visit friends and she was about 6 months old. L (because she's a saint or an idiot) offered to take her for the week. She was a douche (Lil not L) the whole week but she was tiny so it was kinda cute. The next time we had to kennel her for the weekend, we were at Tom's cousin's wedding. She was too big at that point and L was coming to the wedding with us so we took her to her first trip to the kennel.
While staying with L and the family dog. Obv Lil is a genius.
Her first trip to the kennel was hard on Tom and I. She bugs the shit out of us but we love her and we really do miss her when she isn't around. Dropping her off was hard but the kennel assured me that they would send an update email during the weekend that would include a picture. We got the email and I was SO excited to see/hear how she was doing. Unfortunately she is SUPER embarrassing and this was the picture they sent.
BE MORE OF A WEIRDO.
After that picture we realized she loved the kennel and that she probably had some mental issues we would eventually have to address.
The next time we had to kennel her was another trip to Boston. We weren't so upset because we knew she enjoyed herself (and got an A+ on her report card) the last time. I was definitely looking forward to the picture tho. It was not a disappointment.
What is even happpppening in this.
Th next time we got a picture from the kennel was when we went to NY to visit L & J (who are in Spain on their honeymoon right now and I already miss them so muchhhh) and we were pretty excited to see how embarrassing she would be. Turns out not so much embarassing but totally still awkward.
Great job having friends..
Then more recently we were down at Tom's family cottage and we left Lil at the kennel. It was Memorial Day weekend and there were too many dogs for her liking. She got super overwhelmed and wanted o-u-t. So, the handlers gave her some one-on-one time to play fetch. Great! Downside tho? It was raining and this is the picture we got.
Saddest puppy ever
Then this past weekend, since there happened to be a lot of dogs again, Lil had an individualized play time which was dominated by her favorite activity again- fetch.
So athletic right?
So that is a picture history of proof of the awkwardness our dog embodies. Also we plan on blowing he real weird ones up at some point and framing them. Cuz we're good parents. NOW LINK UP!
Grab a button and link up your posts about your
pups, kittens, bunnies, lizards, birds and hamsters!! Tweet your post with #talltails This will be a bi-weekly link up but if we get a ton on interest, we can do it weekly!
Today I have Katie guest posting! She's SO GREAT. If she didn't live in Michigan I would have already showed up at her house. I'm excited to have her and her pup visiting and she's agreed to give y'all more puppy advice. You met her breifly on my post about puppy advice but she had so much good stuff I wanted everyone to hear, I asked for a whole post! PLUS after her post we have an annoucement!! Here she is!
Beautiful readers of Dog Hair is an Accessory, Adriana sent me here to give you some tips on how to raise the perfect puppy/dog.
Don’t get one.
I kid!
First and foremost, I’m Katie over at Understated Whimsy. I’m a self-proclaimed crazy cat lady, so the weekend I got the pupsqueak I spent most of it crying and trying to return him.
Not kidding this time.
Meet Scoobert Doo Cunningham III aka Pupsqueak von Perfect Pants aka Scoobs.
I'm sorry, WTF. He is so cute. He’s a rescue mutt, a priss, a baby and he’s perfect. After surviving my first 30 days with this hellion, here are some points of advice for if and when you decide to adopt a devil dog!
1. Wine. You are going to need a lot. Cab, chard, it doesn’t matter. You are going to need it in stock before you get this dog.
2. Puppy proof the house and stock up on everything you’ll need for the weekend BEFORE you get the pupsqueak. Ideally you’re getting this dog on a weekend (in fact, I think this is a must because you’re going to need some time to adjust), so beforehand, dog proof! Set up its crate, food, and toy box. Set up a baby gate in a kitchen or bathroom or hardwood area to put the dog when you just need a moment to not watch it but you don’t want to use the crate (i.e. bathroom, shower). Put up anything you don’t want it to chew. Stock up your house with groceries, snacks, movies and yummies (dictionary word, true story) so that you won’t have to keep running in and out of the house. Also wine. WINE.
3. CRATE TRAIN. I do not care if that dog screams for 7 hours straight the first couple nights. Crate train that mofo. Some tips to help the crying: try a white noise app on your phone or one of those toys with a heartbeat simulated in the crate to sooth the dog. If anything start with the crate in your bedroom at night and then slowly move it to where you want it to be. But do NOT get that puppy out if it cries! To get the dog to love its crate, try giving it an awesomesauce treat that he only gets in his crate. My go to is a kong filled with peanut butter or a kong filled with wet dog food and frozen. Dog LOVES that crap. Trust me, the crate is a lifesaver and will eventually become its happy little enclosed cage of shame den.
4. Routine and consistency. If you get the little squeak on a routine, housebreaking will be much easier. Get up at the same time, feed at the same time; take out at the same time. I used bells for training my dog. Ring the bell, say outside, then go right outside and use your command word. I really effing wish I didn’t make my word “go potty”. Wtf. Now I’m sitting out there chanting “go potty!” like an idiot. Oh well. But you could use anything, “hurry up” or “go faster”. After you say it and the dog goes, treat and praise and reward and then go right back in! That way the puppy knows when I ring these bells I go out and I go to the bathroom. If you ring the bells, go outside, go to the bathroom and then play or go for a walk, the pupsqueak is going to start ringing them because it wants to go outside and play. You want to train it to know bells = bathroom. With routine my pup only had 3 accidents in the house and 34 days later he successfully rings the bells every time he needs to go out. SUCCESS.
5. KILL IT. With kindness, you freaks. Don’t really kill the thing. Dogs are going to react to positive praise way more than negative. So have a sound you make (mind sounds like “nuh uh”) when you are trying to tell the pup you don’t like what its doing, and then when he does something else or heads the other way or stops chewing (etc.) immediately praise and treat and reward. You could be sitting there saying NO for hours or you could train the dog that when it hears your sound it means he is doing something that he won’t get a treat for. Trust me, that pup is immediately going to redirect and try to do something he knows he will get a treat for (playing with the right toys, leaving your cats alone and not trying to maul them to death) you get the picture.
6. SOCIALIZE. After you get the pup used to you and your rules (somewhat) take it places (after it has had all of its shots!) and let it do new things. Pet friendly restaurants, Petsmart, small trail walks, etc. You don’t want the thing to be an emo weirdo. You want it to get used to cars and people and walks etc. My dog will sit on a restaurant patio now happily looking at passersby while me and the manfriend booze away for hours. He loves it! And it means we get to get out of the house without feeling bad we are locking him up. And wine! Win, Win.
Getting the pup was probably one of the harder things I’ve ever done to date. My routine changed, my focus changed, my priorities changed, sleeping off a hangover until noon and then brunching for three hours every weekend changed. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. There is no love like the pupsqueak’s love. What is your best tip for surviving the first month with your new pup? Wine?
I gotcha, mine too.
All incredible advice! Wine is really the best remedy for puppy misbehavior. So go visit Katie now because she's fucking awesome.
Also- just as an add on, one of the things that may help isthis socialization check list. Get as many of these checked off as possible! If you didn't notice, that was a big point in both this post from Katie AND the post I did last week.Dr. Sohia Yin's site is a really great resource for any puppy or dog owner. Check her out!
AND NOW FOR OUR ANNOUNCEMENT!!
Katie and I have come up with this link up for all the fur and feather (and scale?) mommas out there! We both talk about our animals a LOT on our blogs and we know y'all are super into your pets too! So here is an opportunity to link up on a biweekly basis to talk about them and meet other bloggers who are pet-obsessed! The only requirements for the Tall Tails Link Up, are that you talk about your pets and that you visit some other blogs that are linked up! Maybe you will meet you pups new best friend! The first link up will be on Tuesday, July 2nd and of course we'll remind y'all again! Hope to see you all there!
and now, because it's appropriate, #backthatazzup with Whitney:
Hey y'all! Today I'm co-hosting The Collective Blog Hop! Link up, and hop around! Find some new blogs aka friends and have a good time!
And to all my new friends (and familiar faces) Sara and I will be hosting a HUGEBoozy Bloggers Giveaway with 3 winners on Thursday of this week! Make sure you come back and enter, you're not gonna wanna miss it!
I'm also co-hosting a current giveaway for ad space, gift cards and a blog design, check it out here!
"Hi BreAnna, just want to say that your blog is beautiful, creative, and fun. The GFC collective is one of my favorite parts of the blogging week. Love meeting new friends and fellow bloggers. We just started our blog and were amazed at how helpful the GFC collective is! Keep up the amazing work."
"This GFC Collective Hop is seriously one of the best link ups out there! Through this hop I have found so many great blogs & friends that I wouldn't have otherwise found! Thank you so much for hosting such a fun link up! Please take the time to link up & join along! You won't be sorry that you did!"
"I'm so excited I found your blog and this wonderful link up! I have met so many new people and found so many wonderful blogs this way. This is a great idea and I'm glad to be a part of it!"
